The 15 Best Tours & 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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Almaty Tours, Charyn Canyon Tours, Kolsai and Kaindy Lakes Tours, Tour Reviews, Tours

Kolsai, Kaindy Lakes and Charyn Canyon Small-Group Tour

2.Kolsai, Kaindy Lakes and Charyn Canyon Small-Group Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 642 reviews · from $58Top rated

Review of the $58 Almaty tour to Charyn Canyon, Kaindy and Kolsai Lakes, with timing, hikes, transport, lunch, value and practical tips.

“The trip was really good and well organised. Guides were really helpful and entertaining. Only thing is that better transport vehicle can be arranged with more legroom or at least options to choose because its a long travel”

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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

3.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

4.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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2-Day Experiences, Almaty Tours, Charyn Canyon Tours, Kolsai and Kaindy Lakes Tours, Tour Reviews, Tours

Almaty: Kolsai Kaindy Lakes & Charyn Canyons 2-Day Tour

5.Kolsai Kaindy Lakes & Charyn Canyons 2-Day Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 432 reviews · 2 days · from $130

Review of Almaty’s 2-day tour to Kolsai, Kaindy, Charyn, Black and Moon Canyons, with yurts, Kazakh meals, transport, and practical tips.

“Our guide Zhenis was so friendly and caring.I felt I had enough time at each of the places to explore. The food was great. Thanks to our driver Ruslan too pick up/drop off was punctual.I would highly recommend!”

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

Kolsai Kaindy Lakes with Charyn Canyons 2-day tour

6.Kolsai Kaindy Lakes with Charyn Canyons 2-day tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 392 reviews · from $130

Review of the 2-day Kolsai, Kaindy, and Charyn tour from Almaty, with yurt stay, meals, transport, costs, sights, and practical tips.

“The tour was very well organized. I had a great time visiting each of the sites, we got ample time to enjoy and take in the scenery. Food was great and so was the yurt accommodation. Now coming to one of the best parts of the tour - our tour guide Aigerim!!! She is the best. A great guide as well as a fun person. We had a lot of fun at the bonfire and the multiple rounds of Uno games that we played after. Lovedd her playlist too hehe :D Also, shoutout to our wonderful driver - Ruslan!! - Yours truly, Masuma (Manisa, Manusa, Minisa etc., etc.) 😆”

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Almaty Tours, Charyn Canyon Tours, Kolsai and Kaindy Lakes Tours, Lunch Experiences, Tour Reviews, Tours

Kolsai Kaindy Lakes with Charyn Canyons Day Tour (lunch included)

7.Kolsai Kaindy Lakes with Charyn Canyons Day Tour (lunch included)

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 292 reviews · from $57

Review of Almaty’s Kolsai, Kaindy, and Charyn Canyon day tour, with honest advice on timing, transport, lunch, hiking, and value.

“Elle was a great tour guide, working tirelessly for 17 hours from our pre-6am pickup to final drop offs at 11pm. She took us to see so many attractions outside of Almaty City, including Charyn Canyon (the so-called little brother of the Grand CanRead more”

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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

8.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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Almaty Tours, Charyn Canyon Tours, Kolsai and Kaindy Lakes Tours, Tour Reviews, Tours

Almaty: Kolsai & Kaindy Lakes with Charyn Canyon Day Tour

9.Kolsai & Kaindy Lakes with Charyn Canyon Day Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 198 reviews · 17 hours · from $57

See Charyn, Black and Moon Canyons, Kolsai and Kaindy Lakes in one long Almaty day, with local lunch and English-speaking guides.

“I am satisfied because I visited famous places even though it was a short time.”

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

Almaty: 2-Day Tour to Kolsai-Kaindy Lakes and Charyn Canyon

10.2-Day Tour to Kolsai-Kaindy Lakes and Charyn Canyon

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 196 reviews · 2 days · from $105

Review of Almaty’s 2-day Kolsai, Kaindy, and Charyn Canyon tour, with practical advice on transport, food, guesthouse, hikes, and value.

“Thanks to Aigerim, she does it all, understood during the trip there might be some small hiccups but she tried her very best to accommodate to everyone’s needs. And also hyping us up whenever, the whole trip planned was fulfilling enough with sufficient time to experience the destinations, also not to forget, the scrumptious meals provided by our accommodation host 🩵 everything is hearty, thank you Aigerim and our driver for a safe travel!”

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Almaty Tours, Charyn Canyon Tours, Kolsai and Kaindy Lakes Tours, Tour Reviews, VIP

Treasures of Almaty lakes Kaindy and Kolsai,Charyn Canyon VIP car

11.Treasures of Almaty lakes Kaindy and Kolsai,Charyn Canyon VIP car

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 165 reviews · from $49

Review of Panda Travel’s 17-hour Almaty day trip to Kolsai, Kaindy, and Charyn Canyon, with VIP transport, costs, timing, and practical tips.

“The tour was very well organised. Our guide was very informative. However going to the lakes in winters is a big no because you don’t see the lakes at all as it’s completely frozen.”

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Almaty Tours, City Tours, Kok Tobe Tours, Medeu and Shymbulak Tours, Tour Reviews, Tours

Almaty: City tour and Medeu, Shymbulak and Kok-Tobe

12.City tour and Medeu, Shymbulak and Kok-Tobe

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 163 reviews · 11 hours · from $49

Review of Almaty’s 11-hour city and mountain tour, covering Medeu, Shymbulak, Kok-Tobe, Green Bazaar, Panfilov Park, and Zenkov Cathedral.

“traffic jam and thick fog at shymbulak. despite that its a pleasant day trip.”

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

Almaty: Lake Issyk with Turgen Waterfall Day Tour

13.Lake Issyk with Turgen Waterfall Day Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 127 reviews · 9 hours · from $32

Review of Almaty’s Lake Issyk and Turgen Waterfall tour, with practical advice on scenery, hiking, transport, lunch, guides, and value.

“Trip was well organized and guide azad has taken care of everything. Lake was so beautiful.”

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Almaty City: Big Almaty Lake Roundtrip Transfer and Tour

14.Almaty City: Big Almaty Lake Roundtrip Transfer and Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 110 reviews · 4 hours · from $69

Review of Almaty’s Big Almaty Lake tour, with mountain views, guide insight, easy transfers, seasonal tips, price value, and practical advice.

“Karina was the sweetest!! We laughed so so much with her the whole day!! We took off with only 5 people in the group + Karina and the driver and we arrived at the very cold Big Almaty Lake early in the morning. We took photos, heard stories and headed to grab breakfast soon after because in the middle of November the temperature there is super low and we simply couldn't spend more time there. The coffee shop we stopped by had good food and coffee and looked nice too especially with the sun up. Afterwords, we went to the Apple farm which had a cozy vibe and I asked…”

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Almaty Tours, Big Almaty Lake Tours, Hiking & Trekking, Tour Reviews, Tours

Big Almaty Lake Tour with Optional Hike

15.Big Almaty Lake Tour with Optional Hike

★★★★★★★★★★4.3 · 109 reviews · from $69

Big Almaty Lake tour review with hiking and driving options, guide tips, mountain views, costs, fitness advice, and practical booking details.

“- The tour guide Vladimir arrived on time and made sure I was safe throughout the trip. He also made sure I could climb down the slope safely as my shoes don't have really good grip. - This moderately challenging hike is enjoyable, with the view of the Big Almaty Lake and the natural landscape of the beautiful mountain range. - It is safe to hike with this small group tour, as a solo traveller.”

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