Travel guide from India

Almaty

Almaty sits where the mountains that stretch all the way to the Himalaya meet the Kazakh steppe. Kazakhstan's largest city and former capital is a leafy, low-rise grid of parks, bazaars and cafés under the snowy Ile Alatau range, and within a day's drive are alpine lakes, a red-rock canyon and a singing sand dune, with skiing and skating just above town in winter.

Best time: May–Jun, Sep
First trip: 4–6 nights
Visa: Visa-free, 14 days
Return flights: from ₹38,590 ●; Delhi, checked in the last 48 h

Places to visit in Almaty

7 places in the order you would meet them on a first trip. Tap one for what to do there.

Almaty

City

Leafy city under snowy peaks: Panfilov Park, a wooden cathedral, the Green Bazaar and the Kok Tobe cable car.

3–4 nightsabout 30 min from Almaty airportBest Apr–May, Sep–Oct

Almaty is Kazakhstan's largest city and its business and cultural centre, a low-rise grid of wide, tree-lined avenues and parks with no real old town and the Ile Alatau peaks rising sharply behind it. Most locals speak Russian, though many people in tourist-facing jobs speak English, and the airport is about 15 km north-east of the centre.

What to do in Almaty

Panfilov Park and Zenkov Cathedral. The central park holds a Second World War memorial with an eternal flame and the Ascension (Zenkov) Cathedral, a wooden Orthodox church finished in 1907, built almost without nails, that stayed standing through the 1911 earthquake.
Green Bazaar. The big market hall near Panfilov Park, at the same metro stop, sells fresh fruit and vegetables, spices, dried fruit, dairy and meat, including horse-meat sausage.
Cable car up Kok Tobe. From the east end of Abay Avenue a cable car climbs to the hilltop TV tower, small amusement park and viewing decks, best at sunset when the city lights come on below the mountains.
Central State Museum. The state history museum, founded in 1931, covers the country from prehistory to the present, with Saka gold ornaments, yurts and folk costume among its collections.
Indian and vegetarian food. Kazakh cooking is meat-heavy and even vegetable dishes are often made with meat stock, but Almaty has Indian restaurants, including a South Indian one with plenty of vegetarian dishes.

April-May and September-October are the best months, though spring can be wet; June to August runs around 30 °C, and winter days hover around freezing.

Sources: Kazakh Tourism: Almaty, Kazakh Tourism: The 28 Panfilov Guardsmen Park, Kazakh Tourism: Ascension Cathedral (Zenkov Cathedral), Kazakh Tourism: Green Bazaar (Kok Bazar), Kazakh Tourism: Kok-Tobe Park, Kazakh Tourism: Central State Museum of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Kazakh Tourism: The Ice and the Flame. Almaty, Visit Almaty: Kok-Tobe TV tower (Russian), Wikivoyage: Almaty, Wikivoyage: Kazakhstan (checked 14 Oct)

Medeu and Shymbulak

Hill countryDay trip

An open-air ice rink at 1,691 m and a ski resort above it, linked by gondola, about 30 minutes from the centre.

about 1 h from Almaty airportBest Nov–Apr

Medeu is a large open-air speed-skating rink at 1,691 m in a gorge just above Almaty, where more than 180 world speed-skating records have been set; in winter it opens for public skating. A gondola runs on up to the Shymbulak ski resort at about 2,200 m, and further lifts climb to about 3,200 m, so the pair make an easy day out of the city in either season.

What to do in Medeu and Shymbulak

Skate at Medeu. In winter the rink is open to the public, with skate hire, coloured lights and loud pop music; in summer the stands and grounds turn into a place to stroll.
Gondola to Shymbulak. The gondola from Medeu climbs to the resort at about 2,200 m, and a combined chairlift and gondola carries on in two stages to about 3,200 m for views across the range.
Ski or snowboard. Shymbulak has runs for beginners as well as experienced skiers and snowboarders, with equipment hire at the resort.
Summer hiking. From the top lift station, Shymbulak Peak at about 3,450 m is roughly 45 minutes on foot; paths are rocky or missing and the descent is unpleasant, so ride the lifts back down.

The ski season at the resorts above Almaty, Shymbulak among them, runs from November to April; walkers can come up at any time of year.

Sources: Kazakh Tourism: Medeu High-Mountain Sports Complex, Kazakh Tourism: Shymbulak Ski Resort, Kazakh Tourism: Almaty, Visit Almaty: Medeu (Russian), Visit Almaty: Shymbulak ski resort (Russian), Ile-Alatau National Park: Skiing, Wikivoyage: Chimbulak, Wikivoyage: Almaty (checked 14 Oct)

Big Almaty Lake

Hill countryDay trip

A turquoise mountain lake at about 2,500 m under peaks of over 4,000 m, around 30 km from the city.

about 3 h from Almaty airport

Big Almaty Lake lies at about 2,500 m in the Ile-Alatau National Park, around 30 km south of the city, with Soviet Peak (4,317 m) and Ozerniy Peak (4,110 m) standing over it. It is about 1.6 km long and is a water source for Almaty; its colour changes with the season, turning a deep turquoise in autumn, and it freezes over in winter.

What to do in Big Almaty Lake

Getting up there. The city bus stops well short of the lake: from there it is about 15 km on foot with 1,000 m of ascent, while a taxi can get you to within about 4 km; start early, check the weather and plan the way back.
Pick out the peaks. Soviet Peak rises to the south-east of the lake, Ozerniy to the south and Tourist Peak (3,954 m) to the south-west.
Leave it as you found it. The lake supplies the city's water and sits inside a protected national park, so carry your rubbish back down.

Sources: Ile-Alatau National Park: home page (park sites and lake facts), Ile-Alatau National Park: Explore Big Almaty Lake, Ile-Alatau National Park: Environmental conditions, Kazakh Tourism: Big Almaty Lake, Visit Almaty: Big Almaty Lake (Russian), Wikivoyage: Almaty (checked 14 Oct)

Charyn Canyon

Hill countryDay trip

Red-rock canyon up to about 300 m deep: walk the Valley of Castles on a day trip or on the way to Kolsai.

about 3 h 30 min from Almaty airport

Charyn Canyon is cut by the Charyn River through the dry steppe about 200 km east of Almaty, its red cliffs shaped by water and wind over more than 12 million years and up to about 300 m deep in places; Kazakhs like to call it their Grand Canyon. It sits at around 1,300 m, so summer days can pass 40 °C while nights turn cold, and with so few facilities it is best done as a day trip from Almaty or as a stop on the drive to Saty.

What to do in Charyn Canyon

Walk the Valley of Castles. The section reached from the park gate is a roughly 5 km return walk along the canyon floor between castle-shaped rock towers, with little climbing; carry plenty of water and sun protection.
Yellow Canyon lookout. This viewpoint on the rim looks straight down over the Valley of Castles and across to the deeper Yellow Canyon, which you cannot walk into.
Longer gorge trails. Witches Gorge (about 5.4 km return) and Miocene Gorge (about 13 km return) go further into the canyon for those with time and stamina.
Charyn ash grove. Elsewhere in the Charyn valley, a relict grove of rare Sogdian ash that has survived since ancient times is protected as a natural monument within the national park.
Black Canyon photo stop. On the road on to the Kolsai lakes, the dark-walled Black Canyon gorge of the Charyn River makes a short stop for photographs.

Sources: Kazakh Tourism: Charyn Canyon, Kazakh Tourism: Charyn Ash Grove, Kazakh Tourism: Black Canyon, Kazakh Tourism: Almaty province, Visit Almaty: Charyn Canyon (Russian), Wikivoyage: Charyn Canyon, Wikivoyage: Almaty (checked 14 Oct)

Kolsai and Kaindy lakes (Saty)

Hill country

A chain of three forested mountain lakes and Kaindy's drowned spruce forest, from village guesthouses in Saty.

1–2 nightsabout 5 h from Almaty airport

The three Kolsai lakes step up a conifer-lined gorge in the Tian Shan east of Almaty, about 90 km beyond Charyn Canyon, and nearby Lake Kaindy is known for the bare spruce trunks standing up out of its water. Both lie in the Kolsai Lakes National Park, and the village of Saty at the foot of the mountains is the gateway to them, with guesthouses for an overnight stay.

What to do in Kolsai and Kaindy lakes (Saty)

Lower Kolsai lake. The first and most visited lake, about 1 km long at around 1,818 m, is reached by road and has guesthouses close by; fishing is allowed but swimming is not.
Hike to the middle lake. Kolsai-2, also called Mynzhylky, at about 2,250 to 2,400 m, is roughly 8 km and three to four hours on foot from the lower lake and far quieter; horses can be hired for the trail.
Upper Kolsai. The third lake, small, cold and up to 80 m deep at 2,640 m, is the most remote, further along the same mountain route beyond the middle lake; ask locally whether the trail is open before setting out.
Lake Kaindy. A landslide set off by the earthquake of January 1911 dammed the river and drowned a spruce forest, whose dead trunks still rise out of turquoise water at about 1,900 m.
Stay in Saty. Kazakh Tourism suggests a night in one of the village guesthouses for the local welcome, and Saty is the starting point for both the Kolsai lakes and Kaindy.

Sources: Kazakh Tourism: Kolsai Lakes State National Nature Park, Kazakh Tourism: Kolsai-1 Lake, Kazakh Tourism: Kolsai-2 Lake, Kazakh Tourism: Kolsai-3 Lake, Kazakh Tourism: Lake Kaindy, Kazakh Tourism: Saty Village, Kazakh Tourism: Almaty province, Wikivoyage: Charyn Canyon (Kolsay lakes), Wikivoyage: Almaty Province (checked 14 Oct)

Lake Issyk and Turgen Gorge

Hill countryDay trip

A turquoise gorge lake, Turgen's waterfalls and the Golden Man burial mounds, east of Almaty.

about 1 h 30 min from Almaty airport

East of the city, two more gorges of the Ile-Alatau National Park make another day out. Lake Issyk, about 1.8 km long at roughly 1,750 m, lies in a gorge near the town of Yesik, around 90 minutes' drive from Almaty, and Turgen Gorge, about 90 km east, has forest trails, mountain rivers and waterfalls.

What to do in Lake Issyk and Turgen Gorge

Lake Issyk. A turquoise lake ringed by mountains, which Wikivoyage calls largely overlooked, with walks through the forest around it; not to be confused with Issyk-Kul in Kyrgyzstan.
Golden Man museum and Saka mounds. Near Yesik, burial mounds of Saka nobles from the 5th and 4th centuries BC yielded the 'Golden Man' in 1969, now a symbol of Kazakhstan, and the museum beside them shows finds and reconstructed burials.
Turgen waterfalls. Walking routes up Turgen Gorge lead through forest to its waterfalls, a popular outing for hikes and picnics.

Sources: Kazakh Tourism: Lake Yesik, Kazakh Tourism: Yesik Mounds, Kazakh Tourism: Golden Man Museum, Kazakh Tourism: Turgen Gorge, Kazakh Tourism: Almaty province, Ile-Alatau National Park: home page (park sites and lake facts), Ile-Alatau National Park: Welcome to Issyk, Visit Almaty: Lake Issyk (Russian), Wikivoyage: Almaty (checked 14 Oct)

Altyn-Emel National Park

Wildlife

Desert park with a 150 m singing sand dune, striped Aktau hills and Saka royal burial mounds.

1–2 nightsabout 4 h 30 min from Almaty airport

Altyn-Emel is a big desert national park in the Ili valley, made a UNESCO biosphere reserve in 2017 and added in 2023 to the World Heritage list as part of the Cold Winter Deserts of Turan. Kulans, gazelles and argali live in the park. Its main sights lie roughly 30 to 75 km from the village of Basshi, where the park office and a small park hotel are, so plan to sleep there and tour by car over one or two days.

What to do in Altyn-Emel National Park

Singing Dune. A dune of quartz sand about 150 m high and 3 km long between the Big and Small Kalkan hills, 50 km from Basshi; in dry, windy weather the moving sand gives off a low hum likened to a kobyz or a distant jet.
Aktau and Katutau mountains. Aktau means 'white mountains', but its eroded slopes, about 75 km from Basshi, are banded white, red, green and blue, and visitors usually stop at the volcanic Katutau hills on the way.
700-year-old willow. At Kosbastau, 28 km from Basshi on the way to Katutau and Aktau, a willow about 20 m tall, thought to be some 700 years old, is honoured locally as sacred.
Besshatyr burial mounds. In the west of the park, reached from the Shengeldy side rather than Basshi, 31 stone and earth mounds of Saka chiefs from the 6th to 4th centuries BC include a royal mound 17 m high and 105 m across.
Buddhist rock carvings at Tamgaly Tas. Near the town of Konaev, north of Almaty, 15 boulders at the foot of a riverside rock carry large images of Buddhist deities with Tibetan and Oirat inscriptions.

Sources: Altyn-Emel National Park: About (Russian), Altyn-Emel National Park: Singing Dune (Russian), Altyn-Emel National Park: Aktau chalk mountains (Russian), Altyn-Emel National Park: Katutau volcanic mountains (Russian), Altyn-Emel National Park: 700-year-old willow (Russian), Altyn-Emel National Park: Besshatyr Saka mounds (Russian), Altyn-Emel National Park: Hotels (Russian), Kazakh Tourism: Altyn-Emel State National Nature Park, Kazakh Tourism: Tanbaly-Tas Archaeological Complex, Wikivoyage: Cold Winter Deserts of Turan (checked 14 Oct)

Stay in Almaty for the city sights and day trips up to Medeu and Shymbulak and to Big Almaty Lake, then drive east past Charyn Canyon to Saty village for the Kolsai and Kaindy lakes before heading back to Almaty for the flight home. From November to April, when the ski resorts are running, give more of the Almaty days to the slopes; with extra time, add Altyn-Emel's singing dune or a day at Lake Issyk and Turgen Gorge.

Getting around

Inside Almaty the single metro line, city buses and the Yandex Go ride-hailing app cover most trips, and Wikivoyage advises foreigners to use the app rather than flag down street taxis; buses from the airport reach the centre in about 30 minutes. Public transport to the lakes and canyons is thin, so the usual options are a tour or a car with a driver, and many day tours pack in lots of short photo stops, so ask how long you will get at each place. Avoid driving at night, and in winter snow and high winds can close roads outside the city.

When to go

Almaty month by month: weather and fares →

Peak Shoulder Off-season

No official Kazakh tourism page describes Almaty's seasons, so these ratings are derived from the NASA POWER climate normals: May, June and September are warm and mostly dry, July and August run hot in the city while the mountains stay cool, and December to February are cold ski months. March and November are the slushy in-between.

Flights to Almaty from India

Ahmedabad to AlmatyFares →Bangalore to AlmatyFares →Chennai to AlmatyFares →Delhi to AlmatyFares →Hyderabad to AlmatyFares →Kochi to AlmatyFares →Kolkata to AlmatyFares →Mumbai to AlmatyFares →

Visa for Indian passports

Indian passport holders can visit Kazakhstan without a visa for up to 14 days. Visa-free up to 14 days per visit, max 42 days in any 180. A QazETA app pre-check (apply 72+ hours ahead) is expected to become mandatory for air arrivals; dates not yet official.

Before you book, check the Ministry of External Affairs travel advisories for the latest guidance.

Almaty: questions

What are the best places to visit in Almaty?

Almaty: Leafy city under snowy peaks: Panfilov Park, a wooden cathedral, the Green Bazaar and the Kok Tobe cable car. Medeu and Shymbulak: An open-air ice rink at 1,691 m and a ski resort above it, linked by gondola, about 30 minutes from the centre. Big Almaty Lake: A turquoise mountain lake at about 2,500 m under peaks of over 4,000 m, around 30 km from the city. Charyn Canyon: Red-rock canyon up to about 300 m deep: walk the Valley of Castles on a day trip or on the way to Kolsai. Kolsai and Kaindy lakes (Saty): A chain of three forested mountain lakes and Kaindy's drowned spruce forest, from village guesthouses in Saty. Lake Issyk and Turgen Gorge: A turquoise gorge lake, Turgen's waterfalls and the Golden Man burial mounds, east of Almaty. Altyn-Emel National Park: Desert park with a 150 m singing sand dune, striped Aktau hills and Saka royal burial mounds.

How many days do you need for Almaty?

A first trip takes about 4–6 nights: Almaty (3–4 nights), Medeu and Shymbulak (1 night), Big Almaty Lake (1 night), Charyn Canyon (1 night), Kolsai and Kaindy lakes (Saty) (1–2 nights). Stay in Almaty for the city sights and day trips up to Medeu and Shymbulak and to Big Almaty Lake, then drive east past Charyn Canyon to Saty village for the Kolsai and Kaindy lakes before heading back to Almaty for the flight home. From November to April, when the ski resorts are running, give more of the Almaty days to the slopes; with extra time, add Altyn-Emel's singing dune or a day at Lake Issyk and Turgen Gorge.

What is the best time to visit Almaty?

Peak season is May–Jun, Sep. No official Kazakh tourism page describes Almaty's seasons, so these ratings are derived from the NASA POWER climate normals: May, June and September are warm and mostly dry, July and August run hot in the city while the mountains stay cool, and December to February are cold ski months. March and November are the slushy in-between.

Do Indians need a visa for Kazakhstan?

How much is a flight to Almaty from India?

The lowest return fare FlyBun has seen in the last 14 days is ₹38,590, Delhi to Almaty, for December 2026 departures. Fares change daily.

Places and things to do are written by FlyBun from official tourism, heritage and park sources, linked under each place, last checked 14 Oct. We leave out entry fees and opening hours because they change; check them before you go.

Watch a route and FlyBun alerts you free when its fare drops.