Lake Issyk with Turgen (Bear) Waterfall tour
Recommended by 97% of travelers
Badge of Excellence
Almaty, Kazakhstan
- 9 to 10 hours (approx.)
- Pickup offered
- Group discounts
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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Overview
What's Included
- Modern and comfortable bus/minibus with AC
- Bottled water
- National park admission
- Lunch (provided at a local cafe by menu)
Meeting and Pickup
You can head directly to your preferred meeting point, or request pickup.
Start time.9:00 am
Itinerary
1
Lake Issyk
2 hours • Admission Ticket Included
2
Ile-Alatau National Park
30 minutes • Admission Ticket Included
3
Turgen Gorge
2 hours • Admission Ticket Included
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received within 48 hours of booking, 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
- Important note: Children under 3 y.o. are not allowed on the tour
- Not recommended for travelers who can not withstand hikes
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 25 travelers
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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
Hassan_A
Great Tour would definitely recommend. Well knowledgable tour guide and friendly. The mini hike up to the waterfall was easy with some breathtaking views , although it was busy. The lake was also nice.
Reviews
4.8
based on 91 reviews
Sort by: Most insightful
Shalene_S, Jul 2026
Contrary to the details given in this itinerary- we only got to see Issyk Lake and Bear Waterfalls. There weren't any restrooms and it felt slightly anti climatic but this is purely a personal experience.
Ankush_K, Jul 2026
Very good experience. Julie was a great guide and the entire tour was well thought out and planned. She was informative and open to questions, very friendly, and overall a great guide to have.
Owen_M, Jul 2026
A really enjoyable trip that showcased some beautiful natural landscapes. Zhuldyz was a great guide!
Christina_N, Jul 2026
This was a great tour to book. The van was super comfortable and our guide Zhenis was great. He contacted us in the morning to make sure we would be at the pickup location when he arrived and helped us order at a local restaurant. The waterfall is about a ~25mins easy to moderate hike and the lake was around a 15 min walk downhill to be sure to wear comfortable shoes.
Punith_S, Jun 2026
Short trip. Better combine with Assy plateau. However Naz my tour guide was very friendly and entertaining.
Well conducted tour.
Subodh_S, Oct 2025
The trip was nice and the view at the waterfall and lake was beautiful. Our guide was very helpful and gave us a good insight of the place and it's history.
Prashant_V, Oct 2025
Overall good experience. The tour was well organized, punctual. Tour guide was friendly and knowledgeable
Partha_P, Oct 2025
We had a fantastic time on this tour. The guide was knowledgeable and friendly, and the itinerary was well-planned with just the right balance of sightseeing and relaxation. Everything was well-organized and ran smoothly. Highly recommend this tour to anyone looking for a memorable trip. Thank you for a great experience
Yussof_S, Sep 2025
It was a wonderful sunny day for us. The trek up to Bear Waterfall was reasonably easy, but one still needs to have some fitness I reckon. But the view at the waterfall was well worth the trek. I get to enjoy the morning with my son. The lunch at Annushka in the Issyk Town was delicious. We had the best waitress too :-) and of course Issyk Lake was a gem. It was sunny, the temperature was nice, the lake looked turquoise and the sky deep blue. Such an enjoyable time. We had the most wonderful guides too. Thank you Serz and Nez for taking good care of us. This is a trip for relaxing and healing :-)
Sasha_R, Sep 2025
Its a 30-40 min hike on a rough trail to the waterfall, which isnt very big. No real need to see this.
The lake is very pretty, its a 20 min walk on a paved road from the parking.
Its maybe 1.5 hour for the waterfall and an hour at the lake. For this you leave in the morning at 9ish and get back evening at 6ish.
The guide Serzhan was very nice.
Christine_M, Aug 2025
I did 3 different day tours with 3 different companies and this one was probably the more professional one. Walk to the waterfall isn’t too long but it could be difficult for people who do not have a certain fitness level or the elderly as it can be slippery(loose gravel) in some places. The walk to the lake is very easy and the lake is lovely. Guide was friendly and offered some information. Bus clean and comfortable. A nice day out of the city.
Hassan_A, Jul 2025
Great Tour would definitely recommend. Well knowledgable tour guide and friendly. The mini hike up to the waterfall was easy with some breathtaking views , although it was busy. The lake was also nice.
Ken_Q, May 2025
Very nice tour. Beautiful scenery! Love our tour guide Mutha. She was very engaging and flexible with everyone in the group. Picked the perfect places to stops for breaks and to eats. Delicious clean, and reasonable.
OmkarVilas_S, Oct 2024
The tour experience was one of the best that I had in Almaty. I would like to express my gratitude to Shakh Zhakhan and Medina for organising this entire tour. The pickup and drop was very comfortable. The lunch was amazing and the games we played as teams were the cherry on top of the cake.
Optimal time was provided to all the group members and Shakh and Medina ensured that it’s an amazing experience for all.
This is one of the most memorable experiences I’ve had with any other tours. Thanks for making this a memorable one for me.
Don_M, Sep 2024
Medina was a wonderful tour guide. She was fun and informative and brought all the members of the tour together. We all enjoyed our time on the trip.
LongYi_H, Sep 2024
An awesome day trip to a very beautiful lake. The lake is emerald in colour like in the pictures and it’s very quiet with not many tourists around. A true hidden gem! My tour guide Azamat speaks excellent English and explains things in great detail. He got us water and chocolate too, very hospitable.
Rohan_B, Jul 2024
Terrible experience. The problem was that the tour guide, Mr Azamat was uninterested through out the tour. He just gave a 2 minute introduction at the onset of the tour (he did not use a mic or did not speak loudly, and most of us could not understand anything that he said), and after that he did not speak a word during the day. We were not even sure about the timings of the tour, and we had no clue on how long will the next stop will be. He would not explain anything about the places we were visiting. Really bad experience. I have been on hundreds of guided tours earlier, but this by far was the worst experience. Would not recommend this company to anyone else.
Response from Host, Aug 2024
Dear Rohan,
We are very sorry that you were so disappointed with the guide Azamat that it crossed out all the positive aspects of this trip, namely, comfortable new transport, following the schedule without delays, beautiful tour sites, and a great restaurant where you had lunch. By the way, you confirmed all this to me when I contacted you.
Regarding the work of the guide, we conducted our own investigation and asked other participants of this trip for feedback. No one had complaints about the guide, moreover, in a neighboring posted review, a participant of the same trip highly praised the work of the guide Azamat and rated the entire tour as 5 stars.
I would like to ask you to rate the experienced tour as a whole, and not just your impressions of a specific guide. Thank you!
Ajith_M, Jul 2024
Tour guide Aza was extremely supportive and helpful. Explained the places and historical backgrounds well. Vehicle was also comfortable.
Marielle_G, Jun 2024
A kilometer walk down to the lake.
Weather was really good to take this trip. Our guide Aica was accomodating and polite.
Enza_B, Aug 2025
A very interesting and quiet excursion, recommended for people who stay several days in Almaty as a less physically demanding but very cool excursion. The waterfall has a short hike a bit steep at some points but the pace of climb is quiet and the landscapes beautiful. The lake also has a hike, but it is by road and is not very steep, it becomes easy.
Both places are lovely and the food was delicious
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maurice_v, Oct 2024
Un fuori porta,molto interessante, per assaporare un po' di questo poco conosciuto immenso paese, carino il museo ,e il piccolo lago issik , organizzazione del tour perfetta,compreso la super guida Kuanysh
From $35.00
per personup to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
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Lake Issyk with Turgen (Bear) Waterfall tour
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