Welcome to Kazakhstan
The world’s ninth-biggest country is the most economically advanced of the ‘stans’, thanks to its abundant reserves of oil and most other valuable minerals. This means generally better standards of accommodation, restaurants and transport than elsewhere in Central Asia. The biggest city, Almaty, is almost reminiscent of Europe with its leafy avenues, chic ALZhiR Museum-Memorial Complex, glossy shopping centres and hedonistic nightlife. The capital Astana, on the windswept northern steppe, has been transformed into a 21st-century showpiece with a profusion of bold futuristic architecture. But it's beyond the cities that you'll find the greatest travel adventures, whether hiking in the high mountains and green valleys of the Tian Shan, searching for wildlife on the lake-dotted steppe, enjoying homespun hospitality in village guesthouses, or jolting across the western deserts to remote underground mosques.
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Kazakhstan activities
TSE Astana Airport to Hotel Arrival Transfer by Private Car
When booking this private arrival transfer from your hotel to Astana International Airport, you will need to advise your flight details and your hotel details. Your transfer will be confirmed within 24 hours of booking, and you will be provided with a travel voucher to present to the driver. It's that easy!Transfer services are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Choose from a luxury sedan transfer for three people, or a sport utility vehicle transfer that carries up to five passengers. All vehicles feature stylish and spacious interiors and you will be met and escorted by a professional chauffeur.Price is per person, based on three passengers per sedan or five per minivan.
Extreme horseback riding tour at the Ketmen ridge
Day 1 Almaty-Charyn Canyon-Tourist Base in the Ketmen GorgeMeeting with a guide in Almaty and transfer to the campsite (about 335 km from Almaty).Departure from Almaty with a stop in Charyn (~ 220 km from Almaty).After the excursion, moving to the base (185km, 2.5 hours)18.00 Arrival to the base. Accommodation in a guest house, lunch. Free time for a walk. In the evening, guests can visit the Russian sauna.Day 2 Ketmen – Dardamty Breakfast. Departure on horseback for an extreme tour of the surroundings towards the Dardamty gorge.Lunch and rest on the river bank. Overnight in tents at an altitude of 3000-3300 meters above sea level.At the request of tourists, a 2-days overnight stay in tents is possible.Day 3. DardamtyBreakfast. Taking things and equipment. Continuation of horseriding tour.Arrival to the guesthouse in the Dardamty gorge. Rest, dinner. You can visit sauna here.Meal: breakfast, lunch, dinnerDay 4. Dardamty-Chilik-Almaty08.00 Breakfast. After collecting the things, you will say goodbye to the horses and drive by car to Almaty (310 km, 5 hours)Further along the road you will visit the Kazakh family of berkutchi, try the national dishes, including the national drink kymyz (from mare's milk). You will have a unique opportunity to see the Golden Eagle alive and take a picture with him. In the autumn time, a Golden Eagle show with a demonstration performance is possible.20.00 Arrival to Almaty.Meal: breakfast, lunch
Photo tour of the wild nature of Zhongar Alatau
Day 1. Almaty - Altyn-Emel07.00 Meeting with a guide in Almaty, transfer to Altyn-Emel National Park. (270 km, 5 hours).12.00 Arrival to the park, accommodation at the guest house, lunch.After lunch, go to excursion at Signing Dunes.18.00 Return to the guesthouse. Dinner and overnight.Meal: lunch, dinner Day 2. Altyn-Emel05.30 Early rise for the shooting of the dawn on the dune. Return to the guest house, breakfast.10.00 departure for excursion to the mountains Aktau-Katytau.Lunch-boxes.Next stop is a 700-year-old willow tree.18.00 Return to the guest house. Dinner and overnight.Meal: breakfast, lunch, dinner Day 3. Altyn-Emel - Alakol06.00 Early risen. After breakfast, drive to Lake Alakol, the Akchi village (520 km, 8 hours)15.00 Arrival to the Alakol lake. Accommodation in guest houses, lunch. Free time. Walk along the beach. Dinner and overnight.Meal: breakfast, lunch, dinnerDay 4. Alakol - the Tastau gorge09.00 Breakfast. Departure by car towards the Tastau gorge (140km, 5 hours)15.00 Arrival to the base. Accommodation at a guest house, lunch. Free time for a walk. In the evening, guests can visit the Russian sauna.Here, while in the guesthouse, you can watch Siberian mountain goats and some species of birds of prey with binoculars. It’s the place where animals don’t afraid of people, that means that this place is really untouched by human.Meal: breakfast, lunch, dinner Day 5. Tastau08.00 Breakfast, collecting things and equipment. After breakfast with guide you will go on a horseback tour of the surroundings.You will walk through the green fields with flowering flowers and crystal mountain springs in search of animalsMeal: breakfast, lunch, dinner Day 6. Tastau08.00 Breakfast, collecting things and equipment. After breakfast, continue the tour of the surrounding area in search of wild animals. Wherever you look, there are boundless expanses of alpine meadows and quaint granite rocks, and in the distance, you can see the peaks of Zhongar Alatau.Lunch near river. After a little rest return to the base. Dinner and overnight in the house.Meal: breakfast, lunch, dinner Day 7. Tastau - Almaty07.00 Breakfast, departure to Almaty (about 15 hours, 740 km). Stop for lunch at the transshipment point Usharal (210 km, 6 hours). Then stop for a snack in Taldykorgan.22.00 Arrival to Almaty.Meal: breakfast, lunch
Wildlife tour: Far away from civilization
Day 1. Almaty - Tekeli - SarkandDeparture from Almaty at 08:00.12.00 Arrival to the Tekeli village (295 km, 4 hours). Here you will have a lunch in a Kazakh family, try national dishes. The locals are descendants of Berkutchi, and you will have a unique opportunity to see the Golden Eagle show, and even take a picture with them. After lunch transfer to Sarkand (190 km, 2 hours). Dinner and overnight at the hotel. Day 2. Sarkand - the ancient settlement of Kayalyk - Kokzhar09.00 Breakfast. Departure by car to the Kayalyk town.For the first time the Europeans has known about this settlement in the 50's. of the XIII century, thanks to the book of the French monk Guillaume Rubrik - "Journey to Eastern countries." In those days, Kayalyk was the capital of the Karluks jag.Lunch in a cafe and departure to the Kokzhar village for a rest. Here you can admire the beauty of nature, and also if you are lucky enough see the Red Book black stork. In this area located the largest number of apple trees remained in Kazakhstan (49%), incl. apple tree of Sivers, which is the progenitor of all the apple trees on Earth. Overnight in tents.Meal: breakfast, lunch, dinner Day 3. Kokzhar- tour base Atapkan08.00 Breakfast. After breakfast, departure to Atapkan. Despite the fact that there are only 100 km between these two points on the map, it takes almost a whole day to drive by car. The road is very extreme, like a serpentine ribbon.Lunch will be on the bank of the river Tentek.18.00 Arrival to Atapkan, which is located on the territory of Zhongar-Alatau National Park. Accommodation in a guest house, dinner. Free time for a walk.Day 4. Atapkan camp site08.00 Breakfast. After breakfast, walk around the guest house. Observation with binoculars for animals: maral, ibex, roe deer and bear.After lunch, relax in the sauna.Day 5. Atapkan camp - the lake Gluhoe gorge09.00 Breakfast in the guest house. Walking (about 4 km, at the request of tourists, you can walk with the use of pack horses, or ride a horse) from the guest house to the bivouac glade located on the bank of the Glukhoe Gorge. Rest, dinner. Overnight in tents near the lake.Day 6. Lake Glukhoe gorge - Atapkan07.00 Early rise, breakfast and camp gathering. Return to the base. Departure to the Lepsinsk city for a rest. Visit to the local history museum of Lepsinsk.Dinner and overnight in a guest house of local people.Day 7. Lepsinsk - Ekiasha - AlmatyBreakfast. Departure from Lepsinsk at 07:00.On the way to Almaty, visit the attractions of Aulie Tas.Lunch on the way to Taldykorgan. Arrival in Almaty approx. 21:00 hours.
One day trip to Charyn Canyon
8 AM. Meeting with driver from your hotel and transfer to Charyn canyon (about 220 km from Almaty, 4 hours). P.S. Snacks and small picnic will be done for your upon arrival to canyon. After arrival to canyon you are able to see panorama of the Canyon from the top, and also go down to admire canyon itself and walk along it. At the end of the canyon there is a river, where you can take a rest and have a small picnic with your guide. Then you can go back to the car, ride back to Almaty within 4 hours.The scheduled time of arrival to Almaty is about 7 PM
Two days trip to amazing Kolsay and Kaiyndy lakes
Day 1Meeting with guide in Almaty and transfer to Saty village at Kolsay Lakes National Park (about 290 km)Transfer to the 1st Kolsay Lake. Trek to the 2nd Kolsay Lake (about 8 km). Here you can enjoy horse riding or get to the top by yourself. Such kind of beauty cannot be found anywhere. Here you can enjoy unsurpassed forest. These lakes are situated in the eastern part of the picturesque Kungei Tau gorge, 300 km from Almaty. Lunch during excursionDinner and overnight in guesthouse.Optionally: boat tripMeal: lunch, dinnerDay 2BreakfastArrival to the Kaiyndy Lake. It's a very young lake that appeared only in the beginning of the last century as a result of the 1911 earthquake. Lunch during excursion.Drive back to Almaty through Charyn Canyon.Optionally: horse riding and boat tripMeal: breakfast, lunch