Almaty tours and day trips

Day tours and excursions around Almaty

Almaty is the easiest base in Kazakhstan for mountain travel: within a few hours' drive you reach red sandstone canyons, alpine lakes, singing sand dunes and high-altitude glacier valleys. All of our trips are day tours from Almaty — you leave in the morning and sleep in your own hotel the same night, except the two-day Kolsai route, which adds a night in a village guest house.

The most popular excursion is Charyn Canyon with Kolsai and Kaindy Lakes, which puts four natural landmarks into a single day. If you would rather see desert scenery, the Altyn-Emel National Park tour covers the coloured Aktau Mountains and the Singing Dunes. For a shorter trip, Big Almaty Lake is only a couple of hours from the city, and the Almaty city tour takes in Kok-Tobe, Medeu, Panfilov Park and the Green Bazaar in seven hours. Arriving or leaving? We also arrange an airport transfer at a fixed price.

Private or small group?

Most routes can be booked either way. A small-group tour is the cheaper option and runs on a set schedule; a private tour costs more per person but follows your pace — you decide how long to stay at each stop and when to break for photos. Whichever you choose, an English-speaking local guide, hotel pick-up and professional photo and video coverage are included.