5 day Golden ring of Zhetysu tour

^from$ 950

Duration	5 days
Category	SAFARI
Season	Year-round

This tour gives a unique opportunity to visit the most beautiful places of Kazakhstan for 5 days. During this tour you will visit Altyn emel national Park and - best safari destinitaion in Kazakhstan, Charyn National Park and the pearl of the northern Tien Shan - Kolsay lakes.

Singing sand (also called whistling sand or barking sand). The dune is composed of light-colored sand and has a length of about 3 km and a height of 150 m. In dry weather sands emit a sound similar an organ melody. Since ancient times this place was considered supernatural. The legends explained the sound by the activities of the desert spirits, mythical animals, the bells of buried towns, underground rivers etc.

The mountains of Aktau belong to the chalk type of the mountains, they were formed from sediments belonging to the era of Cenozoic, which began about 60 million years ago, which makes these mountains historically important. Basically, the composition of the mountains is plastered clay, without any vegetation. Due to this feature, you may feel at the different planet. For a huge amount of time nature cut these mountains, forming canyons with rock layers of white, red and orange colors across the range.

Katutau mountains: The mountains consist mainly of lava and volcanic rock, many dikes can also be seen here, these are cracks that were formed as a result of an earthquake or volcanic eruption, and then were filled with magma. The length of such dikes reaches up to 8 kilometers

1 Day	08:00 departure to Tamgaly on Ily river (165 km from Almaty). 10:00 Tamgaly tas – written cliffs, on the Ili river. Located 170 km from Almaty, natural boundary consists of huge cliffs. It was a place where beautiful images of Buddha and Burhans were found. Visit Bes Shatyr. Free time. Trip to Altyn Emel National Park. 13:30 Arrival to "Basshy" village. Check-in at the guesthouse (DBL/Standard accommodation) and lunch. 15:00 arrival to so-called Singing sand (also called whistling sand or barking sand). The dune is composed of light-colored sand and has a length of about 3 km and a height of 150 m. In dry weather sands emit a sound similar an organ melody. Since ancient times this place was considered supernatural. The legends explained the sound by the activities of the desert spirits, mythical animals, the bells of buried towns, underground rivers etc. 19:00 Returning to the guesthouse. Dinner& night stay at the guesthouse (Basshy).
2 Day	Breakfast at the guesthouse. 09:00 trip to Aktau and Katutau mountain range (1,5 hours). Aktau mountains are located 80 km from the village that takes approximately 1,5 hours to reach them. The Aktau hills look supernatural. You will observe rock layers of white, red and orange colors across the range, known as a unique paleontological deposit with an estimated age of 25-30 million years. 13:00 Lunch boxes - outdoor picnic (is included). 14:00 Katutau hills are less spectacular, but certainly interesting since it’s a good place to see argali. 18:00 Return to the guesthouse and lunch. Night stay at the guesthouse (Basshy).
3 Day	Breakfast at the guesthouse. Check out of the guesthouse. 08:00 departure to Charyn canyon. 11:00 arrival at Charyn canyon. The canyon has been described as the Grand canyon’s little brother and is considered to be the floor of the ancient ocean Tethys. The erosion made by the river Charyn below and the elements created a dramatic and impressive landscape. The Charyn canyon itself is approximately 150 km and in some places up to 300 m deep. 13:00 Lunch boxes - outdoor picnic (is included). Free time for your own. 18:00 Arrival to "Saty" village. Check-in at the guesthouse (DBL/Standard accommodation) dinner and night stay.
4 Day	08:00 Breakfast and departure to Kolsay lake1. 10:30 and trip to Kolsay lake 1. Kolsay Lakes – one of the most beautiful places in Kazakhstan. These lakes are located at heights 2250 and 2700 meters above sea level. They are distinguished by the unique mountain watershed consisting of three natural zones and amazing variety of rare plants and animals. Kolsay Lakes are considered a pearl of Northern Tien-Shan located in 300 km from Almaty city. 13:00 lunch (outdoor picnic). 14:00 hiking or Horiding to Kolsay lake 2 (8 km approx. 2 hours, horse riding at your own payment).Free time. 18:00 Returning to the guesthouse and dinner. Night stay at the guesthouse (Saty).
5 Day	08:00 Breakfast at the guesthouse. Check out of the guesthouse. 09:00 transfer to Kaindy lake (11 km off road). Kayndy lake was formed in 1911 after a huge earthquake that resulted in a big landslide from the eastern slope. The rockslide “place of origin” can still be seen today, because it has not been overgrown yet. The uniqueness of the lake is that after the rise of natural dam that blocked the gorge, water that filled a basin has formed a lake but has not destroyed the spruce that had been growing in this place along the river. 13:00 lunch at Saty village and departure to Almaty. 17:00 arrival to Almaty. Transfer to the hotel. End of services

Transport with professional driver per itinerary
English-speaking guide for all excursions
Accommodation in guesthouse on TWIN / DBL sharing basis (4 nights)
Water 1L per person per day
Entrance fees for all mentioned monuments (except photo and video charges)
Meals, day 1 lunch and dinner, day 2-3-4 breakfast and dinner, day 5 breakfast and lunch
Visa costs and processing
Photo and video charges
International air tickets
Alcohol + Beverages
Portages at airports and hotels
Tips and gratuities
Any personal expenses
Any services not included in the above itinerary

Cancellation policy

Payments & Cancellations

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No refunds are available once a tour or service has commenced, or in respect of any package, accommodation, meals or any other services utilized.

If you wish to cancel a reservation made via the Website, the supplier's cancellation policy contained in the applicable product listing will apply to, and govern the terms of, your cancellation and any refunds. When canceling a booking, you will be notified via email the total refund amount you will receive, if any.

The standard cancellation policy for Customers is:

a 90 % refund for cancellations made at least 15 days in advance of the start date of the experience. (Except for the tours to Baikonur Cosmodrome, see point 1)
a 60% refund for cancellations made later than at least 15 days in advance of the start date of experience. Unless the Customer could not inform the Steppe and Sky travel due to the force-majeure reasons.
Cancellations made within 48 hours of the start date of the experience will receive no refund.
In case of no-show the Customer will receive no refund.
For the tours to Baikonur Cosmodrome the following penalties apply:

1 a 90% refund for cancellations made after the payment is made before the permission from Roscosmos State Corporation is received.

2. a 80% refund in case of cancellation of the tour after receiving permission to visit the Cosmodrome Baikonur by Roscosmos , regardless of the time.

3. a 0% refund for cancellations made 14 days prior to the tour start.

4. a 80% refund in case when Roscosmos refuses the Customer in permission to visit the spaceport (Cosmodrome Baikonur),

5. a 80% refund is applicable when Roscosmos either transfers or cancels the launch of the spacecraft, unless the Customer chooses to use the tour package of ‘between launches’ period, in this case the cost of the tour is recalculated and the difference is transferred to the account of the Customer.

The value of the transaction may be subject to taxes, duties, foreign transaction, currency exchange or other fees. Your bank or credit or debit card company may convert the payment into the local currency and charge fees, resulting in differences between the amount displayed on Steppe and Sky Travel and the final amount charged to your bank account or credit or debit card statement. Please contact your bank or card company if you have any questions concerning any applicable conversion or fees.