Almaty Discovery

Highlights

• Charyn Canyon — the 'Grand Canyon of Central Asia'
• Big Almaty Lake & Shymbulak ski resort
• Zenkov Cathedral & Kok Tobe hill

Day by day

1. Day 1Arrive Almaty

   Land in Almaty, a green city laid out in a grid beneath mountains that rise straight off the end of the streets. Settle in, then walk it as the evening comes on.

2. Day 2Charyn Canyon Day Trip

   A full day out to Charyn Canyon, about three and a half hours each way. Red rock cut into towers and walls by the river, dry and enormous, with a valley floor you can walk down into.

3. Day 3Big Almaty Lake & Shymbulak

   Big Almaty Lake, an improbable turquoise held in a bowl of pine and rock above the city, then the cable car up to Shymbulak with the peaks close enough to read.

4. Day 4Almaty City Tour

   Kok Tobe hill for the view back over the whole city, Zenkov Cathedral built entirely of wood without a single nail, and the Central State Museum.

5. Day 5Departure

   Transfer to the airport for the flight home.