Why this ride
The stored terrain estimate reaches about 2,750 m; a measured road-elevation profile is not available. A steady touring day rather than a sprint.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Kazakhstan Charyn and Kolsai Route: Kolsai Lakes to Charyn Canyon
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 104 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 2 h 29
- Journey
- One way; return travel is separate
Distance and timing basis
The recorded total and the leg detail need reconciliation. Inspect the leg notes before using this record for timing or navigation. Stops, delays, approach and any separate return travel add time. Basis: producer-declared routed record.
Reading history stays on this device. My road watch requires a separate selection; opening it does not subscribe this ride.
Distance and riding time are measured on the routed road. Check local closures and conditions before you ride.
Scenic road chapters
Kazakhstan Charyn and Kolsai Route
The ride follows Kazakhstan Charyn and Kolsai Route for 38 km.
Chapter facts
- Length
- 38 km
- Named road
- Kazakhstan Charyn and Kolsai Route
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Kolsai Lakes
Kolsai Lakes are three alpine lakes strung out in a valley of the Kungey Alatau range, in the far south-east of Kazakhstan, close to the Kyrgyz border. The first lies at around 1,800 metres, and the second, reached by a longer walk, at about 2,250, with a third higher still in the mountains. The water is a deep, cold turquoise, held between steep slopes of dark spruce, and the reflections of the forest and the sky in the still surface make a memorable sight. The lakes were formed by landslides that blocked the valley, long ago.
Read the complete Kolsai Lakes write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Kolsai Lakes is where the day begins. Next is Saty.
2. Saty
Saty is a village at the end of a good road, and it looks it. Here the steppe gives way to green pastures dotted with spruce, and in summer, herders bring their horses and sheep up from the valleys and live in yurts on the hillsides. The air is clean and cold, the skies are huge, and the few buildings look small beside the mountains.
Read the complete Saty write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Saty comes up 99 km in. Next is Charyn Canyon.
3. Charyn Canyon
The Charyn river has spent roughly twelve million years cutting a canyon through the red plain of south-eastern Kazakhstan, and the result is one of the great surprises of Central Asia. The gorge runs for about a hundred and fifty kilometres, reaching depths of around three hundred metres, and the most visited stretch is the Valley of Castles, where wind and water have carved the red sandstone into towers, arches and ramparts that seem to have been built by giants. At sunset, the whole thing glows deep orange and the shadows run purple.
Read the complete Charyn Canyon write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
The route ends here after 104 km.
Leg by leg
Kolsai Lakes to Saty
Kolsai Lakes → Saty is 38 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Saty to Charyn Canyon
Saty → Charyn Canyon is 159 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.