5-Day Kazakh Nomad Experience from Almaty: Assy Plateau Yurt Stay & Horse Riding
Almaty5 days
- Free cancellation
About this experience
Kazakh nomadism is not a museum exhibit. Every summer families still move their horses and sheep from the valleys up to the jailau, the high summer pasture, and live in yurts until the weather turns. The Assy plateau, two hours above Almaty, is one of those pastures, and this five-day private tour takes you up to stay on it. You sleep in a yurt, ride with the herders, watch a kymyz mare being milked, eat what the camp eats, and spend an afternoon with a berkutchi and his golden eagle. It is the most direct experience of Kazakh life available anywhere near the city.
Why you will remember this trip
Sleep two nights in a traditional yurt on the Assy plateau at around 2,500 metres
Ride steppe horses with the herders who summer on the jailau
Watch a golden eagle flown by a berkutchi, in the hunting tradition UNESCO lists as heritage
Drink fresh kymyz and shubat, the fermented mare’s and camel’s milk that define the Kazakh table
See the Assy-Turgen observatory, a working Soviet-era telescope on the plateau
Learn to put up a yurt, which takes a family under an hour and will take you longer
Your 5 days
Day 1 — Arrive in Almaty, the Green Bazaar and the instruments museum
Day 2 — Up the Turgen gorge to the Assy plateau and the first night in a yurt
Day 3 — A full day on the jailau — riding, milking, yurt-building and the eagle hunter
Day 4 — A second ride, then down to Almaty and a Kazakh farewell dinner
Day 5 — Departure from Almaty
Private from start to finish
The jailau is a working pasture, not a resort, and access depends on a relationship with the families who use it. We arrange your stay with a specific herding family, and your guide interprets throughout so the visit is a conversation rather than a photo stop. The yurt is yours alone for the two nights.
Next available dates
What’s included
- Private air-conditioned vehicle with a professional driver for the whole itinerary
- Private English-speaking guide throughout the touring days
- 4 nights' accommodation with daily breakfast, as described in the itinerary
- Arrival and departure transfers at Almaty International Airport (ALA)
- All fuel, road tolls, parking and driver expenses
- Bottled drinking water in the vehicle every day
- Two nights in a private traditional yurt on the Assy plateau, with all meals
- Two guided horse rides on the plateau with a local herder, including all equipment
- Private eagle-hunting demonstration with a berkutchi
- All meals on Days 2, 3 and 4
- Kymyz and shubat tasting at the camp
Not included
- International flights to and from Almaty
- Kazakhstan visa, where your nationality requires one
- Lunches and dinners, unless individually listed as included
- Travel and medical insurance, which we strongly recommend
- Personal expenses, laundry, minibar and telephone charges
- Gratuities for your guide and driver, which are at your discretion
Itinerary
- 1
Arrival in Almaty
Your driver meets you at Almaty airport for an easy first afternoon in the city. Green Bazaar — kurt, horse sausage and dried fruit, which is useful background for what you will eat on the plateau. Museum of Folk Musical Instruments — the dombra and kobyz, and the herding songs they belong to. Packing briefing — your guide explains what to take up to the yurt and what to leave at the hotel. Overnight in Almaty.
- 2
The climb to the Assy plateau
Out of the city and up, on a track that climbs more than 1,500 metres in a morning. Turgen gorge — the wooded lower valley, with the river alongside the road. The Assy pass — the treeline falls away and the plateau opens out, grazed and almost treeless, with horses and sheep across it. Arrival at the camp — you are shown to your yurt and given tea, bread and kurt, which is how every guest is received. Evening with the family — dinner cooked over the stove, and the herders’ account of how the summer works. Overnight in a yurt on the Assy plateau.
- 3
A day on the summer pasture
The full working rhythm of the pasture, from the morning milking onwards. Morning ride — two to three hours across the plateau with a herder, at your own pace. Mare milking and kymyz — mares are milked several times a day through the summer; the milk is fermented in a leather saba and drunk fresh. Putting up a yurt — the kerege lattice, the uyk poles and the shanyrak crown, assembled with you helping. The berkutchi — a golden eagle flown to the lure, with its handler explaining how a bird is taken, trained and eventually released back to the wild. Assy-Turgen observatory — the working telescope on the plateau, and after dark a night sky with no light pollution at all. Overnight in the yurt.
- 4
Descent to Almaty
A final morning on the plateau before the long descent. Sunrise ride — a shorter ride while the light is low and the herds are moving. Farewell at the camp — tea and bread with the family before you leave. Descent through Turgen — stopping at the Bear Waterfall on the way down if time allows. Kazakh dinner in Almaty — beshbarmak served properly, with the guest given the honoured portion. Overnight in Almaty.
- 5
Departure from Almaty
Free time and then the transfer. Free time — for a shower, a coffee and last shopping. Airport transfer — to Almaty airport for your onward flight. End of the tour.
Good to know
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Guide
- Guided tour in English
- Start times
- 12:00
Know before you go
- A clear copy of the passport of every traveller, at least 7 days before arrival
- Your inbound and outbound flight numbers and times, so we can meet you correctly
- Comfortable closed walking shoes; the itinerary includes uneven ground
- Sun protection: hat, sunglasses and a high-factor sunscreen
- A reasonable level of general fitness for the walking described in the itinerary
- Warm layers — Kazakhstan's temperature swings sharply between day and night
- Long trousers suitable for riding
- A warm sleeping layer for the yurt nights
Cancellation policy
Free cancellation up to 14 days before the experience starts.
- 14 days or more before: full refund
- 7–13 days before: 50% refund
- Less than 7 days before: no refund
Meeting point
View on map
Almaty Airport (ALA) arrivals hall
- Address
- Almaty International Airport (ALA), arrivals hall, Almaty, 050039, KZ
- How you meet
- Meet on location
- Coordinates
- 43.35210, 77.04050
Illustrative map. Open it in Maps for the exact spot and live directions.
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Frequently asked questions
How long does this experience last?
It lasts 5 days.
Can I cancel this booking?
Free cancellation up to 14 days before the experience starts. 14 days or more before: full refund · 7–13 days before: 50% refund · Less than 7 days before: no refund
Is this experience guided, and in what language?
Guided tour in English
Is hotel pickup included?
No — you make your own way to the meeting point.
Where does this experience start?
It starts at Almaty Airport (ALA) arrivals hall, Almaty International Airport (ALA), arrivals hall, Almaty, 050039, KZ.
From AED 8,794 per person
