Private 9 Days South Kazakhstan Tour with Private Car

What's Included

Meeting and pickup

Itinerary

Day 1
Almaty Airport Pick-up
1 stop
1
Almaty
Welcome to Kazakhstan! After landing, our driver guide will welcome you at the arrival hall and escort in a private car to the downtown hotel. You can spend the rest of the day in the hotel and adapt to the temperature in Almaty.
1 hour • Admission ticket free
Day 2
Almaty: Almaty Museum, Ascension Cathedral, Green Bazaar, Medeu Gorge, Kok-Tobe Hill Sunset
6 stops
2
Museum Of Almaty
Our journey will begin at the Almaty Museum, located within a historic wooden structure built for Russian royalty.
1 hour • Admission ticket not included
3
Then, head to the Park of 28 Panfilov Guardsmen, which was built to commemorate 28 fallen warriors in the war safeguarding Moscow.
30 minutes • Admission ticket free
4
Ascension Cathedral
Following the avenue, you’ll drop by their majestic statues and finally stop in front of the Ascension Cathedral (Zenkov Cathedral), a landmark in Almaty.
1 hour • Admission ticket free
5
Near the park, lose yourself among the vibrant stalls in Green Bazaar (Zeleny Bazar), one of the oldest markets in Almaty.
30 minutes • Admission ticket free
6
Shymbulak
Afterward, the driver guide will escort you out of Almaty city to Medeu Gorge in the southeastern suburb. Take a cable car to the Shymbulak Ski Resort at an altitude of about 3,000 meters (9,840 feet).
1 hour 30 minutes • Admission ticket included
7
Then, return to the city and follow your driver guide to view the sunset at Kok-Tobe Hill. After going downhill by cable car, the driver guide will transfer you back to the hotel.
1 hour 30 minutes • Admission ticket included
Day 3
Almaty - Kaindy Lake - Lower Kolsai Lake - Saty Village
2 stops
8
Lake Kaindy
Today, we will drive a 4.5-hour bumpy trail deep into the Heavenly Mountains, arriving at Kaindy Lake. The 1911 great earthquake caused a large-scale landslide of the mountaintop glacier, whose melted water could not flow out but formed this lake. The original spruce forest was thus submerged, with only higher trunks exposed above the water. However, since the lake is icy all year round, the tree trunks have not rotted and still maintain their original appearance, forming a magical natural wonder.
4 hours • Admission ticket included
9
Lower Kolsai Lake
After visiting Kaindy Lake, head west for about 11km to another charming alpine lake, Lower Kolsai Lake. Surrounded by dense fir trees and mountain meadows in the valley, the lake looks extraordinarily blue and clear in the sun, enchanting beyond words. Finally, the driver guide will transfer you to Saty Village, where you will stay overnight at the local guest house.
1 hour 30 minutes • Admission ticket included
Day 4
Saty Village - Charyn Canyon (Valley of Castles) - Almaty; Overnight Train to Taraz
1 stop
10
Charyn Canyon National Park
Today, we will begin at Saty Village and drive for 1.5-2 hours to Charyn Canyon National Park, exploring specific astounding landforms of several branch canyons. We will have a deep exploration of its most marvelous part, the Valley of Castles, whose rock walls have been formed into colorful rock layers by the magic of nature for 12 million years. After admiring the breathtaking sunset scenery of the canyon, we will drive for about 3 hours back to Almaty. Upon arrival, you’ll be escorted to the hotel for a brief respite before being transferred to the railway station for your overnight sleeper train to Taraz.
6 hours • Admission ticket free
Day 5
Taraz: Mausoleums of Karakhan & Aisha Bibi, Ancient Taraz City; Drive to Shymkent
4 stops
11
After waking up from the cracking train in the morning, you’ll arrive in Taraz. Meet our local guide at the train station and directly head to the Karakhan Mausoleum, the tomb of a potentate of the Karakhanids (840-1212), and an architectural symbol of Taraz in the 11th century.
1 hour • Admission ticket included
12
Aisha Bibi Mausoleum
Then, move on to visit the Aisha Bibi Mausoleum, the tomb of a noble female from the 11th to 12th century AD.
30 minutes • Admission ticket free
13
The driver guide will also show you around the Ancient Taraz City, which witnessed the first and only confrontation between the two most powerful empires in history, the Chinese Tang Dynasty (618-907) and the Arab Empire (632-1258), in 751 AD, namely the Battle of Taraz.
1 hour • Admission ticket free
14
Shymkent
Finally, a 3-hour drive will transfer you to Shymkent, where we will take a stroll around the downtown. After that, the driver guide will take you to the hotel.
3 hours • Admission ticket free
Day 6
Shymkent - Ak Meshit Cave - Otrar Old Town & Arystanbab Mausoleum - Turkestan
3 stops
15
Today, we’ll drive for 1.5 hours to Ak Meshit Cave, a spacious yurt-shaped cave made of limestone formed during the Neolithic period (8000-1500 BC), with growing mulberry and caragana trees.
2 hours • Admission ticket free
16
Then, continue to Otrar, one of the important towns in the fertile Syr-Darya Valley in the past. Still, Otrar is home to the Mausoleum of Arystanbab, a legendary mentor of Khoja Ahmed Yasawi, whose mausoleum we’ve visited yesterday.
2 hours • Admission ticket included
17
Finally, another 1-hour drive will take you to Turkestan.
1 hour • Admission ticket free
Day 7
Turkestan: Khoja Ahmed Yasavi’s Mausoleum & its Complex; Drive back to Shymkent
1 stop
18
Mausoleum of Khoja Ahmed Yasawi
Today’s Turkestan sightseeing will start at the Mausoleum of Khoja Ahmed Yasawi. As a famous Turkic poet and Sufi 800 years ago, he played a crucial role in promoting Islam in the Turkic-speaking world by translating obscure Islamic scriptures and doctrines into Turkic poems to help Turkic people understand, absorb, and gradually believe in Islam. We will also explore several other buildings in the mausoleum complex. Go down to the Hilvet Underground Mosque, built to protect worshippers from the scorching summer heat. Next, watch the Ancient Baths built for pilgrims in the 15th and 16th centuries. Then, learn about specific items used by mosques in the Juma Mosque Museum. Opposite the museum is our last spot today, the Mausoleum of Rabia Sultan Begum. Finally, you’ll be transferred back to Shymkent.
5 hours • Admission ticket included
Day 8
Shymkent Bazaar Tour; Fly to Almaty
1 stop
19
Early this morning, the driver guide will accompany you to visit local bazaars in Shymkent, especially the best one, Qyrgy Bazar, where everything is cheaper than stores or supermarkets. Friendly sellers offer a tempting variety of fresh fruits, nuts, local cheeses, and snacks. Your driver guide will help you avoid tourist rip-offs if you want to buy some as food supply or to take home. Afterward, our driver guide will escort you to the airport for a 1-hour flight to Almaty. Upon arrival, the driver in Almaty will greet you and provide a private transfer to the hotel for check-in.
1 hour • Admission ticket free
Day 9
Almaty Airport See-off
1 stop
20
Almaty
On the last day of our Kazakhstan tour package, the driver guide will pick you up and escort you to the airport. We wish you a smooth journey home! If Kazakhstan leaves you panting for more to explore its young capital, Astana, or expand your trip to other Central Asian countries like Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, etc., you can contact our travel consultants to customize the itinerary!
1 hour • Admission ticket free

Additional info

• Suitable for all physical fitness levels

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