6-Day Charyn & Kaindy Tour with Ethno-Village & Falconry Show

Start at Medeu (1691 m), one of the highest mountain ice rinks in the world. In winter the ice is flawless; in summer the stadium is a cool mountain amphitheater, with a walk along the dam and views of the gorge. Later in the morning, ride the cable cars up to Shymbulak (2260 m); the upper section reaches the top station at Talgar Pass (3200 m), with a full panorama of the Zailiysky Alatau. In winter Shymbulak is for skiing and snowboarding; in summer it is a base for hikes, with cafés that have mountain views. Return to Almaty by evening.

Spend the day in nomadic culture at the Hunny ethno-village, a reconstruction of Kazakh life about 70 km from the city. See the yurts, taste beshbarmak cooked over an open fire, watch horse-riding performances and meet the traditional instruments of the nomads. A berkutchi, a traditional eagle hunter, shows his golden eagle at the village. Return to Almaty by evening.

Leave Almaty early, around 07:00, and drive about three hours east to Charyn Canyon. Walk down through the “Valley of Castles”, a 2–3 km trail to the river between jagged red sandstone towers. Then see Moon Canyon, Charyn’s neighboring valley of gray and bluish rock, and Black Canyon on the Temirlik river, with dark volcanic walls. In the late afternoon, walk along the shore of the first Kolsai Lake (1818 m), framed by Tien Shan spruces, a few kilometers above the village. In the evening, continue to Saty village in Kolsai Lakes National Park, about two hours more. Dinner and overnight in a family guesthouse.

An early breakfast in Saty and a drive to Kaindy Lake, formed by the 1911 earthquake; the last stretch of track is rough and is usually done by 4×4. Spruce trunks rise from the turquoise water like the masts of a sunken fleet, and in the morning the lake is still quiet. After lunch, drive back to Almaty, about five hours, arriving in the early evening.

An easy day in the mountains just above the city. In the morning, walk through Alma-Arasan Gorge, with its mineral hot spring, mountain stream and trails beside small cascades under a conifer canopy. Around midday, watch the show at the Sunkar falconry center on the same road: a berkut takes off from the glove and returns to the falconer, the old nomadic art of hunting with birds. Finish at the Ayusai eco-park in the Small Almaty Gorge, with wooden boardwalks, alpine flowers and a waterfall. Back in Almaty by late afternoon.

Start at the Ykhlas Museum of Folk Musical Instruments, with a collection of 1200 dombras, kobyz and zhetygen. The guide will play a kui, Kazakh instrumental poetry best understood in person. Then stop at the Eternal Flame in Panfilov Park, a memorial of granite, fire and silence for the soldiers of the Great Patriotic War. Around lunchtime, visit the Green Bazaar, operating since 1875, a true Eastern market with mountains of dried apricots and raisins, rows of kazy and shuzhuk (horse sausage), barrels of honey from the jailyau, and friendly vendors who let you taste before you buy. After lunch, make a short stop at the flagship Rakhat chocolate store, the oldest Kazakh brand, with gift boxes in 1970s style, a handy place for gifts. Next, visit TSUM, a Soviet-era department store on Zhibek Zholy, where you can still find souvenirs, felt and local clothing at good prices. By evening, ride the cable car up Kok-Tobe (about 1,100 m), the city’s signature viewpoint. Almaty lies below with the Alatau mountains behind it; at sunset the peaks turn pink and the lights of the metropolis come on in the valley.