Legacy of the Great Steppe

Day 1: Arrival - Almaty

Your tour guide and driver will pick you up at the airport and send to the hotel.

Meals: X / X / D

Accommodation: Nomad Hotel or similar option.

Day 2: Almaty City Tour

Breakfast at the hotel and visit The Ascension Cathedral, also known as Zenkov Cathedral, a Russian Orthodox cathedral located in Panfilov Park. The Park of 28 Panfilov Guardsmen is dedicated to and named after the Panfilov heroes which were the 28 soldiers of an Almaty infantry unit who died while defending Moscow from the German invasion during theGreat Patriotic War. There are many museums in the area, like the Kazakhstan Museum of Musical Instruments or the Central State Museum. In the early evening, head to Kok-Tobe by cable car for sweeping views of the city and some prime people-watching activities.

Meals: B / L / D

Accommodation: Nomad Hotel or similar option.

Day 3: Day Trip to Big Almaty Lake

Today, we will visit Big Almaty lake (natural alpine reservoir). One of the most beloved local hangouts, known to locals simply as ‘Bao’, this water reservoir is located high in a mountainous area. Depending on the time of year and the lighting, the water ranges from a pale blue to a deep turquoise. It’s the perfect place to enjoy a picnic by the lakeside and people watch. You will get to the Alma - Arasan, recreation area. Big Almaty gorge, where at an altitude of 2,510 m above sea level located the Big Almaty lake - one of the most picturesque lakes in Trans-Ili Alatau.

Meals: B / L / D

Accommodation: Nomad Hotel or similar option.

Day 4: Almaty - Charyn Canyon

After breakfast transfer to Charyn Canyon from Almaty. Visiting the Charyn Canyon, Kazakhstan’s supreme rift. The Valley of Castles is certainly an apt name for such a remarkable place. Besides sightseeing and photography, the Charyn area offers opportunities for walking, and rafting, as well as off-road jeep touring, and simply enjoying beautiful nature.

Meals: B / L / D

Accommodation: Stay in Charyn Canyon (camping night).

Day 5: Kolsai lakes national park and Kaindy Lake

Waking up with a beautiful sunrise at Charyn Canyon, we will visit Kolsay and Kaindy lakes, via Charyn canyon which are one of the most beautiful places of Kazakhstan nature. You will enjoy the amazing panoramas of the Charyn canyon, Kolsay and Kaindy lakes. The best experiences of trying traditional Kazakh food, shopping at the road market in Baiseit village, walk deep into the forest. For avid hikers, Kolsai Lakes is where you want to be. Filled with 3 magnificent glacial lakes surrounded by mountains and endless miles of emerald evergreen forests, Kolsai is the perfect place to spend for hiking. You can also go for a swim.

Meals: B / L / D

Accommodation: Stay in a yurt/guest house in Salty village.

Day 6: Altyn-Emel & Singing Sand Dunes

The next day is a driving day – you’ll be headed to the giant sand dunes of the Almaty area in Altyn-Emel National Park. Singing dune is a wonderful place with a lot of sand. When the wind is blowing from the West dispersing the sands, one has a feeling that the pipe organ is playing in the heart of the desert. Up to now this phenomenon is still a riddle of nature, but the scientists suppose that in hot dry weather the sand gets electrified due to friction and creates a certain sonic vibration.

Meals: B / L / D

Accommodation: Stay in a yurt/guest house near the national park.

Day 7: Almaty - Airport

On your last day, you’ll head to the airport for departure. One week in Kazakhstan flies by.

Meals: B / X / X