Charyn Canyon and Kolsai Lakes, a great day trip from Almaty
If you are a regular reader of this site, you may have figured out already that I have a soft spot for Kazakhstan, a country which I have covered multiple times.
Yet, most of what I have seen so far (aside from a short outing to Shymbulak ski resort next to Almaty) was its urban landscape (see my posts about what to do in Astana and Almaty, btw!). It was about time I explored a bit of the countryside, as well.
Fortunately, while Kazakhstan is huge (if overlaid over the map of Europe, it would stretch all the way from the west coast of Ireland to the Russo-Ukrainian border!), many of its top natural wonders are located within driving distance of Almaty.
What’s more, these offer to the visitor a stunning diversity of landscapes and ecosystems, from the Alpine environment and peaks of Kolsai Lakes National Park to the sandstone cliffs of Charyn Canyon, often called “the Kazakh Grand Canyon”, and the broad steppes in between!
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This post was made possible thanks to the support of Almaty Tourism Bureau and Air Astana. All opinions are my own.
Kolsai Lake and Charyn Canyon in one day? Long but doable
The itinerary of this excursion was as follows: leave downtown Almaty early in the morning, head straight for Lower Kolsai Lake (the only one of the three Kolsai Lakes that is easily accessible by car), retrace the road back towards Almaty and stop at Charyn Canyon National Park on the way. Finally, head back to Almaty in the evening.
If you look at the map, you will see that all these spots look relatively close to Almaty. And *relatively” is the key word, because this itinerary, while doable, is still a rather long drive for European (and even for US) standards!
The good news is that the roads are pretty good in general, so you can complete this whole itinerary with a regular car.
For reference: we left Almaty at around 6.15am. The drive to Lower Kolsai Lake took us around four hours. Charyn Canyon is located roughly along the same route (it just required a detour of a few kilometers on the way back to Almaty).
From Kolsai Lake to Charyn Canyon it was around 1h 30 min. We arrived at Charyn Canyon at around 15.00 and left for Almaty at 16.30. So, it was a rather lightning visit, but enough to see the main highlights.
If you have the luxury of time, it wouldn’t hurt to look for a hotel in the area (as we shall soon see, there are quite a few unconventional accommodation options in the area, including yurts (the traditional Kazakh nomadic tent) and “capsule” bungalows) and visit these places as a more leisurely pace. For example, by accessing the upper Kolsai lakes or walking Charyn Canyon’s lower trail.
Another plus of this itinerary is the chance to take in the sheer scale of the Kazakh steppe, which meets the Tian Shan mountains here.
From this point, the arid plain stretches northwest for thousands of kilometres. In this region, though, it is far from featureless: ravines cut across it, and rocky outcrops rise from the grass. You may also spot Kazakh horsemen driving herds of cattle across it, a scene that would have been familiar to the nomadic peoples who have roamed this land for millennia.
After several hours of driving in an eastward direction, the road takes a turn to the right and you begin to approach the foot of the Tian Shan mountains. The change of landscape is abrupt. One moment you may be in the deserts of Arizona or the Middle East, next you may as well be in Switzerland…
After several hours heading east, the road turns south toward the foothills of the Tian Shan. The landscape change is abrupt. One moment you could be in the Arizona desert, the next, you may well think you are in Switzerland.
Lower Kolsai Lake
The Kolsai Lakes National Park has a three-lake system, with the Lower, Middle and Upper Kolsai Lakes.
The only one that is (almost) accessible by private car is the Lower Kolsai Lake. The middle one, which is famous for its underwater forest, can be accessed through a service of mini-vans (the sturdy, Soviet-designed “Bukhankas”) and the upper lake requires some serious hiking.
By the way, there is an access fee to enter the National Park, which is paid at the entrance (I can’t provide an exact fee indication since the fee is indexed to something called “Kazakhstan’s monthly calculation index”, which sets the exact amount, but I would say shouldn’t be more than $10/€10).
I only cover the Lower Kolsai Lake here, since it was necessary to prioritize in order to be able to also see Charyn Canyon on the same day.
Infrastructure at Lower Kolsai Lake
The road ends around 1 km from the Lower Kolsai Lake. It is here, a this terminus located at an altitude of 1,800m, where you find most of the infrastructure to service the visitors who come to visit the lakes.
There are a number of bars, cafés, restaurants and (paid) toilets, as well as the typical souvenir shops, as well as some companies that offer horse rides and other experiences, such as the drive in a special vehicle to the Middle Kolsai Lake. There is also plenty of parking space.
I didn’t get the impression that there is a lot of hospitality infrastructure at the moment (Oct.’26), but this is an industry that seems to be developing fast. In fact, when driving to the lakes you can see quite a few camping/hotel sites and the “/” is intentional, because I am not sure to which category of accommodation they belong since they tend to be either yurts (although I guess a modern reinterpretation of the traditional concept) as well as capsule-like bungalows.
I guess “glamping” is the best way to define these modalities of accommodation that appear to be popular in the vicinity of Kolsai Lakes National Park. Maybe something to find out next time!
From the road terminus and services base it’s a 15 min walk to the Lower Kolsai Lake. It is a rather pleasant walk with no particular technical difficulty. The trail is perfectly demarcated and maintained.
At the end of the trail you find a little dock and a water sports base where it is possible to rent rowing and pedal boats.
Top place to eat at Lower Kolsai Lake
Tary Café (by Sandyk Group)
Also at the edge of the lake, but some 100 meters uphill is the most upmarket establishment in the area: the Tary Café and restaurant, which has also a panoramic terrace and a souvenir shop.
This place is part of the Sandyk Group, which runs also a Kazakh cuisine restaurant which I featured in my Astana story, and has a partnership with Air Astana to supply the airline’s business class inflight meals.
The walk up to Tary Café is well worth it, since it is an ideal spot to rest a bit after the long drive from Almaty and replenish energies by tasting some Kazakh specialities, all while enjoying some privileged views of the lake.
The place is tastefully decorated, arranging traditional Kazakh motifs in a rather subtle minimalist way, and, at the same time, underlining the beauty of the surrounding landscape.
Charyn Canyon National Park
We shall soon see what’s in Charyn Canyon, one of the great natural attractions of Kazakhstan, but first I would like to highlight that Charyn is not the only canyon in this part of the world.
When driving between the Kolsai Lakes and Charyn, you pass by the “Black Canyon”, which is slightly smaller than Charyn and made of darker rocks (hence its name). Interestingly, a glass bridge is being built over the Black Canyon!
I didn’t stop due to time constraints, but even the drive by provided some really stunning views, which you can see in the picture below.
Arriving at Charyn Canyon - Infrastructure
Charyn Canyon is located in a totally different environment from Kolsai Lake. Here the landscape is desert as far as the eye can see, which is the Tian Shan range, on the border with China.
Access to the canyon is through a branch of the main road, which takes you to the visitors’ center car park, itself barely a couple of hundred meters from the edge of the canyon. By the way, just like at Kolsai Lake, there is also an entrance fee to access the national park.
The visitors’ center is quite a modern building (it opened in 2023) which blends quite well with the landscape. There is a small exhibit area, an ever smaller souvenir shop, toilets and a branch of Tary Café (the same that we have already seen at Kolsai Lake!).
Next to the visitors’ center there are also a number of structures painted in earthy colours. That is the Pana Unique Charyn, a glamping resort, also of recent construction.
Trails to visit Charyn Canyon
The section of the canyon that most visitors see, called “Valley of the Castles” is only a small part, a couple of kilometres long, of a whole geological system that stretches for over 150 km).
There are two main ways to visit it: through the upper or the lower part. Since there was time for one, opted for the easiest and fastest: the upper one. This upper trail has also the benefit of offering broad panoramic views.
The title of “little brother of the Grand Canyon of Colorado” is well deserved. Charyn Canyon is much smaller than its US counterpart but the overall setup is quite reminiscent of it and also very impressive, reaching a depth of 300m at some points (although the depth is closer to 150m along the most commonly visited area).
It was formed as the Charyn river (from which it takes its name) made its way from the nearby Tian Shan mountains, where it has its source, through sandstone and other soft rocks. In the picture below you can see the start of the upper trails, which follows the edge of the cliffs along the Valley of Castles.
The upper trail presents no technical difficulty, since it is rather flat. Every few meters there are salients that, like a terrace, offer a closer view of the valley below (through which the lower trail passes).
Wildlife at Charyn Canyon
While walking along the canyon you will come across large numbers of great gerbils. These little rodents are a constant presence during your walk as they constantly pop in and out of their little burrows and you can see them quarreling with each other or carrying materials for their “homes”.
I added the next couple of pictures to give you a sense of the scale of the scenery here. Zoom in and you will see a few people standing on rocky ledges along the rim of the canyon!
With these views, and little time to spare, this intense one-day excursion from Almaty came to an end. More than three hours of driving lay ahead, though fortunately much of it on motorways.
However, and before you go, let me recommend the following pieces, which you may find of interest if you are planning a trip to Kazakhstan in the near future:
