Big Almaty Lake Tour with Scenic Horseback Ride

Animal abuse

Our tour was disorganized and raised serious concerns about both participant safety and animal welfare. It was a deeply disappointing experience and, unfortunately, poorly represented the hospitality, people, and country of Kazakhstan. Our first stop was Big Almaty Lake, which was beautiful, and the transportation was convenient. Our guide then informed us that the horseback riding provider was fully booked, but said she had rearranged the itinerary so that we could ride with another provider for an hour rather than the originally planned 30 minutes. The next stop was supposed to be the gorge, but instead became an unexpected coffee break. It was unclear whether this change was related to the revised horseback riding arrangements, but we were disappointed that we did not visit the gorge, particularly since it was less than a kilometer from the parking lot and could have easily been reached on foot. The change was neither clearly explained nor communicated. The most concerning part of the tour was the horseback riding. The providers were all young local men who were unable to communicate even basic riding instructions or horse-management guidance to the tourists. Most people in our group had little or no previous riding experience, and several participants expressed that they felt unsafe and out of control of their horses. More seriously, the condition of many of the horses was extremely concerning. The majority appeared severely underweight, with visibly emaciated bodies. The horse I personally rode was one of the healthier-looking animals. While he was very slim, he was energetic and capable of carrying a rider. Unfortunately, that did not appear to be the case for many of the other horses. Nearly all of the horses also had visible cuts, sores, and scars, raising serious concerns about how they are treated and whether they have been subjected to whipping or other forms of mistreatment. When we raised these concerns with our guide, she appeared indifferent and told us that this condition was normal in Kazakhstan. Having ridden horses in numerous countries and having owned horses ourselves, my companion and I are familiar with appropriate standards of equine health and welfare. The condition of these animals was, in our view, well below an acceptable standard for riding or general animal health. We both regret participating in the horseback ride. It was something I had been genuinely looking forward to, but in hindsight, we should have refused to ride once we saw the condition of the horses and the lack of adequate safety instruction. Our eagerness to participate unfortunately overrode our better judgment at the time. I hope that by sharing this feedback, Kazakhstan Guided Tours will take these concerns seriously and use this experience as an opportunity to improve. Guides should be better educated on participant safety and animal welfare, and the company should establish and enforce clear standards for the providers it works with. If horses are visibly malnourished, injured, or otherwise being neglected, the company should refuse to participate in or promote those rides. Kazakhstan has so much natural beauty, culture, and hospitality to offer visitors. It is genuinely a shame for a tour representing the country to provide an experience that leaves visitors concerned about their own safety and the welfare of the animals involved. I hope Kazakhstan Guided Tours will take meaningful steps to ensure that future visitors have an experience that better reflects the country and its people.

Response from the operator: Thank you for taking the time to share your detailed feedback. We are glad to hear that you enjoyed your visit to Big Almaty Lake and found the transportation comfortable and convenient. At the same time, we are sorry that the horseback riding portion of the tour caused you such concern and ultimately affected your overall impression of the experience. As this review was posted immediately after the tour, before these concerns had been brought to our management team, we did not have an opportunity to investigate or address the situation before the review was published. We would therefore like to provide some important context that was subsequently clarified in our direct correspondence with you, as well as explain the actions taken afterward. The equestrian facility visited that day was not our regular horseback riding provider. Prior to the tour, you had asked our guide whether a faster riding experience, including cantering or galloping, could be arranged, as this is not part of the standard group horseback riding activity. When our regular provider was unable to accommodate this request on the day, the guide made the decision to use a nearby alternative facility in an effort to accommodate your request. Kazakhstan Guided Tours had not previously worked with or visited this facility. While this change was made in an effort to accommodate a special request, we want to be very clear that the choice of the alternative provider was our responsibility, not yours. Given the title of this review, “Animal abuse,” we believe an important distinction should also be made. Kazakhstan Guided Tours does not own, house, train, or care for these horses, and our company had no prior affiliation with this particular equestrian facility. The horseback riding activity was operated independently by the facility, which is responsible for the ownership, care, health, and management of its animals. We therefore believe it is important that readers understand that the concerns described in this review relate to the condition of animals at an independently operated facility visited on this particular occasion, rather than to animals owned or managed by Kazakhstan Guided Tours. That said, we fully recognize our responsibility for the fact that our guide brought guests to this facility as part of the tour. We do not seek to distance ourselves from that responsibility. After receiving your feedback regarding the condition of the horses, we decided that no further guests would be referred to this provider. We also reviewed the guide’s handling of the situation. Her comment regarding the condition of the horses was inappropriate and does not represent the position of Kazakhstan Guided Tours. Guides are not professionally qualified to assess the medical condition of animals, and concerns regarding animal welfare should never be dismissed or presented as something that is simply “normal in Kazakhstan.” This has been addressed internally. We are equally concerned that some participants felt they did not receive adequate riding and safety instructions. Regardless of which independent provider operates an activity, guests should receive appropriate safety instructions before participating. This incident has reinforced the importance of verifying not only the provider itself, but also its safety procedures and animal-welfare standards. We also acknowledge your concern regarding the change to the itinerary and the missed gorge stop. Any changes to the advertised program should be clearly communicated to guests, and this point has also been addressed with our team. Once you contacted us directly, we reviewed the circumstances in detail, responded to each of your concerns, and took corrective action. We also appreciated your subsequent message acknowledging our response and the measures taken. Your feedback has helped us strengthen our internal procedures regarding third-party providers, guide decision-making, safety, and animal-welfare considerations. In particular, guides should not independently substitute an activity provider that has not been properly verified by the company. We sincerely regret that this particular experience did not reflect the standards we aim to provide or the impression of Kazakhstan that we want our guests to take home with them. At the same time, we hope the actions taken following your feedback demonstrate that concerns of this nature are taken seriously and lead to concrete changes within our company.

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Big Almaty Lake

This trip was amazing! Ax is an awesome guide and is so knowledgeable.

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Don't go Horse Riding

didn't feel this tour offered good value for money. The stop at Big Almaty Lake was quite short, and after visiting the lake we had to wait a long time for the taxi to pick us up again. The drive to the horse-riding location was also brief, but it was clear that the riding itself did not take place inside the national park, which was somewhat disappointing. The itinerary stated that those not participating in the horse ride would have a 30-minute lunch break. However, when we arrived, it turned out there wasn't a café but only a restaurant serving large meat platters. One older solo traveller simply wanted to buy a Coke, but the only option was a 1.5-litre bottle, so she decided not to order anything. The three travellers ended up just waiting around without ordering snacks or drinks. The biggest issue was the horse riding. We were taken to the horses and expected to ride up a hill, yet we received virtually no instructions on how to ride or control a horse. As someone with little experience, my horse kept stopping to eat, and I had no idea how to encourage it to keep moving. At the same time, one of the younger participants became very nervous, which made her horse nervous as well. The horse left the trail, and you could clearly see the panic on our guides' faces as they chased after her. While they were distracted, my own horse also wandered off the path. Throughout the ride, I genuinely felt unsafe and was worried that someone might get injured. Fortunately, a few other participants had previous horse-riding experience and kindly gave the less experienced riders some helpful advice. We all made it back safely, but it felt more like good luck than the result of proper preparation or supervision. Overall, I think the tour needs much better organisation, clearer communication about what is included, and, most importantly, proper safety instructions and support for inexperienced riders.

Response from the operator: Thank you for taking the time to share such detailed feedback. We truly appreciate comments that help us identify areas where we can improve. We would like to clarify the situation regarding Big Almaty Lake. Access to the lake currently involves a special transfer service. At times, there may be a wait for the vehicles, particularly when the National Park temporarily restricts traffic due to ongoing slope reinforcement and rockfall prevention works. Unfortunately, these circumstances are beyond our control. This transfer, however, allows our guests to visit the lake without having to undertake a very demanding hike of approximately 3.5 hours each way. Regarding the horseback riding, we fully agree on one important point: guests should receive clear safety instructions and feel properly supported throughout the ride. This part of the tour is operated by our local horseback-riding partners, and we will certainly discuss your experience with them and emphasize the importance of thorough instructions and supervision. We will also take your comments regarding the arrangements for guests who choose not to participate in the horseback ride into consideration and work on making this information clearer in advance. Thank you again for your detailed review and constructive comments. We are glad that everyone returned safely, and we genuinely appreciate feedback that helps us improve the experience for our future guests!

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Big Almaty Lake

We had an absolutely fantastic tour to Big Almaty Lake with Jan! Jan was super friendly, extremely attentive, and put so much effort into making the day special. His explanations were filled with great attention to detail, making the trip truly unforgettable. You can tell he really loves what he does. Highly recommended!

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Must see in Almaty!

Our guide, Nursultan, was very knowledgeable, effective, and kind. We enjoyed the drive, his talk, a little walk, and the views very much. Since we left the hotel early in the morning, we could not eat our breakfast there; the hotel packed our breakfast, and we were able to eat it at the lake, totally immersed in nature. Although the lake water was not transparent due to the recent rains, the scenery was spectacular, and the trip was well worth the effort!

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