Charyn Canyonvisitor guide

Charyn Canyon, Kolsai and Kaindy lakes in one trip

South-west of the canyon, in the mountains above the village of Saty, lie the three Kolsai lakes and Kaindy, the lake with drowned spruce trunks. They belong to a different national park, Kolsai Kolderi, and make the usual second half of a Charyn trip.

Distances, fees and facts checked November 2026.

The distances

FromToBy roadStraight line
Valley of Castles car parkSaty89.2 km61.2 km
SatyLower Kolsai, north shore14.3 km10.9 km
Almaty, Republic SquareSaty278.0 km120.2 km

Road figures are routed along the road network between the two points named; straight-line figures are the distance between the same points on the map. From the canyon, the route goes south on the Kokpek to Kegen road and west past Zhalanash to Saty.

The park’s own figures for the last stretches: its Kolsai cordon is 6 km from Saty and the lake trail begins 6 km beyond it, at Lower Kolsai; the Kaindy cordon is 8.5 km from Saty.

Map from the Valley of Castles car park at Charyn Canyon to Saty (89.2 km by road), and from Saty to the Kolsai lakes (Lower Kolsai 14.3 km by road) and to Kaindy lake, with the Charyn river and Kegen
From Charyn Canyon to Saty, 89.2 km by road, and on to the Kolsai lakes and Kaindy lake.

The park and its fee

The lakes are in Kolsai Kolderi State National Nature Park, created by a government decree of 7 February 2007; the park gives its area as 161,045 hectares. It is a separate park from Charyn, so its fee is paid again. Its tariff is in the same national order as Charyn’s:

WhatMCITenge in 2026
Visitor, per person per day0.2865
Car0.7about 3,030
Motorbike or quad0.41,730
Minibus up to 16 seats2.7about 11,680
Parking, car, per day0.06about 260

Checked November 2026. Like Charyn, the tariff makes no difference between Kazakh and foreign visitors. The park sells tickets online on its own website (card or Kaspi QR, giving the date of your visit and the car’s number plate) and at its cordons. The Kaindy fee is paid at the Kaindy cordon.

The park’s schedule page lists hours of 10:00 to 22:00 and 09:30 to 21:00 for the park and its ticket offices, and reserves the right to change them. The trails to the lakes are open all year.

Kaindy lake

Kaindy lies at 1,867 m in a side valley east of the Kolsai lakes. The park explains that it formed during the Kemin earthquake of 1911, when a landslide of limestone dammed the valley. The spruce trees on the flooded valley floor were drowned, and their bare trunks still stand in the water.

The park’s route from Saty follows the Saty to Zhalanash road to the cemetery, then turns right onto a dirt road 3 to 4 m wide that crosses the Kaindy river twice. It is 8.5 km to the Kaindy cordon, where you pay, and 0.5 km more to a birch grove and a car park. From there the last 2 km to the lake are on foot, about an hour. In January 2026 the park allowed only high-clearance vehicles on this road while ice was cleared from it.

Illustration: grey spruce trunks without branches standing up out of the still turquoise water of Kaindy lake, dark green spruce forest on the steep slopes around it
Illustration. Drowned spruce trunks standing in Kaindy lake.

The Kolsai lakes

The three Kolsai lakes lie one above another in the valley south of Saty. The park’s route documents give these figures:

StageDistanceTime
Lower Kolsai to Middle Kolsai7 kmabout 3 h 30 min
Middle Kolsai to Upper Kolsai4 kmabout 1 h 30 min

Middle Kolsai lies at 2,500 m. Lower Kolsai is the lake by the road, with the cordon, the boat route and the places to stay along its northern end. The park classes the trail between the lakes as a route for walkers and riders; its tariff prices riding horses at 0.2 MCI an hour (865 tenge in 2026), and non-motorised boats on Lower Kolsai at 1.2 MCI an hour, about 5,190 tenge.

Rules at the lakes

From the park’s visitor rules and route documents:

  • No swimming in the lakes.
  • Boats only without motors, on the set route on Lower Kolsai, with life jackets.
  • No fires outside the places equipped for them, and tents only in the set camping places.
  • Keep your payment receipt until you leave the park.

The border

Saty, Kaindy and all three Kolsai lakes lie inside the border zone along the frontier with Kyrgyzstan. The government decree that defines the zone puts Upper Kolsai 2.5 km from the border, Kaindy 7 to 8 km and Saty 25 km. It lists these sites by name and lifts the border-zone pass requirement for foreign visitors there. Carry your passport, and go no further than Upper Kolsai: the paths beyond it lead towards the border, which can only be crossed at official checkpoints.

Planning the trip

  • As a long day from Almaty, the canyon and one lake make a very long drive: 210.8 km to the canyon, 89.2 km to Saty and 278.0 km back to Almaty from Saty.
  • Overnight in Saty splits it: the canyon on the first day, Kaindy and Lower Kolsai on the second. See where to stay.
  • Two park fees: Charyn and Kolsai Kolderi charge separately, 865 tenge a person each in 2026, plus each car fee.

Official information

Questions visitors ask

How far is Kolsai lake from Charyn Canyon?
89.2 km by road from the Valley of Castles car park to the village of Saty, then 14.3 km by road from Saty to the north shore of Lower Kolsai. In a straight line the canyon car park and Saty are 61.2 km apart.
Is there a separate fee for Kolsai and Kaindy lakes?
Yes. The lakes are in Kolsai Kolderi State National Nature Park, which charges its own fee: 0.2 MCI a person a day (865 tenge in 2026) and 0.7 MCI for a car (about 3,030 tenge). Kaindy is inside the same park; its fee is paid at the Kaindy cordon (checked November 2026).
How do you get to Kaindy lake?
The park’s route runs from Saty along the Saty to Zhalanash road, then right onto a dirt road 3 to 4 m wide that crosses the Kaindy river twice. It is 8.5 km from Saty to the Kaindy cordon, then 0.5 km to a birch grove and 2 km on foot to the lake, about an hour.
Why are there trees in Kaindy lake?
The lake formed when the 1911 earthquake brought down a landslide that dammed the valley. The spruce trees on the flooded valley floor were drowned, and their trunks still stand in the water.
Can you swim in Kolsai lake?
No. The park’s visitor rules prohibit swimming. Boating on Lower Kolsai is allowed only in non-motorised boats, with life jackets.
Do you need a border permit for Kolsai and Kaindy?
Saty, Kaindy and the Kolsai lakes lie in the border zone along the Kyrgyz border. The government decree that sets the zone lists these sites and lifts the border-zone pass requirement for foreign visitors there. Carry your passport, and do not go on beyond the upper lake towards the border.

More on Charyn Canyon

Almaty to Charyn Canyon 210.8 km by road; the route via Baiseit and Kokpek, the turn-off, and the options without a car. Entrance fee and hours 865 tenge a person, about 3,030 a car (2026); every rate, how to pay, and when the park is open. Valley of Castles trail 3 km from the rim to the river, the two viewpoints, the river camp and the ride back up. Ash grove and other trails The park's four routes: the Valley of Castles, the Sogdian ash grove, the burial mounds and the Temirlik canyon. Weather and best time Monthly temperatures, heat and frost, and the best months for the Valley of Castles walk. Where to stay Yurts by the river, the park's guest houses, camping prices, and Saty for the lakes. Charyn Canyon: the full guide The canyon, the park, the fee, the road from Almaty and the season on one page.