Tanbaly Petroglyphs Unesco Site: Private Day Tour From Almaty
About this tour
Tanbaly is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in the Anrakay Mountains, about 170 km from Almaty, where more than 4,000 petroglyphs were carved into the rocks in the Bronze Age. Walking among them with a guide who explains what the carvings show and what they mean brings this ancient place to life.
After the guided walk, a short hike takes you to the main petroglyph groups and viewpoints. Then you sit down to a picnic lunch, with free time afterwards for photos and a quiet walk in the Anrakay Mountains.
This is one of our easiest day trips, with about 2 km of walking in total, so it is a good choice for children, older travellers and anyone curious about history. Spring is the prettiest time, when the steppe turns green and poppies flower in May.
Highlights:
- See more than 4,000 Bronze Age petroglyphs at a UNESCO World Heritage Site
- Learn what the carvings mean on a guided walk
- Hike to the main petroglyph groups and viewpoints
- Picnic lunch and free time in the Anrakay Mountains
- Easy walking, a good choice for children and older travellers
- A private tour: only your group, with your own guide who speaks English, Russian and Kazakh
Activities included
Day-by-day itinerary
Day 1: Almaty, Kazakhstan to Танбалы объект ЮНЕСКО, Matebulak, Kazakhstan
Your guide-driver picks you up from your hotel at 08:00 for a drive of about 2.5 hours. You arrive around 10:30 and start with a guided walk among the carvings, learning what they show and what they mean. Then a short hike takes you to the main petroglyph groups and viewpoints. After a picnic lunch near the petroglyphs or in the shade, you have free time for photos and a quiet walk in the Anrakay Mountains. You leave at 15:00 and are back at your hotel around 17:30.
What's included
Private tour: only your group, with your own guide-driver and SUV. Hotel pickup and drop-off anywhere in Almaty. Picnic lunch, site entrance fees and 1.5 liters of drinking water per person.
Personal expenses. Pickup from outside Almaty city costs extra.
Languages spoken
What to know
Easy walking: about 2 km in total on dirt paths, with a few rocky steps up to the viewpoints. One of our easiest day trips, a good choice for children and older travellers. We run the tour all year. The best time is April to October; summer middays are hot with little shade, so we start early. Bring walking shoes, sunglasses, a hat, sunscreen and a warm layer. Steppe weather changes fast. Child seats are available on request, and your luggage can stay in the car during the tour. If weather or a closed road makes the route unsafe, we move the tour to another day or refund it in full. Prices are per person for groups of 1 to 4. For 5 or more people, message us for a price.
Route & locations
Almaty, Kazakhstan to Танбалы объект ЮНЕСКО, Matebulak, Kazakhstan