Charyn canyons, Kolsay and Kaindy lakes

Outfitter KZ team is pleased to offer a three-day trip with a visit to the canyons of the Charyn River and Kolsai Lakes.

The tour features a wonderful combination of harsh canyons and alpine freshness of mountain lakes. Hiking lovers will enjoy trekking between the lakes Saty (Kolsay 1st) and Mynzhylky (Kolsay 2nd), auto tourists will visit the majestic locations of the right bank of the Charyn River and the view of Lake Kaindy.

Part of the trip in the form of visiting canyons is the most intense one-day program on canyons of the Almaty region, 99% of travel agencies offer to visit one attraction - the Valley of Castles. Our guests visit six natural sites among the canyons of the region: two canyons and four, in fact, magnificent panoramic sites.

Lunar canyon panoramic site, Yuliya Kim

GENERAL INFORMATION

The canyons of the Charyn river are located in the Raiymbek district of the Almaty region, 180 km from Almaty. Canyons with a length of more than 100 km, in each, grow different varieties of relict trees - Sogdian ash tree, which survived the ice age, Turanga.

Saty lake, Kolsay lakes, Deonisiy Mit

Kolsay Lakes are located on the territory of the Kolsai Lakes State National Park, 300 kilometers from Almaty to the south-east, 10 kilometers north of the border with Kyrgyzstan. The national park is one of the youngest parks in Kazakhstan, established in February 2007. Representatives of the animal world inhabit the territory of the national park: bears, wild boars, lynxes, wolves, foxes, hares and badgers.

The first lake has the name Saty and is located at an altitude of 1,818 meters, the length of the lake is one kilometer, the width is 400 meters, the depth is 80 meters. The second lake is called Mynzhylky and is located at an altitude of 2,252 meters above sea level, 5 kilometers from the first lake. The height of the third lake Sarybulak is 2,850 meters above sea level, located 4 kilometers from the second lake, almost on the border of Kazakhstan with the Kyrgyz Republic.

The lake's water is fresh, hard, with some sodium sulfate content. The bottom is gently sloping in places, which is explained by the nature of the occurrence of lakes - previously the bottom of the lakes was a mountain gorge. The Kolsay cascade lakes are deep, in some places, the depth reaches 80 meters. In summer, the water temperature is 10 degrees Celsius. The lakes are flowing and interconnected by the Kolsai River, which originates on the Kungei-Alatau ridge.

Kaindy gorge, Deonisiy Mit

Lake Kaindy got its name due to the birch grove growing in the gorge, near the checkpoint of the national park. The same name also has a mountain gorge, a river flowing along the bottom of the gorge. Guests will repeatedly see the Kaindy river on the way to the lake, we will definitely make a stop in the birch grove of Ak Kaiyn.

Birchwood in the mountain valley Kaindy, Vladislav Purtov

Itinerary

Day 1
07:00 Departure from Almaty (200 km). We pick up guests from one convenient point for customers.
10:30 Descent to the first canyon "Valley of Castles" (Kyzylsay, Red Canyon).
10:45. Walking along the canyon 2.5 kilometers to the bank of the Charyn river.
11:30 Break on the shore.
12:30 Return to the car through the canyon gorge.
13:00 Visiting location # 2 Panoramic view of the Valley of castles of the Charyn canyon. Five-minute break and departure to the right bank of the Charyn River.
14:00 After 30 minutes drive stop at location # 3. View of the Lunar Canyon (Zhabyr, Uzunbulak, 25 km). Photo session for 15 minutes, a short walk among the peaks of the canyon walls, departure to the panoramic site # 4.
14:45 Location # 4. View of the Charyn River, the Stone Shelf (20 km). 
Unforgettable, stunning view of the Charyn River and the mountain gorge. Break for lunch.
15:30 After 20 minutes drive stop at the site, location # 5 - Napoleon (view of the Valley of Castles, 10 km). Photo session for 15 minutes.
16:00 Location # 6 - the Austrian spot (3 km).
After 7 minutes of the trip stop at the site - "Austrian view". Photoshoot for 15 minutes, departure to the Saty village.
Do not forget to ask the guide about the origin of the names of locations on the right bank of the Charyn River, members Outfitter KZ gave their own names of the places. :-)
18:30 Arrival at Saty village (120 km). Accommodation in the guest house, dinner. Sauna, evening bonfire included in the price. Overnight.

Day 2
08:00 Breakfast in the guest house.
08:30 Departure to Saty Lake (Kolsay 1st, 20 km).
09:15 Photo session. Preparatory procedures for trekking.
09:20 Rise on the lake Mynzhylky (Kolsay the second). Trekking 8 kilometers in one direction. In the warmer months, the option of horse riding is available on Mynzhylky.
12:30 Arrival at Mynzhylki lake. Rest, photo session, lunch (lunchboxes from the guest house).
13:30 Slow return to Saty Lake, 8 kilometers.
16:30 Return to the cars, departure to Saty village (20 km).
17:30 Rest, dinner, overnight.

Day 3
08:00 Breakfast in the guest house.
08:30 Departure to Kaindy Lake (20 km).
09:30 Stop at the Akkayin Birch Grove.
10:00 Arriving at the parking in front of the lake.
10:30 Trekking three kilometers on three panoramic sites around the lake.
12:30 Return to the guest house (20 km).
14:00 Lunch, departure to Almaty (285 km).
18:00 Arrival in Almaty.

Price of tour

260 USD for one guest, if there are 6 guests in the car , for a total of 1 560 USD.
295 USD for one guest, if there are 5 guests in the car , for a total of 1 475 USD.
285 USD for one guest, if there are 4 guests in the car, for a total of  1 140 USD.
340 USD for one guest, if there are 3 guests in the car, for a total of 1 020 USD.
450 USD for one guest, if there are 2 guests in the car, totaling 900 USD.
800 USD for one guest, individual trip.

Wenn Sie eine deutschsprachige Reiseleitung benötigen, teilen Sie uns das einfach mit, wir haben in unserem Team deutschsprachige Gästeführer!

Price includes:
- transportation by SUV,
- English/Russian-speaking guide-driver,
- 2 night’s accommodation in the guest house, Saty, overnight. 
- sightseeing tour according to the program,
- ecological fees in accordance with the program,
- mineral water 1,5L p/p daily,
- Full board: BLD.

The price does not include:
- personal expenses
- breakfast of the first day, dinner of the last day.

The complexity of the route: medium/high. 
Trekking between the lakes of Saty and Mynzhylky is a serious exercise and can be contraindicated for guests with cardiovascular diseases, high blood pressure.

Precautions: 1-2 liters of drinking water, a mandatory headdress, sunglasses, own first-aid kit.

Annika van Beek, a Dutch Travel Journalist visited Almaty region in the fall of 2019. We were pleased to help organize a trip with a visit to Charyn Canyon, Kolsay and Kaindy Lakes.
An article on visiting canyons and mountain lakes can be found here (in Dutch).

Order tour by clicking "Book A Tour", by calling Outfitter KZ team's telephone number: +7 701 457 6666 (Mariya, member of OUTKZ team). What'sApp, Telegram is available also on +7 701 457 6666.
or by email: outfitter.kz@gmail.com (Mariya).


A few words about Outfitter KZ team.

Lonely Planet marked us as TOP outdoor provider in Almaty city. Our team became a member of Kazakhstan Tourist Association in December 2018.

TripAdvisor awarded "Traveler's Choice" nomination to the Outfitter KZ team twice in 2020, 2021 as a local business with consistently positive traveler reviews.

The international tourist platform Indy Guide, in partnership with the national company Kazakh Tourism, awarded Outfitter KZ to SuperHost status.

We use photographs of the famous Kazakhstan photographer Deonisy Mit' in the promotion of our tours.

Sharyn, Kaindy, Zhalanash, Sogety, Basshi, Konyrolen, Koktal, Zharkent, Sogdian ash tree