We’re pretty experienced travelers and love hiking. Our friends recommended a local guide, Konstantin, to organize a tour for us, and we couldn’t be happier with the result. We went on an amazing four-day trip that took us to two very different natural areas: the Charyn National Park with its stunning canyons, and the beautiful Kolsay Lakes in the mountains.

In both parks, we went on hiking adventures, but the experience was quite different in each. At Charyn, we explored wilder, less-traveled trails with no other tourists in sight. We even camped overnight in tents right in the park—such a unique experience! Kolsay Lakes, on the other hand, were more touristy, especially around the first lake. But we hiked about three hours to the second lake, where it felt much more remote and peaceful, even though there were still a fair number of hikers and horseback riders. That night, we stayed in a cozy guesthouse.

A huge thanks to Konstantin and Anastasia for organizing everything. It was an incredible trip, and we’d highly recommend it to anyone!