Kolsay Lakes
Chain of three alpine lakes in the Kungey Alatau mountains, set among spruce forest. Hiking and horse riding link the lakes.
Kolsai and Kaindy Lakes
Southeast of Almaty, these mountain lakes include Kaindy, where tree trunks of a sunken forest stand up out of the water.
Attractive locations
Lake Issyk
Mountain lake in a forested valley east of Almaty, rebuilt in part after a mudflow in 1963. It is a quiet spot for walks and mountain scenery.
Lake Kaindy
Mountain lake formed by a landslide over a century ago, where drowned spruce trunks stand upright in cold, clear turquoise water. The lake sits high in the Tien Shan and is reached by a rough road.
Turgen Gorge
Forested gorge in the Ile-Alatau mountains with a river, waterfalls and hiking trails, a cool escape in summer. Walking paths follow the river up toward the higher slopes.
Assy Plateau
High mountain plateau in the Ile-Alatau range, with open meadows, wide views and summer pastures. Visitors come for hiking, horse rides and fresh mountain air.
Airports
Almaty International Airport ALA
It is about 62 km in a straight line from Kolsai and Kaindy Lakes.
Scams and safe taxis
Taxi and scam advice for this country is on the Kazakhstan page
Weather by month
Each month shows its average temperature in °C and its mm of rain per month.
- Jan-15.0 °C20 mm
- Feb-13.0 °C26 mm
- Mar-7.0 °C41 mm
- Apr-0.7 °C71 mm
- May4.2 °C66 mm
- Jun8.2 °C54 mm
- Jul10.5 °C38 mm
- Aug9.9 °C33 mm
- Sep5.4 °C27 mm
- Oct-0.7 °C36 mm
- Nov-7.8 °C37 mm
- Dec-13.5 °C24 mm
Driest months: Jan, Feb, Dec. Wettest months: Apr, May, Jun.
Costs
Prices here are about 33% of US prices (World Bank, 2025). This compares a country's overall prices, not the cost of a trip.
Who can help
Emergency
112 for all emergencies. Police 102. Ambulance 103. Fire 101.
local government
Ministry of Emergency Situations (unified service 112)
Helps with: Kazakhstan's ministry for emergencies and disasters. Its government page lists 112 as the unified duty and dispatch service, plus a helpline and address in Astana.
Who qualifies: Anyone in Kazakhstan who needs emergency help or wants to report an emergency.
Phone: 112
Address: Mangilik El Street 8, entrance 2, Astana 010000
local government
Kazakhstan tourism portal support (Ministry of Tourism)
Helps with: Contact page of Kazakhstan's national tourism portal, run with the Ministry of Tourism. It lists a phone number and an office address in Astana for tourism enquiries.
Who qualifies: Anyone travelling in Kazakhstan or planning a trip there.
Phone: +7 7172 39-99-56
Address: Mangilik El Avenue 55/14, block C 2.1, office 3.2.1, Astana
ngo
Kazakh Red Crescent Society
Helps with: Kazakhstan's national Red Crescent society. Its website lists disaster response, first aid training, blood donation, a family tracing service and help for refugees and asylum seekers.
Who qualifies: People in Kazakhstan who need its disaster, first aid, social or family tracing services.
Phone: +7 727 236-76-23
Email: info@redcrescent.kz
Address: 86 Kunaev Street, Almaty 050010
un agency
International Organization for Migration (IOM) Kazakhstan
Helps with: The UN migration agency, present in Kazakhstan since 2002. Its Astana and Almaty offices handle general enquiries and serve as the coordination office for Central Asia.
Who qualifies: Migrants and organisations working on migration. It is not a help service for ordinary tourists.
Phone: +7 7172 69 6553
Email: iomastana@iom.int
Address: 14 Mambetov Street, UN Building, Astana 010000