Kolsai and Kaindy lakes, via Charyn canyon. Private Day Tour from Almaty

I would truly recommend using SUV tours as they are highly professional and very proactive. I chose them for my trip to Charyn Canyon, Black Canyon, lunar Canyon Kolsai Lake and Kaindy Lake. We were assigned Ramil as a tour guide who was very educated informative spoke spectacular English and had great driving skills. He drove us for close to 14 to 16 hours and he insured that we were taken great care of. Our trip started very early at 5 AM and we finished at 10 PM however, not even for a single instance we felt that we were left alone. If you choose to be with them, they will ensure that they provide you with all the essentials and your comfort is their top priority. Initially, when we were trying to find the right tour operator, we were making multiple calls and messages , however, SUV Tours was the most competent of all in terms of responding to us, and ensuring that they offered us a great price for this excursion. We were provided with a very comfortable Land Cruiser that not just accommodated us but also our bags and was the perfect ride to drive all the way from our hotel till the last location which was close to 350 km away doesn’t matter if it is a narrow passage highway or a Bumpy road SUV tours will cover you.

We had an amazing experience in Almaty because of Krill. He arranged the Canyons, Kaindy and Kolsai lake trip well and we felt comfortable with our 2 year old kid. Also, the arrangements to Big Almaty Lake and Alma Arasan Gorge are good. My special thanks to Sultan, the guide for the above tours. He is such a cool person and made the trip more enjoyable.

The tour guide was very friendly. The views were fantastic. Overall 10/10 experience would 100% recommend if you want a great tour experience with privacy.

Despite having booked this tour with Viator well in advance and despite Viator confirming the booking, the tour operator did not arrive. We were up at 05.00 in the morning to start the tour, by 06.00 we gave up. The tour operator did not respond to our messages. The telephone number listed by Viator is incorrect as we called this number three times only to receive an automated response that the number is incorrect each time. This was the only opportunity we had to visit these beautiful places, as it’s unlikely that we will ever return Almaty. It’s therefore a crushing disappointment.

If I could give this zero I would. This was a no show by the provider. And no response to phone calls and texts. To add insult to injury we were up and ready to go at 5.00am

We had a very good tour guide - Yeldar from Suv tours. He gave us so information about the lakes. We enjoyed both the lakes and canyons so much. Yeldar was very patient with us. He let us have all the time to spend at the lakes and canyons.

Wonderfully executed and programmed private tour. Our guide Sultan was amazing and he drove the car and guide us to all location without any hurdles. Especially as a family, we have tension in the beginning that how private tour will be safe, but without giving any surprise Sultan showed us how SUV tour is professionally taking care of their clients. Our family fully enjoyed this trip in these all locations. A big shout out to Sultan and SUV tours for making Kazakhzthan proud infront of other nationals. Five star ratings to all: Professionalism, Timing, Safety, Communication, Assistance... etc....Good job, keep it up 🤝

A bit greedy to see as many spots as I could amidst the tight schedule. Was grateful that I had the right choice to join this day tour! Alex is so knowledgeable about everything in Kazakhstan. For me, travelling isn’t just to visit checkpoints but to find your soul or to learn about the soul of another place. It’s impossible to deep dive into a country’s long history and culture within just one day, but I could see the best of Almaty that I couldn’t do on my own - thanks to Alex’s great introduction. A visit to the canyon is like being in a movie - indeed some films or commercials have been shot there. It’s not another Grand Canyon but a natural landscape wonder that you may truly be immersed into, given that it’s not overcrowded like those in US. The lakes are absolutely a surprise - wow! You don’t need to rush with throngs of people like in Hokkaido but can appreciate a gorgeous scenery, especially with some snow, equivalent or even (in my opinion) more beautiful than those Hokkaido lakes - self-explanatory from my photos. Looking at the forests from the horseback was one of the greatest highlights to me - but be careful. Last but not least, those local meals and drinks offered by Alex were impressive! Thanks again Alex!

SUV tours provided an amazing experience with the 4-day tour that was organized and made flexible for my needs. Almas, the enthusiastic tour guide was fully engaged, well into conversation and spoke great English; he is very well travelled himself and that reflects on how he guides. I was very lucky to have had Almas as my guide. we went to places which was almost always empty of big crowds, did some medium to challenging hikes (like Kolsai 2 lake) and had special spots for vies that no one knew. That is a great advantage of a fully private luxury tour. As a vegetarian, I was well catered for and in fact had some fantastic local dishes. Overall, SUV tours should be your "go-to" company for organizing some wonderful experiences with nature in Kazakhstan, specifically around Almaty. I must also thank Dana for patiently answering all my E-mails and organizing the 4-day tour for me (Altyn Emel, Charyn Canyon, Kolsai and Kaindy)

Loved traveling on the old Silk Road to these lakes. The canyon was just magnificent, but the highlight for me was the delicious lunch at a local home stay. Awesome to enjoy their wonderful food and to truly see the people!