Plateau, Canyons & Hot Springs: The Wild East Loop

The morning starts in Turgen Gorge, where seven cascading waterfalls and trout farms line a mountain river, one of the friendliest walks in the region for families. From there the road climbs to Assy Plateau (2500 m), a stretch of endless alpine meadows with shepherds' yurt camps and the Assy-Turgen astronomical observatory, which stands here for its clean, dark sky. In the afternoon you drive east to the Chundzha hot springs, where mineral water at 39–45°C eases the fatigue of a day on mountain trails. Overnight at a thermal base in Chundzha.

The morning is for the first Kolsai Lake (1818 m), a turquoise expanse ringed by centuries-old Tien Shan spruces. The mountains are almost silent, an occasional falcon calls, and trout rise near the shore. Around midday you visit Kaindy Lake, which appeared after the 1911 earthquake. Spruce trunks stand in the water like the masts of a sunken fleet, and the turquoise surface between them makes it one of Kazakhstan's most recognizable views. In the afternoon you settle in Saty village, a mountain aul in Kolsai Lakes National Park and the starting base for both lakes. Overnight in a guesthouse in Saty, breakfast included.

The morning drive from Saty brings you to Charyn Canyon. You descend into it and walk the Valley of Castles, a section of the 154-km canyon where jagged red towers rise along the river and the midday sun turns the sandstone copper. Next is Moon Canyon, Charyn's neighbor, with gray and bluish rock formations. The landscape looks like another planet. Around lunch you visit Black Canyon, whose volcanic walls and narrow passages form a dark contrast to Charyn's red tones. In the afternoon you drive back to Almaty (about 250 km), arriving in the evening. It is a long day, with a good part of it on the road.