Kazakhstan small group trips

June to September. Days are warm and mostly dry, the mountain lakes are at their best, and Issyk-Kul is swimmable in July and August. The lakeside yurt camps and the mountain walks only work in summer, so the trip does not run from October to May.

Answer for Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan: Almaty, Charyn Canyon and Issyk-Kul

Moderately. Most days have two or three hours of walking: about 6 km at Charyn, a steep short path at Kaindy and 5 to 7 km in the Jeti-Oguz valley at about 2,000 m. Every walk has a shorter version, and you can sit any of them out.

Answer for Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan: Almaty, Charyn Canyon and Issyk-Kul

A room of your own costs CAD 970 more on the small-group trip, shown up front before you book. On the yurt night you have a yurt to yourself. You join the same meals and activities as everyone else; the supplement only covers the room.

Answer for Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan: Almaty, Charyn Canyon and Issyk-Kul

The small-group trip runs with 7 to 12 guests, fewer than the 16 or 18 that some Central Asia group tours take, so everyone hears the guide in the canyon and fits around one table at a family dinner.

Answer for Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan: Almaty, Charyn Canyon and Issyk-Kul

Choose a start date and request to book. We confirm your place within 24 hours, and no payment is taken when you send the request. Prices are per person sharing a room, taxes included: from CAD 4,850 on the small-group trip.

Answer for Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan: Almaty, Charyn Canyon and Issyk-Kul

Canadian citizens can currently visit Kazakhstan for up to 30 days and Kyrgyzstan for up to 60 days without a visa. Rules differ by passport and change from time to time, so we check yours when you book and tell you what to carry at the border.

Answer for Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan: Almaty, Charyn Canyon and Issyk-Kul

May to June and September to October. Charyn and the mountains are green or golden, and Samarkand and Bukhara are warm rather than baking. July and August often pass 40 C in Uzbekistan. Issyk-Kul is fresh for swimming in both seasons.

Answer for Central Asia: Almaty, Bishkek, Samarkand and Bukhara

Canadian passport holders can currently visit all three without a visa: up to 30 days in Kazakhstan, 60 in Kyrgyzstan and 30 in Uzbekistan. Rules differ by passport and change, so we check yours when you book. Your passport needs blank pages for six border stamps.

Answer for Central Asia: Almaty, Bishkek, Samarkand and Bukhara