Three days, three landscapes · Almaty region
Kolsai trek, canyons and Altyn-Emel
The canyons on day one, a real hike between the Kolsai lakes on day two, and the desert of Altyn-Emel on day three. Two nights in village guesthouses.
Why it made the cut
This is the shortest trip we know that covers the three big sights east of Almaty and still has time to walk. Most three-day versions try to do the Kolsai trek on the day you drive out from Almaty. That doesn’t work: it’s five hours on the road before you even start walking.
So we start the hike from Saty in the morning, with the whole day for it. The cost is a long drive that evening to Basshi, at the edge of Altyn-Emel. We’d rather you were tired in the car than rushed on the trail.
The second Kolsai lake has no road to it, so most visitors to the first lake never see it.
How the days feel
Day 1
Charyn and Black Canyon. An early start from Almaty and about three hours to Charyn. A walk down through the Valley of Castles to the river, then the dark walls of Black Canyon on the Temirlik river. On to Saty for the night, about two hours more.
Day 2
Kolsai 1 to Kolsai 2. From the first lake (1,818 m) up through spruce forest to the second (2,252 m), about 8 km each way and five to six hours in total. Horses are available if part of the group would rather ride. In the afternoon, the drive north to Basshi, around five hours.
Day 3
Altyn-Emel. A day in the national park by 4×4: the Singing Dune, which hums when the sand slides, the striped Aktau mountains and the Katutau rocks. Back in Almaty in the evening, about four hours’ drive.
Stays and what’s included
- Stays
- Family guesthouses in Saty and Basshi, private bathrooms, breakfast included
- Included
- Private transport from and back to Almaty, English-speaking guide, 4×4 in Altyn-Emel, all park fees
- Not included
- Lunches and dinners, horses on the Kolsai trail, hotel in Almaty, tips
- Group
- Private, only your group
Good for you if
- You have three days and want to walk, not only look.
- You can do a 16 km hike with about 450 m of climbing.
- Village guesthouses are fine for two nights.
Maybe not if
- Long drives wear you out. Day 2 ends with five hours in the car.
- You want Kaindy. It doesn’t fit in three days with the trek.
- You travel outside June to September. The upper trail is often snowed in.