6 nights / 7 days · Kazakhstan
Astana with Almaty
Two nights in the built-from-nothing capital with a day at Burabai National Park, then four in Almaty and its mountains.
- Duration
- 6 nights / 7 days
- Where you stay
- Astana → Almaty
- Style
- Multi-city
- From
- AED 4,841per person
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About this trip
Almost nobody flies to Kazakhstan and sees only one city, and this is the package that fixes that. Astana first — a capital designed and built inside thirty years, which is either the most interesting architecture in Central Asia or the strangest, depending on your view — with a full day at Burabai, the lake and pine country three hours north.
Then an internal flight to Almaty for the mountains, the Soviet-planned centre and a day at Charyn. Two cities that have almost nothing in common beyond the passport control.
What you go for
- Burabai National Park — lakes, pine forest and granite outcrops
- Astana city tour and the internal flight south
- Charyn Canyon and Kolsai Lakes in one day
- Shymbulak Level 3, Kok Tobe and Zenkov Cathedral
The route
Day by day
Times are the operator's planned schedule. They shift with the season, the light and the traffic on the day.
- Day 1
Arrival in Astana
Overnight: Astana
1140Arrive at Astana
Your English-speaking guide meets you in the arrivals hall once customs and baggage are cleared.
1230Transfer to your vehicle. Chocolates, refreshing napkins and Wi-Fi on board.
1300Check in at your hotel.
1500Astana city tour
The capital as designed — the ceremonial axis, the towers, and the civic buildings that went up around them inside a generation.
1700Dinner on your own account.
2030Hotel drop-off.
- Day 2
Burabai National Park
Overnight: Astana
MorningBreakfast at the hotel.
1000Burabai National Park
Lakes, pine forest and granite outcrops in the middle of the steppe — hiking, boating and wildlife, and a landscape that looks nothing like the country around it. The park is one of Kazakhstan's ten headline destinations and sits under the direct jurisdiction of the President.
EveningDinner on your own account.
2000Hotel drop-off.
- Day 3
Fly to Almaty
MorningBreakfast at the hotel and check out.
1600Arrive at Almaty
Your English-speaking guide meets you in the arrivals hall.
1700Transfer to your vehicle. Chocolates, refreshing napkins and Wi-Fi on board.
1800Check in at your hotel.
2000Dinner on your own account.
2200Hotel drop-off.
- Day 4
City tour, Zenkov Cathedral and Kok Tobe
MorningBreakfast at the hotel.
1000Almaty city tour
First President Park, Republic Square, the State Opera and Ballet Theatre, the Academy of Sciences museums, Abay Square, Hotel Kazakhstan and the Palace of the Republic.
1200Panfilov Park and Zenkov Cathedral
The park is named for the twenty-eight Panfilov guardsmen and holds the war memorial east of the cathedral. Zenkov is a 56-metre wooden Orthodox cathedral that came through the 1911 earthquake standing.
1400Lunch at a restaurant of your choosing (on your own account).
1600Back to the hotel to rest.
1800Kok Tobe
Cable car over the old quarters and the orchards to the hill at 1,100 metres under the television tower.
2000Dinner on your own account.
2200Hotel drop-off.
- Day 5
Charyn Canyon and Kolsai Lakes
MorningBreakfast at the hotel.
Full dayKolsai and Charyn
Both of the region's set pieces in one run east — the lakes under the Kungei-Alatau, and the canyon where the steppe meets the Tian Shan. There are cafés and small restaurants near both, which is not something you can rely on elsewhere out here.
The drive back
Back into Almaty as the light goes — a quiet transition from the canyon to the city.
- Day 6
Shymbulak, then Panfilov and Arbat on foot
MorningBreakfast at the hotel.
1000Shymbulak, Level 3
An hour from the city centre to 3,200 metres by three-stage gondola, with cafés, an observation deck and adventure activities in season.
1400Lunch at Shymbulak or in the city (on your own account).
1600Back to the hotel to rest.
1800Panfilov Promenade and Arbat Street
An evening walk facing the Opera and Ballet Theatre, finishing on Arbat among the shops and the street performers.
2000Dinner on your own account.
2200Hotel drop-off.
- Day 7
Green Bazaar, Alma-Arasan and departure
MorningBreakfast at the hotel and check out.
Green Bazaar and the Rakhat chocolate shop
The Zelyony Bazaar near Panfilov Park — meat, spices, fruit, clothing, furniture, and a price for anyone willing to argue. Rakhat's factory shop is next door.
Lunch
On your own account.
Alma-Arasan Gorge
A wooded gorge in the Ile-Alatau national park south-west of the city — a river, pine slopes and easy walking, on the last afternoon.
Dinner
On your own account.
Departure
Transfer to the airport for your flight home or onward.
Where you stay
Hotel options
Pick a line and the whole trip is costed against it, so you can see what the difference actually buys.
- 4★
- Kazzhol Astana
- Astana International
AED 4,841per person
- 4★
- Kazzhol Astana
- Park Dedeman
AED 5,300per person
Per person, twin share. Land only — international flights are not included. Rates move with the season, the number of you travelling and the hotel line you choose, so we confirm the final figure against your dates before anything is booked.
The detail
What is included
Included
- Airport meet and greet.
- Chocolates and refreshing napkins served on board your vehicle.
- Complimentary Wi-Fi on board every vehicle.
- Daily breakfast.
- Private vehicle with driver throughout the trip.
- Vehicle and guide at your disposal for nine hours daily (1000–1900).
- Sightseeing as set out in the day-by-day above.
- Two bottles of water per person, per day.
- Hotel taxes.
- Two nights in Astana and four in Almaty at your choice of the hotels above.
- Dedicated English-speaking guide throughout, for six to sixteen travelling.
- Private vehicle with driver for six to sixteen travelling in Almaty, and for two to sixteen in Astana.
- Burabai National Park.
- Gondola tickets to Shymbulak, Level 3.
- Gondola tickets to Kok Tobe.
- Day trip to Charyn Canyon and Alma-Arasan.
- Souvenir on departure.
Not included
- Flights.
- Meals other than those listed above.
- Expenses of a personal nature.
Meal upgrades
- Indian meals
- USD 13 per person per meal, for groups of eight and above.
- International set menu
- USD 35 per person per meal, lunch only, Monday to Friday.
Entry rules, tourism taxes and health requirements change without notice and depend on your passport. Everything above is confirmed by our operations desk before your booking is finalised.
Also consider
Other trips in Almaty
Multi-cityFour Jewels of KazakhstanThe full country in nine days — the Yasawi mausoleum at Turkistan, the Silk Road ruins at Otrar, Astana, and Almaty's mountains.FromAED 5,010pp8 nights / 9 days · Turkistan → Shymkent → Astana → AlmatyDay by day
Nature & hikingAlma Serene WalkFour nights in Almaty spent almost entirely above the city — gorges, a gondola to 3,200 metres, a glacial lake and a canyon.FromAED 2,810pp4 nights / 5 daysDay by day
Classic cityAlmaty with a ViewFour nights in the city: the gondola to 3,200 metres, Zenkov Cathedral, an evening on Kok Tobe and a morning in the Green Bazaar.FromAED 2,270pp4 nights / 5 daysDay by dayEnquire
Price Astana with Almaty
Tell us your dates and who's travelling. We'll price every hotel line above against them and rebuild the days if you want them rebuilt.