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Kolsai Lakes

Almaty, Kazakhstan
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Ranked #1 of 18 attractions in Almaty
Type: Bodies of Water
35 visitor photos
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29 reviews from our community

Visitor rating
    25
    3
    0
    1
    0
Date Rating
Hong Kong
Senior Contributor
21 reviews 21 reviews
4 attraction reviews
Reviews in 16 cities Reviews in 16 cities
15 helpful votes 15 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed May 18, 2013

It's non peak season when I was there. Very tranquil. Lakes were still frozen. Ice sheets on top of the lakes! Lovely! Like what the other travellers here said, you need to walk to the second lake. It's beautiful there. It takes around 2.5 to 3 hours to walk there from the first lake.

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See 2 more reviews by MC_HKG for Almaty
Almaty, Kazakhstan
Reviewer
5 reviews 5 reviews
1 helpful vote 1 helpful vote
5 of 5 stars Reviewed February 1, 2013

My grandma at the moment of trip was over 70 yrs old and had some acquintances at the nearby village. So she took couple of her grandchildren and hopped on the bus towards our funny holidays. Very looong trip to the lake of a bus, recommend renting a car with gps or map. The the lakeside there was a nice... More

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See 4 more reviews by Anel A for Almaty
Almaty, Kazakhstan
Reviewer
4 reviews 4 reviews
Reviews in 3 cities Reviews in 3 cities
3 helpful votes 3 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed December 28, 2012

A very beautiful sightseeing place to visit around Almaty. You can breath fresh air and have a nice walk around.

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Алматы, Казахстан
2 reviews
1 helpful vote 1 helpful vote
5 of 5 stars Reviewed November 16, 2012

Far from Almaty, but nature is amazing. beautiful mountains, hills, beautiful water, cant swim because it is cold. I love this place and I will come again.

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Tbilisi, Georgia
Contributor
16 reviews 16 reviews
6 attraction reviews
Reviews in 4 cities Reviews in 4 cities
10 helpful votes 10 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed September 5, 2012

Very beautiful! Try to get to the third (the up most) lake - I did :) The only minus is the last portion of the road there - you need a real offroader. Be prepared to spend 5 hours on the road.

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See 8 more reviews by karulya for Almaty
London, United Kingdom
Senior Contributor
25 reviews 25 reviews
12 attraction reviews
Reviews in 14 cities Reviews in 14 cities
13 helpful votes 13 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed August 21, 2012 via mobile

Hire a driver and go. This is nature at its best and I had no idea such beauty existed here among the flat steppes. Hiking from Kolsay 1 to 2 and back is doable in a day but for those equipped to do so Kolsay 3 and Issyk Kul make a great adventure. Try and visit lake Kaindy which is... More

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Moscow
Senior Contributor
27 reviews 27 reviews
8 attraction reviews
Reviews in 10 cities Reviews in 10 cities
30 helpful votes 30 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed July 9, 2012

Some tips... 1. You may go there by car but be ready for off-road for 100 km just before finish. The road is really bad. 2. If you take a weekend trip from an agency - try to get small bus as the big one is ever late and slow. 3. Accommodation is 3-4 people co-location in the local village... More

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See 13 more reviews by Tikhon for Almaty
Almaty
Contributor
13 reviews 13 reviews
Reviews in 8 cities Reviews in 8 cities
5 helpful votes 5 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed June 30, 2012

really "into the wild" stayed in a ecotourism farm with a very nice KZ family and the day after went for a horse treking up to the 2nd lake. Crossing rivers and up in the mountain through the forest was an amazing experience One of the best in KZ

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Almaty
Contributor
16 reviews 16 reviews
8 attraction reviews
Reviews in 4 cities Reviews in 4 cities
14 helpful votes 14 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed June 29, 2012

The lakes and the nature are great there. It's really worth a trip. If you go, then you should have an experienced driver and a good jeep. The road at the end is difficult. The way to there from Almaty is long (several hours). The Cheryn Canyons are on the way, so you can make a brief stopover there. Call... More

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See 6 more reviews by DeanWilly22 for Almaty
Vancouver, Canada
Senior Contributor
30 reviews 30 reviews
6 attraction reviews
Reviews in 10 cities Reviews in 10 cities
26 helpful votes 26 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed June 8, 2012

Three great lakes with amazing fishing! Within one day cought about 15 steelhead trouts and 24 rainbow trouts

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See 5 more reviews by Springinvancouver for Almaty

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