ALmaty mountains hiking tour
Recommended by 96% of travelers
Badge of Excellence
Almaty, Kazakhstan
- 5 to 8 hours (approx.)
- Pickup offered
- Group discounts
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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Overview
Active travelers will love getting out of Almaty for a half or full day of hiking in the Ile-Alatau Mountains. Choose a duration and a route to suit your level of ability, from beginner to experienced hiker. Take a leisurely stroll with plenty of scenic stops, or a more challenging full-day hike. As this is a private tour, you can customize it to suit your needs and interests.
- Bottled water will be provided to keep you hydrated
- See wildflowers, waterfalls, rivers, forests, and more
- Includes round-trip hotel transfers from Almaty
- Be amazed at the views in a range of the Tien Shan Mountains
What's Included
- Bottled water
Meeting and Pickup
Pickup points
Select a pickup point
Pickup details
We will pick you up from your Almaty hotel in the center and return you to your hotel after the tour. If your hotel is not located in the city center, an additional fee of $15-$25 will apply. Alternatively, you can meet our guide at a designated location in the city center
Arranged start time
Confirm time with the local provider in advance of your experience.
- 07/16/2020 - 04/08/2027
Monday - Sunday : 7:00 AM - 10:00 AM
Itinerary
1
Alma-Arasan
2 hours • Admission Ticket Free
2
Kok-Zhaylyau
2 hours • Admission Ticket Free
3
Butakovskiy Waterfall
2 hours • Admission Ticket Included
4
Big Almaty Lake
1 hour • Admission Ticket Not Included
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Near public transportation
- Not recommended for travelers with back problems
- Not recommended for pregnant travelers
- No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
- Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
- This is a private tour/activity. Only your group will participate
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Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Featured review
Riley_C
The Almaty hiking tour was amazing, and Ote is an incredible guide. He does a great job catering the tour to your interest and ability level. The hike itself was challenging and very rewarding. Although we didn’t make it to the alpine lake, we enjoyed the views along the way. Weather in the Almaty mountains can be a bit unpredictable, so be prepared for rainstorms/hailstorms. Ote was incredibly supportive and ensured that we got down the mountain safely despite the inclement weather. This tour is a great way to see some of Almaty’s natural beauty, and I’d highly recommend it to anyone visiting the city.
Reviews
4.8
based on 23 reviews
Riley_C, Sep 2025
The Almaty hiking tour was amazing, and Ote is an incredible guide. He does a great job catering the tour to your interest and ability level. The hike itself was challenging and very rewarding. Although we didn’t make it to the alpine lake, we enjoyed the views along the way. Weather in the Almaty mountains can be a bit unpredictable, so be prepared for rainstorms/hailstorms. Ote was incredibly supportive and ensured that we got down the mountain safely despite the inclement weather. This tour is a great way to see some of Almaty’s natural beauty, and I’d highly recommend it to anyone visiting the city.
Patrick_S, Jul 2025
Overall a great tour to see the mountains and get some exercise. This tour is great as it can be made flexible to fit your needs based on physical level, interests, and any time constraints. My guide was Dauren, and he was very friendly and helped ensure that the tour ran smoothly. So if you happen to have him as a guide, you are in good hands!
Response from Host, Aug 2025
Dear Patrick!
Thank you so much for your kind words! We're really happy to hear you enjoyed the tour and that everything went smoothly. We always do our best to adjust the experience to pace and interests of our clients, so it’s great to know it worked well for you. We’ll be sure to pass your lovely feedback to Dauren — he’ll be very happy to hear it! Hope to see you again in Almaty!
Jack_N, May 2025
This was a great tour. Erlan was a brilliant guide, who tailors hikes based on people’s ability. I would definitely recommend!
Sushim_A, Nov 2024
Fantastic experience - Gulzat was super freindly and even brought hiking sticks for us...can for sure say we loved Alma-Arasan
Response from Host, Jan 2025
Hello Sushim,
Sorry for my delayed response here. But you are my friend on Instagram. However, I never tired to tell thank you once more to my customers, guests. Thank you for choosing us! And thank you for your kind words! See you in summer)
Josh_T, Aug 2023
Went on a beautiful hike up Alma-Arasan with Yelnar, who guided the way and helped take some really great pictures. The hike itself wasn't too long, but it was a good challenge. The views are fantastic and the weather was great. I didn't try it out, but there are also a few little baths with hot spring water to dip in; so bring a towel and a change of clothes if you're interested. Overall, I'd recommend the hike as a nice way to take a break from the city and get your body moving.
Mohamed_D, Aug 2023
Attentive guide, they accommodated our requests and the tour was fun. Decent English language so communication was not a problem at all.
Response from Host, Aug 2023
Dear Mohamed, Thank you so much for your kind words! It was our pleasure to do this tour for you
Shaf_A, Aug 2023
Definitely not a basic hike.
We went for kok zhailuh, which turned out to be a 10km, 2300m elevation hike. It took us 6hours.
Our guide Yelnar was really lovely, helpful, but really young - like a mountain goat with a couple of hippos 😅
The views were great, but not worth the pain tbh.
Do I recommend it? Yes, if you are an experienced hiker.
No, if you are beginner.
Response from Host, Aug 2023
Dear Shaf,
Thank you for taking your time and leaving review here. Although we were a little bit upset by your low rating.
The day before the tour we had discussed your itinerary, described the route to you and offered other easier options as well. You approved this one.
Although hiking in the mountains always involves climbing and a little effort. Kok-Jailau is not an advanced level even not middle, it closer for easy level, for beginners. The alternatives were Shymbulak.
You said that you used to hiking every day and your husband wanted to try it.
No one knows better physical conditions of people than themselves.
We really sorry that you were exhausted and didn't enjoy this activity.
anuttam_m, May 2023
I had a great time on this light hike made tricky due to some rainy weather. All the people I met on the way were very friendly and inviting.
Response from Host, May 2023
Dear Anuttam, Thank you so much for your feedback! We are happy you enjoyed your tour. It was a pleasure for us to meet you to!
Wenxuan_Y, May 2023
Just like the general condition of kazak tourism, Yelnar and his team r young and have a huge potential. They r professional and mostly importantly, warm hearted. However, for tourist, i do suggest that people should visit during summer when u can have more routines to choose from.
Raphael_B, Apr 2023
Very interesting tour. The Guide knows a lot about kazakhstan and almaty and respected wishes of the participants.
Response from Host, Apr 2023
Dear Raphael, Thank you so much for your feedback! We are really happy that you enjoyed the tour.
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From $95.00
per personup to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
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