Tour to Charyn Canyon – Kolsai lake – Kaindy lake – Assy plateau

Castle Valley – is a wide, 3 km long dry Canyon, adjacent to the main river channel. The river itself is now flowing the other way, and millions of years ago this place was a giant ancient sea bay, stretching from modern Alakol lake to the Caspian Sea. This explains the relatively soft texture of canyon walls – rocks tightly compacted with clay, which easily change their shape under the influence of wind and water.

Kolsai lakes: three mountain lakes, which are often called the jewel of northern Tien Shan with steep, pine-covered slopes, located on the spurs of Kungei Alatau. These unique lakes are called Kolsai-1, Kolsai-2 and Kolsai-3, located respectively at 1700, 2252 and 2650 meters above sea level. These lakes have an impressive depth: the deepest place of the first lake is 80 meters, of the second – about 50 m. The lakes were formed by landslides on the bottom of the gorge, where a rapid mountain river stalled its run at the suddenly arisen in its path dams. The water in all lakes is dark. Lakes are drainage and are interconnected with each other by Kolsai river. Trout is found in abundance in the lakes, except for the third, the coldest lake.

From Kazakh language “Kaindy” means abundant with birch trees.” Lake Kaindy was named because of the large birch grove, located five kilometers away. There are several theories about the origin of the lake Kaindy. One of them says that the young Kaindy lake was formed about a hundred years ago either in 1911 or 1938, and the other version is that it was formed during Zhalanash earthquake in 1978. Similarly, we can only say that the lake was formed by a landslide caused by an earthquake.

Assy is a high plateau situated at an altitude 2300-2600 meters above sea level. A popular place for local nomads, you can meet here flocks of sheep, herds of horses, to stay in a yurt and drink mare’s milk.

Route: Almaty – Kapshagay – Sary Ozek – Altyn-Emel pass – Basshi village – “Singing Dunes” – mountains Aktau – Chunzha – Zhalanash village – Saty village (lakes.Kolsay, Kaindy) – Bayseit village – Shelek – Almaty.