Big Almaty Lake: Choose Your Adventure on Foot or by Car
Recommended by 95% of travelers
Badge of Excellence
Almaty, Kazakhstan
- 3 to 4 hours (approx.)
- Pickup offered
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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Overview
What's Included
- All Fees and Taxes
- Air-conditioned vehicle
- English speaking guide
- Hiking poles
- Raincoat
- Hiking boots
- Snacks
- Lunch
Meeting and Pickup
Pickup points
Select a pickup point
Itinerary
1
Big Almaty Lake
1 hour • Admission Ticket Included
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking, unless booked within 1 day of travel. In this case confirmation will be received as soon as possible, subject to availability
- Not wheelchair accessible
- 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 tour/activity will have a maximum of 6 travelers
Supplied by
Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Reviews
4.8
based on 44 reviews
Gireesh_N, Dec 2025
Exceptional professionalism shown by the Guide. Must do.. Superb frozen lake visit..Post card pics we clicked...
Joe_C, Oct 2025
This trip is pretty fascinating. The lake view and snow Mountain View is breathtaking and the guide is so nice. Lots of detail information of city and cosine is told. Give a big kudos to the guide
Lloyd_O, Oct 2025
Lovely day. Big Almaty Lake is gorgeous. Turquoise water, blue sky, snow-capped peaks made for amazing views and photos. Yerkin was a wonderful guide and so helpful providing information and helping my wife who has mobility problems. He picked us up at our hotel and dropped everyone off anywhere in town he/she chose. Small group of enthusiastic travelers added to the experience. If you have health problems I would recommend the car option.
Jelmer_d, Sep 2025
Had an amazing day! Pick-up was very smooth and on time. The driving was safe and the guide was very nice. Almaty Lake is absolutely beautiful! A must visit when in the area. The guide also brought some tea and sweets and a drone to capture footage of the lake. All in all a very good trip!
Response from Host, Sep 2025
Thank you, Jelmer!
Zaiton_A, Sep 2025
Worth every $$. Adam is an amazing guide, very informative. His ability to engage with the group. Also happened to be an excellent photographer ! Thanks for the great tour !!
BenoitJacky_D, Aug 2025
It was great. The lake is beautiful but also everywhere on the way up. Definitely a hike if you choose this option. Adam was very nice and did everything he could to make sure we enjoyed our day.
Response from Host, Sep 2025
Thank you, Ben
MariaIsabela_C, Aug 2025
Adam was a wonderful guide. He was at our hotel on the dot, and shared lots of trivia about Almaty on the way to Big Almaty Lake. At the lake, he had some tea, chocolates, binoculars, a drone, and even a Kazakh flag for photo ops. Though I am a hiker, I appreciated not having to hike all the way to the lake as it was a pretty long route.
Adam dropped us off at our next destination after the tour which saved us an InDrive ride.
Armaan_S, Aug 2025
Amazing experience. Adam was a great guide and helped us a lot with learning. He explained a lot about Kazakhstan.
Daria_W, Jun 2025
I had a fantastic private hiking tour to Big Almaty Lake with Yerkin as my guide. He was perfectly on time, very knowledgeable, and provided great insights into Kazakhstan's history, nature, and culture. The hike itself was amazing — a full day surrounded by beautiful mountains and nature. There were plenty of stops to rest, take photos, and fully enjoy the breathtaking views. The picnic by the lake was wonderful. Overall, a very rewarding and memorable experience
Rochelle_B, Sep 2024
We booked a car tour and visited the lake and the Ayusai Center. Yerkin, our tour guide, speaks excellent English! We learned a lot from him about history, culture, and he also gave us tips on other sights to see and places to eat in Kazakhstan. He even brought us chocolate and tea! Thank you! Highly recommended tour.
Joanna_T, Sep 2024
Yervin was an excellent guide, he was very helpful and informative. Trip was great, lake and surrounded area definitely a must see while in Almaty.
Response from Host, Sep 2024
Thank you, Joanna. Was nice to meet you and your mother. Have a safe trip to Uzbekistan
Ankita_R, Aug 2024
Our guide was extremely pleasant and well spoken. He even brought us warm tea and kazakh chocolates to eat. Clicked some wonderful pictures of us and even dropped us at a pleasant doner kebab place for snacks. Will recommend this for those travelling to Almaty first time
Ranjeet_O, Jul 2024
The trek up the pipeline route was tough but exciting. It was totally worth it once we had reached the top.
Ragul_P, Jun 2024
The trip to big Almaty lake was good but i feel it’s more pricey than rest of the trips. I had booked the hike but was upgraded to ride up to the lake. We stopped on the way in a waterfall and went to the lake and on the way back we stopped in another waterfall and spent some time in the tourist centre. The guide was sweet and he shared a lot of info about Almaty. I feel the time in the lake could be more than spending time in the tourist centre place. Currently it’s an hours time, it can be more given that the highlight of the trip
Response from Host, Jun 2024
Thanks for your feedback. Unfortunately, when we go there by car, we can only spend 40 minutes at the lake, since the car awaits us. I think this is enough time to enjoy the views of the lake. For nature lovers, it is of course better to go on foot.
P.s. Are you sure that you went on my tour? I don't remember upgrading someone from the hike to the drive-by car option.
SZEYOONG_J, May 2024
Yerkin is punctual, speaks perfect English, and was very patient in explaining to us about Almaty city and Big Lake Almaty. It's everything as described, bringing us to see the beautiful lake with the mountain scenes. He helped us to take perfect photos and was there every step of the way when we hiked to the waterfall. The whole tour was at least 6 hours and when it ended he dropped us at a restaurant that was further than our hotel. We really appreciated how well everything went and would highly recommend him to anyone who would like to explore Almaty and the Big Lake Almaty. 👍👍
Response from Host, Jun 2024
Thank you very much for your detailed review of my tour. I’m always glad that tourists are happy with my work.
Marissa_L, May 2024
We had a brilliant time in the Big Almaty lake tour. Yerkin was our guide and he is awesome! We opted for the day hike. The hike is for moderate hikers and took us 3hrs to hike up to the lake and 2hrs to descend. We walked on the pipeline which was actually easier than what it looks! Yerkin was professional, knowledgeable on the Almaty Lake, giving us facts of the area and an understanding of how the lake was created. He took us to areas of the Lake that had gorgeous views and to a fantastic lunch picnic spot. To make the experience even more memorable, Yerkin took photos for us, brought binoculars, hiking poles and made sure we were both safe and happy. Was a fantastic day and I'm so glad we got out of the city. Not only did he tell us about the lake but also gave us an insight into Kazakhstan life. We really enjoyed the hike. Thanks Yerkin!
Response from Host, May 2024
Thank you very much Marissa!
Rezy_T, Feb 2024
The whole experience was memorable. It was definitely a challenging hike for us considering the weather condition but Yerking took so much care of us. I was scared at the start of the hike on top of the pipe but Yerking assured us that we will manage and he is always just a call away. Literally hands down the best tour guide for this! Would love to hike again in a much friendlier weather probably. Just come prepared with the hiking gears so you won’t suffer as it requires physical work.
Response from Host, Mar 2024
Thank you very much for the review. I am glad that you enjoyed the tour. You have done a great job =)
Thomas_H, Sep 2025
A great tour in itself. Our guide told a lot of things about Kazakhstan, but important organizational things, the return time and important rules at the lake were not mentioned, so it was a bit chaotic in the end. All in all, the tour was worth it.
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From $110.00
per personup to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
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