Almaty with a Night at Kolsai

Welcome to Almaty, Kazakhstan!

16:00 — Welcome to Almaty – City of a thousand colours! After clearing custom & immigration procedures followed by baggage collection, you will be met by your English-speaking guide in the arrival hall.

17:00 — You will be escorted to your vehicle. Chocolates & refreshing napkins will be served on board your vehicle. Enjoy complimentary Wi-Fi on board your vehicle. Please ask your guide for login details.

18:00 — Welcome to your hotel & check-in to your room.

20:00 — Dinner as per your choice of cuisine or restaurant. (On Own)

22:00 — Hotel drop-off and good night sleep.

Shymbulak Ski Resort

Breakfast at the hotel.

10:00 — Visit the Shymbulak Ski resort – Level 3 via Gondola. In just 1 hour, you can get from Almaty city center to its highest point (3200 meters) and drink coffee in the highest bar in the CIS using a 3 tier world-class Gondola. On Shymbulak, you can have a great time even if you can’t ski or snowboard. All-day entertainment for the whole family is provided by cafes and restaurants with excellent cuisine, an observation deck with powerful binoculars that rotate 360 degrees and a playground. For those who want to enjoy the mountain silence and admire the snowy slopes, the resort offers high-class hotels and various kinds of adventure activities such as Zip. Lining, Paragliding, Horse riding etc.

14:00 — Enjoy lunch in Shymbulak or a choice of your restaurant in the city. (On Own)

16:00 — Proceed to your hotel for some relaxation.

18:00 — Panfilov & Arbat walking tour. Evening walk around Panfilov promenade. The promenade which overlooks the Kazakh Opera & Ballet theatre is lined with small shops, eateries, and cafes & beautiful lights. You will enjoy hearing many local musicians singing songs & playing local musical instruments. The tour will end on Arbat street with lots of shopping outlets and street entertainment.

20:00 — Dinner as per your choice of cuisine or restaurant. (On Own)

22:00 — Hotel drop-off and good night sleep.

KOLSAI LAKES (285 kms/4 hours)

Breakfast at your hotel.

09:00 — Proceed for Kolsai National Park! The “Pearl of the Tien Shan”, Kolsai Lakes, are located 300 km from Almaty, in the spur of the Kungei-Alatau ridge. It is also called Kazakh Switzerland. These are one of the most beautiful mountain lakes surrounded by steep mountain slopes.

13:00 — Arrive at check-in to your boutique resort.

14:00 — Enjoy lunch at your resort or any small cafes in the area (On Own)

16:00 — Bask in the beauty of nature. Enjoy a boat ride on Lake Kolsai or ride a horse to explore the area.

20:00 — Dinner as per your choice of cuisine or restaurant. (On Own)

Overnight at your hotel.

Kaindy Lake & Charyn Canyon

Breakfast at your hotel.

10:00 — Visit Kaindy Lake – Ghostly Underwater Forest! You've seen forests, and you've seen lakes. But when you see one inside the other, things start to feel eerie. That's the essence of Kaindy Lake. A landslide a century ago created the lake atop a spruce forest — leading to some breath-taking scenery.

13:00 — Lunch in a local café before proceeding to Charyn Canyon. (On Own)

14:00 — Visit Charyn –A 12-million-year-old Canyon! It is often compared to the American Grand Canyon, to which Charyn is only slightly inferior in size and not at all in beauty. The total length of the canyon is 154 kilometres, and its age is about 12 million years. The river of the same name Charyn flows at the bottom of the canyon, the total length of which exceeds 360 kilometres. The beauty of the canyon brings forth thoughts about Martian landscapes. If you want to feel like you’re on another planet, make sure to come to space, Charyn! Thousands of tourists visit this magical place annually, taking unforgettable impressions, delightful emotions and beautiful photos of the wild, unbridled beauty of Kazakhstan’s nature with them. The «Valley of Castles» is one of the most beautiful canyon gorges. Its steep, vertical cliffs truly resemble the walls of royal houses. You can walk through the valley for 1.5 hours, completing a walk at a crystal-clear mountain river. Also there are other places that are of great interest for tourists, like the «Witch Gorge», «Dragon Gorge» and many other scenic parts of this natural wonder.

16:00 — Proceed to Almaty city.

19:00 — Arrive & check-in to your hotel for relaxation.

20:00 — Dinner (On Own)

22:00 — Hotel drop-off.

Green Bazaar + Rakhat Chocolate Shop

Breakfast at the hotel.

10:00 — Green Bazaar + Rakhat Chocolate Shop. If you are among these, who don’t like to go to a mall and prefer the outdoor market among fresh air and belong to the old-school shopping type, then +without wasting any time, head straight towards the Zelyony Bazaar located close to the Panfilov Park in Almaty. Also known as the Green Market, this market is your typical local market where you can purchase everything starting from meat to spices to fruits to even clothes and furniture. The key to shopping here is that you should have a flair for bargaining, and you can get everything at a very reasonable rate. You will be delighted to see the colourful atmosphere and the variety of goods available. Right next door is the famous Rakhat Chocolate shop. Rakhat which means pleasure in Kazakh is the oldest manufacturer of chocolates dating back to almost 70 years. Around 3500 workers work in basically 2 factories, one located in Almaty and one in Shymkent city. They also make chocolates for people suffering from diabetes and their low-calorie products like candies, cookies and waffles are a range among the people and tourists.

14:00 — Lunch at an Indian restaurant (On Own)

15:00 — Shopping. Almaty is a paradise for all your shopping, so you can head to some of the swankiest malls the city has to offer. We recommend Dostyk Plaza, Esentai Mall & Mega Mall for high-end quality shopping.

18:00 — Sunset in Kok Tobe. KokTobe is the highest point in the city of Almaty standing on a 1100 m hill at the south-east edge of the city. It is worth a visit to KokTobe because of its panoramic view of the city from all directions. To reach the KokTobe hill, one should take a cable car ride which starts near Hotel Novotel and goes over some of the oldest parts of Almaty and the magnificent fruit growing gardens. Once you reach the KokTobe hill, you would see the famous 372 m high TV Tower which is visible from far and offers great views of the mountains and the city plus many attractions at the top including many restaurants serving cuisines from across the globe.

20:00 — Dinner as per your choice of cuisine or restaurant. (On Own)

22:00 — Hotel drop-off and good night sleep.

Return Home

12:00 — Packed breakfast & check-out from the hotel. It’s time to say good-bye to this beautiful city. Our driver will pick you up from the hotel and transfer you to the airport for your flight home or to an onward destination.