Day 7
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EnglishThe Golden Ring Almaty
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Back to route Day 7
Day 1
Day travel distance:
20 km 
Meeting in the airport, transfer to the hotel, resting. A sightseeing tour round Almaty, visit the Republic Square with the monument of Independence, Central Historical Museum of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Panfilov park with its wooden Cathedral and Museum of national musical instruments.
Dinner in a traditional restaurant.
Day 2
Day travel distance:
30 km 
Today we visit the high mountains just south of Almaty, part of the Northern Tien Shan Mountain Range. Approaching from the city, after some 15 kms we reach at 1,600 m the legendary ice-skating rank Medeo, where until the mid-eighties almost all worldrecords in speedskating were established and broken.
Even higher we go, to the ski-resort Shymbulaq, a favourite of President Nazarbaev and the city's new elite, especially in the winter-weekends. You can take the lifts all year long, bringing you to aan altitude of 3,200 m with excellent views on the glaciers and opportunies for hiking.
Late afternoon we return to the city for dinner.
Day 3
Day travel distance:
271 km 
We leave Almaty, drive to the north and start with an excursion to the valley Tamgaly Tash on the bank of the Ili River, seeing the Buddha images on the rocks. Go up on the panorama point, the view of Ili river from the altitude of bird flight.
After lunch (from prepared lunch-boxes) we leave for the national park Altyn Emel, to the north of Lake Kapchagai. In this large park there's lot of different phenomenon to explore and enjoy: wildlife, and you stand a good chance to see wild donkeys (kurgan) and steppe antilopes (djeiran). Nature has created here, far and away from any sand desert, an enormous sanddune that you'll be given a chance to climb.
History has left its marks in this park as well, with thousands years old rock carvings and the necropolis Besshatyr from the Scythian Period.
You'll have dinner and spend the night in a guest house in the mountains.
Day 4
Day travel distance:
98 km 
We drive through the national park towards the Aktau ('White') Mountains, and explore its canyons, followed by a visit to the Katutau ('Volcanic') mountains.
Dinner and night are spend in the same guest house.
Day 5
Day travel distance:
159 km 
On the way to the Kolsai Lakes - in the border area with Kyrgystan - we enjoy an excursion at the wonderful canyon of the river Charyn, where we'll have a picnic.
We continue to the village of Saty, nearby the first Kolsai Lake, and spend the nigth in a guesthouse here.
Day 6
Day travel distance:
120 km 
From Saty we drive to the first (and lowest) Kolsai Lake. This is where we'll spend the night in a guesthouse. At the lake everyone is free to hike, ride a horse, collect mushrooms or try to catch a salmon in the lake.
On request you may hike or ride a horse to the second lake (14 km) and spend the night there in a tent.
Day 7
Day travel distance:
14 km 
Today we hike or ride a horse to lake Koyandy through the forests and over the mountains (14 km). At the lake we'll stay in a guesthouse.
Day 8
Day travel distance:
236 km 
Today we cover a larger distance, leaving Saty and the Kolsai lakes behind us and heading for the Turgen Gorge, direction Almaty. In the gorge we hike up to the 28 meter high waterfalls of Medvezhy, and after returning have a rest at a trout farm. Here you can easily catch your own trout and have it prepared.
At the end of the day you will be transfered back to the hotel in Almaty.
Day 9
Day travel distance:
10 km 
You'll be transfered to Almaty Airport for your flight back home. Most international flights leave Almaty in the early morning. (In case you don't stay in Almaty or move somewhere else).
