5/5
Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan: Almaty, Charyn Canyon and Issyk-Kul
10 days from Almaty to Bishkek: Charyn Canyon, the Kolsai and Kaindy lakes, two nights in Karakol, two on the south shore of Issyk-Kul with a yurt night, and Burana Tower.
10 days · Almaty to Bishkek · up to 12 guests
The Valley of Castles in Charyn Canyon Photo: Bgag, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Charyn_Canyon,_Kazakhstan_03.jpg)
The facts
At a glance
- Length
- 10 days, 9 nights
- Start and end
- Almaty to Bishkek
- Group size
- 7 to 12 guests
- Longest drive
- 4.5 h on day 3
- Activity level
Moderate
Walks of 2 to 3 hours on most days: about 6 km down to the Charyn River and back on a gravel path, 2 to 3 km on the shore of Lower Kolsai Lake, a short steep path down to Kaindy Lake, and 5 to 7 km on grassy tracks in the Jeti-Oguz valley. Nights are at up to about 1,800 m and walks reach about 2,000 m, so take the first climbs slowly. Three days have about four and a half hours on the road, plus the Kaindy 4x4 on day 3 and the border on day 4. Every walk has a shorter version or a seat in the van.
- Meals included
- 9 breakfasts, 8 lunches, 5 dinners
- Room of your own
- + CAD 970 (estimated price)
- Season
- June to September
Highlights
Why this trip
- Walk down through the Valley of Castles in Charyn Canyon to the river, with a sit-down lunch by the water
- Kaindy Lake's drowned spruce forest in the late afternoon, reached by local 4x4
- Lower Kolsai Lake at 8:30 in the morning, before the day visitors from Almaty
- Two nights in Karakol: the Seven Bulls of Jeti-Oguz, the wooden Dungan Mosque and dinner with a Dungan family
- Skazka Canyon in the low sun, then a night in a yurt on the shore of Issyk-Kul
- An eagle hunter and the yurt makers of Kyzyl-Tuu, included rather than sold as extras
- Burana Tower and its field of carved balbals on the way to Bishkek
What makes this trip different
Short drives, all published
Every drive is listed day by day. The longest is 4.5 h, on day 3.
Free time is part of the plan
Free time and choices are marked on the days they fall.
Solo without the penalty
A room of your own is + CAD 970 (estimated price).
Day by day
Itinerary
The longest drive is 4.5 h, on day 3.
Tap any stop on the map to open that dayClick any stop on the map to open that day
Arrive in Almaty
Almaty International Airport to your hotel in central Almaty
- Welcome dinner
- Stay in Almaty
- Drive about 30 min
Fly into Almaty International Airport (ALA), about 20 km north-east of the centre, and a driver meets you in the arrivals hall.
Evening
Plan to land by about 4 pm to reach the evening briefing; the latest arrival time is confirmed with your final itinerary. Almaty was Kazakhstan's capital until 1997 and is still its largest city: a grid of tree-lined streets running uphill towards the snow peaks of the Trans-Ili Alatau, which on a clear evening look close enough to touch. If you arrive early, walk the shady pedestrian stretch of Panfilov Street or sit in one of the cafes around it. In the early evening your See Sight Tours guide meets the group for a short briefing on the trip: the border crossing, what to pack for the mountain nights and the yurt, and how the days are paced. Then we sit down together to a welcome dinner of Kazakh and Central Asian dishes at a local restaurant.
Included
- Pick-up at Almaty International Airport (ALA)
- Welcome briefing with your guide
- Welcome dinner
Free time: Free until the evening briefing
Almaty: the cathedral, the bazaar and Kok-Tobe
Central Almaty, then Kok-Tobe hill
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Almaty
- Drive about 30 min

Morning
We start on foot after breakfast in Panfilov Park, named for the 28 Panfilov Guardsmen of the Second World War, where the yellow Ascension Cathedral was finished in 1907, built of wood and one of the few buildings to come through the 1911 earthquake. In the same park the Museum of Kazakh Folk Musical Instruments holds dombras, kobyzes and drums, and the staff often play a few. A short walk on brings us to the Green Bazaar, at its busiest in the morning: dried fruit and nuts, horse sausage, mountains of apples (the wild apple is thought to have come from these hills) and stalls of kurt, the dried salty yogurt balls you will see all trip.
Afternoon
Lunch is a sit-down meal near the bazaar. The afternoon is free, for a rest, the State Museum of Arts or a coffee. In the late afternoon we ride the cable car up Kok-Tobe hill for the view over the city as the light falls on the mountains.
Included
- Panfilov Park and the Ascension Cathedral with your guide
- Museum of Kazakh Folk Musical Instruments
- The Green Bazaar
- Sit-down lunch in Almaty
- Kok-Tobe cable car and hilltop in the late afternoon
Optional experiences
- Medeu and the Shymbulak cable car in the free afternoon, priced at booking
Free time: Afternoon free in Almaty
Activity: About 4 km on foot in the morning on flat city streets.
Charyn Canyon and into the mountains at Saty
Almaty to Charyn Canyon, then Saty village and Kaindy Lake
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Stay in Saty
- Drive about 4.5 h

We leave Almaty at 8 am and drive about three hours east across the steppe to Charyn Canyon, cut by the Charyn River through layers of red and ochre rock. This is a long road day, about four and a half hours on the road plus the 4x4 to Kaindy, about 40 minutes each way, so the canyon sits in the middle of it as a proper break, not a photo stop.
Afternoon
From the rim of the Valley of Castles we walk down a gravel path between towers of sandstone to the river, about 3 km each way on a gentle grade, and stop for a sit-down lunch near the water. On summer weekends the canyon fills with day-trippers from Almaty; we schedule this day on a weekday where the dates allow.
Evening
In the afternoon we drive south into the foothills to Saty, a village at the gate of the Kolsay Lakes National Park, where we stay one night in a guesthouse. In the late afternoon local 4x4s take us up a rough track to Kaindy Lake, formed when the 1911 earthquake dammed a gorge and drowned a spruce forest; the grey trunks still stand in the turquoise water. Dinner is home cooking at the guesthouse.
Included
- Charyn Canyon: the Valley of Castles walk down to the Charyn River with your guide
- Sit-down lunch near the canyon
- Kaindy Lake by local 4x4, with the walk down to the sunken forest
- Dinner at the guesthouse in Saty
- Charyn and Kolsay Lakes national park fees
- The border-zone permit for Kolsay and Kaindy, arranged by us before you travel
Easier option: Stay on the rim at Charyn for the viewpoints instead of walking down, and skip the Kaindy track for a quiet evening at the guesthouse.
More active option: At Kaindy, walk the path around part of the lake shore for views back over the drowned trees.
Activity: About 6 km on foot at Charyn, plus about 1 km down to Kaindy Lake and back up. The Kaindy 4x4 track is bumpy, about 40 minutes each way. Kolsay and Kaindy lie in a zone near the Chinese border where foreigners have usually needed a permit; we arrange it with your passport details before you travel. Charyn is hot at midday in July and August; bring a hat and water.
Kolsai Lake early, then across the border to Karakol
Saty to Lower Kolsai Lake, then Kegen, the Karkara border and Karakol
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Karakol
- Drive about 4.5 h

We are at Lower Kolsai Lake, about 12 km from Saty, by about 8:30, an hour or more before the day visitors from Almaty arrive.
Morning
The lake lies at about 1,800 m in a steep valley of Tian Shan spruce, and in the still morning air the water is a deep blue-green. Walk the shore path with your guide for an hour or so, or sit with a coffee by the water. Mid-morning we set out east over the open plateau to Kegen and the Karkara valley, where we cross into Kyrgyzstan. This is the trip's longest day: about 230 km and four and a half hours on the road, plus one to two hours at the border, so six or more hours in all from Kolsai to Karakol.
Afternoon
We break it with a sit-down lunch in Kegen and the crossing itself. Our Kazakh driver takes us to the Kazakh post, we cross on foot with our bags, and our Kyrgyz driver meets us on the other side. Clocks go forward an hour.
Evening
The road then follows the Tüp valley down to the eastern end of Issyk-Kul and on to Karakol, where we arrive in the early evening for two nights.
Included
- Morning walk at Lower Kolsai Lake with your guide
- Sit-down lunch in Kegen
- Your guide handles the border paperwork at Karkara and carries the group list
- A new vehicle and driver for Kyrgyzstan from the border
More active option: Walk the first part of the forest trail above the lake towards the Upper Kolsai Lake, for about an hour, before turning back.
Free time: Evening free in Karakol
Activity: About 2 to 3 km on the lake shore. The border-zone permit for Kolsai is arranged by us before the trip. Border times vary; keep snacks and water in your day bag.
Jeti-Oguz valley and Dungan Karakol
Karakol to the Jeti-Oguz valley and back, then Karakol town
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Stay in Karakol
- Drive about 1.5 h
Morning
After breakfast we drive about 40 minutes west to the Jeti-Oguz valley, named for its seven bulls, a wall of red sandstone cliffs above the river. Close by is the split rock called the Broken Heart, and every family here has a legend for it. We walk up the valley past summer yurts and grazing horses into the Kok-Jaiyk meadow, the valley of flowers, under spruce slopes and with snow peaks at its head.
Afternoon
Lunch is in the valley. We are back in Karakol by mid-afternoon, so the rest of the afternoon is free. Late in the day we walk the old town of single-storey Russian houses with carved window frames to the Holy Trinity Cathedral, built of wood in 1895, and the Dungan Mosque, finished in 1910 without metal nails by Dungan craftsmen in the style of a Chinese temple.
Evening
In the evening a Dungan family welcomes us to dinner at home, with ashlyamfu, the cold noodle dish Karakol is known for, among a long run of small dishes.
Included
- Jeti-Oguz valley walk with your guide: the Seven Bulls, the Broken Heart and the Kok-Jaiyk meadow
- Lunch in the Jeti-Oguz valley
- Karakol walk: the Holy Trinity Cathedral and the Dungan Mosque
- Dinner with a Dungan family in Karakol
Optional experiences
- The Przhevalsky museum and memorial on the lakeshore near Karakol, in the free afternoon
Easier option: Stay on the lower valley path by the Seven Bulls and wait with tea at a yurt cafe while the others walk up the meadow.
More active option: Climb the slope above the valley to the viewpoint over the Seven Bulls and the Broken Heart, about an hour extra.
Free time: Afternoon free in Karakol
Activity: About 5 to 7 km on foot on grassy valley tracks at about 2,000 m, with some gentle climbs.
Along the south shore to Skazka
Karakol along the south shore of Issyk-Kul to Skazka Canyon, then a yurt camp near Bokonbaeva
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Stay in Bokonbaeva
- Drive about 3 h

A slower start in Karakol, then we follow the south shore of Issyk-Kul west. The lake is about 180 km long and lies at about 1,600 m between two ranges of the Tian Shan, and the south shore is the quieter side, with small villages, apricot orchards and few resorts.
Afternoon
Lunch is a sit-down stop in a lakeside village on the way. We reach Skazka, the fairy-tale canyon, in the late afternoon, when the low sun brings out the reds, yellows and purples of its eroded clay ridges and the heat has gone. Walk the paths between the formations with your guide, then climb a ridge for the view over the lake. It is a short drive on to our camp on the shore near Bokonbaeva, where we stay two nights.
Evening
Tonight is the yurt night. The camp we book must have felt yurts with proper beds and bedding, heating for cool evenings and hot showers on site; dinner is at the camp as the light goes off the mountains on the far shore.
Included
- Drive along the south shore of Issyk-Kul with your guide
- Sit-down lunch on the way
- Skazka Canyon in the late afternoon
- A night in a yurt at the south shore camp
- Dinner at camp
More active option: Before Skazka, a detour up the Barskoon gorge to its waterfall, about an extra hour of driving and a 30 minute walk.
Activity: About 2 to 3 km of walking on sandy paths and short steep slopes at Skazka.
Eagle hunters, yurt makers and a lake afternoon
Bokonbaeva and Kyzyl-Tuu on the south shore
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Stay in Bokonbaeva
- Drive about 1 h
This is a slow day by the lake.
Morning
In the morning a local eagle hunter, a berkutchi, shows us how golden eagles are raised and trained to hunt from horseback, a craft that families around Bokonbaeva still keep. Then we drive a short way west to Kyzyl-Tuu, a village of yurt makers, where a craftsman shows how the wooden frame, the felt and the woven bands are made, and how a yurt goes up in under an hour; you can help raise one.
Afternoon
Lunch is with a family in the village. The afternoon is free at the camp: swim from the shore (in July and August the water is cool but swimmable), walk the beach or sit in the shade.
Evening
Tonight you sleep in a room with its own bathroom, which we require of the camp we book, so the yurt night is a night by choice and not the whole stay. Dinner is at the camp.
Included
- Eagle hunting demonstration near Bokonbaeva
- Yurt-making workshop in Kyzyl-Tuu
- Lunch with a family in Kyzyl-Tuu
- Dinner at camp
Optional experiences
- Horse riding from the camp, priced at booking
More active option: A guided late-afternoon walk into the hills behind the camp for the view across the lake.
Free time: Afternoon free by the lake
Activity: Short walks only today.
Burana Tower and on to Bishkek
Bokonbaeva to Balykchy, the Boom gorge and Burana Tower, then Bishkek
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Bishkek
- Drive about 4.5 h
Morning
We leave the lake after breakfast and drive to its western end at Balykchy, then down the Boom gorge of the Chu River into the Chuy valley.
Afternoon
This is a long day, about 270 km and four and a half hours of driving, so it is broken with a sit-down lunch near Tokmok and a long stop at Burana Tower. The tower is an 11th-century minaret, the stump of a once taller tower, standing alone in fields near the site of Balasagun, a Karakhanid capital; it is part of the Silk Roads UNESCO World Heritage listing. Around it lie earthworks, a small museum and a field of balbals, carved stone grave markers with faces, brought from across the region. Climb the tower's narrow inner stair if you like, for the view over the valley to the mountains.
Evening
We reach Bishkek in the late afternoon for two nights, and the evening is free.
Included
- Drive through the Boom gorge with your guide
- Sit-down lunch near Tokmok
- Burana Tower, the balbal field and the site museum
Free time: Evening free in Bishkek
Activity: The stair inside Burana Tower is dark, steep and narrow; skip it if you prefer and enjoy the view from the ground.
Bishkek: Ala-Too Square and Osh Bazaar
Central Bishkek on foot, then Osh Bazaar
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Stay in Bishkek
- Drive about 30 min
Bishkek is a green, low-rise city laid out on a Soviet grid, with mountains at the end of most streets. We walk from Ala-Too Square, where the guard changes at the flagpole, past the Manas monument to the State History Museum and the Lenin statue behind it, then through Oak Park with its open-air sculptures.
Afternoon
After a sit-down lunch we visit Osh Bazaar, the city's best-known market, for felt, spices, dried fruit and kalpaks, the tall white felt hats men still wear. The afternoon is free: rest at the hotel, find a cafe on Erkindik Boulevard or join the walk in Ala Archa National Park.
Evening
In the evening we sit down together for a farewell dinner at a local restaurant.
Included
- Bishkek walk with your guide: Ala-Too Square, the Manas monument, the State History Museum and Oak Park
- Sit-down lunch in Bishkek
- Osh Bazaar
- Farewell dinner
More active option: An afternoon in Ala Archa National Park, about 40 km south of the city, with a two-hour walk up the gorge with your guide (about 1.5 hours of extra driving).
Free time: Afternoon free in Bishkek
Activity: About 4 km on foot in the city.
Depart from Bishkek
Bishkek to Manas International Airport
- Breakfast
- Drive about 45 min
Morning
The trip ends after breakfast.
Evening
A driver takes you to Manas International Airport (FRU), about 30 km and 40 minutes north of the city; many flights from Bishkek leave at night or in the early morning, and the transfer is timed to your flight. If your flight is late in the day, the morning is yours: the Frunze House-Museum, a last walk in Panfilov Park or Erkindik Boulevard, or a coffee in one of the city's cafes. If you want more of Kyrgyzstan, ask us about Song-Kol, a high mountain lake at about 3,000 m with shepherds' yurts, as a two-day extension from Bishkek in June to September. Your guide says goodbye at breakfast or sees you to the airport.
Included
- Drop-off at Manas International Airport (FRU)
Optional experiences
- Song-Kol extension: two days and one yurt night at about 3,000 m, from Bishkek, June to September, priced at booking
Activity: Hotel checkout is usually at noon; book a flight leaving after about 2 pm to enjoy a free morning, or any time for an early transfer.
- Almaty2 nights
- Saty1 night
- Karakol2 nights
- Bokonbaeva2 nights
- Bishkek2 nights
- Overnight stop
- Day trip
- By boat or train
Wildlife and weather: June to September is the season: warm, mostly dry days, with Almaty and Charyn often above 30 C in July and August and cool nights at Saty, Karakol and the lake. Mountain weather changes fast, so carry a rain layer. The lakeside yurt camps and the mountain walks work only in the summer months, so the trip does not run from October to May.
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Before you book
Right for you?
Good for you if you want
- Travellers who want mountains, canyons and lakes with short walks rather than hard treks
- A first taste of Central Asia across two countries, with the border handled
- Trying a yurt night without a whole stay of shared bathrooms
- Solo travellers who want a small group and a fair single price
Not for you if you want
- Step-free access: canyon paths, steep lake trails and uneven village lanes
- Travellers who want luxury hotels; Saty is a village guesthouse and the camp is simple
- Multi-day trekking or high-altitude hiking
- Travellers who do not want any day with four or more hours in a vehicle
Book flights after we confirm your seat.
9 nights
Where you'll stay
Your hotels are named in your trip confirmation.
- Almaty2 nights
- Saty1 night
- Karakol2 nights
- Bokonbaeva2 nights
- Bishkek2 nights
One price
What's in the price
Included
Accommodation
- 9 nights: 2 in a central Almaty hotel, 1 in a village guesthouse in Saty, 2 in a central Karakol hotel, 2 at a camp on the south shore of Issyk-Kul (1 in a yurt, 1 in a room with its own bathroom), 2 in a central Bishkek hotel
- Hotels of a 3-star-plus standard where the town has them
- Rooms shared, or your own for a supplement
- Hotels named when we confirm your dates
Transport
- Pick-up at Almaty International Airport (ALA) and drop-off at Manas International Airport, Bishkek (FRU)
- Our own air-conditioned vehicle and driver in Kazakhstan, and another in Kyrgyzstan from the border
- Local 4x4 to Kaindy Lake
- Border crossing at Karkara with your guide, who handles the paperwork and carries the group list
- The Kok-Tobe cable car in Almaty
Your guide
- A See Sight Tours guide with the group from day 1 to day 10, in both countries
- Local guides and hosts where sites require them, including at Burana Tower
Activities
- Almaty: Panfilov Park, the Ascension Cathedral, the Museum of Kazakh Folk Musical Instruments, the Green Bazaar and Kok-Tobe
- Charyn Canyon: the Valley of Castles walk to the river
- Kolsay Lakes National Park: Kaindy Lake and Lower Kolsai Lake
- Karakol: the Jeti-Oguz valley walk, the Holy Trinity Cathedral and the Dungan Mosque
- Issyk-Kul south shore: Skazka Canyon, an eagle hunting demonstration and the Kyzyl-Tuu yurt-making workshop
- Chuy valley: Burana Tower, the balbals and the site museum
- Bishkek: Ala-Too Square, the Manas monument, the State History Museum, Oak Park and Osh Bazaar
- All national park fees and entrance fees for included sights
- The border-zone permit for Kolsay Lakes and Kaindy
Meals
- 9 breakfasts
- 8 lunches, all sit-down, including lunch with a family in Kyzyl-Tuu
- 6 dinners: a welcome dinner in Almaty, dinner at the Saty guesthouse, dinner with a Dungan family in Karakol, two dinners at the south shore camp and a farewell dinner in Bishkek
Not included
- International flights to Almaty and from Bishkek
- Visa fees, if your passport needs a visa
- Travel insurance
- Meals not listed above
- Drinks
- Tips for your guide, drivers and hosts
- Optional activities: Medeu and the Shymbulak cable car, horse riding at the camp, the Przhevalsky museum and the Song-Kol extension
- Photo fees where a site charges them
- Personal expenses
Extras
- Room of your own
- CAD 970 (estimated price)
When you can go
Dates and prices
Pick your start date when you request to book. We check that date and confirm it in your quote.
Prefer to travel without a group or guide? Ask us about arranging hotels, transport and city tours for you to travel independently.
Before you book
Booking terms
Nothing is charged now. Full terms and the cancellation schedule come with your quote, before you accept.
Business addresses
See Sight Tours Trips (USA): 3172 N Rainbow Blvd, Las Vegas, NV 89108, United StatesSee Sight Tours Trips (Canada): 5305 50 Avenue, #1091, Red Deer, AB T4N 4B6, Canada+1-888-961-6584Guest reviews
What guests say
Reviews from guests on our day tours.
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Good to know
Questions
What does the Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan trip price include?
Nine nights in hotels, a Saty guesthouse and a south shore camp, 9 breakfasts, 8 lunches and 6 dinners, airport transfers at both ends, our own vehicle and driver in each country, the Kaindy 4x4, your See Sight Tours guide throughout, every park fee and entry on the day plan, the Kolsay border-zone permit, including the eagle hunter and the yurt-making workshop.
How big is the group?
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.
Who leads the trip?
A See Sight Tours guide travels with the group from Almaty to Bishkek and crosses the border with you. Local guides and hosts join where sites require them, such as Burana Tower. We name your guide when we confirm your dates.
How fit do I need to be?
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.
I am travelling solo. What does a single room cost?
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.
When is the best time to visit Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan?
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.
Do I need a visa for Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan?
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.
How does the border crossing work?
We cross at Karkara, a mountain post between Kegen and Karakol. The plan is that our Kazakh driver takes us to the post, we walk across with our bags and your guide, and our Kyrgyz driver meets us beyond it. Your guide handles the paperwork. Formalities usually take one to two hours.
How long are the drives?
Three days have about four and a half hours on the road: Almaty to Saty via Charyn (plus about 40 minutes each way by 4x4 to Kaindy), Saty to Karakol (plus one to two hours at the border) and Issyk-Kul to Bishkek. Each has a walk and a sit-down lunch. The other days have three hours or less.
What is the yurt night like?
One night in a felt yurt at a camp on the south shore of Issyk-Kul, shared only with your travel companion. The standard we require of the camp: proper beds and bedding, heating, and hot showers and toilets on site. The next night is a room with its own bathroom at the same camp. For a higher, wilder yurt night, Song-Kol can be added after the trip.
How does booking work?
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.
Can we travel privately or on our own dates?
Yes. The trip also runs as a private trip for your party only, on a date you choose, from CAD 8,730 per person. If you would rather travel independently on your own dates, ask us from the dates section and we will quote the same hotels, drivers and local guides.