Tour of Almaty Region: Charyn, Kolsay, Kaindy [Panfilov Park + Zenkov Cathedral] · 2 days

A walk through Panfilov Park, a shaded green area in the city center with the memorial to the 28 Panfilov heroes who fell near Moscow in 1941. Centuries-old oaks, quiet alleys, the ringing of bells, and the atmosphere of old Alma-Ata, preserved within a modern metropolis. In the first half of the day, visit Zenkov Cathedral from 1907, one of the tallest wooden churches in the world, built without a single nail and surviving the earthquake that leveled half the city. Inside is a late 19th-century iconostasis, and outside are golden domes rising to 56 meters. Toward lunchtime, stroll along the pedestrian part of Zhibek Zholy, Almaty’s “Arbat,” with street artists, sunset guitarists, stalls selling local handicrafts, and cafés where you can catch your breath after an active route. Return to Almaty by evening.

Descent into Charyn Canyon and a walk through the “Valley of Castles”, 154 kilometers of red sandstone where the midday sun turns the rocks to copper. The trail runs between serrated towers along the river, and the feeling is as if you have stepped onto a Western film set. In the first half of the day, an overview of Moon Canyon, Charyn’s neighboring valley with gray and bluish rock formations. An otherworldly landscape where it is easy to forget about time and your phone. Toward lunchtime, visit Black Canyon with volcanic walls and narrow passages, a dark palette in sharp contrast to red Charyn. In the second half of the day, walk around the first Kolsai Lake (1818 m), a turquoise surface surrounded by centuries-old Tien Shan firs. The ringing silence of the mountains, the rare cry of a falcon, and trout that bite right from the shore. After lunch, visit Kaindy Lake, formed after the 1911 earthquake. Spruce trunks rise from the water like the masts of a sunken fleet, and the turquoise surface between them is a place outside time, one of Kazakhstan’s most recognizable images.