Tanbaly Petroglyphs Day Trip from Almaty by Private Minibus
Around five thousand Bronze Age petroglyphs in the Anrakay Mountains, the first rock art site in Central Asia on the UNESCO list. Your own 13-seat Toyota Hiace with a driver takes your group 170 km across the steppe and back in a single day.
from 80,000 ₸ for the whole Toyota Hiace minibus for the day
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.
A day trip to Tanbaly from Almaty costs from 80,000 ₸ for the whole 13-seat Toyota Hiace minibus with a driver for a full day. We pick you up at your door, drive you to the museum-reserve, wait while you walk the site with a museum guide, and bring you back to the city.
The Tanbaly site lies in the Anrakay Mountains about 170 km northwest of Almaty, in Zhambyl District of Almaty Region. In 2004 the Tanbaly petroglyphs became the first rock art site in Central Asia to be inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. A small canyon holds around five thousand images: sun-headed deities, archers, bulls, horses and hunting scenes; the oldest date from the second half of the 2nd millennium BC. Don’t confuse it with Tamgaly-Tas on the Ili River: that site has Buddhist images and is reached by a completely different road.
The plan for the day: an early-morning start, about two and a half to three hours on the Bishkek highway and a steppe road, two or three hours at the site and back before dark. Water, food and hats go in the luggage compartment: there is no shade and there are no shops in the steppe. A museum guide can be booked on site or in advance, and the entrance ticket is paid separately.
How to get to Tanbaly from Almaty
The route heads west on the Bishkek highway through Kaskelen and Uzynagash, then past Samsy and Targap turns north, to the village of Karabastau and the site. The distance is about 170 km, with a net driving time of two and a half to three hours: asphalt as far as the turnoff, then a local road north past Kopa to Karabastau with an uneven surface, which the Hiace handles easily in dry weather.
The best plan is to leave at 7–8 a.m.: by ten you are at the site, you have time to see the main groups of carvings before the midday heat, and you are back in the city by early evening. The driver waits in the parking lot at the reserve entrance for the whole visit.
What to see at the site
The main route at Tanbaly takes in several groups of petroglyphs on the canyon rocks, linked by a trail of two to three kilometers, plus burial mounds and the remains of ancient settlements. The best-known images are the “sun-headed” figures and the dancing figures; without a guide it is easy to walk past the main panels, so the museum guide is worth the money.
The site is open year-round, but spring and fall are the best times to go: in summer the steppe is scorching, and in winter it is windy. On the same trip, Ungurtas lies along the way (a hill known as the “navel of the Earth” by the Bishkek highway) and you can add it as a second stop. If you want more antiquities, it is worth making separate day trips to Tamgaly-Tas and Altyn-Emel National Park.
Tanbaly by minibus, taxi or shared group tour
There is no scheduled transport to the site; by taxi, a big group needs two or three cars for 170 km into the steppe plus waiting time; and a shared group tour runs on its own program and schedule. Your own Hiace leaves when it suits you, stops wherever you ask and waits as long as needed.
For a group or family of 8–13 people, a minibus for the day costs about the same as two or three cars, and the ride is far easier: air conditioning, reclining seats and one driver for the whole group.
Tanbaly: how the trip works
UNESCO in one day
Leave in the morning, spend two or three hours at the site and be back in the evening, no overnight stay.
Your own way across the steppe
The last stretch is a steppe road with no signs and no phone signal; we plan the route to the Karabastau turnoff in advance and don’t waste your time searching.
Everything for a hot day in the back
Water for the whole group, snacks, blankets and sun hats ride separately from the passengers: there is no shade and no café at Tanbaly.
Ungurtas on the way
The “Navel of the Earth” hill stands by the same Bishkek highway, easy to add as a second stop on the way back.
Tanbaly: trip price
from 80,000 ₸ — for the whole Toyota Hiace minibus for the day
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
Tanbaly: frequently asked questions
How much does a Tanbaly trip from Almaty cost?
From 80,000 ₸ for the whole Toyota Hiace minibus for the day, round trip with waiting time at the site. The museum-reserve entrance ticket and the guide are paid for separately. We will name the exact amount based on your date and pickup point.
How long is the drive to Tanbaly?
About 170 km and two and a half to three hours each way: along the Bishkek highway past Samsy and Targap, then north past Kopa to Karabastau. Allow 9–10 hours for the whole trip.
Are Tanbaly and Tamgaly-Tas the same place?
No. Tanbaly is a UNESCO site with Bronze Age petroglyphs 170 km northwest of Almaty. Tamgaly-Tas is a set of Buddhist images on the rocks by the Ili River, 120 km to the north. They are different destinations reached by different roads; we drive to both.
How many people fit?
Up to 13 passengers, with room in the luggage compartment for the whole group’s water, food and belongings. There are no shops in the steppe, so bring supplies with you.
Can we combine Tanbaly and Ungurtas in one day?
Yes, both are on the western highway and easy to combine in one day: Tanbaly in the morning, Ungurtas on the way back. Tell us when you book; we will price the whole route.
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.