Kolsai Lakes
Kolsai is three lakes on one river: the lower at 1,818 m, the middle (Mynzhylgy) at 2,252 m and the upper at 2,850 m. Each is dammed by an old landslide, ringed by Tien Shan spruce, up to 50 m deep, with rainbow trout in the water. The lower lake is a stroll: an hour on railed boardwalks. Above it the walking is real — about five hours to the middle lake and as much again to the upper one. From Almaty it is 293 km, 5 h 20 min. Entry is 865 tenge (about 22,700 UZS), 2,595 tenge for a car. By August 2026 the park had taken 330,000 visitors — weekends are busy.
Weather
At 1 818 mNow: -1° · Cloudy · Wind 2 km/h
Updated: 9 min ago · Weather data by Open-Meteo.com (CC BY 4.0)
Trail conditions
No reports in the last 14 days. Be the first to report in the app.
Discussion
No questions yet. Ask the first one.
How to get there
-
Fly to Almaty, then driveAir Astana, Uzbekistan Airways, Qanot Sharq and Centrum Air fly Tashkent — Almaty; we could not verify a fare or a flight time, so we print no number. Almaty to the lower lake is 293 km and 5 h 20 min; Saty village is 265 km.
- Toshkent → Olmaota Flight Fare and duration unverified.
- Olmaota → Quyi Ko'lsoy ko'li Car · 5 h 21 min · 292,8 km
-
By car from TashkentTashkent to Almaty is 813 km and 9 h 50 min of driving (the border queue on top), then Almaty to the lake is 293 km and 5 h 20 min. It is a two-day drive; sleep in Almaty or in Saty village. · 1106,0 km · 15 h 10 min
- Toshkent → Olmaota Car · 9 h 49 min · 812,7 km
- Olmaota → Quyi Ko'lsoy ko'li Car · 5 h 21 min · 292,8 km
-
By train to AlmatyThe Almaty-2 — Tashkent Talgo runs daily (KTZ's own train list, May 2026 timetable); departure time and fare could not be obtained. From Almaty to Saty you need a taxi or a hire car — public transport is said to run once a day, but we could not check that.
- Toshkent → Olmaota Public transport Daily Talgo; times and fare unverified.
- Olmaota → Sati qishlog'i Taxi · 4 h 6 min · 265,0 km
Questions and answers
Do you need a permit?
Yes. This is a protected area: entry needs permission, or a fee at the gate. National park. The ticket office is open 09:30–21:00 and the park itself round the clock; the hotline is 8 800 100 33 39 and the office is in Saty village. Kaspi QR or cash tenge; keep the receipt. Kolsai is inside the border zone, but a passport is enough to enter the zone (Law on the State Border, art. 40 §2). The Upper Kolsai lake and the Sarybulak pass are in the border strip itself, which needs a KNB permit — without one you are turned back. Register your route on 112 before going into the mountains.
How do you get there?
Fly to Almaty, then drive: Air Astana, Uzbekistan Airways, Qanot Sharq and Centrum Air fly Tashkent — Almaty; we could not verify a fare or a flight time, so we print no number. Almaty to the lower lake is 293 km and 5 h 20 min; Saty village is 265 km. There are 3 ways in altogether.
Which months are best?
May–Sep — that is when people go.
What does it cost?
Hostel bed in the park, per person/night — 131 000 UZS (per person, 5000 KZT @ 2026-09-16), Village guesthouse, double room per night — 1 183 000 UZS (per night, 45000 KZT @ 2026-09-16), Park entry, per person/day — 22 700 UZS (per person, 865 KZT @ 2026-09-16), Vehicle entry, per day — 68 000 UZS (per car, 2595 KZT @ 2026-09-16). The prices are estimates and can differ on the day.
Is there water on the way?
There is water from the lake and the river, but swimming is banned. Boil or filter before drinking.
Is there phone signal?
It comes and goes.
Photos
Photos by Wikimedia Commons contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0
