Itineraries

Charyn canyon

Available on: jeep and motorcycle

Charyn Canyon – a unique natural monument, built of 12 million years old sedimentary rocks. The deepest point reaches 150-300 m. Such landscapes are preserved only in few places in the world.

We will pick you up early in the morning from your location. Unlike other providers which typically use main roads, our route takes you along unique construction of the Soviet era – the Big Almaty canal. This canal stretches for over 200 km from Almaty to Chilik river along the foothills of Zailisky Alatau mountains. The road has less traffic and it is very beautiful at any time of the year.

After few hours we have lunch in the Kokpek village in a local cafe. After lunch, we cross Syugatin valley and reach Charyn Canyon. Leaving our vehicles, we take a walk along the canyon and visit good view points to snap pictures. There, surrounded by fantastic cliffs you will have a coffee break and time to relax. If we have enough time we can stop by Bartogai Lake on the way back to Almaty.

There is a possibility to spend a night in a canyon in one of tourist yurts or bungalows with showers and cafe.

Total driving time from/back to Almaty – about 8 hours
Walk in canyon – 1,5 – 2 hrs
In total, we will spend 12 hours for the tour.
Total distance: 440 km

Ushkonyr mountain

Available on: motorcycle

Ushkonyr Mountain Tour takes place near the city of Almaty (40 km) at the foot of the high mountains of Zailisky Alatau. A great place to spend time riding a bike along the mountain paths, breathe fresh mountain air and see beautiful views. This tour offers perfect off-road trails for motorbikes.

Total driving time from/back to Almaty – about 5-6 hours

Total distance: about 150 km

Altyn Emel – 2 days

Available on: jeep and motorcycle

The territory of Altyn Emel is intended for preservation of rare species of animals and plants, which you can spot during the tour if you are lucky. One of the main attractions of Altyn Emel is a lonely Singing Dune. In dry weather, the sand produces sounds similar to organ melody. There are few of such sand dunes in the world. We will also stop by a 700-year-old willow tree and drink fresh spring water. Our route will take you to amazing mountains of Katutau and Aktau and many historical and archaeological sites of VIII- III centuries BC.

Day 1. We will pick you up early in the morning from your location. Unlike other guides who typically use the main road to Altyn Emel, our route takes the off-road along the Degeres mountains where you can see some small Kazakh farmer villages and meet locals. We will stop for lunch at the top of Altyn-Emel pass (2000m), where we try very delicious shashlik (lamb barbecue) in a small family run cafe. After lunch, we arrive at Baschi village and visit Park ranger`s office to prepare necessary documents for entrance. There is also a small museum where you can learn about history and inhabitants of Altyn Emel national park. Then we check into cozy hotel and relax. Dinner and overnight in a hotel.

Driving time – 8 hours
Total distance – 256 km
Main road – 156 km
Off-road – 100 km

Day 2. We wake up early in the morning and have breakfast. At first, we visit the Singing Dune. There you can take a walk to the top of the dune and slide down to produce some music. We will then head to see 700 year-old willow and drive through a large part of the park to view colorful mountains of Aktau and Katutau. Lunch on the road and drive back to Almaty.

Driving time – 10 hours
Total distance – 432 km
Main road – 300 km
Off-road – 132 km

Tamgaly petroglyphs

Available on: jeep and motorcycle

Tamgaly in Kazakh means drawings. In the late 50s in the tract Tamgaly archeologists accidentally discovered a unique place with rock paintings of an unknown civilization. Petroglyphs left unturned three and a half thousand years ago. Mysterious civilization lived and disappeared here, saving for us more than 4000 drawings which show scenes from the life of ancient people. This is truly a museum under the open sky.

We will pick you up early in the morning from your location and leave Almaty. Half of the route we will spend driving along the foot of the beautiful Zailisky Alatau mountains. At a roadside café, we will have lunch to taste some local cuisine. After lunch, we will continue our journey into Tamgaly settlement surrounded by endless vast. We will take a walk in an open-air museum and learn about the history of this place. Afterward we will have a coffee break and relax in original Kazakh yurt. Return drive to Almaty

Total driving time from/back to Almaty – about 6 hours
Walk in Tamgaly – 1,5 – 2 hrs
In total, we will spend 8 hours for the tour.
Total distance: 360 km

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