On this tour you will have a unique opportunity to visit not only the best natural attractions of the Almaty region, but also get acquainted with the history, life and culture of Kazakh nomads. And spend 2 nights in glamping style under the starry sky in the mountains! There is an excursion around the King's Valley in the itinerary - with ancient Scythian burial mounds including one where the Golden Man, the symbol of Kazakhstan, was found. A visit to the highland lake Issyk and hikes to the famous waterfalls in the Turgen gorge. A 6-hour jeep tour of the Assy plateau where you will be meeting nomads, studying rock paintings and looking at the observatory. Accommodation is at the Trekking Club camp in Turgen gorge, which became the finalist of TOP-100 Green Destination in 2019.
Route overview
Almaty - Issyk Scythian museum - Issyk Lake - Turgen Gorge - Bear waterfall - Trekking Club camp - Assy Plateau - Kairak waterfall - Almaty
Difficulty: ♦ ♦ ◊ ◊ ◊
Type: hiking / adventure
Group size: min 1 - max 6
Get insipired
Discover the beauty of the Northern Tien Shan Mountains: highland lakes, virgin forests, crystal-clear rivers and waterfalls - all this is available in the Issyk and Turgen gorges
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 - Issyk Scythian museum - Issyk Lake - Turgen gorge - Bear waterfall - camp
Morning pick up in Almaty, start driving to the east along the Trans-Ili mountain ridge - by the Kuldja Road, a part of the Silk Way. First stop is at a nice museum of Saki (Scythe) culture located at the entrance of the Issyk town.
The museum is situated in the centre of the King's valley famous for its giant burials of ancient rulers and warriors of Saki tribes (IX – III BC). One of the burials is excavated and is open for the visitors so that everyone could see how people like a famous Golden Man (symbol of Kazakhstan) were buried. Excursion by the museum and a King’s valley takes 45 minutes and after it we head up the mountains to see another attraction - a highland Issyk Lake. Lake Issyk is the pearl of the Trans-Ili Alatau ridge. The color of its water changes depending on the season and can be from steel gray to turquoise. The surrounding peaks are reflected in the surface of the lake, and this is definitely worth seeing landscape.
After a lunch we head to another gorge called Turgen famous for its waterfalls and rich vegetation. Before coming to the Trekking Club camp, we stop for a short hike - it will be a nice 1-hour walk to the Bear waterfall, the first one from the Turgen cascades we must check.
In the late afternoon we arrive to the camp. Accommodate, take dinner and stay overnight in a "glamping" style.
Meals · lunch, dinner
Accommodation · glamping (camping) at Trekking Club camp
Walking · 1 hour, ↔ 4km, ↑↓150m
Driving · 3.5 hours, ↔135km
Day 2 · Jeep-tour by Assy highland plateau
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. Relax, dinner and another night at camp.
Meals · breakfast, lunch, dinner
Accommodation · glamping (camping) at Trekking Club camp
Walking · 1 hour, ↔ 2.5km,
Driving· 5 hours, ↔ 70km
Day 3 · Kairak waterfall hike - back to Almaty
We take breakfast at a camp and start hiking to the Kairak waterfall - the biggest one in this area (70m tall), which never dries. There are 8km from the confluence of Turgen and Kishi-Turgen rivers (campsite) to Kairak, so the hike takes up to 5 hours in total. It is a radial hike.The path is so smooth and comfortable that nothing will prevent you from enjoying the views of flowering meadows and dense spruce forests all the way to the fall.
Get back to the campsite in the afternoon, take late lunch. Pack and drive back to Almaty.
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, 2 nights (sharing basis, double tents)
Meals
3 lunches, 2 dinners, 2 breakfasts
drinking water
Guiding
English-speaking guiding throughout the tour
All guided hikes and excursions according to the itinerary
National Parks and other areas entry fees and permissions
Ile-Alatau NP
Assy Reserve
Issyk museum
Prices:
$410 per person per tour - if there are 4-6 people in group
$445 per person per tour - if there are 3 people in group
$520 per person per tour - if there are 2 people in group
$850 - 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, a few pairs of socks, sandals or slippers, long trekking pants, shorts, a few t-shirts (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, 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 · 1 hour, ↔ 4km, ↑↓150m
Driving · 3.5 hours, ↔135km
Guiding
Prices:
