Big Almaty Lake Hike and Falcon Show Experience
Description
Big Almaty Lake sits at 2,500 meters above sea level — a turquoise alpine gem surrounded by snow-capped peaks of the Tian-Shan mountains, just 30 minutes from Almaty. Choose your adventure: Group Hike — Trek 10 km one way through alpine meadows and pine forests to reach the lake. Hiking sticks provided. Best for active travelers who love a real challenge. Hike + Falcon Show — Same epic 10 km hike, plus a traditional Kazakh falconry show on the way back. A perfect mix of nature and culture. Private Hike — The full 10 km trail with your personal guide, at your own pace. No strangers, total focus on your group. Car Tour — Drive directly to the lake and enjoy breathtaking views without the hike. Perfect for families or those with limited time. English-speaking guide included in all hiking options. Hotel pickup available. All national park entrance fees included.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Duration: 6-7 hours Difficulty: Moderate Distance: ~10 km round trip Elevation gain: Around 600–800 meters
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
You can write any address in the city center. We will send you all information of pick up time and transport the day before the tour. We will pick-up you from your hotel with our mini bus or send you taxi. You will come to nearest hotel.
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 a high level of physical fitness
Reviews(60)
We went to The Big Almaty Lake with John, and had an absolutely incredible day. He was knowledgeable, funny and a brilliant guide. He took time to get to know all the guests and make sure everyone was okay. He told us facts about more than just the lake but the entire city of Almaty and Kazakhstan. We could not have asked for a better guide.
Sensational walk! Bauka was a great guide! He was also a great photographer! Hahaha Super worth it! In addition, we were lucky to visualize wild horses, marmots and other wild animals in the region, such as rats! Although it requires some preparation for the climb (for those who are not used to it), I recommend the experience.
Almaty lake is a very cool spectacle to behold. It takes about 2.5 hours each way to hike. Tour guide is very nice and speaks good English (~Жандос). Bottles of water are included. They pick up and drop off from your hotel, which is a bonus. Overall among the best tours I’ve done in the region. Highly recommend
Firstly, this a 12 km hike which I would rate to be moderate-difficult due to the steep and rocky climb. If you enjoy that, this a fantastic experience! Our guide, John was a nice guy and we enjoyed it thoroughly. There was a hiccup on our tour because our group got separated due to differing fitness levels and it took considerable time to regroup towards the end. But overall, a must do in Almaty!
I had the best time I could ever think of during this tour. All information was shared previously, the admission fee was justified and we even traditional Kazakh food for lunch. The pickup time was right on time, even though it was as saturday, it was not very crowded. During the whole trip, the tour guide Ayau was so lovely to chat with! She not only helped translating and guiding through the tour, but also answered all doubts, shared interesting history facts and was super curious about my culture and country. It felt like talking to a friend at many times, which made the trip way better. The locations were all beautiful, I had time to take pictures and managed to be friends with my touring peers. After the tour, I was lucky too meet as well other guides from Kazakhstan Very Nice and they are just lovely and nice to talk to, they really do care about showing the best of Kazakhstan and making sure we have a good time. I would totally recommend this tour and hope to do a longer one when I visit Kazakhstan again in the future!
We had a great trip to Big Almaty Lake by car. Our driver was very knowledgeable and fluent in English, as was the taxi driver who drove us up to the lake itself. Highly recommend!
A very nice guide. He talked a lot about the nature and culture of Kazakhstan. I recommend it!!!!!!!
Loved the hike - Nurzhan made it feel like we were hiking with a friend rather than a guide we just met. He was engaging, fun, funny, personable and gave us a sense of life in Almaty. Top guy, top tour…thank you for the wonderful day, Nurzhan! Highly recommend.
Very amazing trip. The view is nice, the trail is not that difficult. Also, Dos is very cool tour guide. I learned a lot during the trip like what stan stands for, the history of Big Almaty, its utilities, and kazakh culture. Thanks Kazakhstan Very Nice agency!
We were picked up exactly right on time. This is the second time I booked with KZ Very Nice and the guides we got were kind and warm. Fortunate to had Dos as our guide, got to learn a lot from Kazakh culture while being in awe with the nature. He made sure we were having a good time also which was highly appreciated!
