Trip to Alma-Arasan from Almaty by Private Minibus
Prokhodnoye Gorge, a spruce-forested valley with hot radon springs, is only about 24 km southwest of Almaty. A private 13-seat Toyota Hiace with a driver takes your group right to the start of the trail and waits while you walk and soak your feet in the warm barrel tubs.
from 18,000 ₸ for the whole Toyota Hiace minibus, round trip
Pickup at your address · passenger insurance · available 24/7
Our drivers don’t speak English. Phone calls are in Russian or Kazakh, so WhatsApp works best: write in English and we’ll reply using a translator. Need an interpreter? We can arrange one for an extra fee, agreed in advance.
How the trip works
Pickup at your door in Almaty
You choose the address and time: home, office, hotel or airport. When you book, we name the vehicle and give you the driver’s phone number; the driver arrives early and helps with the luggage.
The minibus is yours
The 13-seat Toyota Hiace travels with your group only. The price is for the vehicle, so the bigger the group, the less each person pays. If there are more than 13 of you, you can book a second minibus, or we do two runs in a row on a short route.
Driver, fuel and road included
The driver’s service, fuel, toll sections and pickup in Almaty are all in the quoted price. Paid separately, if your route needs them: national park entrance fees, ski passes, a local off-road vehicle, paid parking and pickup outside the city.
Round trip
The round trip is one price. The driver waits for your group on site for as long as you said when booking; if you stay longer, you pay only for the extra hours.
Luggage: 13 traveling light, up to 9 with suitcases
Bags and gear go in a separate compartment. If everyone has a large suitcase or a stroller, we take up to 9 people; with skis and snowboards, 9–10. Tell us what you’re bringing when you book.
Payment: cash, Kaspi or invoice
Trips in the city and nearby are paid after the trip. Long intercity trips and trips of several days need a partial prepayment to hold the date, the rest before departure. Companies get an invoice, a contract and closing documents.
We take groups from Almaty to Alma-Arasan in a 13-seat Toyota Hiace with a driver, from 18,000 ₸ for the whole minibus, round trip. We pick the group up at one convenient point, and in about forty minutes you are at the trailhead.
Alma-Arasan is the other name of Prokhodnoye Gorge in the Trans-Ili Alatau, southwest of central Almaty, about 24 km from the city. It is best known for its sulfur-radon springs: at around 1,827 meters there is a wellness area with wooden barrel tubs fed with thermal water of roughly 20 to 40 °C. Around it grows a dense forest of Tian Shan spruce, the Prokhodnaya River rushes past, and an easy trail follows it over footbridges, past the Maiden’s Tears waterfall. The drive from the city takes about 40 minutes, so even a half-day trip works.
The minibus has air conditioning, a media system and comfortable seats, and the luggage space takes thermoses, a change of clothes and towels for the hot tubs; nobody rides back to the city with wet things on their lap. If you only need a couple of hours up there, there is hourly rental with a driver.
How to get to Alma-Arasan from Almaty
The route heads southwest out of the city toward the gorge that leads up to Big Almaty Lake (we run minibus trips with a driver there too) and then turns off into Prokhodnoye. It is about 24 km from the center, roughly 40 minutes on the road, depending on traffic leaving the city. The last stretch is a narrow mountain road, so it is easier to come up in one minibus than in a convoy of cars.
The gorge is part of Ile-Alatau National Park, and a small entrance fee is charged where you enter the park. The driver drops the group at the trailhead and waits in the parking lot while you walk to the tubs and the waterfall.
What to see and do
The main goal of the trip is the wellness area with wooden barrel tubs fed by thermal radon water. The springs were discovered back in 1931, and today there are baths, a changing room and gazebos: a nice place to warm up after a cool walk in the forest. Nearby, an easy trail follows the Prokhodnaya River over wooden and metal footbridges, past the scenic Maiden’s Tears waterfall.
The route is easy and suits even groups with older children: the elevation gain is moderate and the trail is well trodden: this is a walk, not a full-day hike like Kok-Zhailau. Around you is clean spruce forest with thickets of raspberry, wild rose and hawthorn; summer is lush and green, and in winter the warm tubs steam beautifully in the frost.
Minibus, taxi or your own car to Alma-Arasan
There is no regular public transport all the way to the gorge, taxis take a long time to come up the mountain road, and parking at the springs is limited and fills up fast on weekends. One Hiace picks the whole group up from one address in Almaty and drives you to the start of the route, and nobody in your group has to drive.
After the walk and the warm tubs, you don’t need to call a car back from the gorge: the driver is already waiting in the parking lot at the time you set. You all ride home together in one warm vehicle.
Alma-Arasan: how the trip works
Hot springs all year round
The sulfur-radon tubs at ~1,827 m are open in winter and summer alike: warm water and spruce-scented air in any season.
A half-day trip
About 24 km and ~40 minutes from the city: enough time to reach the springs and the Maiden’s Tears waterfall and get back to Almaty.
Drop-off at the trailhead
We drop the group where the walking part begins, so you don’t trudge extra kilometers along the roadside from the highway.
An easy ride up the mountain road
The last stretch to the gorge is narrow and winding. Our driver takes you up, and you don’t have to fight for a spot in the small parking lot at the springs.
Alma-Arasan: trip price
from 18,000 ₸ — for the whole Toyota Hiace minibus, round trip
The driver and fuel are included. We quote the total before departure; it only goes up if you decide to extend the waiting time.
Only your group is on board, and you decide how long to stay at each stop.
All day trips from Almaty →Customer reviews on 2GIS
“Efficient and fast — a clean bus with a driver arrived on time.”
“Excellent — they provided a minibus with a driver very quickly.”
Toyota Hiace: cabin and luggage
All photos
- 13 passenger seats
- Air conditioning and heating
- High roof
- Soft reclining seats
- Electric door
- Luggage compartment
These photos show a 13-seat Toyota Hiace with a high roof and a wide aisle between the seats. We took them ourselves: the cabin, the seats and the luggage compartment.
13-seat cabin
Luggage compartment
Alma-Arasan: frequently asked questions
How much is a trip from Almaty to Alma-Arasan?
From 18,000 ₸ for the whole Toyota Hiace minibus, round trip. Tell us how long you want to spend at the springs, and we will quote the exact price right away by phone or WhatsApp. The national park entrance fee and the tubs at the springs are paid on site.
How long is the drive from Almaty to Alma-Arasan Gorge?
About 40 minutes from the city center; the distance is roughly 24 km. Alma-Arasan (Prokhodnoye Gorge) lies southwest of Almaty and is one of the closest mountain trips with hot springs.
Are the springs open in winter?
Yes, the sulfur-radon springs at Alma-Arasan are open all year, summer and winter. In winter the warm tubs against the snowy spruce forest look especially striking; you just need a change of clothes and a towel.
How many people fit in the minibus?
Up to 13 passengers, with room for thermoses, towels and a change of clothes. The whole group rides together in one vehicle, with no splitting into several cars.
Can we combine the springs with a walk to the waterfall?
Yes, an easy trail runs from the wellness area along the Prokhodnaya River, over footbridges, to the Maiden’s Tears waterfall. Tell us when you book what you want to fit in, and we will plan the driver’s waiting time around it.
Tell us where and when
We’ll bring a Toyota Hiace minibus with a driver to any address in Almaty at the time you need. Available 24/7.
Our drivers don’t speak English. Phone calls are in Russian or Kazakh, so WhatsApp works best: write in English and we’ll reply using a translator. Need an interpreter? We can arrange one for an extra fee, agreed in advance.