Five calendar days include arrival and departure. A two-day eastern tour leaves the city the previous evening, so allow three calendar dates for that block rather than counting it as two convenient city day trips.
Shymbulak’s 2026–27 pass announcement says season dates depend on weather and slope conditions; buying a pass does not establish an opening date. This route therefore does not require skiing or an operating lift. Kazhydromet’s November 2026 outlook describes unsettled weather and possible ice across the country, not a road forecast for your departure. Recheck the actual city and mountain conditions. Keep the first walk near your accommodation and shorten it if needed; put a mountain outing after rest and only after the operator confirms access. Confirm any changed charges before replacing it with city time. For the eastern block, check the road plan and the operator’s departure before reserving all city nights. Budget follows the confirmed group timing; private travellers can agree different stops but must obey closures too. Ask about the Kaindy approach separately and agree any replacement price. Keep the final city night and flight buffer.
Check in or leave your luggage, eat nearby and choose a short Panfilov Park walk with a café close at hand. Reserve the afternoon for rest if the flight or weather makes walking uncomfortable. Before fixing tomorrow’s plan, check the resort notice and the actual road or riding conditions; a season-pass advert is not an operating confirmation. Example dates: 16–20 November 2026, group departure Tuesday 17, lakes on 18 and canyons with return on 19. This is a planning example: confirm the group before paying for accommodation.
Do not rely on a foreign bank card to top up ONAY. The practical route is to buy a physical ONAY card and load it with cash at a supported terminal or top-up point. Check the ONAY map/app for current locations, including any airport points, and check your bus route in 2GIS. If you cannot arrange payment, choose a quoted taxi instead of relying on another passenger to pay.
A private airport transfer to any address in Almaty. The price is for one vehicle, one way; choose the minivan for four adults. Pickups from 23:00 to 06:00 add the night supplement below for each booked vehicle and affected journey, not for each passenger. The planning table assumes daytime pickups.
A Land Cruiser-class transfer for your party. Driver, fuel, parking and the airport meeting are included in the published tariff. Pickups from 23:00 to 06:00 add the night supplement below for each booked vehicle and affected journey, not for each passenger. The planning table assumes daytime pickups.
Budget compares Interhouse, QQ and an individual AQ capsule. Private adds a double room or Uyut Standard and Comfort Deluxe. Premium compares the larger Uyut suites. Choose a base near the city walks and keep your luggage arrangements simple. Private / Premium: 3 city nights and one night in Saty. Budget: 2 city nights, the overnight journey with guesthouse rest on arrival, and the following included night in Saty.
Compare a hostel bed, a private capsule and a double room as different ways to stay.
Interhouse and QQ offer hostel options; AQ miniSUITES is a single capsule, with one capsule for each adult.
Dorm-room nightly reference
Listed nightly reference; check room and occupancy
Single capsule · one adult per capsule per night · breakfast extra
Interhouse has a double room with breakfast. Compare it with the Uyut room examples below.
Double room · per room per night · breakfast included
Single occupancy · one room
Double occupancy · one room
Single occupancy · one room
Double occupancy · one room
Uyut Junior Suite and Two-room Suite offer more space. The single- and double-occupancy nightly rates are shown below.
Single occupancy · one room
Double occupancy · one room
Single occupancy · one room
Double occupancy · one room
Keep daytime flexible for a city walk, food and rest. Pack a small overnight bag and confirm what happens to your city room and remaining luggage. The group meeting is in the evening; do not book a second distant outing that depends on a rushed return.
A shared bus tour on fixed departure dates. The price per adult includes a night in Saty, four meals, park fees and the Kaindy ascent. Confirm the meeting point and tour language.
The guesthouse night is included in the shared tour. Do not book a separate Saty room for that night.
Your Montero and driver are reserved for two days. Agree stop times together; fuel and the driver’s overnight stay are included. Guest rooms are separate.
Reaching Kaindy in the Montero depends on safe weather and road conditions. Agree any route change with the driver before departure. If another transfer is proposed, confirm its price and what it includes first.
Check vehicle entry, visitor charges and parking separately. Ask which charges apply to your party and whether the receipt covers both Kolsai and Kaindy on your travel date. These charges are not included in the subtotal above.
Check official Kolsai park tariffs300,000 ₸ — Selected service only
Arithmetic share per person: 300,000 ₸
300,000 ₸ — Selected service only
Arithmetic share per person: 150,000 ₸
300,000 ₸ — Selected service only
Arithmetic share per person: 100,000 ₸
300,000 ₸ — Selected service only
Arithmetic share per person: 75,000 ₸
Share the vehicle fare with 1–4 confirmed travellers through MORN Co-Sharing. Finding companions is not guaranteed: until they confirm, budget for the whole car. Agree stops, luggage and return time. The trip total also includes rooms and airport transfers.
Find travel companions →Take the same Montero Sport route, with a private room at Kolsay Eco House in Saty. Guest rooms and meals are separate from the vehicle price. Kolsay Nomads is an alternative by Lower Kolsai, requiring a different overnight stop.
Reaching Kaindy in the Montero depends on safe weather and road conditions. Agree any route change with the driver before departure. If another transfer is proposed, confirm its price and what it includes first.
Check vehicle entry, visitor charges and parking separately. Ask which charges apply to your party and whether the receipt covers both Kolsai and Kaindy on your travel date. These charges are not included in the subtotal above.
Check official Kolsai park tariffs300,000 ₸ — Selected service only
Arithmetic share per person: 300,000 ₸
300,000 ₸ — Selected service only
Arithmetic share per person: 150,000 ₸
300,000 ₸ — Selected service only
Arithmetic share per person: 100,000 ₸
300,000 ₸ — Selected service only
Arithmetic share per person: 75,000 ₸
Share the vehicle fare with 1–4 confirmed travellers through MORN Co-Sharing. Finding companions is not guaranteed: until they confirm, budget for the whole car. Agree stops, luggage and return time. The trip total also includes rooms and airport transfers.
Find travel companions →Only on a separate free day, outside the eastern block: Confirm whether the November riding route is operating, its ground conditions and the return arrangements before booking. A thaw or a dry city pavement does not establish a safe trail. If the operator cancels, use the city alternative and clarify the refund or replacement cost; do not put the missed ride on flight day.
The resort announced restrictions on private vehicles on the Medeu–Tuyuk Su road through 30 November 2026. Agree a permitted drop-off around Medeu; a charter does not provide road access to Shymbulak. The resort identifies the gondola as the visitor access option: check its current operation and buy a separate ticket if choosing it. Do not extend the baseline walk up the restricted road.
Budget: Use Day 3 for the lakes programme and Day 4 for the canyon programme, following the confirmed tour timing. The return to Almaty is around 20:00, so book the remaining city accommodation as needed rather than assuming airport arrival that night. Day 5 is departure: leave a transport buffer and keep any optional stop close by.
Private/Premium: stay in Almaty on the night of Day 2. On Day 3, leave early by Montero for Charyn and spend the night in Saty. Day 4 covers Kolsai and Kaindy before returning to Almaty; agree the return time with your driver.
Budget leaves the previous evening and visits Charyn, Black Canyon, Moon Canyon, Kolsai and Kaindy over two touring days. Private/Premium use Montero for Charyn, Kolsai and Kaindy. Adding Black Canyon or Moon Canyon needs an agreed schedule and quote.
Use a café or short walk only if the flight and baggage arrangements allow. Confirm the airport route and leave a buffer.
The same per-vehicle fare applies from your Almaty address to the airport. Pickups from 23:00 to 06:00 add the night supplement shown below.
A private Land Cruiser-class transfer to the airport. The night supplement applies to pickups from 23:00 to 06:00.
One meal per person, not a daily food budget.
Estimated dinner per person; dishes and drinks change the bill.
Estimated dinner per person; dishes and drinks change the bill.
Budget includes the selected group programme and city dorm beds. Private and Premium below add all guest nights and both airport transfers; park charges remain separate. Airport pickups are daytime, and KZT and USD stay separate. Ordinary meals and personal spending are separate.
Private/Premium use one room for 1–2 adults, two for 3–4, with shared airport transfers. Agree who shares a room and whether you need twin beds. Separate rooms, different flight times or another hotel change the estimate.
Interhouse dorm beds, airport buses and the selected two-day programme below. City visits follow the walking route. Uses an existing ONAY card.
Montero for two days, Interhouse double rooms for 3 city nights and one night at Kolsay Kazakh Village in Saty. Airport sedan for up to three adults, minivan for four.
Visitor and vehicle entry fees, plus parking, are not included. Check the charges for your route and dates.
Rooms: 1
Rooms: 1
Rooms: 2
Rooms: 2
Montero for two days, Uyut junior suites for 3 city nights, with single/double occupancy, and one night at Kolsay Eco House in Saty. Land Cruiser-class airport transfers.
Visitor and vehicle entry fees, plus parking, are not included. Check the charges for your route and dates.
Rooms: 1
Rooms: 1
Rooms: 2
Rooms: 2
Read prices by their unit: a bed, a room, a meal or the whole vehicle. The table states which transport, stays and activities it includes. Ordinary meals and optional purchases are separate.
Keep the group departure days fixed and move the surrounding city time. If flights or weather do not leave a workable departure and return buffer, replace the whole eastern block with a local outing rather than forcing the lakes into an arrival or departure day. A private journey can offer another timing arrangement only after the operator confirms route, road conditions, seats, lodging and the quote.