Kolsai Lakes & Charyn Canyon

The “Pearl of the Tian Shan” Kolsai Lakes, Lake Kaindy with its sunken forest, and Charyn, the “Little Grand Canyon”, in a two-day trip staying in Saty village.

Kolsai Lakes and Charyn Canyon lie in the east of Kazakhstan’s Almaty Region, at the foot of the Kungey Alatau, a northern range of the Tian Shan, about 200–300 km from Almaty and close to the borders with Kyrgyzstan and China. It is the classic two-day nature trip from Almaty. The area has two parts: in the north, Charyn National Park is dominated by red sandstone canyons, its core the roughly 3-km Valley of Castles, along with the Black Canyon, Moon Canyon, Temirlik Canyon and a relict ash grove in the river valley; in the south, Kolsai Lakes National Park includes the Kolsai Lakes, a chain of three alpine lakes, and Lake Kaindy, the “underwater forest” formed by an earthquake in 1911. Saty village, between the two lakes, is the overnight base. Seasons: roads are passable May–October, June–September is best for hiking, and late September to early October is the most beautiful, when spruce and birch change colour; in July–August the canyon can reach 40°C in the daytime, and in winter snow makes the lake area hard to reach. Getting there: there is no public transport. Most visitors book a two-day tour from Almaty or drive themselves via the A351 highway: on day one visit Charyn Canyon and stay in Saty, and on day two see Lake Kaindy and Kolsai Lake before returning. The last stretch of mountain road to Lake Kaindy requires switching to a local off-road vehicle. Allow 2–3 days; add an extra day if you want to hike to the second Kolsai Lake. Notes: there are few petrol stations and shops along the way, so bring enough cash, water and food; mobile signal is weak around the lakes; the third Kolsai Lake and the Sary-Bulak Pass are near the border, require a border-zone permit and require you to carry your passport; afternoon thunderstorms are common in the mountains, and fires are prohibited in the canyon.

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