1 day / Aktau-Shopan Ata and Beket Ata
We will pick you up at the airport in the morning and head to the city of Aktau to have breakfast ( in case of arrivals before 9am, there are not much open restaurants in the city, so we’ll have breakfast at the airport) and then in the desert towards our first destination, Shopan Ata.

Shopan Ata

The underground mosque of Shopan Ata is associated with the name of the revered sage who once became mentor of Beket Ata (an important religious leader and educator). Today, there is an unspoken rule for pilgrims to stop at Shopan Ata before visiting the underground mosque of Beket Ata. The mosque is carved inside a rock and consists of 12 rooms. There are halls for religious rites and educational activities. In addition, there are a tomb of Shopan Ata and halls for pilgrims.
After the visit to the mosque, we will head to Beket Ata.

The underground mosque of Beket Ata is associated with the name of Beket Mr Rzagululy, a holy figure for Sufi Muslims. Every year, hundreds of pilgrims come there to commemorate him. Everyone notices the miraculous energy that prevails within the walls of the mosque.

The mosque consists of four rooms carved into the rock. Beket Ata is buried in one of them. His sister Akkuash’s grave is in the next room, in which only the women can enter. When you're ready to go, remember not to turn your back on the graves, not to offend the spirits of the people buried here.

Overnight: tent camp near Beket Ata
Meals: Breakfast-Lunch-Dinner

Day 2 / Beket Ata – Bozhira Canyon

Leaving Beket Ata, we will head to the Bozhira Canyon, one of the most spectacular white canyons.

Bozhira is a magnificent creation of different atmospheric agents as well as erosion, which is located on the territory of the Ustyurt plateau. Here, you can see vast clay deserts, calcareous mountains, hills whose height is superior to 200 meters (650 foots). In the Mesozoic era, this area was covered by the Thetys Ocean, so now you can find many shells pits and teeth of prehistoric sharks.

Bozhira is an attraction not to be missed in the province of Mangystau and will surely provoke many emotions.

We will set up the tents and have the chance to do hiking in the area with a wonderful excursion to the top of the plateau.

Overnight: tent camp near Bozhira
Meals: Breakfast – Lunch – Dinner

Day 3 / Bozhira Canyon – Valley of Balls

Near the city of Shetpe, in Western Kazakhstan, there is the Valley of Balls, or Torysh, as it is known in Kazakh. It consists of numerous rock formations similar to balls scattered over a wide range of steppes. The spheres vary in size from tiny rocks resembling marble to enormous rocks of the size of a car.

Overnight depending on the availability: tent camp
Meals: Breakfast – Lunch – Dinner

Day 4 / Torysk – Aktau 

We will return to the city of Aktau after lunch, drop off the luggage at the hotel, and have some free time to visit the city, have a bath, and rest.

Meals: Breakfast – Lunch
Overnight depending on the availability: 3 Star Hotel ( Upgrate to 4-5 star hotel possible on request )  

Day 5-6 / Visit of the Sairam-Ugam National Park 

The Sairam-Ugam National Park covers a territory of over 149 thousand hectares and includes 7 natural zones: from plain steppes to plateau. The landscapes’ diversity determines the diversity of their flora and fauna. There are 240 species of rare and endangered plants. Moreover, you will have the chance to catch a glimpse of a fox, a mountain goat, a wild boar and a roe deer. There are also ancient buildings and religious settlements, some of which have carved petroglyphs.

Today, we will head from Shymkent to the National Park, driving for a few hours, and have an excursion on a horseback to Sairam, visiting a lake of the area (approximately 8-9 hours on a horseback).

Meals: Breakfast – Lunch – Dinner
Overnight: tent camp in the park
( On request different Hotels and resort are available near Shymkent )

4-kilometres excursion on foot from the tent camp to the second upland lake, surrounded by snow. Then, we will get back to the camp and walk up to the previous departure point.

(Excursion of medium difficulty but short, 4 km). Return and flight to Almaty in the evening

Meals: Breakfast – Lunch
Overnight: 3 Star Hotel ( Upgrate to 4-5 star hotel possible on request )

Days 7-8 / Medeo – Furmanov Peak 

Shymbulak is a ski resort near Almaty, in Medeo, next to the Zailisky Alatau majestic mountain range, and the biggest ski resort in all of Central Asia.

In this valley, there are many trekking activities at your disposal, everything depends on your capacities, and desire to walk can be decisive in this matter.

According to the basic tour programme, we will walk up to the Furmanov Peak and tent camp before the summit in mid-course, and, next day, after breakfast, we will arrive to Furmanova. (There is a possibility to climb other summits and descend with the funicular, or to do the same itinerary).

Excursion of medium difficulty.

Meals: Breakfast – Lunch
Overnight: 3 Star Hotel ( Upgrate to 4-5 star hotel possible on request ) 

Day 9 / Visit of Almaty 

Departure for Almaty (by train or by plane, depending on the departure day) and visit of the city.

Almaty is the biggest city of Kazakhstan, situated in the south of the country, with a population of around 1,8 million inhabitants. The city is very famous for being the previous capital and remains the economic, financial, and cultural center of all Kazakhstan and Central Asia. This is a city full of old buildings, oriental bazars, churches, mosques, and many other interesting places.

City tour programme:

09.30 – Visit of the Ascension Cathedral, famous Russian orthodox cathedral

10.00 – Visit of the Green Bazaar and the Central Mosque

12.00 – Transfer to Koktobe, where it is possible to see the entire city from above

Visit of the Sunkar factory, where we will see what is nomadic life like, as well as Kazakh traditions and customs, and Eagles breeding.

16.30 – Return to the city

Meals: Breakfast – Lunch
Overnight depending on the availability: 3 Star Hotel ( Upgrate to 4-5 star hotel possible on request ) 

Day 10 / Departure for Charyn Canyon and Kolsai lake 

 The magnificent 3 Kolsai lakes are located 290 kilometers to the southeast of Almaty. This area is surrounded by three splendid alpine lakes, called Kolsai-1, Kolsai-2, and Kolsai-3, situated respectively the altitudes of 1700, 2252, and 2650 meters above sea level. Many people consider them the pearl of the northern Tian Shan mountains.

Even the depth of the lakes is impressive: the deepest point of the first lake is of 80 meters, the second is of approximately 50 meters, and the water in all the lakes is really dark.

We will visit the first Kolsai lake during this trip.

The Charyn Canyon is located in the Charyn National Park, established in 2004 by the Kazakh government. The Charyn valleys is 3 km long, a canyon drained adjacent to the main river with the same name. The river runs along a different track, and millions of years ago this place was hardly under the sea which nowadays stretches from the Alakol lake and the Caspian Sea. This explains the rock formations around the area with its clay rocks that can easily change their shape under the influence of wind and water. This material is excellent for creating sculptures, and the nature creates fantastic forms with this particular type of sand/rocks.

We will explore the area by hiking around and sleep there.

Meals: Breakfast – Lunch
Overnight: tent camp in the park ( or guesthouse ) 
( Hotel and resort around the lake are available on request )

Day 11 / Kaindy Lake - Almaty  

Lake Kaindy is located in Kazakhstan, nestled in the woods of the Tian Shan mountains and is just over 100 kilometers from the city of Almaty. Located at an altitude of about 2,000 meters above sea level, the lake is 400 meters long and reaches a depth of almost 30 meters. It is a mirror of water with beautiful colors, which has become famous for a series of upside-down trees that sprout in the center of its surface. A real submerged forest of spruce trees that show the trunks above the water, while below they hide the branches and leaves.

The origin of the lake is due to a strong earthquake in 1911 which definitively changed the morphology of the Asian valley.

Meals: Breakfast – Lunch
Overnight: 3 Star Hotel ( Upgrate to 4-5 star hotel possible on request )