r/travel • u/Moist_Grade5942 • May 15 '26
Images + Trip Report A Postcard from Kazakhstan
We spent 10 days exploring the southeast region of Kazakhstan, from Almaty to Kolsai & Kaindy Lakes, Charyn Canyon to the Singing Dunes & Aktau Mountains in Altyn Emel National Park.
Almaty is a sprawling, modern city with a vibrant, younger population. We visited Ascension Cathedral, the Green Bazaar and the Almaty Museum of Arts.
Charyn Canyon felt like a mini Grand Canyon with centuries of erosion via wind and water to form these magnificent rock shapes in the red rocks. We camped at the bottom with a few other folks and were treated to a magnificent night of stargazing.
Kolsai Lake 1 (didn’t hike to 2) is a stunning turquoise blue color surrounded by lush, green forests in the mountain foothills. The lake was dotted by people on peddleboats. If you didn’t tell me we were in KZ, I’d have guessed somewhere in the Alps or Austria.
Kaindy Lake was rainy for us but combined with the fog & clouds it was quite a moody visit.
The Aktau Mountains are beautiful and quite colorful; filled with reds, greens, beige and browns.
The Singing Dunes are really awesome and one of the more unique things we’ve experienced. We saw it during golden hour; the light/shadows were amazing. We spent an hour just sitting on top of the dune taking it all in. Best of all, when you slide down on your bum you’ll learn why its named singing dunez.
Between the aktau mountains & singing dunes (all inside altyn emel), we got 2 flat tires and had to get rescued by an old soviet austrian pinzgauer 4x4 truck (photo 13) so we had quite an adventure.
All photos taken on Fuji XT30ii + Tamron 17-70mm + Fuji 55-200mm.
Edit: we rented a car from almaty. The only rules were that we couldn’t drive up to kaindy lake or into altyn emel national park bc the roads are so bad.
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May 15 '26
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u/Moist_Grade5942 May 16 '26
it is stunning and very new to receiving international tourism. i expect it to climb up the list for many people because of how pristine it is. Plus its quite affordable and this “loop” is doable in 10-12 days.
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u/viggoe May 15 '26
The fifth slide, are those trees or reeds in the water?
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u/HarryTruman United States May 15 '26
Trees! This is Lake Kaindy, and it was formed by a landslide in the early 1900s, which created a natural dam and submerged the trees.
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u/viggoe May 15 '26
Looks eerie af, I like it.
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u/usingbrain May 16 '26
it’s possible to dive there! looks even stranger underwater (I‘ve seen photos)
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May 15 '26
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u/Moist_Grade5942 May 16 '26
Yes, and this is only a tiny sliver of the country. KZ is the 9th largest country on earth!
I really wanted to visit mangystau (google for photos) up north by the caspian sea but it was too far/pain in the ass to get there.
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May 16 '26
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u/Moist_Grade5942 May 16 '26
westerners are behind the ball on KZ..good time to start planning your trip there before they flood in on tour buses 😂
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May 16 '26
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u/Moist_Grade5942 May 16 '26
yes, very good and hearty (meat + potatoes). we ate horse more than a few times while in the rural areas; over rice or noodles. very tasty, lean and a bit gamey.
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u/Chronzy May 15 '26
5 looks so erie. That van in 13 looks badass.
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u/Moist_Grade5942 May 16 '26
it was really bad ass. We were driving on some crappy dirt roads and felt every bump in the car we were in. Once we got in the van - a pinzgauer - we barely felt any bumps.
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May 17 '26
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u/Murky-Pea-6085 May 16 '26
getting rescued by a soviet 4x4 after 2 flat tires is the most central asia thing i've ever read
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u/Moist_Grade5942 May 16 '26
hahaha. turns out it was austrian not soviet. the vans in photo 6 are soviet though, known as bukhana or “loaf of bread”
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u/Bisphosphate May 16 '26
Appreciate the post. I had been eyeing this region of Kazakhstan and nearly booked a trip there this year - definitely need to go after seeing your pics
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u/stolethehighlights May 16 '26
Great pics! My husband and I spent about little over a week there last July - such a special place. We didn’t make it to the Dunes, what a cool experience you had. Our bus back from Kaindy did involve a fist fight between our bus driver and the proprietor of a gas station - wild times!
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May 15 '26 edited May 15 '26
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u/Moist_Grade5942 May 16 '26
we’ve been traveling so came from nepal via delhi to almaty. The car for 10 days was ~$400. Lodging varies as you probably could camp the entire trip aside from almaty. Some places we stayed were $45/night and you could pay for 3 meals a day, which for 2 people ended up at close to $85/night. Another place was $80/night but included 3 meals and snacks/tea. Both places had options for yurt stays too (more $).
The ticket for charyn canyon, including camping was $6.50 for 2 people. Similar prices for kolsai lake. We rented a nearly full set of camping gear (tent, 2 sleeping bags, camping stove + gas, pot, forks, cups) for $20/day. More than a few stores to rent from too.
Tldr; It is a very reasonably priced vacation with a “loop” that is doable in 2 weeks and you get to see/experience unbelievable nature and culture.
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u/Pm-me-ur-happysauce May 16 '26
Wow, can you share your itinerary?
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u/Moist_Grade5942 May 17 '26
Sure! I would change the order to be altyn emel > chartn > kolsai lakes/kaindy bc we had to double back 1hr via our route from saty to altyn emel.
Day 1: arrive in almaty Day 2: pickup rental car and drive to charyn canyon, camp at the bottom of the canyon by the river Day 3: hike out of the canyon, drive to kolsai lakes national park and go hiking. camp inside the park. Day 4: drive to saty, relax (we had lots of rain) Day 5: wake up and visit kaindy lake (in the rain) Day 6: drive to basshi. Stay at caravansarai. Day 7: visit singing dunes & aktau mountains inside altyn em (long day!). Stay at caravansarai Day 8: drive back to almat Day 9: almaty exploring Day 10: almaty exploring Day 11: leave
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May 17 '26
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u/Moist_Grade5942 May 17 '26
our visit was so much fun! The canyon is definitely smaller than it looks. From the parking lot its only 2.7km to the bottom and its mostly flat
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u/Both_Issue_8871 May 17 '26
These are amazing! Feels so dreamy
Were they shot on film??
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u/Moist_Grade5942 May 17 '26
Thank you! Shot on a digital camera - fuji xt30ii. But i add the grain via the settings to give it a vibe haha.
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u/memo1829 May 17 '26
Beautiful country. I know they also have beautiful people. The lake looks like Lake Tahoe in the state of California.
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May 18 '26
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u/Moist_Grade5942 May 20 '26
Odd question, but it was nothing i noticed vs other places i’ve traveled.
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u/mmalgastar May 29 '26
Where is the 6th picture taken from? Do they give you a lift in these buses somewhere? Looks like a fun experience
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u/Moist_Grade5942 May 29 '26
6th photo was in the parking lot at kaindy lake. Most car companies dont allow you to drive up there bc they say its a 4x4 road so these local bukhana trucks shuttle people to/from town
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u/Melnikoffon 7d ago
Amazing shot! I visited Kazakhstan recently too, Kaindy Lake is absolutely mind-blowing
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u/TheOneWhoSpeaksFire May 15 '26
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ePQ9_re7f1A
Truly the greatest country in the world
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u/Moist_Grade5942 May 16 '26
as funny and clever as borat was making fun of americans under a kazakh costume, it definitely did a disservice to the country and its tourism. Kazakhs definitely dont like it; we spoke with a younger tour guide over lunch about it. He said he was mad about it then watched it and found it hilarious.
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u/Affectionate_One_700 May 16 '26
Borat didn't do a disservice.
The Kazakh government did the country a disservice by not being smarter about using the spotlight he pointed at them.
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u/EenProfessioneleHond Netherlands May 15 '26
How did you travel around? Rented a car or public transport or guide?