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Charyn Canyon: general view

Near Charyn: building a two- or three-day route

Kolsai, Kaindy and Charyn sit on the same road east. No border permit is needed — all three are on the exception list.

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Photo: Adit Syahfiar · Pexels

Verified: 2026-09

A day trip to Charyn from Almaty works, but the eastern road is arranged so that the same three and a half hours of driving can cover considerably more.

Three places on one road

Engraving: a narrow mountain lake in a spruce-forested valley beneath snowy ridges
Illustration Engraving: a narrow mountain lake in a spruce-forested valley beneath snowy ridges

Charyn Canyon — 195 km from Almaty. Entry 865 ₸ per person, 3,027.5 ₸ per car.

The Kolsai Lakes — three lakes in spruce forest, with their own tariff scale: 0.2 MCI per person and 0.7 per car, appendix 16 of the order.

Lake Kaindy — a drowned spruce forest with trunks standing in the water, administratively part of the same park.

About the border zone

The Raiymbek district is a border district, and online advice regularly recommends arranging a permit. For these places it is unnecessary: the Kolsai Lakes, Kaindy and Saty are listed by name among the exceptions in Resolution No. 356. The full list.

How the route is usually built

Two days. Charyn first, a night near Saty, then Kolsai and Kaindy before returning.

Three days. The same plus the upper Kolsai lake, reached on foot from the middle one.

Reversing the order works too and is better for photography: Charyn shoots well at sunset, not at midday when the day tours arrive. On light.

A different direction: Altyn-Emel

Altyn-Emel lies further north and rarely fits a two-day Charyn route — it is a trip of its own. Its tariff is the highest in the country: 0.9 MCI per car.

Not verified yet Road conditions between Charyn and Saty by season, availability and prices of accommodation in Saty, driving times between points. We have not verified these on the ground and will not retell someone else’s itinerary as our own.

→ Tariffs for every protected area

Frequently asked questions

Can Charyn and Kolsai be combined in one trip?
Yes, it is the most common pairing: both lie east of Almaty. Two or three days with a night near the village of Saty is the usual shape.
Do I need a border zone permit for Kolsai and Kaindy?
No. The Kolsai Lakes, Lake Kaindy and the village of Saty are explicitly listed in Government Resolution No. 356 as territories where the border regime for foreigners does not apply.

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