Große Almaty Lake Tour mit dem Auto bis zum See, oder Wandern, Almarasan Schlucht

I duly arrived at the meeting point at 06:30 AM. I was approached by a man, in a casual T-shirt, asking if I was going on a tour. There was not a single sign of who this person was, let alone any self-introduction. I further asked if he was referring to the tour for the Big Almaty Lake. He said yes. He appeared a confusing traveller to me, and I asked if there was anything I could help him with. He then said he was the organizer. He wore the most unfriendly face, gave other travellers and I puzzling instructions without any explanation. He did not care to answer our necessary questions asking in a friendly manner. All the while other travellers and I were still patiently waiting, hoping for the best. This was a confusing and alarming situation. Since he did not provide me with any information in the first place, or even confirming who I was, or if I was on the list of the tour, I believe that I had to, at the very least, ask for the most basic information for safety reasons. When asked for his name, he replied “Dmitriy”. Later I learnt that he is also the owner/guest relations manager of DAO Travel. When asked for his staff card or any credentials in a friendly way, disappointedly he said he had none. In a way only a scammer could be, he appeared very questionable the whole time. He only replied reluctantly the name of the company “DAO Travel” when I asked. Remember I mentioned he did not confirm if I was on the list of the tour? It was not until when he intended to cancel my booking, he asked to see my e-ticket. He then cancelled my booking abruptly right in front of me, and said “I have cancelled your booking”. Without offering any explanation or mentioning of refund, he then went on the van which immediately started driving. What kind of tour guide would it be, to be incapable of even saying who they are, and providing clear instructions to their clients? And what kind of tour guide would it be, to suddenly get mad and cancel one’s booking, just because they are asked which travel agency they work at? How could a traveller have any confidence in a tour guide and travel agency, when the tour guide does not even know how to introduce themselves to clients at the meeting point, do not confirm the identity of the client, and most importantly, have no regard for safety and communication? P.S. Almost immediately I have received an email from Tripadvisor that a full refund would be made in 3-5 working days. Please, read all the reviews. What he have done to all us travellers were inappropriate. He will have his own consequences to bear. Let us see if he has the decency of letting our reviews to be seen as they are. If he writes any replies, or trying to suggest anything else different, or worse, repeating the same kind of disgusting remarks “Happy a good day!” like he did before, there is an even greater shame on him and DAO Travel.

I had pre-booked this tour for 2 places - Big Almaty Lake and Alma Arasan gorge through 'get your guide' for around 57$. On the day of tour when the guide (Dmitri) picked us up at 6 30am he informed me in the car that he had cancelled my booking through 'get your guide' and that either I pay him the same price for the same tour directly (i.e. privately) or I cancel the tour completely. I decided to continue with the tour as I had already planned my 2 days in almaty taking into consideration this tour. It was just me and another solo female traveller who were on this tour. He first took us to big Almaty lake ('BAL') and by 9am, once we were done with BAL, the guide started driving back to Almaty, which is when I mentioned that the trip that I had booked through 'get your guide' also included the Alma Arasan gorge. He said that considering it was just 2 of us, visiting the gorge is not viable/ profitable for him. I explained that I had agreed to continue with the tour assuming that I would pay the same price for the same places (i.e. both the places) as mentioned in the 'get your guide' itinerary. To this he rudely replied "you can continue repeating the same thing 10 times but I will not go there". I mentioned that this was quite unfair as this revised itinerary was not mentioned beforehand. Eventually, after a lot of back and forth, he did take us to the gorge (unwillingly and tried justifying that there is nothing special about the gorge and he gets angry everytime someone asks him to go to the gorge). At the time of payment, he mentioned that we have to pay him 29,400 KZT which is around 60$. Again when I pointed out that I had booked the tour for a lower price he said "this is what I charge and this is what you will have to pay". While the difference was not material, I don't think I was wrong in pointing it out as the amount was higher than what was agreed and I had to additionally pay the card charges. At one point my fellow traveller had mentioned that I should not pay him because of the way in which he was behaving (racist (towards Indians as he was not speaking in the same way with the other traveller) and intimidating), and even though she was right, I did not want to be stranded in the middle of nowhere on the first day in a new country. Overall my experience with DAO travel was BAD and I felt cheated because of the following reasons: 1. Poor morals and work ethics - Poaching customers from trusted third parties and not giving them enough notice before cancelling the trip on the day. Not delivering on what was committed/ promised. 2. Behaviour - Rude, racist, intimidating towards solo female travellers. Unnecessarily mentally agonizing. Please think twice before booking with them.

I booked a tour with DAO Travel through Dmitry (the owner and tour guide) after finding the company on TripAdvisor and seeing MANY positive reviews. I booked directly with him for a price of $60 USD pp. The tour was advertised as including Big Almaty Lake (without hiking) and a hot spring visit. Dmitry told us pickup would be at 6:30 AM and the tour would finish around 11:30 AM. There were four guests in total. Two guests planned to hike at Big Almaty Lake, and Dmitry brought another guide for them. However, all four guests, Dmitry, and the second guide traveled in a single car, which felt overcrowded and poorly organized. One of the guests was an Indian woman who had originally booked through GetYourGuide for $56 USD. She told us that Dmitry canceled her booking the night before and then contacted her privately, saying he would still take her on the tour for the same price if she booked directly with him. When we arrived at Big Almaty Lake, only the Indian guest and I remained while the hikers continued with their activity. Around 9:00 AM, Dmitry told us we were leaving. I assumed we would continue to the hot springs, since the tour was supposed to end at 11:30 AM and the hot springs were not far away. Instead, he said he was taking us back to the city. The Indian guest asked why, pointing out that the hot springs were included in the advertised itinerary. Dmitry responded that there were not enough people going, so the hot springs would not happen. She explained that this information should have been provided before the tour because the hot springs were one of the reasons she booked. His response was rude: “Even if you say it 10 times, not going is not going.” At the end of the tour, he charged us 29,400 KZT (about $61 USD). The Indian guest asked why he was charging more after saying the price would be the same. He replied, “I don’t care, this is the price.” She paid, but I felt the situation was unfair. Throughout the tour, I felt that Dmitry treated the Indian guest disrespectfully despite her being polite and reasonable. Whether intentional or not, the way he spoke to her was unprofessional and concerning. My main issue is not only the missing hot spring visit but also the poor communication, last-minute changes, overcrowded transportation, and rude customer service. Travelers should be careful when booking privately with tour providers who encourage customers to bypass platforms such as GetYourGuide or TripAdvisor. If plans change at the last minute, you may have very few alternatives available. This was my personal experience, and I hope future travelers find it useful when deciding whether to book with this company. https://www.getyourguide.com/almaty-city-l1414/big-almaty-lake-tour-by-car-or-hike-private-or-small-group-t549228/?ranking_uuid=6ac6a1f0-a70b-4b57-bdcd-b8bb2e1966ff&closeTabOnNavigationBack=true

Everything operated like clockwork, good driver and guide, with some excellent recommendations. Added bonus of a gorge / springs.

The Big Almaty Lake tour by car was a great choice and exactly what I needed! It was a perfect way to visit this beautiful place quickly and comfortably, especially if you want to see the lake in the morning and still have the rest of the day free to enjoy Almaty. The drive was smooth, the scenery was amazing, and the lake itself was absolutely stunning. I really liked that the tour was efficient without feeling rushed. It gave me enough time to enjoy the views, take photos, and experience one of the most beautiful spots near the city. Overall, this is a very convenient and enjoyable tour for anyone who wants to see Big Almaty Lake without spending the whole day. Highly recommended!

A few last minute changes to what was booked but in the end the hike was a lot of fun! Treat as you would any hike at home, take snacks, water and dress appropriately. Felt safe and in good hands! Would recommend <3

On the day of tour, I arrived 10 minutes early to the meeting point and saw 2 others waiting as well. We waited over an hour (no exaggeration), and the company never informed us the status of the tour. We all messaged the company with no response back. I had to contact Viator support, who then let me know the tour is canceled but with no reason. When I talked to the 2 others, one of them informed me that finally, 1 hour AFTER starting time, the company messaged her saying the tour is canceled due to the van being broken. Where was the communication prior to the tour, or at least at the start time? Awful company and waste of time. Do not book with them - you've been warned. Also, if you take a look at their other reviews, others have complained about the tour never happening. Shame on this company and shame on Viator on continuing to let this happen.

Big lake almaty is well worth a visit. However, I would highly recommend not booking with this tour provider. I contacted them the night before to confirm the start time and location. It’s advertised as 8am but they changed to 6:50 for no reason. Earlier start isn’t really the issue, it should just be advertised and communicated in advance. They also tried to make me cancel the booking… so I would instead pay them directly so they could save money.

I had a wonderful experience on the Big Almaty Lake tour, and it was truly one of the best days of my trip 🌄 Everything was very well organized from the beginning. The car was very clean and comfortable, and the driver arrived exactly on time at 7:00 in the morning, which made the start of the day very smooth. Our tour guide, Dmitry, was excellent. He was very friendly, helpful, and knowledgeable, and he shared a lot of useful information during the trip. He was also very kind and even gave us his phone number in case we needed help while staying in Kazakhstan, which I really appreciated. During the tour, we also visited a hot spring and saw a beautiful waterfall along the way, which made the experience even more enjoyable. At the end of the tour, he dropped each of us off exactly where we wanted in the city, which was very convenient. Overall, it was a fantastic day, very enjoyable and well organized. I highly recommend this tour to anyone visiting Almaty 🌄✨

We had a nice experience visiting Big Almaty Lake. Our guide/driver Dmitriy picked us up at our hotel, drove us to the area near the lake where we were transported on another vehicle to the lake. We had about an hour to explore the lake. It was a short but beautiful visit.