Aden Andrus
Google
Kolsai Lakes feels like walking into the Kazakh version of the book Heidi. Giant, breathtaking mountains, beautiful lakes, valleys filled with wildflowers.
It's a bit of a drive to get here, but I found a day trip from Almaty for around $60, and I'm so glad I did! This place stole my heart. I only wish I'd had time to hike deeper into the park, but I knew what I was signing up for. I didn't do any of the many activities they have here, but I went off on a back trail a bit, and it got prettier the further I went.
It looks like there's a hotel on the lake, so I think I'm going to come back and check that out in the future. Seriously, if you're on the fence, do yourself a favor and check out Kolsai!