ALMATY – Some places demand silence the moment you arrive. Not out of fear but reverence. Charyn Canyon is one of those places. And as I learned over the course of two unforgettable days, so too are Kolsay and Kaindy Lakes, the Singing Dune and several quiet valleys in between.
Collage is created by The Astana Times.
To truly absorb the region’s layered terrain and natural rhythm, I joined a guided tour that covered four stunning locations in just one day. This format made it easier to navigate distances and remote roads while also allowing for deeper storytelling from a local guide. The second day was a solo continuation into Altyn-Emel National Park. The goal wasn’t to check off tourist spots – it was to understand the land better, to feel its scale and to listen to how it breathes.
Day One: The Canyon Kingdom and Mountain Lakes
Stop 1: Charyn Canyon
Often called the younger brother of the Grand Canyon, Charyn is actually millions of years older. Spanning 154 kilometers, the canyon’s age is estimated at around 12 million years.
The journey from Almaty unfolds along a well-paved road, making the three-hour drive not only smooth but scenic. As we drove east, the landscape shifted dramatically from rolling green hills to vast, stony plains and then to steep cliffs rising like silent sentinels on both sides of the road.
Charyn Kanyon – Valley of Castles. Photo credit: Birbayeva’s personal archive
Our tour began at Charyn Canyon’s most iconic point – the Valley of Castles. A stairway carved into the earth led us down into this geological labyrinth, where towering stone formations resemble the ruins of medieval fortresses. Walking there feels like wandering through a forgotten city, where the wind whispers and the rocks shift form with each angle you take.
At the base of the valley, open-air shuttle carts help visitors traverse the length of the canyon trail, all the way to the Charyn River. If you choose to walk instead, it’s a meditative, slow descent into deeper quiet.
Photo credit: Birbayeva’s personal archive
By late afternoon, the canyon begins its transformation. Under the golden sunset, the rocks take on an amber glow, glowing as though lit from within. The air cools, the shadows stretch, and the stone walls reflect light in ways that make it nearly impossible to stop taking photos.
Flora and fauna
Charyn Canyon is home to over 1,500 plant species, including 17 endangered varieties like the Sogdian ash. It’s also inhabited by foxes, marmots, wild boars and birds of prey such as golden eagles and vultures. Spring and early summer are ideal for spotting blooming wildflowers clinging to the canyon’s edges.
Logistics
Travel time from Almaty: 3–3.5 hours
Road quality: Fully asphalted and accessible year-round
Best access: Organized tours or private car
Hiking: Valley of Castles trail (approx. 1.5 hours roundtrip)
Transport: Optional shuttle vans operate at the canyon floor
Facilities: Sharyn Visitor Center offers guided tours, rentals, and rest stops
Camping: Possible in designated zones with your own equipment
Stop 2: The Black Canyon
After Charyn Canyon, the Black Canyon feels like entering another realm. Just a 15-minute drive from the Valley of Castles, this site remains surprisingly off the radar for most tourists, making it one of the region’s best-kept secrets.
Perched along the same Charyn River, the Black Canyon is more intimate and shadowed. Its steep ravines, narrow gorges and dark, volcanic-like rock formations give the area an austere beauty, especially striking under the mid-morning sun. As light grazes the cliff faces, the stones shimmer in smoky purples, browns and charcoal tones – hence the canyon’s name.
Black kanyon. Photo credit: Birbayeva’s personal archive
Unlike the popular Charyn route, here we found quiet, almost sacred stillness. No shuttle carts, no marked trails – just the sound of the river below, wind passing through the cracks and an occasional eagle overhead. It’s the kind of place where you speak softer without realizing it, as though not to disturb something ancient.
This was also where our guide allowed us time for quiet reflection and photography. From a plateau overlooking the canyon, the view of the winding Charyn River is dramatic and haunting. If you’re someone who seeks connection over spectacle, this stop will likely stay with you longer than most.
Flora and fauna
Though more arid and shadowed than Charyn’s main valley, the Black Canyon is still home to alpine grasses, dry steppe flowers and cliff-nesting birds such as falcons, vultures and larks. On lucky days, marmots or mountain goats might emerge along the cliffsides.
Logistics
Travel time from Almaty: ~3.5–4 hours (including Charyn stop)
Access: Via guided tour or private off-road vehicle
Camping: Not common here due to narrow paths and steep cliffs
Best season: Spring and autumn (cooler air, rich color contrast); winter offers mysterious beauty under snow
Stop 3: Kolsay Lakes
Locals call it Kazakh Switzerland, and once you arrive at Kolsay, it’s easy to understand why. Nestled in the foothills of Alatau range, about 300 kilometers southeast of Almaty, the Kolsay Lakes are a cascade of three alpine gems set between towering pine-covered slopes. Each lake sits at a different altitude, forming a staircase of untouched beauty that has become one of Kazakhstan’s most beloved natural destinations.
Kolsay lake. Photo credit: Birbayeva’s personal archive
For a day trip, visitors usually stop at the Lower Kolsai Lake, also known as Lake Saty, which sits at 1,800 meters above sea level. It’s the most accessible and best equipped for short visits, with a paved road leading almost all the way to the parking area. The water here is 80 meters deep and about 400 meters long, changing color as the sun moves from icy blue in the morning to a jewel-toned emerald by late afternoon.
The two upper lakes are reachable only by hiking or horseback and can’t realistically be visited during a single-day tour.
Flora and fauna
Surrounding the lakes are wild alpine flower fields, bursts of edelweiss and lush Tian Shan spruce forests. You’ll also find deep red shrubs, tangled birch trees and even wild iris in spring. The lakes are stocked with rainbow trout, and fishing is allowed with a permit, though catches are limited and strictly monitored to preserve the ecosystem.
Logistics
Travel time from Almaty: 4–4.5 hours
Best access: Private car or organized tour (recommended)
Hiking: Trails to upper lakes are narrow and steep
Horse rentals: 15,000 tenge (US$29) per horse for the round-trip to the middle lake (1 hour each way); only recommended for experienced riders, as the horses are spirited and the trail is challenging
Boat rentals: Paddle boats and catamarans are available on Lower Kolsai for 5,000 tenge (US$9.60) per 30 minutes
Camping: Allowed near the lower lake, with tent rentals available during high season
Stop 4: Lake Kaindy
If Kolsai Lakes are the jewel of the mountains, then Lake Kaindy is its most haunting mystery.
Tucked away at nearly 2,000 meters above sea level, Lake Kaindy was born in the aftermath of a powerful earthquake in 1911. The tremor triggered a massive landslide that blocked a mountain gorge, filling it with ice-cold water and submerging a spruce forest that still stands to this day beneath the surface.
Kaindy lake. Photo credit: Birbayeva’s personal archive
Beneath the water, you’ll find their perfectly preserved branches – frozen in time by the glacial temperatures of the lake. This natural phenomenon gives the lake its signature surreal beauty and a touch of the otherworldly.
Despite its relatively small size, about 400 meters long and 21 meters deep, Kaindy has become famous for eco-tourists, photographers and hikers. Its emerald-blue waters make for one of the most unforgettable stops near Almaty.
Flora and fauna
While no fish inhabit Lake Kaindy, a curiosity that earned it the local nickname “the dead lake,” the surrounding area is teeming with life. Over 190 species of birds and 29 species of mammals inhabit the park, including lynx, mountain goats and bears. The plant life includes rare alpine blooms like edelweiss and several species listed in Kazakhstan’s Red Book of endangered flora, all set against the grandeur of ancient spruce trees that now defy gravity beneath the water.
Logistics
Distance from Almaty: 300 km
Best access: Organized tours or private 4×4 vehicles
Road conditions: The final 15–20 minutes require off-roading across rocky paths, narrow ridges, and shallow streams
UAZ transport: Locals offer shuttle-like UAZ rides for 2,500 tenge (US$4.80) per person from the main road to the Kaindy parking zone
Final approach: From the parking lot, you must hike downhill (20 minutes) to the lake or rent a horse (note: horses are energetic and better suited for experienced riders)
Camping: Possible from April to September; alternatively, guesthouses are available near the Kolsai Lakes for a more comfortable stay.
Day Two: The Singing Dune
To end the journey on a truly surreal note, I ventured into the Altyn-Emel National Park to witness one of Kazakhstan’s most fascinating natural wonders – the Singing Dune. With no regular tours available on my dates and wanting to keep things affordable, I opted for a hybrid solution: driving part of the way and arranging a transfer to the park from the village of Basshi.
Singing Dune. Photo credit: Birbayeva’s personal archive
Though reaching Altyn-Emel by organized tour is the easiest option, especially when arranged in advance for groups, the adventure of navigating the trip yourself adds a layer of spontaneity. From Almaty, the drive takes 4 to 5 hours, most of it on a smooth, paved highway surrounded by shifting landscapes from lush foothills to stony deserts. Upon reaching Basshi, I stopped by the park’s central office, where a local ranger guided me through the regulations, landmarks and permitted routes.
A screenshot from the Altyn-Emel national park website.
Since I only had one day, I had to choose – and the Singing Dune was a clear favorite. Renting a jeep for the off-road journey cost around 45,000 tenge (US$86), and it was worth every tenge. The road into the dune basin is dusty and uneven, best navigated by trained drivers in sturdy vehicles. The 50-kilometer route from Basshi to the dune took about an hour.
A screenshot from the Altyn-Emel national park website.
When we arrived, the desert was silent until I climbed the dune and slid down its slope. A low, humming vibration resonated through the sand, like the echo of distant throat-singing or the hum of a passing airplane. That’s what makes the Singing Dune so special: the pure quartz sand here, when dry, rubs together to produce a haunting natural song – a phenomenon found in only a few places in the world.
Towering 150 meters high and stretching 3 kilometers, the dune stands stark and shimmering under the sun, devoid of vegetation, yet full of presence. Just remember that camping, fires and off-road driving are prohibited to protect this delicate ecosystem.
Flora and fauna
Altyn-Emel is vast, covering over 300,000 hectares and hosts a remarkable range of ecosystems from semi-desert saxaul forests to alpine meadows and mountain gorges. It’s home to more than 70 species of mammals and around 300 species of birds, including the black stork, steppe eagle and the elusive snow leopard in the distant Dzhungarian Alatau. Over 860 plant species thrive here, 29 of which are listed in Kazakhstan’s Red Book.
Logistics
Reaching Altyn-Emel requires a bit of planning, as there is no public transport to the park. Travelers typically rely on a private car, rental vehicle or a pre-arranged transfer. The park welcomes visitors daily, though access is strictly limited to daylight hours. While overnight camping is not permitted near the Singing Dune itself, designated sites near the Mynbulak ranger post – 10 kilometers away – offer the opportunity to stay within the park’s boundaries.
The road that stays with you
As the sun set over the Singing Dune and the last echoes of the wind faded, I was already thinking about what I had learned over the course of these two days: Kazakhstan’s landscapes are not just places to see, but places to feel, layered with memory, myth and raw beauty. From the Charyn red rock corridors to the submerged forests of Kaindy and the whispering sands of Altyn-Emel, each stop told its own story.
Before setting out on a journey like this, it’s important to keep a few practical things in mind. Cash is highly recommended, as most locations do not have mobile internet access and card payments are rarely accepted. Toilets are available at nearly all major stops from Charyn Canyon’s entrance to Altyn-Emel’s visitor stations, but usually require a small fee of 100 tenge (US$0.19). Luckily, food and water are easy to find along the way – local vendors often sell snacks, tea and homemade meals at lake entrances or parking areas. These simple comforts, paired with the rhythm of the road, make the journey more than bearable – they make it unforgettable.
This two-day journey through the southeastern corners of the country was more than just sightseeing. It was a reminder of how vast and alive Kazakhstan is beyond its cities and how each location holds stories waiting to be discovered.
Kazakhstan’s landscapes speak not only through their beauty but also through the way they invite us to slow down, listen and feel. And that, perhaps, is the most valuable souvenir of all.
