TWO CAPITALS OF KAZAKHSTAN

After breakfast, you check out and head 45km to the west of Nur-Sultan to witness what the region was like in the past. There you will visit former “ALZHIR” camp – unofficial name of the special branch of Karaganda Camp of People's Commissariat of Internal Affairs. ALZHIR means Akmola camp for wives of traitors of Motherland. This is another dark spot in the history of the USSR when millions of people were arrested, imprisoned and sent to different camps. Those were different political, social and intellectual figures, as well as their family members. Nowadays, the former camp has become a museum.
We arrive to the city in the afternoon and stop by a local restaurant for lunch. After lunch, we continue our tour by visiting “Nur Alem” center – the world's largest spherical building 80m in the diameter and 100m tall, the first hi-tech museum in Kazakhstan. The complex is a legacy of EXPO 2017, which was held during summer 2017 in Nur-Sultan. It takes around 3 hours or even more to cover all eight floors of the Museum of Future, where basic types of energy are on display: those of the space, sun, biomass, wind, water and kinetics.
18.00 Transfer to the airport
20.35 Domestic fight to Almaty
22.15 Arrival to Almaty. Transfer to the hotel. Check in and overnight.

Sightseeing tour in Almaty, 10.00 – 20.00
This day you will visit the city’s old center and cover one of the main sites that best highlights Almaty’s history. The first stop is Park of 28 Panfilov soldiers – named after the division during WWII, formed of men from the Almaty region under command of General Ivan Panfilov. The park itself is popular among locals and guests of the city. Inside the park visitors will find the eternal flame, memorials of different heroic characters, the Ascension Cathedral – Russian Orthodox wooden church that magically withstood a strong earthquake in XX century, and Museum of musical instruments, where you can admire the collection over 1000 exhibits including rare exhibits dating back to XVII century.
Just in a walking distance, you can enjoy another touristic attraction of Almaty – “Green Bazaar” or Green market. This is a perfect way to experience the true Eastern market, where you can find main delicacies of different nations living in Kazakhstan. Here you might taste the food, bargain and, obviously, buy local tasty goods for a very nice price.
Then we stop for lunch at local restaurant.
After lunch, you are going to explore the city’s main attractions – the Ili Alatau mountains.
The National Park of Ili Alatau was founded in 1996, the park extends for 120km and the total area is 202,292 hectares. The altitude varies from 600 to 5,000 meters.
Medeo is an essential part of the Ili Alatau park and it is a historical object of Almaty’s development as a city. Located at the height of 1,690 meters, the Medeo skating rink is the highest rink location in the world. “The factory of records” is the second name of this skating rink, as 138 world records have been set here thanks to the soft climate, optimal level of radiation, atmospheric pressure of 650 millimeters of mercury, and the cleanest ice water.
However, our main purpose of visit is Shymbulak – a mountain resort located at the elevation of 2,260 meters above sea level. In 1950s, ski lovers used to climb the mountain for 3 hours for a 15 minutes’ descent.
Today’s last stop is Kok Tobe, a park located at an altitude of 1,100 meters on the green hill, this place is very popular among locals and tourists. Take a ride on comfortable cable car and within 10 minutes, you are admiring the magnificent panoramic view of the city.
Once we come down from the hill, we are going back to the hotel.

Breakfast at the hotel.
07:30 Departure from Almaty to Charyn Canyon. (200 km)
Why is it so early? It allows maximum coverage of both canyons and the viewing platforms. Regular bus tour includes visit to Valley of Castles only, whereas our Jeep tour covers at least four more breathtaking places that capture your imagination in the canyons.
Panoramic site - Valley of Castles at Charyn Canyon.
We leave the cars in the parking lot at the descent into the canyon of Valley of Castles. Take a bottle of drinking water and let’s walk down into the gorge. It is a leisurely trek with some stops (50 minutes) at the EcoPark Village (2 km one way). The tour guide tells you about the differences of Charyn Canyon. A short stop (15 minutes) at the Charyn river in the shade of trees, you can photograph there and then we return back to the cars (1 hour since it is uphill). 10 min. break beside the cars and then leaving to discover other fascinating landscapes.
*Optional lunch at ECO Park or lunch boxes (not included)
Departure to Lunar Canyon.
Lunar canyon abounds with streams and small waterfalls. The road to the river is full of small rocky obstacles. After visiting the canyon, we visit a view point - Lunar Canyon panorama, top view. Passages are carried out on dirt roads, sometimes there are obstacles, surmountable by car with large clearance only.
Descent inside the Canyon and 20 min. stop to walk around.
Departure from “vista points” to Bestamak Canyon.
It is a compact and small canyon with a characteristic reddish tinge of the rocks.
After exploring the area, we head back to the parking and drive further to Almaty city.

Early morning transfer to Almaty International Airport to take your flight back home.