Standard — up to 4 travellers
- A sedan or minivan for you alone
- Depart at any time you like
- Stops wherever you ask
- Flexible route — we adjust as we go
Kolsai & Kaindy lakes tour from Almaty
An alpine lake chain in the spruce forest, and a drowned woodland standing upright under clear water. Two contrasting places, a couple of hours apart.
Price agreed in advanceYou get the full figure in the chat before the trip, and it does not change en route.
Contract and documentsWe work under a contract; companies get an invoice and closing documents.
Dispatcher around the clockWe answer on WhatsApp at any hour, night arrivals included.
Private, never sharedThe car is yours alone — no strangers on board, and the driver stays reachable the whole way.
We speak English, Russian, Kazakh, Arabic and Malay — so nothing gets lost in translation.
The lakes in photographs
Kaindy and Kolsai sit two hours apart and look nothing alike.
1 of 5
How the tour runs
Door to door for the whole day — nothing to find and nowhere to get to on your own.
Total time: about 12 hours in one day, or 2 days with a night over
- 01The car arrives at your address
- 02We drive east — about four hours to the Kolsai gorge
- 03Kolsai: a walk along the shore or a boat, around 2 hours
- 04Transfer to Kaindy, the last stretch by 4×4, 40 minutes
- 05Kaindy: the sunken spruce forest, around 1.5 hours
- 06A night in Saty village, or back to Almaty late in the evening
Rates
Pick a format — we confirm the exact figure for your date and group in the chat.
Group — 5 travellers and up
- A minibus for your whole party
- Private too — no strangers on board
- Room for the whole group’s luggage
Two lakes, two entirely different places
The Kolsai lakes are a staircase of three bodies of water climbing a valley in the northern Tian Shan. The lowest sits at around 1,800 metres and is the one most visitors see: dark green water, spruce down to the shoreline, rowing boats and horses for hire. The second lake is a few hours of walking uphill and rewards the effort with near-solitude. The third lies close to the Kyrgyz border and needs a permit.
Kaindy is stranger. A landslide dammed the valley after the 1911 earthquake, water rose over a spruce forest, and the trunks never fell. They still stand, stripped of bark and bleached pale, rising out of water clear enough to see the submerged branches below the surface. It is one of those sights that photographs poorly and lands hard in person.
One day or two
One long day
Early start, both lakes, back to Almaty late. Doable, and a lot of it is spent in the car. Best if your schedule is tight.
Two days
Kaindy in the afternoon, a night in a village guesthouse, Kolsai in the morning before the crowds. The version we recommend.
What we provide
A private vehicle with a driver who knows the mountain track to Kaindy, for the whole trip. We use an SUV where the road demands it, and a minivan or Sprinter when the group is large enough to need one.
Vehicle, fuel and driver are in the price. Park entry, guesthouse, meals and the local 4x4 shuttle at Kaindy, where it is required, are extra — we itemise them upfront rather than surprising you at the gate.
What our guests say
Short video reviews our guests filmed on their trips.
About us
Baqtaq Travel is not just a travel agency — it is a community of guides who speak English, Malay and Arabic. We put together memorable tours across Almaty and the Almaty region — a land where alpine lakes of the Tian Shan, Charyn Canyon, singing dunes and mountain meadows all lie within a day of the city.
These lands are rich in the history of the early Turkic peoples, and the sheer range of natural scenery surprises even seasoned travellers — as does the hearty, one-of-a-kind local cooking. We will show you the most beautiful places, and the customs and culture of the people who live here.
Discover the heart of the Eurasian continent with Baqtaq Travel.
Book this trip
Tell us the date and how many of you there are — we reply with a firm price for this trip.
Frequently asked
Can I see both lakes in one day?
Yes, but it is a long day — around six hours of driving plus the walking. Two days with a night in Saty village is far more pleasant, and it lets you reach Kolsai in the morning light.
Why are the trees in Kaindy standing underwater?
An earthquake in 1911 triggered a landslide that dammed the valley. The rising water drowned a spruce forest, and the cold has preserved the bare trunks upright ever since.
Do I need a four-wheel drive?
For Kaindy, effectively yes — the last few kilometres are a rough track. We use an SUV for that section. The road to the first Kolsai lake is fine for an ordinary car.
Is there an entry fee?
Both lakes sit inside a national park with a per-person charge at the gate, paid separately from the vehicle.
Can I swim?
You can, and people do. The water comes off the mountains and stays cold all summer, so few stay in for long.
Other destinations
Where else we go from Almaty.
