8 nights / 9 days · Kazakhstan
Four Jewels of Kazakhstan
The full country in nine days — the Yasawi mausoleum at Turkistan, the Silk Road ruins at Otrar, Astana, and Almaty's mountains.
- Duration
- 8 nights / 9 days
- Where you stay
- Turkistan → Shymkent → Astana → Almaty
- Style
- Multi-city
- From
- AED 5,010per person
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About this trip
The longest package on the list and the only one that reaches the south. It opens at Turkistan, where the mausoleum of Khoja Ahmed Yasawi has drawn pilgrims for six centuries and was left unfinished when Timur died — the scaffolding holes are still in the facade.
From there it runs to Shymkent by road, past the ruins of Otrar and the Akmeshit cave, then flies north to Astana and Burabai and south again to Almaty for four nights of city and mountains. Two internal flights and one long drive, in exchange for a country most visitors only see a corner of.
What you go for
- The mausoleum of Khoja Ahmed Yasawi at Turkistan
- The Silk Road ruins of Otrar and the Akmeshit cave
- Burabai National Park, north of Astana
- Shymbulak, Kok Tobe, Kolsai and Charyn in Almaty
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 Turkistan
Overnight: Turkistan
1000Arrive at Turkistan
Your English-speaking guide meets you in the arrivals hall once customs and baggage are cleared.
1400Check in at your hotel.
1600Khoja Ahmed Yasawi Mausoleum
A short walking tour of the complex — the mausoleum itself, the attractions around it, and the atmosphere of a place that has been a pilgrimage site for six hundred years. Everything is within walking distance.
2000Dinner on your own account.
2100Hotel drop-off.
- Day 2
Turkistan to Shymkent by road
Overnight: Shymkent
MorningBreakfast at the hotel and check out.
1000The road to Shymkent
Two stops on the way. Otrar was one of the most important medieval cities on the Silk Road and is now fortress remains and an archaeological site. Akmeshit is a cave with a natural skylight in its roof, reached by a short trek, and it is quiet in a way few places are.
1400Lunch at a restaurant of your choosing (on your own account).
Late afternoonCheck in at your Shymkent hotel.
2000Dinner on your own account.
2100Hotel drop-off.
- Day 3
Fly to Astana
Overnight: Astana
MorningBreakfast at the hotel and check out, then the flight north.
Arrive at Astana
Your English-speaking guide meets you in the arrivals hall once baggage is cleared.
1230Transfer to your vehicle.
1300Check in at your hotel.
1500The afternoon is yours.
1700Dinner on your own account.
2030Hotel drop-off.
- Day 4
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. One of Kazakhstan's ten headline destinations, under the direct jurisdiction of the President.
2000Hotel drop-off.
- Day 5
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 6
Shymbulak
MorningBreakfast at the hotel.
1000Shymbulak, Level 3
An hour from the city centre to 3,200 metres by three-stage gondola — cafés and restaurants, an observation deck with rotating binoculars, and adventure activities in season.
1400Lunch at Shymbulak or in the city (on your own account).
1600Back to the hotel to rest.
2000Dinner on your own account.
2200Hotel drop-off.
- Day 7
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 56 metres of 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 372-metre television tower.
2000Dinner on your own account.
2200Hotel drop-off.
- Day 8
Kolsai Lakes and Charyn Canyon
MorningBreakfast at the hotel.
1000Kolsai National Park
300 kilometres south-east into the spurs of the Kungei-Alatau, to the first of three lakes under steep forested slopes.
1300Lunch at a café in the area (on your own account).
Charyn Canyon
The Valley of Castles on the way back — vertical cliffs that look like walls and towers, on a ninety-minute walk down to a clear mountain river. The Witch Gorge and Dragon Gorge are nearby.
2000Dinner on your own account.
2200Hotel drop-off.
- Day 9
Departure
0400Packed breakfast and check-out.
0430Transfer 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★
- Karavan Saray Turkistan
- Ramada Shymkent
- Kazzhol Astana
- Astana International
AED 5,010per person
- 3★
- Karavan Saray Turkistan
- Ramada Shymkent
- Kazzhol Astana
- Astra Hotel
AED 5,065per person
- 4★
- Karavan Saray Turkistan
- Ramada Shymkent
- Kazzhol Astana
- Regardel Hotel
AED 5,175per person
- 4★
- Karavan Saray Turkistan
- Ramada Shymkent
- Kazzhol Astana
- Park Dedeman
AED 5,450per 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.
- Eight nights across Turkistan, Shymkent, Astana and Almaty at your choice of the hotels above.
- Dedicated English-speaking guide throughout, for six to sixteen travelling.
- Turkistan to Shymkent by road.
- Khoja Ahmed Yasawi Mausoleum ticket.
- Otrar and the Akmeshit cave.
- Burabai National Park.
- Gondola tickets to Shymbulak, Level 3.
- Gondola tickets to Kok Tobe.
- Day visit to Kolsai and Charyn.
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-cityAstana with AlmatyTwo nights in the built-from-nothing capital with a day at Burabai National Park, then four in Almaty and its mountains.FromAED 4,841pp6 nights / 7 days · 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 Four Jewels of Kazakhstan
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.