Walking Tour: Introduction to Almaty

We booked a three week tour of Central Asia with AdvanTour who then contracted out to Friendly Tours for for our day tour of Alamaty. We had the pleasure of having Ola as our tour guide for a 5 hour tour. She was very knowledgeable, friendly, and happy to answer any and all of our questions about Kazakhstan. It felt like we were spending the day with a new friend! If anyone is looking for a great tour of the city with a delightful guide, book with Friendly Tours and ask for Ola!

I did multiple trips with Friendly Tours: a city walk, a hike in the mountains and a trip to the national park. I can only recommend them, they were super friendly and always eager to make the experience as great as possible. Evgenia was a great driver as well (which you need considering the state of the roads). Also, the guides speak English really well which helps a lot.

I cannot say enough good things about Friendly Tours. During my first visit to Almaty, they were the most helpful and interesting tour guides I have ever had. I took three tours with Olya and Constantine, both of whom spoke perfect English and were the most engaging, warm and interesting guides I have ever had. I did a fascinating walking tour of the city followed by the wonderful 'dinner with a local family' that day. The biggest of the three tours was an all day trip to Big Almaty Lake plus more destinations in the Almaty area. What I enjoyed was that they customized the tours to exactly what my interests were. Of course we saw all the major sites, but I wanted to try the local chocolate, so they took me to the amazing chocolate shop. I wanted to try camel's milk, and they made that happen. Stamps for post cards, voila! A few souvenir gifts, there you go.  I made a personal connection with both Constantine and Olya which I hope to keep long after i have returned home. They were the best guides and I can highly recommend anyone visiting Kazakhstan contact them for any tours

I booked private day tours for my partner and I to have a guided exploration of Almaty city which included the parks, Koke Tube Hill, the Green Market, Ascension Cathedral, and other points of interest. The guide was very knowledgable of the city, a pleasure to spend the day with, and able to tailor the tours to our specific tastes. She also picked some amazing places to experience the local cuisine and walked us through the menu. The prices were extremely reasonable, the service excellent, and they provided us with a hassle free, zero complications visit. I would highly recommend their services and intend to use them again next year for a longer tour of the countryside.

Did the walking tour with Olya. I was interested in the Soviet period in Kazakhstan and she tailor made the tour for me at no extra cost! Great service. Olya was an excellent guide - her English was clear and understandable, and she really helped explain the sights we were looking at in detail without too many dry facts and figures. It was more like touring the city with a friend than a guide. The tour was meant to be 3 hours but went on for nearly 5, all at no extra cost. At no point did I feel she was trying to rush through to the end. Pre tour email communication was also really good with no delays. Every city could do with a company like Friendly tours!! Hint - they also organise taxi transfers from the airport at reasonable rates.

I contacted Friendly Tours by email on arrival in Almaty to ask about doing a walking tour and they responded promptly. We arranged a suitable time and my guide Konstantin met me at my hotel. He spoke excellent English and was a really nice guy who enjoyed talking about his town and country. The explanations of various sights were comprehensive without being boring. The pace of the walking tour was good, Konstantin was happy to go at a pace that suited me. One of the advantages of this tour is that it gives you a great orientation to the city as well as explaining what things are, without this explanation most non Kazak or Russian speakers will struggle to know much about the monuments and main buildings of the city. At $US30 I found this tour really great value and thoroughly enjoyable.

I had a great day and introduction to Almaty with Gaukhar. It was a rainy and chilly day but the two of us made the most of it.  She was knowledgeable and went the extra mile to make sure I had a good day. She even helped me purchase some winter clothes in the Green Market.

Gaukhar spent the day with our group of four in Almaty following a recommendation from another company in Almaty. One of a full day of highlights was a walk with sampling through the Green Market where we lunched on a deliciously fresh lagman. She showed us how to use a few forms of local transport and guided us through the picturesque Malaya Stanitsa neighborhood & numerous city sights.  Having Gaukhar show us around meant we got so much more from our time in Almaty, in terms of time, history and what life is like in Kazakhstan today. I wish Gaukhar every success with her business and would definitely recommend her & support Friendly Tours again for more touring upon any future return to Kazakhstan.