The tour provides a great opportunity to visit famous natural attractions of the Almaty region and get acquainted with the history, life and culture of Kazakh nomads - within a weekend! There is a hike to the biggest waterfall of Turgen gorge - Kairak - is included in the itinerary A 6-hour jeep tour of the Assy plateau where you will be meeting nomads, studying rock paintings and looking at the observatory. And a night in a glamping style at the Trekking Club camp in Turgen gorge, which became the finalist of TOP-100 Green Destination in 2019.
Feel like a nomad! Visit a yurt and try Kazakh tea with salted kurt, enjoy the views of endless pastures with herds of grazing horses.
Touch the ancient history of the Kazakh people - look at the burial mounds of the Scythian era, explore the rock paintings left by our ancestors more than 2.000 years ago
Go on a hike to the largest of the Turgen waterfalls - Kairak, across 11 bridges and an amazing mixed forest, where you can find the Sievers apple tree - the ancestor of all apples on earth. It is not for nothing that Almaty is considered the birthplace of apples and the lost Eden!
Take an exciting off-road tour to the Land of Nomads - Assy plateau located at 3.000 meters above sea level. Enjoy your best picnic in the nature with exquisite dishes and views of snow-capped peaks.
Experiense a real eco-glamping on a separate "island" surrounded by mountains at our camp in Turgen gorge. Our camp became a Finalist of 2019 Top100 Sustainable Destinations Award! We are proud to be on the list of World Greenest Places.
This tour is organized on request and only for you. The guide accompanying you throughout the tour will focus on your needs, interests and safety. You can fully enjoy personalized service and comfort.
What to expect
Kazakhstan is a huge country, distances are long, roads are not always up to standard and traffic can be chaotic. Even though we use new comfortable cars with experienced drivers, this is a SUV tour and you should be prepared for long drives on poor quality roads, especilly at Assy Plateau (full of-road)
We pay special attention to food on the tour. Excellent breakfasts and dinners are served in our campsite. Lunches can be organized as a picnic (in the conditions of the hike or jeep-tour) or in a local cafe.
Accommodation at a camp is in double fully furnished tents; shower and toilets are at territory. The cost of the tour is based on shared accommodation. Single accommodation is possible for an additional fee.
Day 1 · Almaty - Turgen gorge - Batan forestry - Kairak waterfall - camp
Have started early in the morning from Almaty city, we follow the motorway in the direction of Turgen ravine, passing by Issyk village. The main road goes through famous Turgen trout farm, and after a short stop at National Park entry gates we continue driving up to Batan forestry where the asphalt road ends. Here, at a confluence of rivers Kishi-Turgen and Turgen, the hiking part of a tour starts. A good, wide path follows up the Turgen stream: it was initially designed to be used as a National Park’s road but the main bridge in Batan has been washed away by the mudflow, so now everyone can enjoy this nice walk to the Big Kairak waterfall!
There are 8 kilometers in total from Batan to the waterfall, and there is no significant difference in height thus no any any ascents, steep slopes and dangerous points. All you need is to enjoy the amazing wild nature around – deep spruce groves (Schrenk spruce) paved with endemic mossy grasses, ash-tree shrubs, colorful meadows full of flowers, dragonflies and butterflies…Having crossed 11 old bridges, we finally come at a confluence of Turgen and Kairak rivers where turn left and hike up for another 20 minutes through the spruce grove, following the Kairak river. Even there, inside a forest you can hear the voice of the falling water: Kairak waterfall appears suddenly, just around the last corner. The Kairak waterfall is one of the biggest in the region: it’s height is more than 55 meters (70 in total) and it never dries. Thanks to the location, it still remains clear and untouched by civilization – in Kazak language its name is associated with sharpener (because the Kairak River in this narrow part of the gorge seems to cut through the rocks). A way to the waterfall takes 2,5-3 hours of walking. Normally we spend another 30-40 minutes near the fall to take pictures and snacks. Way back takes another 2 hours, so you should consider 5-6 hours of walking in total. After a hike we get back to Batan and move to the private territory of Trekking Club campsite, at a riverbank.
Accommodate at a campsite, take late lunch and relax after a hike in hammocks in a forest. Then take dinner and stay overnight at a camp.
Meals · lunch, dinner
Accommodation · glamping (camping) at Trekking Club camp
Day 2 · Jeep-tour by Assy highland plateau - Almaty
Breakfast at a camp, drive up by the gorge (real offroad!) to the Asy plateau. The road starts in the forest zone of Turgen gorge, and climbs up through the thicket that ends suddenly at a height of 2600 meters ASL. And a boundless green highland valley appears. The Kazakh nomads use Asy plateau for the thousands of years as a summer pasture, and they are still there with their goats, sheep, horses and white yurts. Enjoy the nomadic wanders: immense highlands full of beautiful happy animals, white beads of yurts scattered here and there across the vast plateau, shepherds followed by their faithful Tazy dogs, ancient Saki (Scythian) ruins and burial pyramids, Bronze age rock carvings, and of course wildlife.
After a picnic on the plateau with incredible views of Tien Shan snow peaks and glaciers, we stop to see the Assy space observatory and drive down to the camp.
At a camp we pack and drive back to Almaty
Meals · breakfast, lunch
Walking · 1 hour, ↔ 2.5km,
Driving· 7 hours, ↔ 130km
Service and prices
Transfers
all transfers according to the itinerary, pick up and drop off in Almaty
off-road tour by Assy Plateau
Accommodation
accommodation at a Trekking Club camp in Turgen, 1 night (sharing basis, double tents)
Meals
2 lunches, 1 dinner, 1 breakfast
drinking water
Guiding
English-speaking guiding throughout the tour
Guided hike and excursions according to the itinerary
National Parks and other areas entry fees and permissions
Ile-Alatau NP
Assy Reserve
Prices:
$280 per person per tour - if there are 4-6 people in group
$295 per person per tour - if there are 3 people in group
$370 per person per tour - if there are 2 people in group
$650 - 1 person (individual service)
Price does
not include
international flights to/out Almaty
any visa/migration issues, fees and support, if applicable
accommodation (hotel), meals and any entertainment in Almaty before/after a tour
airport/train/bus station meetings/transfers
personal traveller’s and insurance
personal expenses like souvenirs, calls etc.
rent of personal clothes, shoes, gear etc.
porters for personal belongings, suitcases, backpacks and bags during the tour
menu does not include soft and alcohol drinks, snacks, beverages
Important notes
We are responsible for your safety in the activities described in the tour program. Horseback riding, rafting (services provided by local residents on the spot) - at your discretion and under your responsibility.
The cost of the tour is based on shared accommodation. Single accommodation is possible for an additional fee. Please inform us in advance if you want to require a single accommodation.
Let us know in advance if you have any specific food requirement (like vegetarian menu or food allergies)
Temperatures in summer in Almaty region depend on the height above sea level, location and current weather conditions. Below data is for information only: - foothhills (Turgen, Issyk), 1000m - 1600m ASL: +20..+35C degrees daytime, +10..+25C in the night - mountains, 1700m - 2700m ASL: +15..+25C degrees daytime, +5..+15C in the night. Can be cooler when raining. - mountains, 2700m - 3600m ASL: +10..+20C degrees daytime, 0..+10C in the night. Can be cooler when raining/snowing.
We recommend having for this trip in summer conditions: hiking shoes/trainers, socks, sandals or slippers, long trekking pants, t-shirt with long and short sleeves, thermo-underware (top and bottom), warm jacket (like thick fleece), wind/waterproof jacket (raincoat), peaked cap, buff, sunglasses, sun protection lotion, hat, gloves, headlamp, water bottle, small backpack for day hikes, personal hygienic set with a small towel.
There can be no cellular connection in certain places outside of the city (on the roads and in remote places). No wi-fi and no cellular coverage are available at a camp.
In early June there can be ticks in the forests and bushes. If you come in June, then please do not forget to take anti-tick repellent, or also treat your hiking shoes/clothes in advance.
In remote places like Assy and villages, there may be a problem with paying with cards. If you plan to buy some small items or souvenirs, make sure to have cash - Kazakh Tenge.
This tour is based on SUVs, which have limited trunk space. Limit your belongings to one duffel bag and one small backpack per person.
Turgen camp accommodation: there are fully furnished big tents with beds, mats, pillows, sleeping bags and linen in each. For the nights in tents you should only have appropriate clothing, please check the list above. At a camp we do not provide accessories for washing and hygiene, towels, slippers or robes. If you plan to visit Scythian sauna at a camp (it is ordered / paid separately on site and is not included in tour package), then please make sure to have bath accessories with you. More info on Turgen campsite facilities is at the CAMPING section.
Meals · lunch, dinner 
Accommodation · glamping (camping) at Trekking Club camp
Walking · 5 hours, ↑↓ 430m (1700m to 2130m), ↔ 16km
Driving · 2 hours, ↔80km
Guiding
Prices:
