Guka (Kazia) and Elnar are fantastic, our entire weekend was seemless from start to finish. We were picked up from the airport and proceeded to see near enough everything you can possibly see and do in Almaty in 2 full days. Both guides have excellent English, unrivalled knowledge and became friends before anything else.

Both sites are amazing & must visit,while in Almaty great UNESCO canyons & mesmerising view of Kolsai Lakes,snow peaks in background,lively atmosphere fantastic view

We were out of practice with our hiking skills, so decided to go with a guide. It was the best choice we could have made! Gulzat was super helpful in contacting us after the booking and our guide Diyas was exceptional. The entire process and experience was a pleasure, with memories and photos we will cherish forever.

The overall experience is excellent. It's a memorable adventure to hike up a dune. The guide Diyas is so nice and gentle and told us how the dune is developed and under what condition the dune will sing. Unfortunately we didn't hear the dune sing, but I enjoyed the trip very much! BTW the Jaguar vehicle and the driver are very cool.

I don’t quite understand why this tour package (and the place) is so underrated. Very few visitors are present in the area, so it’s just you and the vast plateau of silence. There are no cellular towers, making it a great way to disconnect while reconnecting with nature. Most pictures and videos don’t do justice to this place. The view is absolutely majestic—it feels like we stepped into the famous Windows XP “Bliss” wallpaper. Unreal. If you prefer non-mainstream destinations, this place is a must-visit. With Yelnar and the team as guides, they will take you to hidden, off-road spots via 4x4, where you can enjoy a picnic. I highly recommend them for this trip.

Almaty National Park is good. Guide also is good for helping the hiking. But it would be better to talk prior about route details.

A great tour lead by a great guide Dias! The minivan was quite comfortable, so it wasn’t tiring to spend several hours on the road. Dias was very attentive to all our questions, and didn’t hurry us while we were taking pictures. Also a delicious lunch at a house of one of the locals as well, we enjoyed it! Can definitely recommend using the services of Kazia tour :D

Great experience! The guide was experienced and spoke in English which made our lives easier. Had great time with family:)

This trip was planned at a short notice as I was in Almaty on a business visit and did not anticipate this day trip . However , it was recommended by fellow travellers and hence , I requested Gulzat to arrange the tour who was kind enough to make the arrangements at a short notice . The trip was well executed with Elnar as our guide who was quite helpful and accommodated all of our requests . Fortunately , he is a good photographer too and helped us with taking some great shots . Charyn Canyon is nature’s marvel and provides stunning views of rock formations over ages . We took the Soviet era open van that took us from the parking lot to the base of the Canyon next to the Charyn river . The journey iitselfnis an experience with stunning views all around . There are two main area la - the red canyon and the black canyon . The trip starts with the red canyon . Black canyon is about 20 min away by car from the red canyon. While Colorado’s Grand Canyons are majestic , Charyn canyon is older and provides a unique opportunity to walk down to the base of the canyon , right next to the river .

We had booked this trip in advance , our guide Lana was a thorough professional who provided many trivia related to the city . The best part was Shymbulak Ski Resort , where it snowed during our time there that added to the beauty of the place . Despite the freezing temperatures, we were all too excited to click photos and Lana helped us out . Upon realising our sweet tooth , Lana kindly took us to the chocolate factory where we purchased bags of local Kazakh chocolates . The other parts of the trip including the Green Market , Cathedral and the Park were enriching and provided valuable insights to Kazakh history and culture . Lana was very helpful throughout and provided great company , we thoroughly enjoyed are banters .

I was a little confused when Guizat from Kazia Tour informed that the pick up time would be 7 am with destination Charyn Canyon and Kolsay Lake. But the next day when I was walking to the pick up point she called me and apologised for the wrong information. It was someone else’s time, she said. My pick up time should be at 8 am, so I returned to the apartment. Fifteen minutes to eight, Lana – the tour guide – called that she was waiting in the pick up point. Guizat was coming too riding electric scooter. She was happy to meet us since she has been in Indonesia too. She gave my wife a small wooden box when coins were spared and kept. Well after that we departed to Charyn Canyon. Along the way Lana– a Kazakh woman but first I though she was Irish – because of her “Kennedy” family name explained many things abiut Almaty. We also saw many vehicles coming towards the city and traffic jam became usual in the morning. Our driver, Aydn – a big guy – drove a comfortable Alphard very smooth. I asked Lana if we could stop to dine. She brought us to a small café “in the middle of nowhere” – since my cell phone couldn’t find any signal – run by local couple. The lady served lagman, traditional Kazakh meal made of noodle, vegetables, and meat (in Indonesia we would call it “lamien”), and we dined in a traditional house. The lagman was verrrrry delicous, warm spicy soup, wow! Actually the lady could not speak English, but her warm welcome was very kind to us. She even gave us three apples. Thank you! We stopped a few times to take beautiful pictures on our way to the canyon. So after arriving at Charyn Canyon visitor center, we rode the golf cart to the viewing points, assisted by Mav, who I told he that she looked like a Javanese woman. We enjoyed such a beautiful panorama of the canyon from above (thanks, Mav). Then Lana took us to Rayyimbek Batyr monument - explaining the history. Then to Black Canyon, which was also wonderful and “strange” due to the dark color. On our way back to Almaty I invited Lana and Aydn to have dinner together in the city, to celebrate our 25th anniversary (Indonesians call such event as “Silver Anniversary”). There was a Vietnamese restaurant near our apartment called Coffeon Saigon. I also asked Guizat to come and she said yes. We were back to Almaty in the evening. But another story began… Because there was traffic jam (“macet” as I told Aydn) he had to park the car quite far from the restaurant. So we walked in a cool evening in few showers. Suddenly when my wife crossed the street, her left shoe sole broke! Lana said we could fix it, so we went to Stolichny to buy superglue. But it didn’t help 😊 The sole was still broken. Lana wanted to borrow her shoes but my iwfe’s size was different. So we looked for a nearest shoe store. Well, my wife bought a new pair of shoes there and all of a sudden she could walk very fast – flying, I told Lana 😊 “There isn’t any problem that cannot be solved!” she said. “No problem,” said Aydn. Guizat has been waiting in the restaurant. We told her about the accident and the “crime scene”. We were laughing! I told them it was just like Cinderella story – to find the shoe (the day after, there were a Cinderella carriages in the park, close to Ascension Cathedral 😊 ) Guizat gave us a box of chocolate and a shawl with tipical Kazakh pattern (thank you Guizat, you are very kind! Such a wonderful gift for us). Guizat even played the piano and sang “Yesterday” Wooow! So we had a nice and warm dinner to celebrate our 25 th anniversary. After all, Guizat said goodbye and went home, Aydn also left because it was too late for him to come home. Lana walked along with us for a while before saying goodbye. All I can say is thank you very much to Kazia Tour: Guizat, Lana, and Aydn. Thank you so much Lana for your hospitality, you are very kind, you pay attention so much to my wife, you do all the best you can, and it is so nice to meet you. Thank you Aydn, Mr “No Problem”, nice to meet you, you always told me where to take beautiful pictures, and last but not least, thank you Guizat for arranging the trip to a beautiful canyons and for your gifts. Thank you all for making us happy and for giving us such a wonderful and memorable moment for our 25 th anniversary celebration in Almaty. Kazia Tour is the best, and so are all of you . God bless you all! (please be informed that three days later in Samarkand my left shoe sole was also broken 😊 so I bought a new pair. The broken shoes were brought back to Indonesia. But the other pair of those shoes were also broken a week after we returned and we had to fix then all: “the shoes reborn” 😊 )

Charyn Canyon is stunning, it really is. There are three parts to the Csnyon that you can visit but the one most people refer to as Charyn is the red Canyon with the visitor centre. Plenty of parking, toilets and there is a cafe inside. The Canyon is about 100m away on the right as you leave the visitors centre, down a staircase placed onto the Canyon rim. Then you have the most captivating walk along the red Canyon along a flat easy path, slightly downhill all the way to the end of the trail at the icy cold river. Impossible to describe how stunning it is as your stroll along. It's an easy walk but bear in mind it's uphill all the way back and the stairs at the end will be tough! But any level of fitness and you'll be absolutely fine. We loved it. It takes about 45mins to an hour to reach the river, then a bit longer back. But what's the hurry! Take your time, I'd have have happily stayed longer of time allowed. It really is an amazing place.

Discovering Issyk Lake with our tour guide Elnar was an exceptional experience. Throughout the trip, Elnar's friendly demeanor and personalized approach tailored the experience to our interests, making every moment enjoyable. Our vehicle was comfortable as well and our driver was friendly. I would highly recommend Kazia Tour to anyone seeking an enriching adventure at Issyk Lake.

The tour was magnificent. My Guide Yelnar is very Kind. You will think that English is his mother tongue. It was very hot in Almaty at that day, but the weather up was amazing. Yelnar showed me very beautiful places in the mountains. I really enjoyed the views and wish Yelnar all the best for his future

We went to visit Big Almaty Lake with our lovely tour guide Gulzat. She picked us up from our accommodation early morning and we proceeded to the lake. On return we also visited a fall. Gulzat was friendly and explained everything to us and even took some lovely pictures. I recommend this tour if you are visiting lovely city of Almaty. 😃