Kazakhstan · GUIDED

The 12 Best Guided Tours in Kazakhstan

12 tours  ·  from $31

Kazakhstan rewards a guide: the distances are long, the signage is thin, and the good stops are not obvious from the road. These 12 are priced and timed, with what the guide actually covers.

Astana City Tour: Explore Night City with a Certified Guide - Assumption Cathedral: a quieter opening stop
Astana City Tours, Astana Tours, City Tours, Evening Experiences, Guided, Tour Reviews, Tours

Astana City Tour: Explore Night City with a Certified Guide

1.Astana City Tour: Explore Night City with a Certified Guide

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 90 reviews · 4 hours · from $49Our pick

Spend four evening hours seeing Astana’s key monuments under lights, with hotel pickup, an air-conditioned vehicle, Wi-Fi, drinks, and an English or Russian-speaking guide. Damir, Arsen, and Abay are among the guides reported for this tour, with time for photo stops and questions.

“Damir our guide was courteous, professional & extremely knowledgeable about the culture & history of Kazakhstan & Astana's monuments. It was such a magical experience seeing all the sights lit up at night & one I will never forget. If you're looking for something to do in Astana, this is a must. Thank you Damir.”

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Almaty: Guided Bar Crawl with Shots - Drinks, Food, and Drinking Games
Almaty Tours, Drinking Tours, Guided, Tour Reviews

Almaty: Guided Bar Crawl with Shots

2.Guided Bar Crawl with Shots

★★★★★★★★★★4.2 · 43 reviews · 3.5 hours · from $31Best value

Meet an English or Russian-speaking guide at Bee’s Knees in central Almaty, then visit four local bars with four welcome shots, games, group photos, and nightclub entry. The Saturday crawl suits solo visitors and social groups aged 21 to 60, though venues and group energy can vary.

“The guide had not received the details of my booking. He was accommodating and managed to get it sorted. The pub crawl needs to be better managed to avoid such instances. Some of the pubs were amazing and we made some friends.”

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Astana City Tours, Astana Tours, City Tours, Evening Experiences, Guided, Private, Tour Reviews, Tours

Astana: Private Night City Tour with Certified Guide

3.Private Night City Tour with Certified Guide

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 25 reviews · 3 hours · from $47

Ride through Astana after sunset with an English- or Russian-speaking guide such as Sultan, Kadyrbek, Nura, or Aitzhan. You’ll see the Grand Mosque, Baiterek area, Khan Shatyr, bridges, opera house, and Ak Orda, with warm clothing, water, snacks, and a camera recommended.

“Astana is absolutely beautiful at night so I very much recommend doing the city tour at dark. We took a 3h tour and it was enough to go through the main areas and attractions. Our guide Bekzat was knowledgeable about both the places we visited and life in Astana. The tour was well organized we got all tickets and entries where needed. We enjoyed our tour and the time with Bekzat!”

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Astana: Back to USSR Gulag Museum with Certified Guide - The road from Astana to Dolinka
Astana City Tours, Astana Tours, Guided, Museums, Tour Reviews

Astana: Back to USSR Gulag Museum with Certified Guide

4.Back to USSR Gulag Museum with Certified Guide

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 14 reviews · 1 day · from $165

Travel from Astana to Dolinka with an English- or Russian-speaking guide, visit the Karlag Gulag Museum for 2.5 hours, then tour Karaganda and stop for lunch. Damir leads the tour with clear explanations of Soviet history, Kazakh life, and the city’s changing face.

“Simply great. This was my 3rd tour with the company, which completed everything that should be seen in and near Astana. A very smooth ride to the museum, where I got a chance to learn a lot about the system of Gulags. Then Damir gave a tour of Karaganda city, which a combination of a fairly modern and Soviet city. Our lunch at a Russian restaurant was the cherry on top. Many thanks to Damir and Discover Astana!”

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Astana City Tour: Certified Guide+Winetasting+All Inclusive - Khan Shatyr starts the modern-city story
Astana City Tours, Astana Tours, City Tours, Guided, Tour Reviews, Tours

Astana City Tour: Certified Guide+Winetasting+All Inclusive

5.Astana City Tour: Certified Guide+Winetasting+All Inclusive

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 14 reviews · 8 hours · from $129

Spend eight hours seeing Astana with a private English or Russian-speaking guide, usually Damir. Visit Bayterek, the National Museum, Ak Orda, the Grand Mosque area, Atyrau Bridge, and more, with lunch, Wi-Fi, water, and a local winery visit included in the experience.

“I liked how the tour was conducted and how the itinerary was setup. My guide Damir was excellent and knowledgeable. His way of story telling made the tour very interesting.”

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Almaty Private Guided Walking Tour With A Guide (Private Tour) - Republic Square and the symbols of modern Kazakhstan
Almaty Tours, Guided, Private, Tour Reviews, Tours, Walking Tours

Almaty Private Guided Walking Tour With A Guide (Private Tour)

6.Almaty Private Guided Walking Tour With A Guide (Private Tour)

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 9 reviews · from $54

Spend 2 to 8 hours walking Almaty with a private English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, or Russian-speaking guide. See Panfilov Park, Republic Square, Arbat, the Green Bazaar, and Central Mosque, with optional museum visits and Kok-Tobe added by arrangement.

“Very informative tour with a great, friendly and helpful guide, Marat. Saw all of the key sights and really enjoyed the opportunity to learn more about Almaty.”

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Guided Night Time Tour of Astana in a Private Car - Khan Shatyr, a Giant Tent on the City Skyline
Astana City Tours, Astana Tours, Evening Experiences, Guided, Private, Private Car with Driver, Tour Reviews, Tours

Guided Night Time Tour of Astana in a Private Car

7.Guided Night Time Tour of Astana in a Private Car

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 8 reviews · from $64

Explore Astana after sunset in a private air-conditioned car with an English-speaking guide. You’ll visit the Grand Mosque, Bayterek Tower, Khan Shatyr, Hazret Sultan Mosque, the Palace of Peace, and Atyrau Bridge, with guides such as Amir, Bau, and Leon available through Astana Horizons.

“We're family of 8, 6 adults and 2 kids. The 1st day after our night flight to Astana , we contacted Astana Horizons, a local tour operator which we found on Google among other local tour operators. We messaged a few of them and Astana HorRead more”

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From Shymkent: Turkestan and Otrar Day Tour with Guide - Otrar, where a Silk Road city became ruins
Guided, Shymkent Tours, Tour Reviews, Tours

From Shymkent: Turkestan and Otrar Day Tour with Guide

8.Turkestan and Otrar Day Tour with Guide

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 6 reviews · 9 hours · from $160

Spend nine hours with a private guide such as Islam or Daulet, traveling from Shymkent to Otrar and Turkestan. See Silk Road ruins, Arystan Bab, Ahmed Yasawi, museums, a carpet collection, and Karavansaray, with transport and entry fees included.

“J'ai vu des lieux historiques importants et grâce au professionalisme du guide Daulet, j'ai appris beaucoup. Daulet a su rendre l'histoire du Kazakhstan vivante. De plus, Daulet s'est adapté à moi et a adapté un peu le tour. Grâce à cette adaptation j'ai vu le bazar de Turkistan. Je recommande vivement ce tour à des personnes qui s'intéressent à l'histoire du pays.”

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Guided Walking City Tour in Almaty - Starting at Zhibek Zholy metro station
Almaty Tours, City Tours, Guided, Tour Reviews, Tours, Walking Tours

Guided Walking City Tour in Almaty

9.Guided Walking City Tour in Almaty

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 5 reviews · from $60

Walk through Almaty with a professional guide who brings humor to the city’s layered past. See Silk Road-themed metro art, Stalin-era buildings, the unusual Central Telegraph, Panfilov Park, Zenkov Cathedral, and, if you wish, the Green Bazaar. Private groups meet at 11:00 am.

“It was basically a tour about architecture and very little else. Was not what I expected from the tour description.”

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Almaty City Bike Tour: Guided e-Bike Tour of City Highlights - Starting at Kudos Coffee
Almaty City Tours, Almaty Tours, City Tours, Cycling Tours, E-Bikes, Guided, Tour Reviews, Tours

Almaty City Bike Tour: Guided e-Bike Tour of City Highlights

10.Almaty City Bike Tour: Guided e-Bike Tour of City Highlights

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 5 reviews · from $60

Cycle Almaty with a guide such as Dulat on an easy-riding e-bike tour for up to three people. Hear clear commentary through a wireless audio system while visiting Kok Tobe Hill, Ascension Cathedral, and Green Bazaar. The route begins and ends at Kudos Coffee.

“This tour is a can’t miss! In just 2.5 hours, we experienced a fantastic journey through the heart of the city, thanks to our nice and knowledgeable guide, Dulat. His storytelling was full of fascinating history, cultural insights, and fun anecdotes tRead more”

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Personalized guided Car Tours to Charyn Canyon & Kolsay Lake - Walking down into Charyn Canyon
Almaty Tours, Charyn Canyon Tours, Guided, Kolsai Lakes Tours, Tour Reviews, Tours

Personalized guided Car Tours to Charyn Canyon & Kolsay Lake

11.Personalized guided Car Tours to Charyn Canyon & Kolsay Lake

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 4 reviews

Travel privately from Almaty to Charyn Canyon and Kolsay Lake with a local guide such as Sergey or Igor. Expect long scenic drives, a walk to the canyon river, optional truck transport uphill, and free time for boats, horses, or lakeside walks.

“We had the absolute pleasure of having the most incredible tour guide SERGEY during our trip to Kazakhstan. It was a 3 nights 4 days trip and from the very beginning, he went above and beyond to ensure our journey was not only safe and sRead more”

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Astana Private Custom Walking Tour with A Local Guide - Bayterek Tower gives you Astana’s visual starting point
Astana City Tours, Astana Tours, Guided, Private, Tour Reviews, Tours, Walking Tours

Astana Private Custom Walking Tour with A Local Guide

12.Astana Private Custom Walking Tour with A Local Guide

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 3 reviews · from $53

See Astana with a private local guide for 2 to 8 hours. Your route can include Bayterek Tower, Nur-Astana Mosque, the Peace Pyramid, Astana Opera, the First President Museum, and Khan Shatyr. City-center pickup is offered, and guide Bikhat has led a praised half-day visit.

“This excursion was only possible due to the availability of the guide hired at the last minute because the organizers had canceled it without our consent because, despite the reservation made months before, we were informed only two days Read moreAuto-translated”

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Keep browsing

Charyn Canyon Tours58Kolsai Lakes Tours52Kaindy Lake Tours43Big Almaty Lake Tours15Almaty City Tours9Astana City Tours23
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Explore Kazakhstan

Pick a canyon, a lake, a ridge or a bazaar.

Canyons and lakes

Charyn CanyonKolsai LakesKaindy LakeBig Almaty LakeIssyk Lake

Above the city

Medeu and ShymbulakKok TobeHiking DaysTurgen Gorge

Steppe and desert

Singing DuneAktau MountainsBlack CanyonNational ParksHorse Riding

City days

Almaty CityAstana CityCity ToursWalking ToursHistory Tours