The 10 Best Hiking Tours near Almaty

1.Big Almaty Lake Tour with Optional Hike

★★★★★★★★★★4.3 · 109 reviews · from $69Our pick

Travel from Almaty to Big Almaty Lake with guides such as Dmitriy, Vladimir, or Igor. Choose a local-driver viewpoint visit or a demanding 12 km uphill and downhill hike. Expect mountain scenery, lake history, hotel pickup, national park entry, and flexible add-ons.

“- The tour guide Vladimir arrived on time and made sure I was safe throughout the trip. He also made sure I could climb down the slope safely as my shoes don't have really good grip. - This moderately challenging hike is enjoyable, with the view of the Big Almaty Lake and the natural landscape of the beautiful mountain range. - It is safe to hike with this small group tour, as a solo traveller.”

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2.Big Almaty Lake tour private or group by car or hiking

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 46 reviews · from $69

Travel from central Almaty to Big Almaty Lake, set high in the mountains at about 2,500 meters. Choose a car visit or a demanding 6-kilometer uphill hike, with guides such as Dmitry, Viktor, and Vlad sharing local stories. Allow 3 to 6 hours, bring sturdy shoes and your passport, and confirm pickup details before departure.

“My friend and I had a wonderful hiking experience with our guide, Victor. He was very friendly and shared a lot of interesting information about Big Almaty Mountain. Highly recommended.”

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3.Big Almaty Lake tour by hiking

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 34 reviews · from $50Best value

Start with hotel pickup at 7:00 am, then hike about 10 km through pine forest, alpine meadows, and rocky mountain paths to Big Almaty Lake at roughly 2,800 meters. Guides such as Nurzhan and Zhandos provide hiking sticks, snacks, local insight, and steady support. The price includes transport, park fees, and return drop-off.

“Nurzhan was an amazing guide. The whole trip was just pure vibes. Just the 3 of us climbing up talking and having fun. It was amazing. He also treated us well, gave us cats for our shoes, water, and snacks.”

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4.ALmaty mountains hiking tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 23 reviews · from $95

Choose an easy Alma-Arasan walk, a moderate Kok-Zhaylyau hike, or a longer route to Butakovskiy Waterfall or Big Almaty Lake. Kazia Tour provides hotel pickup, bottled water, and a private guide such as Ote, Dauren, Erlan, Gulzat, or Yelnar. Your guide can adjust the pace and route to match your ability, interests, and time.

“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 Read more”

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5.3-Day Private Horseback Riding and Hiking Tour in Kolsay

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 14 reviews · from $1,900

Join Darya, Alex, or their team for a private three-day horse-riding and hiking trip from Almaty to the Kolsay Lakes. You will travel by SUV, horse, and foot through quiet Kungey Alatau trails, sleep in a mountain hut and tent, and share simple meals in the open mountain country. Moderate fitness is required.

“A big thank you to Darya and Gulnaz for this fabulous experience – we will keep wonderful memories of these 6 days in the Almaty region. Everything was perfect. Darya is a caring person, always making sure that tourists feel comfortable anRead more”

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6.Hiking to the magical Big Almaty Lake

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 7 reviews · 8 hours · from $162

Spend about eight hours hiking from Almaty into Ile-Alatau National Park and up to Big Almaty Lake. Guides such as Rustem, Almart, and Ilyas help with route choices, photos, warm drinks, and safety. Expect a demanding trek, changing lake colors, forest paths, river crossings, and wide Tian Shan views. Hotel pickup, park entry, water, and lemonade are included.

“I booked this hike on a Friday but ended up getting food poisoning, and the organizers were kind enough to help me reschedule to Saturday. The driver and guide met me at my hotel and the total hike took about 4 hours. A little disappointed with the lake receding due to the recent damn that was built, but the hike was beautiful. Mountain views for days. There are 3 options for the hike, using the normal paved road or going up and down the pipeline which is intense if you do not hike. We had a small picnic with provided tea and sandwhiches as well which was nice. If you…”

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7.Shymbulak to Bogbanovisch Glacier and Oktabriskaya Hike

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 6 reviews · from $110

Hike 2 km from Shymbulak Ski Resort toward Bogdanovich Glacier and Oktyabrskaya Cave with an English-speaking guide. Viktor has guided beginners on this route, and the small group, helmets, poles, spikes, and sitting pad keep the outing practical. Bring your own lunch, snacks, and water. Cable-car admission costs an extra $20.

“One of the best experiences ive ever had! Truly amazing. Viktor our guide was very helpful and helped us as beginners to hiking.”

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8.Hiking to the High Mountain Pasture Kok Zhailau

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 5 reviews · 8 hours · from $144

You’ll leave Almaty by private transfer, hike 4 km uphill through birch, pine, poplar, and spruce groves, then rest on Kok Zhailau plateau at 2,200 meters. Guides speak English, German, Kazakh, and Russian. Ilyas and Kader have handled recent pickups, and trekking poles, snacks, water, and juice are included.

“The trip was good and the guide was really amazing”

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9.Advanced Hiking – Four Peaks Hike

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 4 reviews · 10 hours · from $210

Take on four Ile Alatau peaks with an English-speaking guide such as Temirlan, Victor, or Valihan. You’ll climb from Kim Asar Valley to Furmanov, Panorama, Bashuta, and Chimbulachka, with trekking poles, transfers, safety support, and a cable-car descent included. This is a private, demanding mountain day for fit hikers.

“Valihan was an excellent guide to take us on the Almaty 4 Peaks route (which was tough!). Very well organised activity, would happily use this company again if I'm ever back in Kazakhstan.”

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10.Private Big Almaty Lake Hiking Tour with alternatgive Pipeline

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 4 reviews · from $70

Travel by private SUV from Almaty to Big Almaty Lake at 2,511 meters, then hike beside spring water at Alma-Arasan and visit Ayusai Gorge. An English-speaking guide, hotel or airport pickup, entry fees, parking, and bottled water are included. The tour ends at First President’s Park.

“Really fantastic tour! Our tour guide, Erasyl, was incredibly kind and really made sure we enjoyed our experience. He catered to the whole tour based on our needs and made us feel very comfortable. We are 3 young girls travelling so the Read more”

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