charyn.kz an independent guide to wild Kazakhstan

Kazakhstan trip planner: build a day-by-day outline

Your starting city, days, month and interests produce a draft plan with links to each place. Roads, transport and overnight stays are yours to check.

Places are chosen greedily: from the city to the nearest one that suits the month. Two points share a day only if they are within 60 km in a straight line. Few points are in the city itself, and long trips appear from 4 days.

Example outline: Almaty, 3 days, July, by car

This is a planning outline, not a route. Check roads, travel times, permits and overnight stays yourself.

  1. Day 1

  2. Day 2

  3. Day 3

A static example. With JavaScript on, the form above builds an outline for your conditions.

Three sample outlines

Month and interests change the result more than the number of days. These examples use three days by car.

ConditionsDay 1Day 2Day 3
Almaty, JulyCentral State Museum, Ak-BulakIssyk Lake, Turgen gorge waterfallsAssy Plateau
Almaty, September, canyons and desertsBartogay Reservoir, Black CanyonCharyn Canyon, Valley of CastlesSinging Dune, Altyn-Emel
Astana, JulyHazret Sultan Mosque, ALZHIR MemorialLake Shchuchye, BurabayLake Bolshoye Chebachye

The planner favours what is close, so the famous sights may not appear by default. From Almaty in July, Kolsai Lakes only appear from 4 days, and selecting Lakes and water for three days still leaves them out. If a place is the reason for your trip, add it to the plan yourself.

Engraving: a wall calendar, a map and cards with small sketches of a lake, canyon and mountain in a row on a table, a hand arranging them in order
Illustration Engraving: a wall calendar, a map and cards with small sketches of a lake, canyon and mountain in a row on a table, a hand arranging them in order

How it picks places

First it keeps places rated good or better for your month, or hard if nothing better exists, and it tells you when that happens. Each place is then weighted by its distance from your city, and that distance is halved for places rated “best time”.

DaysStraight-line radiusWhich places
1300 kmday trips only
2500 kmday trips and weekend trips
3800 kmday trips and weekend trips
4800 kmall, including trips of 3+ days
5 to 61,000 and 1,200 kmall
7 to 14no limitall

A day gets two stops at most. The second must be within 60 km in a straight line of the first. It moves from each stop to the nearest remaining one, and on a car trip allows only one stop within 30 km of your city per three days.

Check these before you book anything

The outline tells you what fits by season and position. Everything else is unverified.

  • Difficulty. There is no data on it. We removed climbs such as Talgar Peak, Khan Tengri and Belukha from the outlines by hand, so judge the other mountain stops yourself.
  • Road distance. Kolsai’s 120 km in a straight line becomes 275 to 300 km or more by road. See more on the distances page.
  • Long transfers. The “long transfer” label only appears above 300 km. Day 2 of the Astana example opens with 220 km in a straight line and carries no label.
  • No car. Use the no-car list and the transport guide directly. Only 12 places qualify, so the outline is short or empty from many cities.
  • Permits. The season rating says nothing about permits or the border zone.
  • The way back. The distance back to your city is also a straight line, and you need to fit that journey into the last day.

Frequently asked questions

Why is Charyn Canyon missing from my July outline?
Charyn is rated hard in July, and the planner prefers places rated good or better. In September, with Canyons and deserts selected, it appears in a three-day outline from Almaty.
Does it work if I don't drive?
Only as a starting point. It then uses just the 12 places on our no-car list, and the limit on stops near the city does not apply. Three days from Almaty in July gives six stops, all inside the city.
Is this a ready-made Kazakhstan itinerary?
No. It is a draft that knows the season and straight-line distance. It does not know roads, travel times, permits, accommodation or how hard a route is.
How many days can I plan?
From 1 to 14. Places that need three days or more only appear from 4 days. The distance limit grows from 300 km to 1,200 km by six days and goes from 7 days. If suitable places run out, it shows free days.

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