After a breakfast at a guest house we move deeper inside a Park - the next famous attraction, Aktau hills, is waiting to be discovered. Having stopped at a camping glade a hill's foot, we take a walk around to explore amazing Aktau landscapes. While moving thru the canyons and along the ridges, we will enjoy a peculiar beauty of unimaginable colours and shades from brick-red to a dazzling yellow. Despite its lifeless look, Aktau is full of life forms: such plants like remarkable desert shrub Calligonum, amazing "cones" of Cistanche, black haloxylon, turanga and relict argan trees (Caucasian hackberry) are wisely found here. A walk may take up to 4 hours. In late afternoon we get back to the car, set a tent camp and take a desert-style dinner, cooked by the guides. We stay overnight in tents.

After a breakfast, we move to Katutau volcanic formations. The Katutau Mountains are just as attractive and unique as shrine. Time, water and the sun have created intricate rock rarities here. As you pass wild and uninhabited gorges, you can see a mother bear bending over a bear-cub, or a huge upturned boat of Robinson Crusoe, with the Aktau Mountains nearby. The word Katutau translates as "harsh mountains" from Kazak. This is a very old badly eroded mountain exits of volcanic rocks. Volcanic rock is very brittle and easily shatters by physical impact.

After a lunch in Katutau, we head to the canyons: the first one from Charyn canyon network, which we will explore, is called Temirlik. The canyon is huge and famous for epic forest - this is a relic Sogdian ash-tree grove. Fraxinus sogdiana Bunge (Oleaceae) is one the representatives of the wet deciduous forests which covered a huge territory of Kazakhstan in tertiary period. A tree is 20-25 m high with a trunk diameter of up to 1.5 m at breast height. It is in prime of its life between 30 and 40 years, but some of the trees in the Charyn grove are older than 300 years. The Sogdian ash’s history started 25 millions years ago and it is very rare nowadays. Moreover, it is one of the rare species of flora survived in the Ice age. So, we set a tent camp inside a forest, between ancient ashes on the riverbank. Enjoy a dinner with great sunset views and stay overnight in tents.

Take breakfast in Temirlik and drive to the entrance of Bestamak canyon, next from a series of Charyn canyons. Bestamak, also known as Red Canyon, invites its rare visitors to appreciate the beauty of the tortuous cliffs looking like they were fashioned and brightly painted by some unknown artist. We will take a hike along the cliff up to the Charyn stream. The hike takes 2-3 hours.

After a lunch in Bestamak, we leave a deserted canyon's area and move to cool highlands with its famous lakes. We drive to Kolsai National Park. Kolsay is a name for a cascade of three lakes in Kungey Alatau ridge. The lakes are dark blue in colour and filled with pure glacial water. In late afternoon we arrive at a cozy guest house, located inside a Park. Accommodate, take dinner and enjoy the Kungei Mountains news in the sunset.

After a breakfast at a guest house, we drive to the famous Kaindy Lake by a Kaindy gorge, called after a small spring river that runs through in the depth and located in the east of the village Saty. The Kaindy Lake is a unique basin, which lies at a height of about 1800m ASL. The lake was formed in 1911 after a huge earthquake that resulted in a big landslide from the eastern slope. The uniqueness of the lake is that after the rise of natural dam that blocked the gorge, water that filled a basin has formed a lake but has not destroyed the spruce that had been growing in this place along the river. The upper parts of the trees sticking out of the water lost lateral branches and bark, and the wood became white. Such a pattern will delight even the experienced travellers. The lower part of the “drowned” pines retained branches that were overgrown with algae under the water, thus created fantastic underwater landscape. We take a hike around the lake to see it from different sides.

After a lunch, we visit a Kolsai-1 Lake - the biggest and deepest one from Kolsai cascade. All three lakes (there are 3 in total) are located in the same valley but at different altitudes. The first lake is at a height of about 1800m asl. It looks like a “stretched mirror” along the gorge and has approximately 2 km in length (80m deep). The second lake also known as “Mynzhylgy” is at a height of 2000m above sea level, and the last one (Third lake) is located at 2500m. So, we take a hike along the First lakeshore to take the memorable pictures and see the rainbow trout frolicking in a clear water. Enjoy the lake reflecting the sunset, and then get back to the guest house. Take dinner and stay another night at the same guesthouse.

After a breakfast at a guesthouse, we leave Kolsai area and move to the last Charyn attraction - it has not been yet visited because it was not a way. But now it is a right time, so we head to the Valley of Castles - the most famous part of Charyn River Park. After a National Park’s entry procedures, we will take a guided hike (2.5 hiking) along the Valley. It reveals to the eye intriguing red sandstone rocks created by two eternal forces of nature - time and wind. The height of the vertical walls in this part is between 150 and 300 meters, and their shapes are so different! Some formations look like fossilized dinosaurs, the others seem to be the heads of giant wizards. Fantastic towers, sky bridges and other indescribable figures of different colours make you feel walking through the real Fairyland!

After a lunch, we move to the Bartogay Lake. The Lake, bordering Asy plateau from the east, remains the best bird watching point of Almaty region. We set a camp at a lakeshore, take dinner and enjoy the wildlife/walking all the rest part of a day. Overnight in tents (tent camping) at a lakeshore.

After a breakfast with the Lake's view, we head to mountains again: this time we will explore the beauty of Turgen gorge. Turgen is one of the most beautiful places in Zailisky range. While you’re moving further by the road that stretches deep into the canyon along the overflowing Turgen River, you feast your eyes on the richness of the luxuriant vegetation. Here, in the beginning of the gorge, a well-known rainbow trout farm is located. Turgen valley is also known for its waterfalls: there are 7 big falls in this area but 1 of them is definitely “must visit” place: a Bear waterfall is 30 meters tall and located a height of 1450m ASL. So, we will not miss a chance and take a guided hike to the Bear waterfall (1.5 hours).

Our next stop is a famous Issyk Lake located in a neighbouring mountain gorge. The lake is surrounded by the peaks overgrown with dense spruce forest (and all this is reflected in the clear water!) Here at a lakeshore we will take a lunch with stunning views.

After a lunch we visit Scythian cultural open-air museum in Issyk town. The museum is located in the centre of the King's valley famous for its giant burials of ancient rulers and warriors of Saki tribes (IX – III BC). One of the burials is excavated and is open for the visitors so that everyone could see how people like a famous Golden Man (symbol of Kazakhstan) were living. Excursion by the museum and a King’s Valley takes 45 minutes.

The tour is almost finished! We drive back to Almaty following the Kuldja Road - a part of the ancient Silk Way.