Assy Plateau, Issyk lake and Bear (Turgen) Waterfall jeep tour
Description
Discover three of Kazakhstan's most diverse natural landscapes in one unforgettable day from Almaty — all in the comfort of a 4x4 Jeep. Start at the vast Assy Plateau — a sweeping highland steppe at 2,700 meters, where nomads have roamed for centuries and the sky stretches endlessly in every direction. Continue to the thundering Bear Waterfall (Turgen), one of the most powerful waterfalls in the Tian-Shan mountains, hidden deep in a lush canyon gorge. A short walk through pine forest leads you straight to the cascade. Finish at the stunning Lake Issyk — a turquoise mountain lake surrounded by snow-capped peaks, formed thousands of years ago by a massive landslide. A lunch stop is included — time to try local Kazakh cuisine at a traditional restaurant near the lake. Private Tour: Same three landscapes for your group only — flexible pace, personal guide, no strangers. English-speaking guide. Hotel pickup from 7 AM. 4x4 Jeep transport. All entrance fees included. Maximum 9 people.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Assy Plateau is a vast highland valley near Almaty, known for its wide green meadows, nomadic landscapes, and breathtaking mountain views. Located at an altitude of about 2,500 meters, it is a perfect place for nature lovers, horseback riding, and stargazing thanks to its famous astronomical observatory.
We will do trekking to the waterfall around 2 km hiking that is at 1521 meters elevation. Bear Waterfall is easily accessible and beautiful in the Turgen Gorge, and is one of the most visited places by tourists and lovers of mountain trails. The waterfall is named “Bear” because brown bears were found in the Turgen Gorge back in the 1960s[
Issyk Lake, which is also known as Esik lake, is a bright-colored alpine lake enclosed by beautiful mountain nature and lush forests together with vast flower fields. Located in the southwest of of the Almaty region of Kazakhstan, this high-mountainous pit-type reservoir has an ancient landslide-tectonic origin.
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
You can choose nearest hotel from list. We will send you all information of pick up and transport the day before the tour. We wil waiting for you in front of your hotel or in lobby during pick up time.
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries
- Not recommended for pregnant travelers
- Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
- Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
- 4 hours overall travellers spend on the car
Reviews(23)
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ We had an amazing day trip to Bear Waterfall, Assy Plateau, and Issyk Lake. Every stop was breathtaking, and the itinerary was well planned with enough time to enjoy each location without feeling rushed. A special thanks to our guide, Alibi, who made the experience even better. He was friendly, knowledgeable, patient, and made sure we were comfortable throughout the trip. He shared interesting information about the places we visited and created a fun, relaxed atmosphere. If you’re visiting Almaty, I highly recommend this tour. The landscapes are absolutely stunning, and having a guide like Alibi makes the journey unforgettable!
I liked both places but hiking and visiting museum combination seems pretty unusual for half day trip. Anyway it works pretty well when you have only half day left.
The experience was nice overall. The places we went to were really beautiful. Our tour guide, Amina, was pleasant to talk to. However, she doesn't speak English that well so she had a hard time explaining some stuff sometimes. Points for improvement for this tour would be to add lunch in the itinerary since it takes a long time to get back to Almaty, even though you have snacks in you. The air condition in the car was also turned off so it was kind of hot and the driver would only turn it on for a short time then turn it off again. We were only a small tour group that day so the pickup and dropoff was quick.
The trip was amazing. Didi was our guide and she was fantastic. She was friendly, lively and patient all throughout our trip. Very fun and helped click lots of great pictures! The places were soo good!! Especially assy plateau!! I would highly recommend everyone to book this trip!! 🤌👌
Our guide Didi was great. The places we visited are amazing! Pick up on time, everything smooth, great day !
amazing tour with Sony 🥹 Sony is a bright woman with a bright future. She's very informative and helpful. She made the tour an enjoyable one. They've been accomodating to our requests to stop at spots just to take photos 🤣 I highly recommend this tour because it brings you to Turgen waterfalls( be prepared to hike) it was an easy but rocky hike but manageable. The road was really rocky too so it might not be okay for people with motion sickness but the views are SO SO worth it. Assy plateu will be in full bloom during the summer, I was hoping to see the blooming flowers in spring but I didn't do that much research into it but definitely consider visiting Assy plateau in the summer for the flowers 🥹
We had a wonderful experience on our guided trip to the extraordinary Assy Plateau with our guide, Didi. The journey takes you far away from modern civilization, and although the road is quite bumpy and rocky, all the effort is completely worth it the moment you reach the plateau and see the spectacular views. We also visited Tungsten waterfall and Lake Issyk, which provided a completely different vibe and truly showcased the incredible variety of landscapes that Almaty has to offer. Throughout the entire trip, Didi was incredibly friendly and attentive, proactively taking fantastic photos for us and ensuring we had enough tea and toilet breaks. What I admired most, however, was seeing her pick up litter left behind by others in the countryside—an act of genuine care for the environment that went well beyond her duty as a guide and made us appreciate her not just as a professional, but as a wonderful person
This trip was impromptu, but it was perfect, Caniya was an amazing host, they came to pick us up from our airbnb and was with us throughout our journey, felt like a tour with a friend, honestly it didnt feel like a guided tour, more like your family showing the places they love, it was a great experience!
I'd recommend his trip. It was an amazing day out with a fantastic host. There is a good variety of things to do. The walk to the waterfall is gorgeous. The lake is amazing, such a stunning sight The golden man museum is very informative Nur-Sultan is a very knowledgeable host. It was a fantastic day trip from Almaty
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ We had such an amazing tour! Everything was well-organized, and we got to see and learn so much. Our tour guide, Bek, made the experience even better—he was friendly, knowledgeable, and always made sure we were comfortable. I truly recommend this tour, especially with Bek as your guide!
