We know what you're thinking, you were only 48 hours in Kazakhstan?! The good thing is, we can share with you the best (and fastest) way to see the highlights around Almaty. The even better thing is, we would love to go back to explore the rest of the country. After all, it's the 9th largest country in the world by area!
Kazakhstan has become increasingly more popular to visit as a result of a movie (Borat) that came out in 2006. Although we can confirm it's nothing like what is portrayed in the movie, we did think it was "very nice!" and we were very tempted to make that the title of our blog. You can let us know in the comments whether you still think we should change it.
Good to know:
Official language: Kazakh and Russian. English is not widely spoken, however people working in the tourism industry generally do speak English.
Currency: Kazakhstani Tenge (KZT).
They accept foreign credit cards however it is advised to have cash on you. The hotels and restaurants we went to took credit card but smaller local supermarkets typically will only take cash.
Kazakhstan has a population of 19 million people and Astana is the capital. About 44% is rural and 56% is urban population.
Kazakhstan currently gives visa exemption to citizens of 54 nations.
Dress code: 72% of the population is Muslim, and 23% Christian. In the cities it is not required to dress modestly, you can wear what you like. We would advise to dress more modestly in the countryside.
Good to know about taxi's:
Taxi's are cheap in Kazakhstan, if you can't figure out our instructions below to order a taxi just flag one on the street and be prepared to negotiate with them.
We were recommended by a local to pick the comfort plus or business options rather than economy to ensure you get better cars and drivers.
Uber is not available. The alternative to it is Yandex Taxi or Yandex Go, however this is not available in the Apple Store anymore as an app.
To use Yandex Taxi, you can use the web browser. You will need to insert a local mobile number so in order to use this option, you will need to get a sim card (can be done at the airport and costs anywhere between 5-10 euros depending on what data package you want).
To order a taxi, you insert the address or location of where you are now and where you need to go and select taxi type, once this is done the rest is similar to Uber.
Monitor when the taxi arrives through the website browser and please note that you can only pay cash (amount will be clearly indicated).
If you get stuck with the web browser, and would really like to know how to use it, please feel free to reach out through the contact form on the "work with us" section.
Good to know before you go to Charyn Canyon & Kaindy Lake:
Asiatrip offers guided tours with 4x4 in English, Russian and Kazakh. You can select a standard or discuss a personalised itinerary.
This tour is a 13 hour round trip, if you add Kolsay lake to this it will be 16 hours.
Communication with tour companies can be done via Whatsapp.
The English tour guides are more expensive so we decided to go budget style and go for a Russian guide which cost us 120000 KZT (242 EUR) or add an extra 30000 KZT (60 EUR) for an English guide. Oleg could do all the translations so for us that was a good option.
Bring sunscreen, sturdy shoes, water and snacks that will cover you for 13 hours.
Payment was cash or local bank cards so just make sure you take out cash beforehand.
Lunch can be arranged via the tour company. Note that if you opt out (that's what we did) they don't plan a lunch break in the day so you have to discuss a lunch stop with your driver.
We saw group tours being organised by bananatour.kz as well, it looks more geared towards locals. It wasn't a private transfer, you travel by group in a bukhanka (a 4x4 van that is shaped like a bread loaf).
You can swim at Kaindy lake or if you want to dip your feet in you will have to cross a river. We recommend bringing at least a towel with you and an extra pair of dry socks.
Day 1: Kaindy lake & Charyn Canyon
If you've got limited time like we did, this is the perfect tour for you. There are full day tours organised by various operators that will bring you to the highlights of the Almaty region. The most popular sites are a combination of Charyn Canyon ("Grand Canyon" of Central Asia), Kaindy and Kolsay lake. If you decide to do all 3, the tour will start at 5 am. After doing some research we decided that we wanted to have a slightly less packed day and spend some more time exploring, so we went with Charyn Canyon and Kaindy lake. Our local friend Karly recommended us to go with asiatrip.kz and we had a very smooth experience with them!
Our driver picked us up at our accommodation at 7am to drive to the first stop of the day: Kaindy lake. The lake is located in the Tian Shan mountains at an altitude of 2000m above sea level. It is 300km from Almaty, about a 5 hour drive. Upon arrival to the parking lot, you have two options to get to the lake. Either a 3km hike to the lake, take an eco taxi (by horse) or the trusty bukhanka. We opted to take a bumpy ride with the bukhanka and would recommend it for a truly local experience. It's a 4x4 van shaped like a bread loaf, which is what it is nicknamed after. Be prepared to get cozy with your neighbours as they'll pack it full and there aren't many places to hold onto while you go up the narrow rocky road.
It took about 5 minutes to get to the drop off point and from there we could hike our way down to the lake (on the way back you can take the bukhanka again from the same place). The first stop along the route has wooden platforms where you can take some photos of the lake but we would recommend going straight down to the lake so you can dip your feet in or if you're feeling brave, you can go for a swim. The water temperature doesn't rise above 6C so it's quite chilly!
The lake is only about 400m in length and 30m in depth so what makes this one of the highlights of Almaty?
Once upon a time (in 1911) there was an earthquake, causing a landslide which formed a natural dam and the creation of the lake. Kaindy in Kazakh means birch but the trees in the lake are...spruce trees. The forest around the lake is coniferous. So where did the name originate from? 5km below the lake there is a large birch grove which gave name to the gorge, the river and the lake. Due to the temperature the trees have managed to stay preserved which makes the lake look like it has a sunken forest. The bright blue colours coming from the limestone deposits makes the scenery look mysterious, magnificent and a little eery. We highly recommend making your way down to the foot of the lake, you will have to cross a river which will be a challenge to cross without getting wet feet. We suggest taking off your shoes, rolling up your trousers and just walking across. There is a log which functions as a bridge but we found it sketchy looking and the river was much deeper on that end! Not that many people like to cross the river which gives you plenty of time to take in all of its beauty without the crowds.
Food tip:
In the main parking lot there will be a couple of food stands where you can grab some cheap snacks. Oleg recommends the pirozhki and chebureki which are pies with either vegetarian or meat filling.
From Kaindy Lake to Charyn Canyon it will take about 2 hours. Perfect to read a book or get a nap in before the next stop. On the way, our driver stopped off at the Black Canyon which is close to Charyn Canyon. It's a nice stop to stretch your legs and get an impression of the scenery.
When arriving at Charyn Canyon, this is a good moment for a restroom stop. They have a visitor centre with clean restrooms and really pretty café. We recommend first going for a hike around the canyon and stopping at Tary restaurant afterwards for a drink and snack.
Charyn Canyon is often called the Grand Canyon of Kazakhstan and if you look at the pictures below, you can see the resemblance. The canyon is on the Charyn river, which you also see in the picture of the Black Canyon (above) and is part of the Charyn National Park. It is 12 million years old and has vertical cliffs layered in colours of orange, grey, red which create this pinkish hue. The area consists of 5 different canyons, and the most popular one is the Valley of Castles. We did a 5km loop following the route on AllTrails (download the app if you're into hiking) and it was a beautiful hike. The route down to the river from the parking lot was down the main route visitors take and is pretty straight forward. Just follow the crowd or the signs and you'll see a pretty distinct path. This is because you can also choose to pay for a shuttle to take you to the river (we didn't take it, so don't know how much they charge). There are no signs around the rock formations which means you can walk pretty much everywhere. This is our kind of place because even if you have to share the site with more visitors, you can always find an area or climb on top of a rock to have a moment to yourself to take in the scenery.
Once you reach the river, there are some signs you can read about the area and places where you can take a break. On the way back to the car park, the trail will lead you to a hiking route going through the rocky formations which will require a bit of light scrambling and climbing on top of boulders. There are spots where you can hold onto fixed ropes but you definitely need to be comfortable with heights and scrambling. It's only for a short stretch and the views are 100% worth it! Not many people are on this part of the trail because it's not marked that well and it's a bit more challenging. The advantage is that the shuttle doesn't run through it so you can walk anywhere you want. What's also great is that you don't have to walk the exact same route back and you end up at a higher elevation so you can see the canyon from a different perspective.
Day 2: Almaty and Shymbulak
Almaty is Kazakhstan's largest city at a population of about 2 million people. We walked through Park of 28 Panfilov Guardsmen and it was named after the 28 soldiers who defended Moscow from German invasion during WWII. There was a military parade going on at the time and they were playing music around the Glory Memorial. The Ascension Cathedral pictured below is also part of the park.
Around noon we headed to Shymbulak which is a ski resort near to Almaty and the largest one in Central Asia. It's quite easy to arrange a taxi to get there or alternatively, you can go by bus. We decided to have lunch at Auyl which is a beautiful restaurant located in the Medeu valley with a stunning view of the surrounding Zailiisky Alatau mountain range. Just coming out here for lunch to take in the views is already reason enough to make the trip over to Shymbulak!
Top sites to visit:
Park of 28 Panfilov Guardsmen (Panfilov Park)
Ascension Cathedral
Panfilov walking street
Arbat
Green Bazaar
Abay Kazakh State Academic Opera and Ballet Theater (GATOB)
In the surrounding area:
Shymbulak
How to get around:
Walk
Taxi
Metro (we didn't take this mode of transport)
Where to stay:
Hotel Tahar - Only book this hotel if you're on a budget. There are way nicer hotels in Almaty if you're willing to spend a bit more but since we were only there for 48 hours and the first day we were on a 13 hour road trip we didn't see the point in booking a fancier hotel. Their policy is quite handy in that you can check in whenever you want and you have the room for exactly 24 hours (so there are no different check in check out times and there is 24/7 reception). The hotel is quite basic and is based in a huge apartment block but centrally located and did the trick for us.
For the foodies:
Be sure to make at least dinner reservations in Almaty as it can be quite difficult to get a table otherwise. The lunch and dinner recommendations came from our local friend and we absolutely loved the places!
Breakfast/coffee
Nedelka Cafe (for good coffee and breakfast options, we had creative takes on an eggs benny and loved it)
Lunch
Auyl Almaty (a restaurant with a stunning view and interior design in Shymbulak. One of the prettiest restaurants we've been to and their baursak were the best we've had, period)
Dinner
Sandyq (written: Ресторан SANDYQ, for traditional halal Kazakh food. The day we went it was booked full but as soon as they heard the disappointment in our voices, we were seated within a couple of minutes. There was wonderful live music and we had some of the best food here during our whole sabbatical)
Огонёк/Ogonek (for dinner and cocktails in a trendy restaurant)
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