Home / Author's tours / The Small Golden Ring

The Small Golden Ring

Tour/excursion program

Departure from Almaty – Basshi village (Lunch) – Aktau mountains (Trekking) – Katutau – 700 year old willow – Basshi village (Dinner, Overnight)

Departure from Almaty

Departure from Almaty in the morning and the road to Basshi village (290 km, about 3 hours)

Arrival in Basshi village

Arrival in Basshi village, lunch in hotel

Departure to Aktau mountains and excursion

Departure to Aktau mountains (80 km), trekking excursion (3-8 km, 2-3 hours)

Departure to Katutau and walking excursion

Departure to Katutau (30 km), walking excursion (30-60 minutes)

Departure to 700-year-old willow, walking excursion

Departure to 700-year-old willow (35 km), walking excursion (30-60 minutes)

Departure to Basshi village to hotel

Departure to Basshi village to hotel (15 km), dinner, sleep

Road length: 450 km, total time: 6 hours

Basshi village (Breakfast) – Singing Dune – Charyn Canyon – Saty village (Dinner, Overnight)

Breakfast at the hotel

Breakfast at the hotel in Basshi village

Departure to the Singing Dune

Departure to the Singing Dune (50 km) and a walking tour (1-2 hours)

Departure to Chundzha village

Departure to Chundzha village (260 km), lunch in a cafe

Departure to the Charyn Canyon

Departure to the Charyn Canyon (85 km, about 1 hour) and a trekking tour (6 km, 2-3 hours)

Departure to the village Saty

Departure to the guest house in Saty (100 km, about 1.5 hours), dinner, sleep

Road length: 495 km, total time: 5 hours

Saty village (Breakfast) – Kaindy lake (trekking 3 km) – Kolsay lake – Departure to Almaty

Breakfast in Saty

Breakfast in the guest house of Saty village

Departure to Kaindy lake

Departure to Kaindy lake (15 km, about 1 hour), trekking upon arrival (3 km, 2 hours)

Departure to Kolsay lake

Departure to Kolsay lake (30 km, about 1.5 hours), trekking (2 km, 1 – 1.5 hours), lunch

Departure and arrival in Almaty

Departure to Almaty (300 km, about 4 hours); the driver will leave you anywhere in the city

Road length: 345 km, total time: 6 hours



Season: all year round (best time April-October)

What to take with you?

  • Documents. Be sure to take your passport or ID, Kolsay and Kaindy are in the border zone and your documents may be checked
  • Comfortable shoes. Sneakers or boots will be a good helper when walking in the mountains; ideally, if the shoes are waterproof
  • Comfortable and warm clothes. At the same time, warm (as it can be very cold in the mountains) and not restricting movement, clothes that are easy to walk in
  • Sun protection. Sunglasses, a hat-cap and cream will help you out in sunny weather
  • Raincoat or umbrella. In the mountains where the Kolsay lakes are located, it rains very often and the weather forecast is not accurate, so it is better to take rain protection with you
  • Cash. There is no internet in the mountains, so you can’t pay by card or transfer, but you might need money if you want to go boating or horse riding

Economy package

900$

Price for an SUV with a driver (regardless of the number of people, 6 people max)

  • driver
  • comfortable SUV
Book a tour

All inclusive package

from 300$ per person

  • 5 travelers 300$ per person
  • 4 travelers 350$ per person
  • 3 travelers 483$ per person
  • 2 travelers 625$ per person
  • 1 traveler 1015$ per person

  • driver/guide/interpreter (English)
  • comfortable SUV
  • accommodation (hotel, guest houses)
  • food and drinking water
  • national parks entrance tickets
Book a tour


*** The route can be changed or supplemented at your request; if you dream of seeing a landmark not listed in this program, contact the tour organizers – we will definitely try to resolve this issue and tell you about all possible options.

Examples of options: On the second day, you can spend the night at the Charyn Canyon instead of the village of Saty, on the third day, instead of Lake Kaindy, you can go to the second Kolsay