Overnight Trips from Almaty: Where to Go for a Weekend

How far to go: the weekend radius

Before the trip, take a realistic look at the distance — it decides whether you can get back by Monday without rushing. It’s handy to group destinations by their distance from Almaty.

• Charyn Canyon: about 215 km, roughly 3 hours on the road. Doable in one day, but more beautiful with an overnight stay.
• Chundzha hot springs: about 250 km, roughly 4 hours.
• Kaindy Lake: about 290 km, roughly 4.5 hours into the mountains.
• Kolsai Lakes: about 300 km, roughly 5 hours. The classic two-day trip with an overnight stay in Saty.
• Issyk-Kul: about 450 km and 7–8 hours across the border with Kyrgyzstan.
• Lake Alakol: about 600 km and around 8 hours one way. People come here for at least two nights.

Kolsai and Kaindy: the classic mountain weekend

The most common answer to where to go for the weekend from Almaty is the Kolsai Lakes and Kaindy Lake. The word “Kolsai” translates as “lake in a gorge”: three lakes lie in a chain on the Kungey Alatau range. Kaindy is nearby and striking in a different way — it’s a sunken spruce forest, where the dry trunks of Tian Shan spruces rise straight out of turquoise water. The lake formed in 1911 after a strong earthquake, when a landslide blocked the gorge.

In two days people usually manage both lakes. The base for the night is the village of Saty, which has plenty of guesthouses, and by the lowest lake, Kolsai-1, there are hotels overlooking the water and places to pitch a tent.

• Day one: early departure from Almaty, the drive into the mountains, a walk by Kolsai-1, overnight in Saty.
• Day two: the drive to Kaindy (the last stretch by local off-road vehicle and on foot), a walk to the sunken forest and back to the city by evening.
• Those who like a more active trip add the climb to the second, middle lake, Kolsai-2.

Charyn overnight: the canyon at sunset and sunrise

Charyn Canyon and its Valley of Castles are most often seen in a single day, but staying overnight lets you see the canyon at its best. At sunset and sunrise the red walls glow with warm color, and by evening, when the tour buses leave, the canyon is almost empty. People stay in glamping tents and yurts on the edge of the cliff.

Charyn is the closest — about 215 km and 3 hours on the road — so it’s easy to combine with the Chundzha hot springs or to continue on toward Kolsai.

Chundzha: hot springs for the cold season

If you’re looking for an overnight trip from Almaty in fall or winter, the answer is almost always Chundzha. These are open-air thermal pools with mineral water, kept between 36 and 40°C. The contrast of warm water and cool air is most enjoyable in the cold season, so the best time for the springs is fall, winter and early spring.

• Distance: about 250 km, roughly 4 hours on the road.
• The resorts offer overnight stays, and the pools are open in the evening and at night.
• Chundzha combines easily with Charyn — the canyon is just an hour’s drive away.

Alakol: a lake with healing waters for a long weekend

Alakol is a large salt lake with mineral-rich water and black pebbles that have long been credited with healing properties. There’s one downside: it’s far — about 600 km and around 8 hours one way. There’s little point going for one night, so people go to Alakol for two nights, or better yet take Friday or Monday off and make the trip longer.

The swimming season runs from June to September — that’s when the resorts around the village of Akshi are open and transport runs regularly. For a big group, a minibus with driver makes particular sense on this long road: eight hours at the wheel alone is hard.

Issyk-Kul: a big lake across the border

Issyk-Kul in Kyrgyzstan is a mountain lake that never freezes, with resorts around Cholpon-Ata and Bosteri. It’s about 450 km and 7–8 hours from Almaty, including the border. It’s a different country: citizens of Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan usually need only a national ID card, Russians aged 14 and over an internal passport (Russian children under 14 need an international passport), and everyone else a passport; in high season, queues at the border crossing can add a couple of hours.

You can come here for a weekend, but because of the long drive it’s better to plan at least three days. If you only have two days, it makes more sense to pick one of the Kazakhstan destinations closer to Almaty.

• Bring documents: a national ID card or passport, and a separate document for each child.
• Allow extra time at the border checkpoint on peak summer weekends.
• Hotels and resorts are concentrated in Cholpon-Ata and neighboring villages on the north shore.

When to go

Each destination has its own best season:

• The mountain lakes, Kolsai and Kaindy: from late May to September, when the roads are clear of snow.
• The Chundzha hot springs: fall, winter and early spring.
• The big lakes, Alakol and Issyk-Kul: the swimming season from June to September.
• Charyn is open all year, but in summer the canyon is hot — bring water and a hat.

Getting there as a group and what affects the price

For a group or a family, the most convenient format is a minibus with driver. A Toyota Hiace takes up to thirteen people traveling light, or up to nine with large suitcases; you can leave in the dark, sleep on the way and not worry about parking on the switchbacks or driving home tired at night.

The starting point is the destination prices for the whole minibus: Charyn from 80,000 ₸, Kolsai and Kaindy from 100,000 ₸, Alakol from 110,000 ₸, Chundzha from 140,000 ₸ — round trip; Issyk-Kul from 150,000 ₸ one way. Our other hire rates are on a separate page. With an overnight stay, the total depends on the number of days, the season and whether the driver waits at the destination, so we’ll price your specific route for your group. Send us your dates and destination on WhatsApp — we’ll work out the cost and tell you what you can realistically fit into your weekend. And for the road to any of these destinations, bring:

• Warm clothes, even in summer — nights in the mountains are cool.
• Documents and some cash: not every resort or hot spring takes cards.
• A swimsuit and flip-flops for the lakes and thermal pools.
• Water and snacks for the long drives to Alakol and Issyk-Kul.