Almaty is our base. The city stretches west to east at the foot of the Zailiski Alatau, the northern range of the Tian Shan whose ridge peaks at Mount Talgar at 4979 metres. From our offices, we see snow on the summits nine months of the year. This immediate proximity between a metropolis of two million inhabitants and high mountain ranges structures every journey in the region: within an hour's drive, you climb from 700 to 2500 metres of altitude.

The city itself deserves two days. Almaty served as the capital until 1997 and retains from that era an urban layout of maple-lined avenues, covered markets like Zelyony Bazar where you buy kourt (dried cheese balls) and honey from beekeepers in the Aksu valley, and painted wooden cathedrals like Zenkov in Panfilov Park. Almatians spend their weekends at Medeu, the Olympic ice rink at 1700 metres, then take the cable car up to Chimboulak. We bring travellers here for acclimatisation before more demanding itineraries.

High mountains begin forty minutes from the city centre. Big Almaty Lake, a glacial reservoir at 2511 metres, changes colour depending on the sun's angle, from pale green to deep blue. Beyond, the Chon-Kemin valley and the Assy plateau open onto alpine meadows where Kazakh and Kyrgyz shepherds still set up yurts in summer to tend horses and sheep. We work with several families from Saty and Bartogay who welcome our travellers for a night or two, sharing beshbarmak (wide noodles with horsemeat) and milk tea.

Further east, the Kolsai region concentrates our hiking itineraries. Three lakes stacked between 1800 and 2800 metres connect by trail over two days, with a bivouac on the shores of the second lake. An hour's drive from Saty, Kaindy Lake formed in 1911 after an earthquake that dammed a valley of spruces: the dead trunks, preserved by cold water, still emerge today. Further south, Charyn canyon and its sandstone formations in the Valley of Castles mark the transition to semi-desert steppes stretching to the Chinese border.

The region carries a history as a crossroads. Almaty was a secondary stop on the Silk Road, but the Ili valley to the north saw Scythians, Saka, Mongols and Russians pass through. The petroglyphs of Tamgaly, 170 kilometres to the west, contain nearly 5000 rock engravings dating from the second millennium BCE. On the contemporary side, the population mixes Kazakhs, Russians, Uyghurs, Dungans and Koreans, which shows in restaurant menus: Uyghur laghman, Korean kimchi and Uzbek plov are ordered on the same street.

Climate dictates the calendar. The region is explored from April to October, with nuances: the valleys are accessible from April but passes and high-altitude lakes remain snow-covered until June. Nights drop below freezing above 3000 metres even in July. We offer programmes of 2 to 6 days of hiking, suited to mountain beginners as well as experienced hikers aiming for passes at 3500 metres.

To discover

Kolsai Lakes in a 2-day hike. Ascent through firs from the first to the second lake at 2252 metres, bivouac on the shore, water at 8 degrees even in August. Horses from Saty herders carry the packs.

Kaindy Lake and its submerged spruces. Access by 4x4 along a 14-kilometre track from Saty. The trunks emerge 10 metres above turquoise water, remnants of the 1911 earthquake.

Charyn Canyon, Valley of Castles. Three-hour walk through a red sandstone gorge 150 metres deep, 200 kilometres east of Almaty, on the road to Kyrgyzstan.

Tamgaly petroglyphs. UNESCO site 170 kilometres from Almaty, 5000 rock engravings dating from the Bronze Age, narrated tour by an archaeologist guide we work with.

Assy Plateau and night in a yurt. Alpine meadows at 2600 metres still used by horse herders in summer, sky with no light pollution, Soviet-era observatory on the neighbouring ridge.

When to go

The useful season spans late April to mid-October. April and May suit Almaty, Charyn canyon and foothills up to 2000 metres, with daytime temperatures of 15 to 22 degrees and flowering meadows. The upper Kolsai Lakes and passes don't clear of snow until mid-June. July and August are peak months for high-altitude hiking: 25 to 30 degrees in Almaty, 12 to 18 degrees at Kolsai, nights around 5 degrees at bivouacs at 2800 metres. September is our favourite month, larches turn golden by late September, visitor numbers drop and weather remains stable.

We advise against the region from November to March for hiking. Snow blocks tracks above 2000 metres, Almaty hovers between -10 and 0 degrees, and approach valleys to the lakes are no longer cleared. On the other hand, December to March is ski season at Chimboulak and Ak Bulak, with good snow coverage above 2200 metres: that's a different journey, which we also organise.

Practical advice

Plan a minimum of 5 days in the region to cover Almaty, Charyn canyon and at least a two-day trek to Kolsai. Seven to eight days allow you to add Kaindy, the Assy Plateau and Tamgaly petroglyphs without rushing. Almaty International Airport has direct flights from Istanbul, Frankfurt, Dubai and several Asian cities, making it the most convenient entry point to the country.

The region combines naturally with the South and Silk Road: a one-hour domestic flight reaches Shymkent and Turkestan for 4 to 5 additional days. For travellers with 15 days, the sequence with Astana and central steppes (1.5-hour flight) or with the Kazakh Altai (flight to Oskemen) creates a coherent itinerary. Comfort ranges from 4-star in Almaty to family guesthouses in Saty and tent bivouacs on treks. The region suits families with children from age 8, hikers of all levels, and travellers who enjoy alternating walking days with short cultural stops.