Reviews
★★★★★
We had a really great 2D1N trip with Era as our guide, visiting Charyn Canyon, Kolsai Lakes, Saty Village and Kaindy Lake.
Era was honestly one of the best parts of the trip. He was super helpful throughout, but also really easy to hang out with. The car was comfortable, he had great music taste, and we ended up just vibing together for most of the journey.
Everything was also really well-paced. We had regular toilet breaks, and whenever we needed to stop, Era was always able to find somewhere clean. At each attraction, he would usually give us two options for the route — an easier one or a harder one that was more rewarding. We always went for the harder option, and Era would come along with us every time. He also helped us take group photos and even used his own drone to get some really nice shots of us.
We stayed in an A-frame house in Saty, which was a really nice experience. The food was great too — we had lunch at a local restaurant, then dinner and breakfast at the guesthouse, with lots of local dishes that we really enjoyed.
We also really appreciated Gulzat, who arranged the tour for us. She kept in contact with us throughout the trip and was constantly checking in to make sure everything was going well. It was reassuring to know that we could reach her if we needed anything.
Overall, the whole trip felt very comfortable and not rushed. We had enough time at each place to actually enjoy it rather than just rushing from one attraction to another.
Really happy we got Era as our guide. He made the whole trip feel more like travelling with a friend than being on a typical guided tour. Would definitely recommend Era and Gulzat if you’re planning a trip around Kazakhstan!
★★★★★
Thank you very much for a fantastic day at Charyn Canyon. I enjoyed a very comfortable journey in a Porsche Macan with an excellent driver. My guide, Yelnar, was very friendly and knowledgeable; he accommodated all my requests and was extremely flexible in how the day was organized. This made it a truly memorable and wonderful experience for me. I highly recommend Gulzat’s agency.
★★★★★
This was amazing trip that gives opportunity not only to see the places but to know live and people from Kazakhstan. We met with larger group who also take the trip , so all together all went really very good!!!
★★★★★
Very good contact and organization of the trip. Recommend!
★★★★★
Gulzat arranged this tour for me on somewhat short notice. It turned out good. Just what was expected on a day trip. Pre-trip, details about the trip were given and all my questions were answered, Made me feel comfortable booking with her.
★★★★★
Great trip organised by Gulzat. We were guided by Diyas, who spoke excellent English and accompanied us on a full day tour of Black Canyon, Lake Kaindy & Kolsai Lake. We went during the off season, during winter, but it was very interesting to see the lakes frozen over and to see the area with winter snow! We also had lunch with a local family in the village of Saty - and this was an excellent and authentic experience. We tied the local Kazakh dish Laghman and it was delicious! I would definitely recommend this experience.
Alize isa very positive guest, ideal I would say. Everything was booked in advanced by her. She was so kind with our team. it was a pleasure to work with this couple. Good luck!
★★★★★
Gulzat is a very friendly guide. We had booked snow mobile tour with her and we had a great experience. During the journey we decided to do horse riding and Gulzat accommodated that in our itenary on adhoc basis. I would highly recommend Gulzat for tours around Almaty.
★★★★★
From the start to end I give this tour experience 1000/10! The service was flawless, on time and I was greeted and welcomed warmly by Gulzat and her brother. I learned so much about Kazakh nomad culture. Food was great and the show was amazing. I highly recommend Gulzat most of all. What an experience I shall put in my books 👏
★★★★★
Our tour to Charyn Canyon, Kolsai and Kaindy Lake is wonderful trip with Elnar as our tour guide. Just to give high appreciation to Elnar, a young man who really nice, friendly and very helpful to us. He was taking care of us during all the whole trip. To Gulzat, we are satisfied with tour we took in Almaty region.
Dear Harry, thank you for your kind words and quick feedback here!
I appreciate that you booked tour with us and gave our guide Elnar such a high rating!
We are glad you enjoyed everything,
Wishing you many more travels!
★★★★★
The 4 day trip to Altyn Emel, Lake Tuzkol, Borovoe and many other places was absolutely incredible. Everything was perfectly organised and easy. Our driver Zhalgas was the best guide I have ever had on a trip. He planned everything so well so that we never felt rushed, got to experience every place at the optimum part of the day and managed to avoid the glaring July heat. I would 100% reccomend booking with Gulzat. Thank you very much!
★★★★★
We went for one day trip from Almaty to Bishkek. Everything was on very high level and on time according to the plan. Gulzat is very kind and helping! Nikita our tour guide in Kyrgyzstan as well. They know English very well and Russian as well. I strongly recommend this tour agency. Thank you guys 😊
★★★★★
It was an incredible trip. Gulzat organized everything very well and our guide Dias was excellent! It was a high quality experience, we did an overnight 2 day trip to Charyn Canyon - Kolsai - Kaindy
Visited Kazakhstan and Gulzat helped my family out with a two-day driver tour of the mountains and Almaty. Our family had some limitations for mobility between my mom and us having an infant with us. Gulzat helped us with a tour that was specifically tailored around mobility issues. Both days were fantastic introductions to the history and culture of the Kazakh people. Gulzat is a wellspring of knowledge of the culture and language. If you need a tour guide who speaks English and knows the Almaty area and surroundings; Gulzat is a fantastic resource!
★★★★★
My wife and I were visiting Almaty, and we only had one free day. We really wanted to visit Kyrgyzstan, and Gulzat made this possible. She arranged a complete one-day tour package, which included pickup at our hotel in Almaty, a city tour of Bishkek, and then drop-off back at our hotel. The trip could not have been easier. It was fantastic to be able to visit Kyrgyzstan in one day, and the guide in Kyrgyzstan was great! It was a great fun day, and we are so happy that we were able to visit Kyrgyzstan, have a proper tour of Bishkek, all on one day!
★★★★★
Gulzat has been very communicative since day one, I was planning to come to Kazakhstan on solo tour while having bits and pieces of available locations on her tour package, yet she worked with me to come up with a custom itinerary tailored for my needs. Years of experience as guide reflected on the way she lead the tour, she’s actively explaining about the locations, very open to conversation, energetic, and always encourage to experience things the way its best experienced. I would recommend her to anyone who seeks top quality hospitality and fun tour.
K
★★★★★
I took a walking tour in Almaty with Gulzat on 5th January.
She was very professional, and spoke excellent English.
She provided a helpful overview of the city as well as the country and culture, with a smattering of history and anecdotes.
We had a visit of food market at Green Bazar, and lunch at Zhaylau. Thoroughly recommend her.
★★★★
Karima was the assigned guide for me during the tour and I think it turned out a whole lot better and a different level, since we just clicked right away as soon as we entered the van while on the way to Ethno village. I enjoyed the horse riding stunts and games, I also learned a lot about the nomadic culture of Kazakhs which is really interesting and I hope it will still be carried on for the next future generations and I prayed that modern years to come won't let it fade away, because I really love that kind of life and living, being with the nature and only having the basic or most important things in life that you'll need. The song played in the traditional instrument got stuck in my head although I didnt understand the lyrics or its meaning, I got LSS from it. lol And food, the food was great for lunch!! I tasted the fermented horse milk as their welcome drink, and that was the first time I had it, and I can say that I won't drink again, not to offend to anyone, but that milk has a lot of healthy benefits, but it's just that the taste is new to me, so my taste buds isn't really happy about it. But if course you need to try new things for your adventurous soul. If there's a down side for the tour, it's the weather, because I dressed up so warmly since the weather forecast says it will drop -1°C but it ended up sunny and I was sweating inside my layers. But of course I didn't let that get in my way and still enjoyed the day!
★★★★★
Both Diyas and our driver worked very hard and looked after us very well throughout the day.
★★★★★
Gulzat was wonderful in setting up my tour. She was very responsive to my questions and provided a great tour guide and driver to the Altyn Emel Singing Dunes. Since there was enough time, she arranged a stop at Tamgaly Tas on route to the dunes at no additional cost. I really appreciate the thought into making this happen. Overall, I had a great time and wouldn't hesitate through her again on another trip around Almaty.
★★★★★
Gulzat was very useful in helping to organise a 4 day trip to the national parks around Almaty. Our driver Jalgas (Joma) was amazing and made sure we had the best time while in Kazakhstan. I highly recommend booking with Gulzat and if you can requesting Joma as a driver!
★★★★★
A great walking/city/food hybrid tour. You'll get to a decent amount of the city and taste some very different things in the green market!
★★★★★
Our tour is on time & A drive to Big Almaty Lake is spontaneous, Thankful we are a bit early & didn’t get into the traffic. Gulzat is knowledgeable & answers are questions w/ enthusiasm.
I was happy to have Ria on our group tour. She is an easy going person, and ideal traveller. She made an atmosphere of the tour relax ). Thank you for booking with us, Ria!
★★★★★
We definitely recommend Gulzat. She patiently worked with us to craft a seven day customized tour that included Altyn Emel, Lake Kaindy, Kolsai Lakes, Charyn Canyon, and so much more. She was terrific in tailoring a schedule for our family. She picked good guesthouses with friendly hosts and amazing food! The drivers/guides were very good as well. During the trip, she kept checking in with us to make sure everything was going well. It was a week full of memories!
★★★★★
Had a fantastic city tour with Gulzat. We went to Shymbulak and Kok-Tobe as well as toured the city. She is very knowledgeable, flexible, has a great sense of humor, and her English skills are great! I would book another tour with Guzat in a heartbeat! Thanks for a great tour and being so kind!
★★★★★
We had an amazing four-day adventure, made all the more enjoyable by Gulzat's personality. Through discussion, we arrived at the perfect bespoke four-day road trip. We did everything that we wanted to do and it was fantastic that we could return to the Charyn Canyon to take photographs in better light. We booked late over a holiday period and I am very grateful to Gulzat for still finding suitable accommodation. Next time, I want to camp though:) After four days, I feel like we are good friends.
★★★★★
My wife and I joined one of Gulzat's tours ... the 2-day one to Charyn Canyon, Kolsai Lake and Kaindy Lake. Even before the tour started, we were impressed how she liased between us and another English-speaking couple so as to travel together, thus keeping the cost down to $230 for each couple ... that included overnight stay, two lunches, one evening meal , one breakfast, all transport costs and entrance to all parks.
The first day of the tour started badly for us as our overnight train from Nur Sultan arrived 90 minutes late to Almaty. However, Gulzat was there waiting patiently and smilingly for us on the platform ... with snacks as we had texted her before arriving to say there was no breakfast available on the train.
From there, Gulzat, her driver, and we two couples were off. After stopping for lunch and at a yurt along the way, we arrived at the Charyn Canyon ... check out maybe You-tube videos to see what an amazing place that is. Going with a tour guide like Gulzat though enables you to find all the best viewpoints for, say, that perfect photograph. Two points for doing Charyn in summer though - don't forget the sun block and make sure you dip at least your toes in the refreshing river at the end of canyon.
From Charyn, we headed for Kolsai Lake. On the way though, we stopped at a viewpoint overlooking the "Black Canyon" ... for me that was at least as impressive as Charyn, because it seemed to show a river giving life (in the form of trees) as it carved out a path through a desert-like landscape.
In any case, from there we continued to Kolsai Lake ... with its beautiful tree-covered slopes coming down to the shores of the lake. We, the two couples, decided the beauty was best viewed from the lake itself ... so Gulzat negotiated the best rate for the five of us to hire a pedal-boat ... spectacular views ... however, having not cycled for a few years it was a little tiring!
Following Kolsai, we arrived at our overnight accommodation, but not before we had stopped at the village shop to buy, amongst other things, a few beers. The accommodation was basic, giving one the village-life experience. However, if you're like us and the other english-speaking couple you might want to tell Gulzat that you are prepared to forgo the complete village experience and pay a little bit more to get a room with a bathroom. We had absolutely no complaints about the meals we had there though.
The next morning, after breakfast, we took a rattling old car up to a spot not too far from Kaindy Lake. From there we descended on foot to the lake to see the incredible "sunken forest" ... see You=tube videos if you haven't done so already.
The two not-so-youthful couples then felt we wanted to ascend the hill on horseback. Gulzat, as ever flexible, negotiated our rides back up the hill. From there it was another jolty journey back down the hill to our accommodation and the final meal of the tour.
Finally we were taken back to Almaty, and, for my wife and myself, to the hotel where we were to spend the rest of our time in Almaty.
Gulzat was without doubt a wonderful guide - Firstly she was willing to change certain activities to accommodate we not-so-youthful tourists. Secondly, she herself had spent many of her summers with her grandmother in a village environment, and it was lovely to hear her recounting many of her experiences. Naturally all tour guides are knowledgeable of the places they visit, and of course Gulzat is no exception to this, but they don't all possess Gulzat's enthusiasm and possitivity.
★★★★★
Amazing! Azhar was so personable and kind. I had a lot of fun. I would book again in the future. I specifically wanted a female guide and felt totally safe and confortable with her. She was prompt and courteous and brought a delicious lunch. Our driver was also excellent.
E
★★★★★
This is a perfect trip.
I learned kazakhstan history from her.
She is a considerable and kind person.
I had a great time with her.
I recommend that you choose her trip.
S
★★★★★
Gulzat was an awesome guide and gave us just the right about of quiet time and information. She arranged a one day tour for sites that are usually toured in two days (with an overnight in a village- which wasn`t going to work for our teens at this point), so it was a super long jam packed day and exactly what we needed. Having her as a guide made a huge difference in the way we were able to enjoy the sites with our teens and get them back to the hotel in Almaty that night. Would highly recommend booking with her, and she is flexible in changing up the standard tours to make them into what you need for your group, as well a providing suggestions on how to make your tour even better.
Excellent English (needed for our group), arrived promptly, had water in the car for us and provided hotel pick up and drop off and pricing was exactly as described /agreed upon. Would highly recommend her!
A
★★★★★
We spent teo days with her! She was so nice and plesent and helpful. I always felt safe. She was helpful! We spoke so much about our familiy and culture, we leart a lot from Khazastan!
Thank you for the unfogetable experience!
I recommand her to anyone!
It was amazing how she can speak on tgree language fluently and swith one to another without problem!
Thank you Gulzat! See you in Budapest!
R
★★★★★
I had a great experience with my guide, Gulzat. She is very polite, kind and caring person.
She replied me very quick any time. I came to Almaty from Japan alone. I was a little bit nervous before but I was very relieved by her support. She invited me to a nice riverside lunch on the way to Big Almaty Lake. I had an amazing afternoon. The lake was beautiful and I added falcon show, it was also very interested. She called my hotel instead me and told me good restaurants and a wine shop. She arranged a car and a driver for the Almaty Arena event.
We spent a great day like friends. She was essential to my trip in Almaty. I would definitely recommend asking her for a guide. Thank you so much Gulzat!
N
★★★★★
Ms Gulzat is a very professional guide with good English skills and a penchant to go above and beyond to make sure the trips she offers are a memorable experience. She answered all questions prior to the excursions and helps take great photos for lasting memories. I highly recommend her services.
T
★★★★★
Gulzat is an amazing tour guide! I had one my most memorable times in my life thanks to her thoughtfulness, kindness, and openness to share her views and opinions through out my tour!
I highly recommend her for if you are planning to book a nice tour around Almaty to capture the beauty and explore the landscapes that surround it! She not only speaks fluent English, but also knowledgeable of where to take amazing pictures!
You will not regret choosing her as your tour guide! ,)
E
★★★★★
Now it`s my friend, Gulzat help me to travel very well.
She helped me to take pictures in nice view.
She knows how to take pic and where is the best point.
Also she make me know about KZT history, culture, city, people etc.
She is very smart so who want to know about KZT well please never hesitate to contact her.
She also gave me small but worthy gift kindly.
It was short travel but i never forget this travel.
Again thank you so much my friend Gulzat!!
J
★★★★★
Guka is a really friendly and helpful guide. The tour with her was amazing.
K
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