5-day Tour to Kazakhstan from Kuala Lumpur5 Days | Almaty, Kazakh Ethno-Village, Charyn Canyon

18:45 Arrival to Almaty International airport in the evening. After passing border control and collecting luggage, you will be met by a local guide holding your nameplate. Transfer to the hotel, free time and overnight.

Breakfast at the hotel. Check-out.
On the last day of the Nauryz holiday you will visit Kazakh Ethno-Village “Huns”. The ethno-village is a perfect place for those willing to plunge into and experience the nomadic past of Kazakhs. The village, about 35 km from Almaty in the Talgar district, is also a great way to escape to the mountains for fresh air, horseback riding and to discover Kazakh traditional games and rituals. From the moment of entrance and welcome ritual “shashu” to the horseback riding in the mountains, you will be surrounded by the Kazakh’s culture, hospitality and traditions.
You will enjoy the entertaining program. This includes:

• Show of felt craft and a close look at the yurts with every detail described;
• Performance of “Besikke salu” or “Tusau kesu” rituals, which are still actual in Kazakh families;
• Horse games like “Kyz kuu” – when young man is chasing a girl to kiss her while riding a horse, and “atpen audaryspak” – wrestling of two young men on horseback;
• Traditional dances and music, where guests will be shown moves and take part in group flash mob;
• Master class of cooking “baursak” – traditional Kazakh pastry.

Lunch in national way.
Optionally: guest can request a horseback riding tour for 30 minutes or 1 hour to explore the area and enjoy the nature.
Return to the hotel. Overnight.
Meals: breakfast, lunch

Breakfast. Departure to Charyn Canyon. Charyn Canyon is a picturesque gorge stretching for 154 km along the Charyn River in southeastern Kazakhstan. For more than 12 million years, the sun, wind and water slowly destroyed the soft sedimentary rocks, giving the canyon amazing shapes. The Charyn Canyon is often compared to the American Grand Canyon. Despite the fact that Charyn is much smaller in size, it is unique in its own way and is also able to impress.
Lunch at the restaurant in territory of the Charyn Canyon (Not included).
Panoramic site - Valley of Castles at Charyn Canyon.
We leave the cars in the parking lot at the descent into the canyon of Valley of Castles. Take a bottle of drinking water and let’s walk down into the gorge. It is a leisurely trek with some stops (50 minutes) at the Charyn river (2 km one way). The tour guide tells you about the differences of Charyn.
Depart to the Almaty city. Transfer to the hotel.
Free time. Overnight.
Meals: breakfast

Breakfast at the hotel. Sightseeing tour in Almaty, 09.30 – 19.00 On this day, the Nauryz holiday will be celebrated throughout the city. You will arrive at the height of the celebrations in the city. The places you will visit will be decorated in honor of the holiday.
Nauryz is a holiday that is loved in Kazakhstan; it symbolizes the beginning of spring. They say that if the weather is sunny on this day, it means spring has defeated winter.
Citizens in national clothes will parade on the street, people will sing, dance and have fun. And you will be able to enjoy the amazing atmosphere of the spring festival.
This day you will visit the city’s old center and cover one of the main sites that best highlight Almaty’s history. The first stop is Park of 28 Panfilov soldiers – named after the division during WWII, formed of men from the Almaty region under command of General Ivan Panfilov. The Park itself is popular among locals and guests of the city. Inside the park visitors will find the eternal flame, memorials of different heroic characters, the Ascension Cathedral – Russian Orthodox wooden church that magically withstood a strong earthquake in XX century, and Museum of musical instruments, where you can admire the collection over 1000 exhibits including rare exhibits dating back to XVII century.
Then we stop for lunch at local restaurant.
After lunch, you are going to explore the city’s main attraction – the Ili Alatau mountains.
The National Park of Ili Alatau was founded in 1996, the park extends for 120km and the total area is 202,292 hectares. The altitude varies from 600 to 5,000 meters. Medeo is an essential part of the Ili Alatau Park and it is a historical object of Almaty’s development as a city. Located at the height of 1,690 meters, the Medeo skating rink is the highest rink location in the world. However, our main purpose of visit is Shymbulak – a mountain resort located at the elevation of 2,260 meters above sea level. In 1950s, ski lovers used to climb the mountain for 3 hours for a 15 minutes’ descent. Nowadays, it is a developed resort with high-level equipment and infrastructure.
Today’s last stop is Kok Tobe, a park located at an altitude of 1,100 meters on the green hill, this place is very popular among locals and tourists. Take a ride on comfortable cable car and within 10 minutes, you are admiring the magnificent panoramic view of the city.
Once we come down from the hill, we are going back to the hotel.
Meals: breakfast

Breakfast at the hotel.
Today you can enjoy another touristic attraction of Almaty – “Green Bazaar” or Green market. This is a perfect way to experience the true Eastern market, where you can find main delicacies of different nations living in Kazakhstan.
Shopping in the Green Bazaar. Free time.
17:00 Transfer to the airport.
20:05 Flight to Kuala Lumpur. End of the tour.
Meals: breakfast