Tour to Castle

Tour 3: Tour to Castle
Duration: 8 days
In short: Almaty – Issyk – Almaty – Altyn Emel – Saty – Kaindy – Kolsai 2 – Charyn – Almaty

Day 1: Almaty
Driver will pick you and accompany to Almaty. You will have sightseeing tour that start in central part of the city. You will found out more about history and development of the Southern capital of Kazakhstan as well as seeing its main sites. You tour will start with visiting The Green Bazaar that is the famous among local people. Here it will be impossible refrain yourself from haggle. You will fell the atmosphere of this place- the real eastern market as well as the lifestyle of locals. Then you will visit Panfilov Park that is considered to be one of the oldest here. Here you can also visit Zenkov Cathedral, one of the most beautiful wooden buildings. Memorial of Glory and Eternal Flame is the next site. It was devoted in the memory of those who died for freedom and independence of the country. Next destination is the Kok-Tobe hill, renowned due to the location of the tallest TV tower in the world. You can you get here by the scenery winding mountain road. You can wander through the winding paths of the Kok Tobe Park. To marvel the view of the city you can use special observation deck and visit the shop of national souvenirs. For returning to the city you will have ride on the famed Almaty cableway. Night is in a hotel.

Day 2: Almaty – Issyk – Almaty
After having breakfast you will be transferred to Issyk Lake through Trans-Ili Alatau along the Kuldja tract. Here hundreds years ago trade caravans passed.  During transfer you will learn more about history of this area and see the burial mounds of Sakas period, where famed «Golden Man" was found, which now is the state symbol of the Republic of Kazakhstan. On the way you will visit the State Historical and Cultural Museum-Reserve “ISSYK”. In this place you will able to enjoy the exhibition of the history and culture of the Sakas period, including a copy of Golden Man and golden items, ancient ceramics, weapon, elements of horse equipment, and of course the model of Sakas burial mound. After it we will continue our drive to the alpine lake- Issyk, with altitude of 1 756 m. This lake was formed due to the colossal slide, which also made a dam of 300 meters high. Here you can marvel the beauty of the lake’s surface and the Issyk Gorge. In addition you will be able to hear about the natural disaster of 1963. Also at the lake you will have a picnic and free time to explore the nature. Overnight is in the hotel.

Day 3: Almaty – Altyn Emel
In the morning you will drive to Tamgaly Tas that is situates on the Ili River. It is the exceptional site with the images of Buddha’s and texts in Tibetan, Kalmyk and other languages which have basically a prayer meaning that are carved on the old rocks. For 150 years it is unknown who made it and what it for, all scientist are trying to solve this puzzle. In Tamgaly Tas your guide will tell you everything about this place.In addition to it you will have opportunity to stroll around and marvel such fancy view. On the other side of the river you will see kit in the style of medieval Kazakhstan that were built for the filming “The Nomad” film. After it we continue to explore sites and will drive to Baschi village. Altyyn Emel your next destination where you will visit the famous Singing Dune, 120 meters high and about 3 km long. It is located in one of the corners of the Altyn-Emel National Park, near the Ili River between the mountains of Big and Small Kalkan. This site is famous for its singing due to pure sand. In the windy weather you can hear organ music but before a sandy storm the dune sounds like a drum. From the top of this dune you will be able to admire unforgettable view of the grand panorama and its surroundings. In the south, a thin band of the Ili River is can be seen, as well as the incredible color of the Sogety and Boguty mountains, emerging from the white peaks of the Ketmen Range. In the west, whole horizon is covered by a steep slope of the Greater Kalkan, and the Lesser Kalkan from the east. In the north - the violet-blue ridge of the Dzungarian Alatau, the mountains of Chulak, Matai and Altyn-Emel. The sounds of this dune depend due to weather. Night is in the guethouse.

Day 4: Altyn Emel
After breakfast you will explore Aktau and Katutau mountains. Lunch during excursion. Katutau Mountains or Harsh Mountains are incredibly ancient and ruined mountains with preserved volcanic rocks. Due to its fragility, the rock can be easily destroyed. But the impact of sublime factors such as water, time and wind create incredibly intricate figures here. Also, sedimentary rocks of the bottom of the ancient Tethys Ocean have been preserved in this place. Aktau Mountains or White Mountains are a world famous paleontological field. Here the remains of ancient animals are well preserved, whose age reaches 25-30 million years. Also were found remains of giant rhinos, crocodiles, and turtles were found. The huge conical mountains resemble the Egyptian pyramids and are a incredible scene of a different shapes and colors. Overnight is in the guest house.

Day 5: Altyn Emel – Saty – Kaindy
In the morning transfer to Saty village. On the way you will visit Kaindy Lake that is the famed due to its beauty. This lake also known as birch lake and is situated on the altitude of 2000 meters above sea level. It appeared because of the powerful earthquake caused a landslide blocked the lane natural dam, that flooded this valley in 1911.The water in the lake is very old because of it you can see the needles of the flooded trees are well persist and dry stalks of spruce go to the surface of the water, like the mast of an underwater squadron. You need to see it with your own eyes because such beauty cannot be described by simple words. Continue the drive to Saty settlement. Night is in the homestay.

Day 6: Saty – Kolsai 2
In the morning you will drive to lake where you will have a trekking tour from lake Kolsai-1 to the lake Kolsai-2. Lunch you will have on the way. These lakes are the cascade of 3 lakes. The biggest of them is available for all visitors. It is the best place for being away from civilization. Furthermore you can have a horse riding tour to this place. Last lake is the highest but is very small. It is located on the border of spruce and alpine meadows, due to this strike it with severe alpine beauty, as well as its rich nature. The vertical difference between the three lakes is about 700 meters. You can drive to the lowest lake. But to other lakes you need to hike few kilometers. You can have here a wonderful vacation due to berries, mushrooms and fishing. Here to be found the rainbow trout - a fish that lives only in the running or spring water. In the mountains you can see Marals, mountain goats, wolves and even bears. Night is in the homestay.

Day 7: Saty – Charyn – Almaty
Today your destination is Almaty. On the way you will have stop at Charyn Canyon. This place is unique not only for Kazakhstan, but also for the whole world. This site appeared during the Paleogene and has like the Grand Canyon of Colorado River in North America, but a bit inferior to it in size. The steep slopes of the canyon reach 150-300 meters. But the most impressive here is an extraordinary section of the terrain: numerous gorges form a dense chaotic network. Because of the natural conditions the "Valley of Castles" was formed. Due to this, you will find yourself in the middle of towers made up of sedimentary rocks. The size of this place: more than 2 km in length, 20-80 meters in width. It took a lot of time and carefulness to create such wonderful and incredible architecture. You can forget about the time by walking around these fancy columns, and marvel imagination of the nature. Arrival to Almaty. Overnight is in the hotel.

Day 8: Flight
Breakfast, check – out till 12:00, transfer to airport.
 

Price per person:
02 pax – 1 680
04 pax – 1 030 $
06 pax – 770 $
08 pax – 640 $
10 pax – 565 $
Single – 175 $

Early check-in – 30 $
Single early check-in – 45 $  

Half board – 135 $
Full board – 210 $ 

English speaking guide – 780 $ per group 
 

Service includes:
- Transport
- Accommodation:
      Almaty – “Kazakhstan” Hotel 3*
      Kolsai lakes – guest house
      Altyn Emel – guest house
- English speaking guide
- Entrances to all museums
- Mineral water during the tour            

Service does not include:
- Full board
- Single rooms
- Early check-in
- Travel insurance
- Visa and visa support

If you want to find out more about places included in this tour – please read below.
For more details – click on the NAME of the place. 

Almaty is a city located at the foothill of Zailiy Ala Tau that gives a splendid view to it.
Green Bazaar has abundance and variety of goods starting from fruits and ending with meat.
Park of 28 Panfilov Guardsmen is one of the popular places in a city that has a few sites inside.
Zenkov Cathedral is one of the world’s top highest buildings made of wood.
Kok Tobe hill allows observing a great city panorama and offers lots of entertainments.
Issyk Lake is small lake with dramatic history of avalanches.
Tamgaly is petroglyphs, UNESCO World Heritage site in 170 km north-west from Almaty.
Altyn Emel is one of the largest national parks of Kazakhstan.
Kaindy is a lake in 291 km distance from Almaty with extraordinary beauty and charm.
Kolsai Lakes are the most beautiful emerald green lakes with coniferous forests.
Charyn canyons are unique geological rock formations resembling the Grand canyons.