The 15 Best Day Trips from Almaty

Almaty: Charyn Canyon, Kolsay, and Kaindy Lakes Day Trip - Moon Canyon and the seasonal bonus

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 1,522 reviews · 17 hours · from $58Our pick

Review of Almaty’s 17-hour trip to Charyn Canyon, Kolsai and Kaindy Lakes, with practical advice on transport, costs, weather, and value.

“I recently joined this tour and it exceeded my expectations! Our guide Ice was extremely friendly, knowledgeable and made sure everyone was comfortable and having fun throughout the long day. The scenery at Charyn Canyon, Kolsay and Kaindy Lakes was absolutely stunning and made the 17 hours totally worth it. The whole trip felt very well organised, with just the right amount of explanations, jokes and free time. I highly recommend this tour to anyone visiting Almaty!”

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1-Day Tours, Almaty Tours, Charyn Canyon Tours, Kolsai and Kaindy Lakes Tours, Tour Reviews

Almaty: Kolsai-Kaindy Lakes and Charyn Canyons Day Trip

2.Kolsai-Kaindy Lakes and Charyn Canyons Day Trip

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 505 reviews · 16 hours · from $43

Review of Almaty’s $43 day trip to Charyn Canyon, Kolsai and Kaindy Lakes, with route choices, transport tips, costs, and honest advice.

“It was such an amazing tour. The tour guide and driver were kind and professional. Kudos”

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1-Day Tours, Almaty Tours, Charyn Canyon Tours, Kolsai and Kaindy Lakes Tours, Tour Reviews

From Almaty: Kolsay, Kaindy Lakes and Charyn Canyon Day Trip

3.Kolsay, Kaindy Lakes and Charyn Canyon Day Trip

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 452 reviews · from $43

See Kolsai and Kaindy lakes plus Charyn Canyon on a $43, 17-hour Almaty day trip with guides, canyon walks, and optional horse riding.

“We are a group of 5 from Hong Kong. The tour experience was EXCELLENT. Special speaks to our guide, Karina, who speaks perfect English and perform her job extremely well. Time management, greeting and guiding were top-notch. 100% recommended for a full day tour in Almaty!”

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1-Day Tours, Almaty Tours, Issyk Lake Tours, Tour Reviews, Turgen Waterfall and Assy Plateau Tours

Almaty: Esik Lake and Turgen Waterfall Day Trip

4.Esik Lake and Turgen Waterfall Day Trip

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 203 reviews · 10 hours · from $28Best value

Review of Almaty’s $28 day trip to Turgen Waterfall and Issyk Lake, with hiking, mountain views, trout lunch, transport tips, and honest drawbacks.

“We had an amazing trip to Turgen Waterfall and Esik Lake! The hike to the waterfall was very easy and enjoyable, with beautiful views along the way, including small streams and charming wooden bridges. We had plenty of time to relax and take in the scenery. Our tour guide, Sayana, was incredibly helpful and polite throughout the tour. She even assisted us in choosing food for lunch, which made the experience even more memorable. The next stop, Esik Lake, was absolutely breathtaking—its natural beauty left us speechless. The entire trip was fun, relaxing, and filled with stunning landscapes. We would definitely recommend this tour to anyone visiting the area!”

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1-Day Tours, Almaty Tours, Charyn Canyon Tours, Kolsai and Kaindy Lakes Tours, Tour Reviews

Kolsai Lake and Charyn Canyon Day Trip

5.Kolsai Lake and Charyn Canyon Day Trip

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 102 reviews · from $43

Review of the $43 Almaty day trip to Charyn Canyon and Kolsai Lake, with hikes, viewpoints, costs, timing, guides, and practical tips.

“The tour started at the meeting point a little later due to some people being late. In general, the group was more Russian-speaking, which made communication a little more difficult for me. I met actually the other tour, which also depRead more”

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1-Day Tours, Almaty Tours, Charyn Canyon Tours, Kolsai and Kaindy Lakes Tours, Tour Reviews

Kolsai and Kaindy Lakes with Charyn Canyons Day Trip

6.Kolsai and Kaindy Lakes with Charyn Canyons Day Trip

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 94 reviews · from $57Top rated

Review of Almaty’s 16-hour trip to Kolsai and Kaindy Lakes and Charyn Canyon, with hiking details, costs, transport, guides, and practical tips.

“It’s all good, keep it up. We learned so much about Kazakhstan’s wonderful natural places and our tour guide, Jana is very informative, fun, and friendly.”

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1-Day Tours, Almaty Tours, Altyn-Emel and Singing Dunes Tours, Tour Reviews

Almaty: Singing dunes, Aktau Mountains & Altyn Emel Day Trip

7.Singing dunes, Aktau Mountains & Altyn Emel Day Trip

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 84 reviews · 16 hours · from $250

Explore Kazakhstan’s Aktau Mountains and Singing Dunes on a long Altyn Emel day trip with lunch, wildlife, guides, and 4x4 transport.

“⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I had an incredible experience with our tour guide, Bek! From start to finish, Bek took care of us and made our trip truly special. The stories shared were not only entertaining but also enriched our understanding of the places we visited. The drivers were nice and ensured safe driving throughout our journey. Additionally, the host prepared delicious food that we all enjoy. If you're looking for a memorable and fun adventure, I highly recommend booking with Bek. Thank you for such a happy trip!”

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1-Day Tours, Almaty Tours, Black Canyon Tours, Kolsai and Kaindy Lakes Tours, Tour Reviews, Tours

Almaty:Kaindy and Kolsai lakes with Black Canyon 1 Day Tour

8.Kaindy and Kolsai lakes with Black Canyon 1 Day Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.4 · 51 reviews · 16 hours · from $48

Review of Almaty’s 16-hour Kaindy, Kolsai Lakes and Black Canyon tour, with practical advice on transport, costs, hiking and value.

“It was a fantastic, action packed day! We got to explore many beautiful parts of Kazakhstan!”

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1-Day Tours, Almaty Tours, Charyn Canyon Tours, Kolsai and Kaindy Lakes Tours, Tour Reviews, Tours

Charyn canyon and Kolsai lake One day tour

9.Charyn canyon and Kolsai lake One day tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 43 reviews · from $196

Review of a private Almaty day tour to Charyn Canyon and Kolsai Lake, with lunch, hotel pickup, guide details, timing, and value advice.

“We had a very nice time with our guide Diana. She is very knowledgeable and fun. The driver has a "bit heavy foot on the throttle" - so we reached our destinations quicker -, but he drives safely, car is very well maintained, so we still felt safe alRead more”

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1-Day Tours, Almaty Tours, Tour Reviews, Turgen Waterfall and Assy Plateau Tours

Day Trip by SUV: Turgen Waterfall & Assy Plateau Adventure

10.Day Trip by SUV: Turgen Waterfall & Assy Plateau Adventure

★★★★★★★★★★4.4 · 39 reviews · 12 hours · from $50

Review of Joinme Asia’s $50 SUV day trip from Almaty to Turgen Waterfall and Assy Plateau, with practical tips on weather, food, guides, and value.

“Very good trip. Our Guide Umit Was friendly and I liked the Tour because I met some new friends.”

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1-Day Tours, Almaty Tours, Kazakh Ethno-Village Experiences, Tour Reviews

Almaty: Kazakh aul Huns and Ak-Bulak Resort Day Trip

11.Kazakh aul Huns and Ak-Bulak Resort Day Trip

★★★★★★★★★★4.2 · 32 reviews · 8 hours · from $153

Explore Kazakh nomad life at Huns Ethno-Village, enjoy horse games and local food, then take in mountain views at Ak-Bulak Resort.

“Max (Maxat) was a great guide! Everyone from America should use him!, the event itself was wonderful and informative - Marco Boggio”

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1-Day Tours, Almaty Tours, Charyn Canyon Tours, Private, Tour Reviews

Private Day Trip to Fantastic Charyn Canyon

12.Private Day Trip to Fantastic Charyn Canyon

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 30 reviews · from $180

Review of a private Charyn Canyon day trip from Almaty, with transport, guide, timing, costs, hiking, scenery, and practical booking advice.

“First n foremost our Driver cum guide was the best person.His name was Miras.Very courteous n .helpful.His English was fluent n he showed us all the places.Scenery n weather was good.Will recommend a visit to Almaty to all.”

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1-Day Tours, Almaty Tours, Tour Reviews, Tours

1-day Backcountry Tour

13.1-day Backcountry Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 29 reviews · from $156

Explore Almaty’s Zailiyskiy Alatau on a guided backcountry ski or snowboard day, with flexible routes, local guides, and free cancellation.

“Safe and nice day trip during my vacation in Almaty. Thanks to Max and the crew. Did it last year and came back this year again.”

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1-Day Tours, Almaty Tours, Black Canyon Tours, Charyn Canyon Tours, Kolsai and Kaindy Lakes Tours, Private, Tour Reviews

One Day Private Kolsay Lake, Charyn and Black canyon

14.One Day Private Kolsay Lake, Charyn and Black canyon

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 29 reviews · from $180

Review of a private Almaty day tour to Kolsay Lake, Charyn Canyon, Moon Canyon, and Black Canyon, with practical timing and value advice.

“We did the tour with Yernar's dad and sister, who were great! Very friendly and patient, and knowledgeable about the region, so we were able to see a lot of different sites in one day. One of us is allergic to horses, so they organised in advance alternative transportation to Kaindy lake (a very fun 4x4 trip!). We definitely wouldn't have been able to see and do everything we did in the time we had without their help. We had a lovely day, it was not only a great way to see the places we wanted, but also a chance to talk and learn a little about life in Kazakhstan…”

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1-Day Tours, Almaty Tours, Charyn Canyon Tours, Kolsai and Kaindy Lakes Tours, Tour Reviews, Tours

1 Day Group Tour to Charyn Canyon, Kolsay Lake and Kaindy Lake

15.1 Day Group Tour to Charyn Canyon, Kolsay Lake and Kaindy Lake

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 25 reviews · from $130

Review of Almaty’s one-day tour to Charyn Canyon, Kaindy Lake, and Kolsai Lake, with costs, timing, transport, meals, and booking advice.

“Amazing tour from start to finish. Alina, our guide was one of the sweetest and most helpful guides I've ever met and she did a stellar job of managing the tour. Pre-tour communication was also very efficient. 100% satisfied.”

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