WikiVoyage March 2016 Contents

1 Kazakhstan 1 1.1 Regions ...... 1 1.2 Cities ...... 1 1.3 Other destinations ...... 1 1.4 Understand ...... 1 1.5 Get in ...... 2 1.5.1 By plane ...... 2 1.5.2 By train ...... 3 1.5.3 By car ...... 3 1.5.4 By bus ...... 3 1.5.5 By boat ...... 3 1.5.6 Registration ...... 3 1.6 Get around ...... 3 1.6.1 By public buses ...... 3 1.6.2 By taxi ...... 3 1.6.3 By rail ...... 4 1.6.4 By long distance bus ...... 4 1.6.5 By plane ...... 4 1.6.6 Other ...... 4 1.7 Talk ...... 4 1.8 See ...... 5 1.9 Do ...... 5 1.10 Buy ...... 5 1.10.1 Costs ...... 5 1.10.2 Currency ...... 5 1.11 Eat ...... 5 1.12 Drink ...... 6 1.13 Sleep ...... 6 1.14 Work ...... 7 1.15 Stay safe ...... 7 1.16 Connect ...... 8 1.16.1 Embassies ...... 8

i ii CONTENTS

2 9 2.1 Get in ...... 9 2.2 Get around ...... 9 2.3 See ...... 9 2.4 Do ...... 9 2.5 Buy ...... 9 2.6 Eat ...... 9 2.7 Drink ...... 9 2.8 Sleep ...... 9 2.9 Go next ...... 9

3 Oral 10 3.1 Understand ...... 10 3.2 Get in ...... 10 3.2.1 By plane ...... 10 3.2.2 By train ...... 10 3.2.3 By car ...... 10 3.2.4 By bus ...... 10 3.3 Get around ...... 10 3.4 See ...... 10 3.4.1 Museums ...... 10 3.5 Do ...... 11 3.6 Buy ...... 11 3.7 Eat ...... 11 3.7.1 Budget ...... 11 3.7.2 Mid-range ...... 11 3.7.3 Splurge ...... 11 3.8 Drink ...... 11 3.9 Sleep ...... 11 3.9.1 Budget ...... 11 3.9.2 Mid-range ...... 11 3.10 Connect ...... 11 3.10.1 Consulates: ...... 11 3.11 Stay safe ...... 11 3.12 Cope ...... 11 3.13 Go next ...... 11

4 Province 12 4.1 Regions ...... 12 4.2 Cities ...... 12 4.3 Other destinations ...... 12 4.4 Understand ...... 12 CONTENTS iii

4.5 Get in ...... 12 4.6 Get around ...... 12 4.7 See ...... 12 4.8 Do ...... 12 4.9 Eat ...... 12 4.10 Drink ...... 12 4.11 Stay safe ...... 12

5 Aksu-Zhabagly 13 5.1 Understand ...... 13 5.1.1 History ...... 13 5.1.2 Landscape ...... 13 5.1.3 Flora and fauna ...... 13 5.1.4 Climate ...... 13 5.2 Get in ...... 13 5.3 Fees/Permits ...... 13 5.4 Get around ...... 13 5.5 See ...... 13 5.6 Do ...... 13 5.7 Buy ...... 13 5.8 Eat ...... 14 5.9 Drink ...... 14 5.10 Sleep ...... 14 5.10.1 Lodging ...... 14 5.10.2 Camping ...... 14 5.10.3 Backcountry ...... 14 5.11 Stay safe ...... 14 5.12 Go next ...... 14

6 Almaty 15 6.1 Understand ...... 15 6.2 Get in ...... 15 6.2.1 By air ...... 15 6.2.2 International Flights ...... 15 6.2.3 National Flights ...... 16 6.2.4 By train ...... 16 6.2.5 By bus ...... 16 6.2.6 Registration ...... 17 6.3 Get around ...... 17 6.3.1 By Metro ...... 18 6.3.2 By trams, buses, and trolleys ...... 18 6.3.3 By taxi ...... 18 iv CONTENTS

6.4 See ...... 18 6.4.1 Churches ...... 18 6.4.2 Museums ...... 19 6.4.3 Others ...... 19 6.4.4 Further afield ...... 20 6.5 Do ...... 20 6.6 Buy ...... 21 6.6.1 Banks ...... 21 6.6.2 Markets, Shops ...... 21 6.6.3 Supermarkets ...... 21 6.6.4 Shopping Centers ...... 22 6.7 Eat ...... 22 6.8 Drink ...... 23 6.9 Sleep ...... 23 6.9.1 Budget ...... 23 6.9.2 Mid-range ...... 24 6.9.3 Splurge ...... 24 6.10 Connect ...... 24 6.10.1 Internet ...... 24 6.11 Stay safe ...... 24 6.11.1 Crime ...... 24 6.11.2 Driving ...... 25 6.11.3 Emergencies ...... 25 6.12 Cope ...... 25 6.12.1 Consulates ...... 25 6.13 Go next ...... 25

7 Chimbulak 27 7.1 Get in ...... 27 7.2 Get around ...... 27 7.3 See ...... 27 7.4 Do ...... 27 7.5 Buy ...... 27 7.6 Eat ...... 27 7.7 Drink ...... 27 7.8 Sleep ...... 27 7.9 Go next ...... 27

8 Taldykorgan 28 8.1 Understand ...... 28 8.2 Get in ...... 28 8.3 Get around ...... 28 CONTENTS v

8.4 See ...... 28 8.5 Do ...... 28 8.6 Buy ...... 28 8.7 Eat ...... 28 8.8 Drink ...... 28 8.9 Sleep ...... 28 8.10 Connect ...... 28 8.11 Go next ...... 28

9 Altai (Kazakhstan) 29 9.1 Regions ...... 29 9.2 Cities ...... 29 9.3 Other destinations ...... 29 9.4 Understand ...... 29 9.5 Get in ...... 29 9.6 Get around ...... 29 9.7 See ...... 29 9.8 Do ...... 29 9.9 Eat ...... 29 9.10 Drink ...... 29 9.11 Stay safe ...... 29 9.12 Go next ...... 29

10 Ust-Kamenogorsk 30 10.1 Get in ...... 30 10.1.1 By plane ...... 30 10.1.2 By train ...... 30 10.1.3 By bus ...... 30 10.2 Get around ...... 30 10.3 See ...... 30 10.4 Do ...... 30 10.5 Buy ...... 30 10.6 Eat ...... 30 10.7 Sleep ...... 30 10.8 Connect ...... 30 10.9 Go next ...... 30

11 Caspian Basin 31 11.1 Regions ...... 31 11.2 Cities ...... 31 11.3 Other destinations ...... 31 11.4 Understand ...... 31 vi CONTENTS

11.5 Talk ...... 31 11.6 Get in ...... 31 11.7 Get around ...... 31 11.8 See ...... 31 11.8.1 Itineraries ...... 31 11.9 Do ...... 31 11.10Eat ...... 31 11.11Drink ...... 31 11.12Stay safe ...... 31

12 32 12.1 Understand ...... 32 12.1.1 People ...... 32 12.2 Get in ...... 32 12.3 Get around ...... 33 12.4 See ...... 33 12.5 Do ...... 33 12.6 Buy ...... 34 12.7 Eat ...... 34 12.8 Drink ...... 35 12.9 Sleep ...... 35 12.10Connect ...... 35 12.11Go next ...... 35

13 37 13.1 Understand ...... 37 13.2 Get in ...... 37 13.3 Get around ...... 37 13.4 See ...... 37 13.5 Do ...... 37 13.6 Buy ...... 38 13.7 Eat ...... 38 13.8 Drink ...... 38 13.9 Sleep ...... 38 13.10Go next ...... 38

14 Oral 39 14.1 Understand ...... 39 14.2 Get in ...... 39 14.2.1 By plane ...... 39 14.2.2 By train ...... 39 14.2.3 By car ...... 39 CONTENTS vii

14.2.4 By bus ...... 39 14.3 Get around ...... 39 14.4 See ...... 39 14.4.1 Museums ...... 39 14.5 Do ...... 40 14.6 Buy ...... 40 14.7 Eat ...... 40 14.7.1 Budget ...... 40 14.7.2 Mid-range ...... 40 14.7.3 Splurge ...... 40 14.8 Drink ...... 40 14.9 Sleep ...... 40 14.9.1 Budget ...... 40 14.9.2 Mid-range ...... 40 14.10Connect ...... 40 14.10.1 Consulates: ...... 40 14.11Stay safe ...... 40 14.12Cope ...... 40 14.13Go next ...... 40

15 Central Highlands (Kazakhstan) 41 15.1 Regions ...... 41 15.2 Cities ...... 41 15.3 Other destinations ...... 41 15.4 Understand ...... 41 15.5 Talk ...... 41 15.6 Get in ...... 41 15.7 Get around ...... 41 15.8 See ...... 41 15.8.1 Itineraries ...... 41 15.9 Do ...... 41 15.10Eat ...... 41 15.11Drink ...... 41 15.12Stay safe ...... 41

16 42 16.1 Understand ...... 42 16.2 Get in ...... 42 16.3 Get around ...... 42 16.4 See ...... 42 16.5 Do ...... 42 16.6 Eat ...... 42 viii CONTENTS

16.7 Drink ...... 42 16.8 Sleep ...... 42

17 43 17.1 Understand ...... 43 17.2 Get in ...... 43 17.2.1 By bus ...... 43 17.2.2 By train ...... 43 17.3 Get around ...... 43 17.4 See ...... 43 17.5 Do ...... 43 17.6 Buy ...... 43 17.7 Eat ...... 43 17.8 Drink ...... 44 17.9 Sleep ...... 44 17.10Connect ...... 44 17.11Go next ...... 44

18 45 18.1 Understand ...... 45 18.2 Get in ...... 45 18.3 Get around ...... 45 18.4 See ...... 45 18.5 Do ...... 45 18.6 Buy ...... 45 18.7 Eat ...... 45 18.8 Drink ...... 45 18.9 Sleep ...... 45 18.10Connect ...... 46 18.11Go next ...... 46

19 Karkaraly National Park 47 19.1 Understand ...... 47 19.1.1 History ...... 47 19.1.2 Landscape ...... 47 19.1.3 Flora and fauna ...... 47 19.1.4 Climate ...... 48 19.2 Get in ...... 48 19.2.1 By Car ...... 48 19.2.2 By Bus ...... 48 19.2.3 By Plane ...... 49 19.2.4 By Train ...... 49 CONTENTS ix

19.3 Fees and Permits ...... 49 19.4 Get Around ...... 49 19.4.1 By Foot ...... 49 19.4.2 By Car ...... 49 19.5 See ...... 49 19.6 Do ...... 49 19.7 Buy ...... 49 19.8 Eat and Drink ...... 50 19.9 Sleep ...... 50 19.10Connect ...... 50 19.11Go next ...... 50

20 51 20.1 Understand ...... 51 20.2 Get in ...... 51 20.2.1 By plane ...... 51 20.2.2 By train ...... 51 20.2.3 By bus ...... 51 20.3 Get around ...... 51 20.4 See ...... 51 20.4.1 Religious buildings ...... 51 20.4.2 Museums ...... 51 20.5 Do ...... 52 20.6 Buy ...... 52 20.7 Eat ...... 52 20.8 Drink ...... 52 20.9 Sleep ...... 52 20.10Connect ...... 52 20.11Go next ...... 52

21 Kazakh Desert 53 21.1 Regions ...... 53 21.2 Cities ...... 53 21.3 Other destinations ...... 53 21.4 Understand ...... 53 21.5 Talk ...... 53 21.6 Get in ...... 53 21.7 Get around ...... 53 21.8 See ...... 53 21.8.1 Itineraries ...... 53 21.9 Do ...... 53 21.10Eat ...... 53 x CONTENTS

21.11Drink ...... 53 21.12Stay safe ...... 54

22 Aral 55 22.1 Understand ...... 55 22.2 Get in ...... 55 22.3 Get around ...... 55 22.4 See ...... 55 22.5 Do ...... 55 22.6 Buy ...... 55 22.7 Eat ...... 55 22.8 Drink ...... 55 22.9 Sleep ...... 56 22.10Connect ...... 56 22.11Go next ...... 56

23 Baikonyr 57 23.1 Understand ...... 57 23.2 Get in ...... 57 23.2.1 By plane ...... 57 23.2.2 By train ...... 57 23.3 Get around ...... 57 23.4 See ...... 57 23.5 Do ...... 57 23.6 Buy ...... 57 23.7 Eat ...... 57 23.8 Drink ...... 57 23.9 Sleep ...... 57 23.10Go next ...... 57

24 58 24.1 Get in ...... 58 24.1.1 By plane ...... 58 24.1.2 By bus ...... 58 24.2 Get around ...... 58 24.3 See ...... 58 24.4 Do ...... 58 24.5 Buy ...... 59 24.6 Eat ...... 59 24.7 Drink ...... 59 24.8 Sleep ...... 59 24.9 Connect ...... 59 CONTENTS xi

24.10Go next ...... 59

25 Turkestan 61 25.1 Get in ...... 61 25.2 Get around ...... 61 25.3 See ...... 61 25.4 Do ...... 61 25.5 Buy ...... 61 25.6 Eat ...... 61 25.7 Drink ...... 61 25.8 Sleep ...... 61 25.9 Connect ...... 61 25.10Go next ...... 61

26 Kazakhstani North 62 26.1 Regions ...... 62 26.2 Cities ...... 62 26.3 Other destinations ...... 62 26.4 Understand ...... 62 26.5 Talk ...... 62 26.6 Get in ...... 62 26.7 Get around ...... 62 26.8 See ...... 62 26.8.1 Itineraries ...... 62 26.9 Do ...... 62 26.10Eat ...... 62 26.11Drink ...... 63 26.12Stay safe ...... 63

27 Astana 64 27.1 Get in ...... 64 27.1.1 By plane ...... 64 27.1.2 By train ...... 64 27.2 Get around ...... 64 27.3 See ...... 65 27.4 Do ...... 66 27.5 Buy ...... 67 27.5.1 shopping ...... 67 27.5.2 General shopping ...... 67 27.6 Eat ...... 67 27.7 Drink ...... 68 27.8 Sleep ...... 68 xii CONTENTS

27.9 Connect ...... 69 27.9.1 Mobile phone providers ...... 69 27.9.2 Money ...... 69 27.10Cope ...... 69 27.10.1 Embassies ...... 69 27.10.2 Religion ...... 70 27.11Go next ...... 70

28 Burabay National Park 71 28.1 Understand ...... 71 28.2 Get in ...... 71 28.3 Fees/permits (parks only) ...... 71 28.4 Get around ...... 71 28.5 See ...... 71 28.6 Do ...... 71 28.7 Learn ...... 71 28.8 Eat ...... 71 28.9 Sleep ...... 71 28.10Stay safe ...... 71 28.11Go next ...... 71

29 72 29.1 Get in ...... 72 29.1.1 By car ...... 72 29.1.2 By plane ...... 72 29.2 Get around ...... 72 29.2.1 By taxi ...... 72 29.3 See ...... 72 29.4 Do ...... 72 29.5 Buy ...... 72 29.6 Eat ...... 72 29.7 Drink ...... 72 29.8 Sleep ...... 73 29.9 Stay healthy ...... 73 29.10Go next ...... 73

30 Korgalzhyn Nature Reserve 74 30.1 Understand ...... 74 30.1.1 History ...... 74 30.1.2 Landscape ...... 74 30.1.3 Flora and fauna ...... 74 30.1.4 Climate ...... 74 CONTENTS xiii

30.2 Get in ...... 74 30.3 Fees/Permits ...... 74 30.4 Get around ...... 74 30.5 See ...... 74 30.6 Do ...... 74 30.7 Buy ...... 74 30.8 Eat ...... 74 30.9 Drink ...... 74 30.10Sleep ...... 74 30.10.1 Lodging ...... 74 30.10.2 Camping ...... 74 30.10.3 Backcountry ...... 74 30.11Stay safe ...... 74 30.12Go next ...... 74

31 Naurzum State Nature Reserve 75 31.1 Understand ...... 75 31.1.1 History ...... 75 31.1.2 Landscape ...... 75 31.1.3 Flora and fauna ...... 75 31.1.4 Climate ...... 75 31.2 Get in ...... 75 31.3 Fees/Permits ...... 75 31.4 Get around ...... 75 31.5 See ...... 75 31.6 Do ...... 75 31.7 Buy ...... 75 31.8 Eat ...... 75 31.9 Drink ...... 75 31.10Sleep ...... 75 31.10.1 Lodging ...... 75 31.10.2 Camping ...... 75 31.10.3 Backcountry ...... 75 31.11Stay safe ...... 75 31.12Go next ...... 75

32 76 32.1 Get in ...... 76 32.2 Get around ...... 76 32.3 See ...... 76 32.4 Do ...... 76 32.5 Buy ...... 76 xiv CONTENTS

32.6 Eat ...... 76 32.7 Drink ...... 76 32.8 Sleep ...... 77 32.9 Connect ...... 77 32.10Go next ...... 77 32.11Text and image sources, contributors, and licenses ...... 78 32.11.1 Text ...... 78 32.11.2 Images ...... 79 32.11.3 Content license ...... 80 Chapter 1

Kazakhstan

Kazakhstan is the largest landlocked country and, as the style city, you may want to go to the Medeu and world’s ninth biggest country by area, is the largest of other places in the nearby mountains. the former states of the former Soviet Union apart from • Russia itself. It has borders with Russia, China, and the Aktobe Central Asian countries of Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan and • Pavlodar — Kazakh city in the very north of the Uzbekistan, which it dwarfs. country, founded in 1720, closed until 1992 for its Its lack of significant historical sites and endless, feature- military significance in tank production, and home less steppe repel as many visitors as are captivated by the to one very impressive mosque, as well as other in- emptiness and mystery of this goliath state. Kazakhstan teresting Orthodox churches and various memorials is the richest country in the region due to its large oil and • natural gas reserves and is also the largest in Central Asia. Semey (Semipalatinsk) — university city notorious for the atomic bomb testing site near by

• Shymkent — Kazakhstan’s third largest city, very 1.1 Regions crowded with Uzbek people, it is an old market town located near Tashkent and some beautiful moun- tains; now booming with oil exploration,

• Turkestan — another ancient city, long a border town between the Persian culture to the south and the Turkic nomadic culture to the north, now ma- jority Uzbek and home to several important cultural- historical monuments

• Ust-Kamenogorsk — mining city in the Altai moun- tains that’s majority Russian speaking

Kazakhstan regions - Color-coded map 1.3 Other destinations

• Aksu-Zhabagly

1.2 Cities • Altai Mountains • • Astana (previously, Aqmola) — second largest city, and capital since 1997. Worth visiting but you only • Karkaraly National Park need a few days to get to the most worthwhile sights. This city is brand new and being built very rapidly. • If you want to see what Akmola (Astana previous • name) looks like, you need to do it now as the old Zailiysky city is disappearing very rapidly. • Atyrau — oil capital of Kazakhstan, with large on- 1.4 Understand shore Tengiz and offshore Kashagan oilfields nearby • Almaty — largest city, and capital prior to Decem- Native Kazakhs, a mix of Turkic and Mongol nomadic ber 1998. Definitely a must-see. Beside the Soviet- tribes who migrated into the region in the 13th century,

1 2 CHAPTER 1. KAZAKHSTAN were united as a single nation in the mid-16th century. Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Liechten- The area was conquered by Russia in the 18th century, stein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Malta, Monaco, and Kazakhstan became a Soviet Republic in 1936. Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Oman, Poland, During the launching of the 1950s and 1960s agricultural Portugal, Romania, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Slovakia, “Virgin Lands” program, Soviet citizens were encour- Slovenia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, aged to help cultivate Kazakhstan’s northern pastures. UAE, United Kingdom and USA (Jul 2009) can obtain This influx of immigrants (mostly Russians, but also single-entry (up to 30 days) or double-entry (up to 60 some other deported nationalities, including the Volga days) tourist visas without providing a letter of invitation. Germans) skewed the ethnic mixture and enabled non- Citizens of Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Croa- Kazakhs to outnumber natives. Independence has caused tia, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hun- many of these newcomers and their descendants to emi- gary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Liechtenstein, grate. Malaysia, Monaco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Modern Kazakhstan is a neo-patrimonial state charac- Poland, Portugal, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Slovakia, terized by considerable nepotism and dominance over South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, UAE, United political and economic affairs by President Nursultan Kingdom and USA (Aug 2010) with valid Kyrgyz tourist Nazarbayev. However, it is not a severely authoritar- visa can also to Almaty Oblast and Zhambyl Oblast ian government as compared to bordering Turkmenistan, of Kazakhstan. However if you have two-entry Kyrgyz Uzbekistan and China and opposition is not usually visa and you cross the border from Kyrgyzstan to Kaza- sacked or imprisoned. Since independence from the So- khstan, you can't return on this visa to Kyrgyzstan. Most viet Union in 1991, the Kazakh government has allowed customs officers are not aware of this agreement, which foreign investment to flow into the capital to develop. The can cause long obstructions at border crossings.(Update development of significant oil and gas reserves, particu- Nov 2011. NO officials know of this agreement and you larly in the north and west, has subsequently brought a will be turned away with a stamp on your Kyrgyz visa large amount of wealth to the country, though the money that says no entry) The similar agreement applies recipro- falls into the hands of just a few people. Nevertheless, cally in Kyrgyzstan, but not for all nationalities mentioned Kazakhstan is now labelled a middle-income country, and above, see Kyrgyzstan#Get in. is already classified with a high human development in- For more information you should contact a Kazakhstan dex. Corruption in Kazakhstan is ubiquitous compared diplomatic mission in your area or Kazakhstan MFA’s to China, but it is not as widespread as other countries in website Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan. As of the region. June 2012 the Consulate General of Kazakhstan in New Current issues include: Developing a cohesive national York says it only accepts money orders, but they actually identity; expanding the development of the country’s vast accept cashier’s checks as well. energy resources and exporting them to world markets Although the Kazakh government has set certain policies (an oil pipeline to China has been built; the gas pipeline regarding which countries’ citizens do not require “Let- is under construction); achieving a sustainable economic ters of Invitation” (LOI), this does not always reach the growth outside the oil, gas, and mining sectors, and embassies. Be prepared for the worst and coming up strengthening relations with surrounding states and other against an official who might flat out refuse to give you foreign powers. a visa without a LOI. This is an issue at the Kazakhstan Embassy in Moscow (Australian ). 1.5 Get in 1.5.1 By plane Citizens of Argentina, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Hong Kong, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Mongolia, The most important carrier is which flies the Russian Federation, Serbia, South Korea, Tajikistan, into Almaty and Astana from Abu Dhabi, Moscow, Turkey, Uzbekistan, and Ukraine do not need visas to en- Delhi, Beijing, Istanbul, Bangkok, Hannover, London, ter Kazakhstan. Amsterdam, Baku, Kuala Lumpur, Frankfurt, and Seoul. Citizens of Australia, Belgium, Finland, France, Ger- Air Astana keeps a monopoly on some international many, Hungary, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Monaco, routes by limiting which airlines can fly to Kazakhstan. the Netherlands, Norway, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Lufthansa also has daily flights to Almaty, from where Switzerland, the United Arab Emirates, the United King- you can go anywhere via local carrier SCAT, which flies dom and the United States do not need a visa for stays of to most cities in Kazakhstan. British Airways and KLM up to 15 days during the period until December 31 2017. now fly several times a week to Heathrow and Schiphol Citizens of Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, respectively. There is also a non-stop connection twice a Canada, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, week from Prague, operated by Czech airlines. Turkish Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Airlines is a good passenger carrier, with flights to Istan- 1.6. GET AROUND 3

bul (ask a travel agent about the student fares, which can After your first registration you must register in each des- be a great deal). tination if you stay more than 72 hours (see each desti- There are twice a week flights from Seoul to Almaty; one nation for further details). If you stay in Kazakhstan less is with Asiana Airlines, and the other is Astana. Airbaltic than five days then you may not need to register but this also flies to Almaty; if you reserve tickets in advance, you needs to be confirmed (28 July 2008). can go there for €130 (from Riga). Although border entry card is having provision to men- tion just the name of your organisation, you must specify Etihad flies weekly from Abu Dhabi to Astana. Flight time is around 4.5 hours. Taxi fares from the airport to full address next to the name of organisation (although the city range between KZT2,000-3,000. no one tells this at the time of entry). In one off case people are caught by immigration police for not having full address in the border entry card, resulting into seiz- 1.5.2 By train ing the passports causing inconvenience to the visitors. The passports needs to be collected at the immigration police office later next day after due formality. Trains in Kazakhstan are slow but comfortable and clean. Popular routes include Almaty to/from Moscow (77 If you have a one-entry tourist visa for 30 days, no regis- hours), Novosibirsk (35 hours) and Ürümqi, China (34 tration is needed. In Almaty airport, custom officials say hours). Count on a 3–4 hr stay at the Russian border or that you don't need to register as long as you don't plan on 6–8 hr at the Chinese border. Trains in Kazakhstan can staying more than 90 days (only for tourists), as of July also be booked on-line. 2008.

1.5.3 By car 1.6 Get around

You can enter Kazakhstan by car through many of the You can travel within the country using taxis, buses, trains border checkpoints on main roads into the country. How- and planes, it depends on your budget and demands. ever, be prepared to wait up to 24 (twenty-four) hours in Renting a car is rather costly compared to other means the queues, with rather poor facilities. of . In Semipalatinsk (Semey) a minivan costs KZT35, and 1.5.4 By bus a large bus costs KZT35-40 (in Astana it ranges about KZT60-65), common taxi fare is minimally KZT300 (in It is fairly easy to travel from Ürümqi to Almaty via August 2013, approximate exchange rates were €1 = sleeper bus, especially if you aren't in a hurry and don't KZT200, GBP1 = KZT240, USD1 = KSD150) mind living on a bus for a good 24 to 36 hours. The bor- der crossing itself is a bit of a hike, and you may be made to carry all of your belongings with you for quite a way in 1.6.1 By public buses some seriously warm weather. The bus trip and “baggage fees” are around US$45. You can pick up your Kaza- Public transportation in big cities is rather popular. You khstan visa at the consulate in Ürümqi as well, but be can use buses, trolleys, trams and minibuses. One big mi- prepared to chill for at least a week waiting, and be sure nus of all of them is that they never come on schedule and to get a copy of your before handing it over. very crowded on peak time. Moreover, there is absolutely no plan with bus stops and schedule whatsoever. If you don't speak Russian, taking the bus will be quite tricky 1.5.5 By boat but not impossible.

Freighters travel regularly between Baku and Aktau, and it is possible to hitch a ride. Note, though, that it is com- 1.6.2 By taxi mon for ships to get held up, even for weeks, before en- tering port, so you had better stock up on food and water Use taxis as they are very cheap (€2 to €6 within the before boarding. See freighter travel to better understand city). You don't have to use official taxis in most cities, how this works. basically you can stop almost any car on the street by rais- ing your hand. It works good in Almaty & Astana, but in Karaganda the best way is one of taxis by phone. It some 1.5.6 Registration cheaper and even faster than hitch-hike waiting. A note of warning, getting to the Almaty airport can be You must register your visa within five days of entering expensive. Taxis to the airport vary greatly in price. Any Kazakhstan if your border entry card has only one stamp. foreigner will be quoted a very expensive rate but usually 4 CHAPTER 1. KAZAKHSTAN

drivers will come down once they see they aren't going to selling food and drink, at any time of day or night. be able to get that much. USD50 is outlandish. Do not There is also a train called the Talgo, which can cover the accept the first price as it will result in your being over- distance from Almaty and Astana in 9 hours. The cost of charged. It should be less than USD10, although it can the ticket is about KZT9,000. never be guaranteed that a foreigner will get that price. A better option are the minibuses and buses that go to the airport. The word “airport” is very similar in Russian and 1.6.4 By long distance bus English. A common way to get around is by unofficial taxis. Any They're a popular alternative to trains and are faster, but time of day, just wave your hand and someone will stop. less comfortable. Similarly to train travel, you will need Locals do this all the time. Negotiate the price and des- to buy your ticket in advance and will be given a seat tination before you agree to go. About USD2-4 is fair number. Be careful when the bus makes a toilet stop, for a ride within the centre of Almaty. If your Russian the driver doesn't check if all the passengers are on board is poor or non-existent, you will be charged a lot more before driving away! than locals; to avoid this, try to use public buses as much Fares are relatively low, for instance a single from Almaty as you can and don't hesitate to tell the driver how much to Karaganda (14 hr) will cost you KZT2,500 - much you are ready to pay (do this before he tells you how much cheaper than a flight ticket. he wants). To be safe though, do not get in a car if more than one person is driving. Also, do not take these kind of taxis for long distances or anywhere that goes through 1.6.5 By plane remote areas, as there are frequent robberies, especially of foreigners. Air Astana provides offices in a few major in big Always try to have exact amount of money in cash (the cities; it’s the fastest way of travelling within the city for price which you negotiated with a taxi driver), since usu- those who can afford it. Planes are brand new and match ally they will not give you change. So if the price should European standards in quality. be KZT350, give the driver KZT350, not more (as he/she might not give change). 1.6.6 Other

1.6.3 By rail A fun and cheap way to get around is by taking a “marshrutka”. These are the dilapidated vans that cruise Train is the most popular way of covering the huge dis- around town. They usually have a sign (in Russian) listing tances between Kazakhstan’s main cities. The main rail- the destination, and the driver will usually call out where way stations are in Astana, Karaganda and Almaty, but they are going. But you will not find them in Almaty. stations can be found in almost every big city. The rolling stock, train classes, ticket and reservation sys- tems were inherited from the former Soviet Railways, so 1.7 Talk they are very similar to the Russian train system. Ticket prices are slightly lower than in Russia. Kazakh Both Kazakh and Russian are the official languages of Kazakhstan. Both languages are compulsory in all Railways have an e-shop, but it’s only in Kazakh and Rus- sian and doesn't accept many non-CIS credit cards, so schools, and most people know both of them. Therefore, if you know either of them, you should be fine. However, you'll probably use it only for price checks. in some regions people speak more Kazakh and in oth- Kazakhstan is a large country. For instance, it will take ers they prefer Russian. For example, Shymkent and the you almost 24 hours to get from Almaty to Astana. How- western regions mostly use Kazakh but the northern part ever, going by train is a very fun way of travelling, since of the country remains to a large extent Russian-speaking. the trains are a great way to meet people. A lot has been Kazakh will be somewhat familiar if you know another written about the pitfalls of being included in a vodka Turkic language, and Russian if you know another Slavic drinking party on a train, but for the most part fellow language. travellers are friendly, and keen to find out about you (“why aren't you married?" and, if you are, “why don't Many people under age 20 will know some English as you have children?", and if you do, “why don't they have well as many customs officials and airport people know children?"!). Most travellers take food for the journey, as English. car provision is sporadic (and they expect you It is difficult to get around the country without some Rus- to share yours too!). If you don't have enough to last the sian or Kazakh language skills; though, within the more distance, the trains generally stop for 15–20 minutes at modernized cities, it is easier. Have your place of resi- each station and there are always people on the platform dence written on a card and get a taxi if you get lost (you 1.11. EAT 5 might be somewhat overcharged by the taxi, but it is bet- 1.11 Eat ter than being lost). Meat, potatoes, rice and pasta. And lots of it. If you're vegetarian be wary, because if it doesn't have meat in it, 1.8 See it will be almost certainly cooked in meat stock. Some recommended dishes: Baikonur is the famous cosmodrome site for the launch of • the first manned orbital flight by Yuri Gagarin. The mod- Beshbarmak - “five fingers”, a horse meat and pasta ern town of Baikonur was built near the existing village dish with potato and onion. The national tradi- of Tyuratam. tional dish of Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan most of- ten served for special occasions. Can also be made 2 As the cosmodrome area (6000 km .) is rented by Rus- with beef or lamb. Most that serve it will sia, no Kazakh visa is needed if you fly in directly from present a portion enough for two or three people. Moscow. • Kazy - handmade horse meat sausage, could be cooked and served with Beshbarmak, but not at the • Köl-Say Lakes restaurants, unless you ask to do so when preorder menu. If you did not, it would be served as cold meat appetizer with other types of cold meat appe- tizers (Zhaya, Basturma, Shyzhyk). And separate 1.9 Do price would be charged. Kazakh dish.

• Laghman - a thick noodle dish with meat, carrot and • Sauna complexes. Because of its cold and windy onion, usually served as a soup.Some other veggies weather, visiting saunas with friends is very popular could be added too. in Kazakhstan. Saunas (Russian banyas or Finnish steam rooms) are an excellent place to discuss busi- • Manty - large steamed dumplings full of meat and ness issues or just socialize with friends. Having par- onions. Sometimes made with onions or pumpkin. ties (birthdays, New Year, etc.) in saunas is a normal Traditional Uighur dish. practice. In fact many modern sauna complexes in Almaty and Astana are usually fully equipped with • Plov - wonderful dish of fried rice, meat, carrots, karaoke, billiards, swimming pools, relax rooms, and sometimes other bits such as raisins or tomatoes. massage rooms, etc. Some saunas are a cover for Traditional Uzbek dish. sex services. • Shashlyk or Shish Kebab - skewered, roasted chunks of marinated meat, served with some sort of flat- bread (usually lavash) and onions. Various mari- 1.10 Buy nates can be used, and different ways to cook it, open fire or other.

1.10.1 Costs • Baursaky - bread best served piping hot. A little like an unsweetened doughnut. Kazakh. Kazakhstan is slightly more expensive than Uzbekistan, • but still cheaper than Turkmenistan. A street snack costs Pelmeni - boiled dumplings made from different around USD0.30 to 0.70. A night in a dorm in the big kinds of meat or potato. Russian. cities is USD15 to USD20. A more comfortable double room is around USD60 to USD80. If you're a vegetarian, you're probably thinking there’s nothing for you in Kazakhstan. And you're right, if you eat out. But if you're cooking your own food, you'll be 1.10.2 Currency more than satisfied. Kazakhstan has some excellent prod- ucts available at little markets everywhere. You will be amazed at the taste and availability of fresh organic veg- The national currency is tenge (KZT, Cyrillic: тенге gies at low price! For a treat in Almaty, try Govinda’s, a and sometimes symbolised as ₸ or T). In late Septem- delicious vegetarian Hare Krishna restaurant. Malls have ber 2015, exchange rates were: €1 = KZT301, £1 = food courts with some vegetarian options too. Even some KZT410, US$1 = KZT270 small Kazakh eateries will prepare vegetarian meals for Even for people who are not big shoppers, the beautifully you if you make it very clear to them (e.g. “byez myasa” crafted felt items will appeal. They are also easy to carry (without meat), “ya vegeterianetz” (I [male] am a vege- and inexpensive to post. tarian), “ya vegetarianka” (I [female] am a vegetarian) in 6 CHAPTER 1. KAZAKHSTAN

Russian). At some places (e.g. smak) you can even find sake of your stomach you may want to buy your bev- vegetarian manty made with pumpkin. erage in a supermarket, although the price will def- The legacy of Korean resettlement in Kazakhstan means initely be higher. that Korean dishes, particularly salads, are very common. At the country’s many bazaars (independent food and • Several brands of beer, of good quality and flavor, goods markets), look for the Korean ladies selling these. are made in Karaganda. Becker, Staut, Tian-Shan, They will wrap you up any number of delicious, often Derbes, Irbis, Alma-Ata. Local brands brewed in spicy and garlicky salads to take away in plastic bags. If Almaty are pretty good. you are vegetarian, this may be the only decent thing you get to eat while you're in the country. • Juices, in cartons, are common and delicious, espe- On the other hand, in Kazakhstan you can find any dishes cially peach juice. you want, but Chinese and Japanese dishes are very ex- pensive. The most delicious is caviar, which is very • Water. The municipal water is more or less drink- cheap, you can buy 1 kilo of caviar for less than USD300 able, with no real nasties, but try to boil it if possible. in Almaty Zyeloniy Bazaar, but you can't export or take Bottled water is cheap and easily available. When it with you home; you will be stopped at the airport and at restaurants, ask specifically for “Sary-Agash” (of pay high fines. Asem-Ai brand) or Borjomi. Many other widely- Eating out is relatively cheap; you basically order the known water brands can be found in restaurants and meat dish and then add rice, potatoes, etc. Each el- supermarkets. ement is priced individually, so you can order for in- stance only meat or only rice. Prices are relatively cheap, • Tea is widely available, mostly very good and often count KZT500 for chicken, KZT1,000 for beef, and up quite strong. If you are on a budget this is the thing to KZT1,500 for horse, a local delicacy. Of course, the to order with your food. Tea is culturally important fancier the restaurant, the higher the price. If you don't in Kazakhstan - “shai” time is one of the most im- speak Russian, things are relatively hard as the majority portant things a visitor can engage in to learn about of restaurants don't have English menus (with the excep- the culture. tion of some hyped places in Almaty). • While Kazakhs are not very religious, most do not eat Coffee. Modern coffee houses and western-style pork. Be aware of this if you are dining out with Kazakhs cafés are appearing. They serve good coffee. Cof- or planning a dinner at home. Also many dishes that are feedelia (Kabanbai batyr and Furmanov) is popular made elsewhere with pork (such as dumplings or sausage) with expats and does OK coffee. One of the best are made with beef or mutton here. coffee in Almaty can be found at 4A Coffee where they roast their own daily. Gloria Jeans and Marone Rosso also can be found. 1.12 Drink • Wine. Try the local variety. A good one can be had for less than USD4 a bottle. “Bibigul” is perhaps the Traditional beverages include: most consistently good wine, and it comes in a semi- dry red or semi-dry white. Avoid drinking wine in • Kumiss - fermented mare’s milk, up to 6% alcohol restaurants. It’s usually very expensive. content. Imagine tart lemonade, mixed with semi- sour milk. • Vodka. Good vodka at USD8–10 per bottle. In • Kumyran (Shubat)- fermented camel’s milk restaurants that do not usually cater to foreigners you get 20(!) cl if you order a vodka, smaller servings • Kvas - described as similar to root beer it can be not available. Buy a bottle of “Kazakhstan” vodka bought in a bottle in a store, or by the cup from peo- to take back. It is in a pretty bottle with a picture of ple with giant yellowish tanks of it on the street. Kazakh hunting with a falcon seen through a “win- • Tan. Fizzy beverage made of mare’s milk. dow”. Try Edil vodka, which is made with the pan- tacrene of local deer antlers. • Cheap alcoholic drinks can be found at every lit- tle corner shop (called the astanovka). These places are open 24/7, just knock on their door if the shop- 1.13 Sleep keeper is asleep. Kazakhstan’s speciality is cognac, though stores still sell vodka cheaper than bottled There are numerous hotels, from very cheap ones (€10 water at times. However, some of these astanovka per night) to the luxurious ones. You wouldn't find the sometimes sell alcohol of dubious origin; for the cheapest ones on the web; the only way to book them is to 1.15. STAY SAFE 7

call directly, but in that case you'll have to speak Russian states such as Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. at the least. Keep your passport (or a certified copy of your passport There are almost no camping sites except in and visa) with you at all times. While the situation has im- Burabay/Borovoe in Kazakhstan. You can, how- proved lately, police might still try to extort money from ever, camp almost anywhere due to the huge uninhabited foreigners, especially on trains and long-distance buses. spots. The scenery is beautiful but because of the very Unless the officers involved are drunk, it is possible to hot weather: don't forget to take plenty of water with avoid paying them by pretending not to understand, or by you as you can very easily spend many of days without claiming poverty. seeing anybody. If you camp near a nomadic tribe, ask The risk of violent crime is comparable with Eastern Eu- for the permission to stay near; it will not be refused. ropean countries and rougher parts of major US cities. An ordinary tourist should not experience any violent crime and is unlikely to be a target of minor crimes, if 1.14 Work their behaviour stays within generally accepted norms in public places. Unlike certain European countries still recovering from Excessive consumption of alcohol and visiting a nightclub recession, Kazakhstan abounds in employment or busi- will always present a higher risk, especially if a person ness opportunities. Skilled professionals may be able to goes out alone. It is advisable to go out as a group, or find a job in the energy or educational sector. Salaries even better, with locals. Late at night, people speaking tend to decrease as the country is working towards ensur- foreign languages may receive extra attention from local ing equal pay for locals and expatriate staff. Expatriate police, who have been known to falsely accuse a person candidates must obtain a work permit. In recent years, it of petty crimes, make an arrest, and attempt to obtain is becoming increasingly difficult to get a work permit. a KZT1,000-5,000 cash payment “fine”. Mobile phones work in most places and should be used to call a local- language speaking friend. 1.15 Stay safe A foreign man soliciting a local woman on the streets or in a nightclub may draw unwanted attention from locals, Kazakhstan is a country where the population has a long or might result in arguments. Normal western attention history of balanced, harmonious, multi-ethnic social in- and respect for women and children, including a smile or teraction, where both guests and locals are treated with kind greeting, can be taken by a local husband or father respect during everyday life, with certain exceptions (de- as threatening or offensive. scribed below in more detail). Visitors will experience Carrying expensive phones, watches and jewellery; or hospitality and warmth in this lovely country. However, otherwise demonstrating wealth in public may result in your personal safety may vary from very safe to relatively closer attention from pickpockets and potential crimi- unsafe depending on your location, time of the day, cir- nals. Outside Almaty and Astana, this should be avoided. cumstances, and your personal behaviour. Unlike other former Soviet Union countries, black, South Asian and There is zero tolerance for any drugs, and trace amounts Middle Eastern people should feel comfortable. may result in criminal investigation, prosecution and a prison sentence. Prisons are known to be dangerous and Generally, Kazakh cities are safe during the day, but often inhumane. certain parts of major cities should be avoided at night to reduce risk (e.g. (i) all parts of Almaty below Careless and drunk driving is a problem. It is always ad- Tashkentskaya street and all microdistrict areas within visable to obey traffic rules and wear seat belts. In most these zones, certain other remote microdistricts, and ar- cities, using local taxis may present a higher risk than of- eas with high concentrations of shabby private houses ficial public transportation due to many taxis operating (such as Shanyrak); (ii) in smaller towns, e.g. , unlicensed with incompetent drivers. Situations of unli- Balkhash, Shymkent, Taldykorgan, Uralsk, Semey and censed taxi drivers demanding additional fees before re- Ust-Kamenogorsk, going out at night should not present leasing luggage from their boot, or driving off and steal- a significant risk, though infrequent muggings do occur; ing luggage are more common than would be expected in and (iii) all smaller towns such as Shar, Stepnogorsk, and western cities with a well-regulated taxi industry. It’s ad- Temirtau may present a higher risk of mugging and vio- visable to keep your valuables and passport in your pock- lent crime). ets and your most valuable bag on your lap. Public trans- portation and taxis are much less expensive than in west- Although illegal, unfortunately prostitution has become ern cities. widespread in many big cities lately. Usually prostitutes work in hotels, night clubs or saunas. Also, local classi- Kazakh people have more pride than most westerners fied newspapers typically have a whole section dedicated would expect. Therefore, insulting or negative comments to escort services. Many sex workers in Kazakhstan are about Kazakhstan or local Kazakhstani people will often in fact from neighbouring less economically developed result in arguments and possible threats of physical vio- 8 CHAPTER 1. KAZAKHSTAN lence. It is not recommended to get into an argument with locals, as Kazakhstan is a nation where physical power is part of the local culture, and can occasionally lead to a fatal last argument. Do not under any circumstances associate the country of Kazakhstan with the char- acter Borat. There have been cases of violence against foreign workers in West Kazakhstan. A housing camp of Turkish workers was destroyed, with many workers as- saulted, due to anger about foreigners taking local jobs and an alleged rape of a local woman.

1.16 Connect

1.16.1 Embassies

Kazakhstan has most major foreign consulates and official representatives for visa needs.

• Canada, 13/1 Kabanbay Batyr, Astana, ☎ +7 7172 475 577, fax: +7 7172 475 587.

• China, 37 Kabanbay Batyr, Astana, ☎ +7 7172 79- 35-61, +7 7172 79-35-94, +7 7172 79-35-64.

• Finland, 12 Samal Microdistrict, Astana Tower, 17 floor, Astana, ☎ +7 7172 44-21-21. sanomat.AST@formin.fi

• Greece, 109 microdistrict KARAOTKEL 2010000, Astana, ☎ +7 7172 563714, +7 701 188 7406 (Emergencies), fax: +77172 563826, e-mail: [atmfa.gr gremb.ast[at]mfa.gr].

• United Kingdom, British Embassy, Astana 62, Kosmonavtov St, ☎ +7 (7172) 556200, fax: +852 2901 3066.

• United States of America, Ak Bulak 4, Str. 23- 22, building #3, Astana 010010, ☎ +7 (7172) 70-21-00, fax: +7 (7172) 54-09-14, e-mail: [email protected]. Chapter 2

Temirtau

Temirtau, (up to 1945 settlements Samarkand). The city located nearby to Karaganda, on coast Samarkand water basin in Kazakhstan. Railway station. 213,1 thousand in- habitants (1991). The Quaraghandy metallurgical com- bine (nowadays Mittal Steel Temirtau). Chemical man- ufacture “Carbide"; factories: synthetic rubber, steel- mechanical; the enterprises of the food-processing indus- try, building materials. Theatre. In this city there began the career the president of Kazakhstan N.Nazarbaev, for- mer vice-premier of Russia O.Soskovets, the former gen- eral public prosecutor of Russia A.Kazannik and many other politicians.

2.1 Get in

2.2 Get around

2.3 See

2.4 Do

2.5 Buy

2.6 Eat

2.7 Drink

2.8 Sleep

2.9 Go next

9 Chapter 3

Oral

Oral (Kazakh: Орал Oral, Russian: Уральск Uralsk) is 3.2.2 By train a city in West Kazakhstan. Train services calling at the Uralsk train station include Kiev-Astana, Moscow-Almaty and Moscow-Aktobe di- rect services that run every other day. 3.1 Understand 3.2.3 By car Oral (Kazakh: Орал), Uralsk (Russian: Уральск) in Russian, is a city in northwestern Kazakhstan, at the con- 3.2.4 By bus fluence of the Ural and Chogan Rivers close to the Rus- sian border. As it is located on the western side of the There are bus services connecting Uralsk with Samara (4 Ural river, it is considered geographically in Europe. It a day), Saratov and Orenburg as well as Atyrau (4 a day), has a population of 350,000. It is the capital of the West Aktobe and Aksai. Kazakhstan Province. While the majority of the popula- tion is made up of ethnic Kazakhs, ethnic Russians also make up a large percent of the populations, and many other ethnic groups such as Tatars, Bashkirs, and Azaris 3.3 Get around are also represented. Because of its geographic proximity to Russia and its history, the city has been greatly influ- The city has a functioning transportation network includ- enced by Russian culture. ing buses and marshrutkas (mini-vans that drive along a set route). However, getting a map of the transportation Founded in 1613 by Cossacks, the city was originally part network may be difficult for travelers to the city. Taxis of the Russian Empire. The Russian influence is still services are also available. As in many countries of the present to this day having strongly influenced the archi- former Soviet Union, gypsy cabs can be easily hailed from tecture and culture of the city and its people. The city the street. played a small part in Russian history as the center of the Pugachev serf rebellion in the 18th century. The father of Russian Literature, Alexander Pushkin, visited the city with his friend Vladimir Dahl in September 1833 while 3.4 See doing research for his book The History of Pugachev and his novel The Captain’s Daughter. Traditional Russian architecture dating back to the 17th century can be seen throughout the center of the city. The main pedestrian street of Teatralnaya is like a mini ver- sion of Moscow’s Arbat. Kazakhstan’s first drama the- 3.2 Get in atre, 150 years old, is located in this street. This theatre is now known as the Russian drama theatre. A larger, mod- ern drama theatre, known as the Kazakh drama theatre, is 3.2.1 By plane located nearby on the main boulevard, . Beautiful architecture, including two Russian Orthodox churches Uralsk Ak-Zhol airport (URA/UARR). and (one which is quite old), can also be found along Dostyk. SCAT offer daily flights to/from Almaty, Astana and Atyrau. Direct flights to Moscow remain somewhat spo- radic (twice a week by SCAT, as of January 2013). If 3.4.1 Museums you have Russian visa, you can use the nearby airport of Samara with direct flights to/from Moscow (up to 12 a • Museum of Yemelyan Pugachev (музей им. day), Frankfurt (Lufthansa) and Prague (Czech Airlines). Емельяна Пугачева), 35 Dostyk Avenue;

10 3.9. SLEEP 11

This museum is located in a house built in 18th cen- 3.9 Sleep tury. This house, which was built as a residence for Py- otr Kuznetsov, an Ural Cossack, once happened to be the 3.9.1 Budget very center of Pugachev inspired Russian serf rebellion, which took place between 1773-1775. It was once also Aidana is a new complex which offers quality ac- a home for a library until it was transferred to a regional commodation at a low price. Located in front of city’s historical museum. It houses an extensive display of Ural indoor skating ring. Cossacks’ artifacts such as cannons, banners and luxuri- ous presents from Tzars. This is a very exciting exhibition Sayakhat Hotel is in the very center close to the Rai (The that represents the life of Ural Cossacks. Heaven) night club. Hotel Oral (Ural) is quite cheap and services are see- • Museum of Regional History, 184 Dostyk Av- ing some improvement lately. Close to Atrium shopping enue; center and many bars and cafes.

• Nature and Environment Museum, 151-1 Dostyk Avenue; 3.9.2 Mid-range

Pushkin Hotel located in the historical building close to Ural River bank and Uralsk University main building. 3.5 Do Good restaurant and very cozy rooms. Chagala Hotel Uralsk. Good food, in-house bar and 3.6 Buy comfortable accommodation.

3.7 Eat 3.10 Connect

3.7.1 Budget Free Wi-Fi spots available in the domestic airport termi- nal, Dixi pub in Atrium shopping center and City Park. • Cum Cum. This restaurant is the most renowned There are few internet cafes scattered around the city; try in Uralsk for it’s 'Meat-on-a-stick' or 'Shashleek' as Kazakhtelecom in the city center. the local Kazakh’s call it. Check out the back room where there is an excellent picture of some 3D cats. Superb toilet facilities. 3.10.1 Consulates:

• Russian Federation, Mukhit Street 78, Uralsk, • The Geordie Pub (opposite Cum Cum). This bar is Kazakhstan, ☎ (7112) 51-16-26, fax: (7112) 54-54- located in the center of Uralsk. It is only open during 04, e-mail: [email protected]. Monday to summer, but provides a lovely range of local beers, Thursday: 09:00 - 13:00 and 14:00 - 18:00. has some lovely food and really nice toilet facilities. There is also a bar maid that has been to Newcastle. • Italy, Honorary Vice-Consulate, AB2 Building, Look for a fence, some umbrellas and a TV. Czech Camp, Aksai 418440, Kazakhstan, ☎ (571) 22-22-262, fax: (571) 22-22-667, e-mail: 3.7.2 Mid-range [email protected].

3.7.3 Splurge 3.11 Stay safe 3.8 Drink 3.12 Cope • The Golden Cat (opposite Cum Cum). This bar cum restaurant is a favorite haunt for locals and ex-pats 3.13 Go next alike. You will often find people from the UK and US gathered here. The food is excellent and the beer is better. If you attend on a weekend evening, you can enjoy the sweet, chilled pleasure of saxophone jazz. Check out the che-chill and the excellent toilet facilities. Chapter 4

Almaty Province

Almaty Province is in the southeast of Kazakhstan. It is 4.3 Other destinations a population center for the country, home to the nation’s largest city, the former capital Almaty, and the most pop- ular destination for foreign visitors, especially those look- ing to trek in the Tian Shan mountains. It is also home to the principal border crossings into and out of Xinjiang.

4.1 Regions

Petroglyphs of Tamgaly

• Aksu-Zhabagly • Tamgaly — Bronze Age petroglyphs constituting a UNESCO World Heritage site

4.4 Understand

Spruce forest around the Lake Kaindy 4.5 Get in

4.2 Cities 4.6 Get around

• Taldykorgan— the administrative capital of Almaty Province, It is worth visiting if you interested in fan- 4.7 See tastic natural view: mountains, rivers and forests.

• Almaty — the one and only city of more than one 4.8 Do million inhabitants in the country; the former capi- tal, the warmer capital, and the cultural capital. 4.9 Eat • Dostyk — the small border town opposite the Chi- nese town of Alashankou. 4.10 Drink • Talgar — an 1,000-year-old small city in the high Zailiysky Alatau mountain range. 4.11 Stay safe •

12 Chapter 5

Aksu-Zhabagly

Aksu Zhabagly is in Southern Kazakhstan. Gorge- Kaskabulak Petroglyphs (12 km, 1 day or 24 km, 3 days). A popular destination near Zhabagly, this site features one of the most impressive waterfalls in the 5.1 Understand area. It is possible to stay overnight near Kshi-Kaindy in the ranger cabin or camp outside. The following day, tourists will hike up to Ulken-Kayndy Gorge and beyond 5.1.1 History that to the petroglyphs which are found within the Aksu- Zhabagly Nature Reserve, returning to camp again in the 5.1.2 Landscape evening at Kshi-Kaindy. The third day is spent returning to the homestays in the village of Zhabagly. Aksu Gorge 5.1.3 Flora and fauna (38 km, 7 hours including 3 hours of hiking). This route leads up the mountains to Aksu Gorge (pictured to the Lying at the foot of the West Tien Shan Mountains, right) which is over 500m deep. At the bottom of canyon Zhabagly is the gateway to Aksu-Zhabagly State Natu- there is a mixture of mulberry and ash trees with coils ral Reserve. It is located in the western extremity of Ta- of forest grapes making their way up the walls. Within lasski Alatau ridge and ranges at elevations from 1100m site from the gorge tourists can admire the snow-covered to 4236m. The oldest protected area in Central Asia, Ugamskii range with Sairamskii peak. Bokeitau Moun- Aksu-Zhabagly nature reserve is home for 1279 species tain (70 km, 2 days). The route introduces different land- of plants, 51 species of mammals, including the rare scapes and natural zones from semi-desert up to decidu- snow leopard, and tien-shan white-clawed bear, and many ous fruit forests. Along the journey, tourists will visit sev- species of birds. eral caves, go swimming, try water that locals believe has healing powers, and see the paradise flycatcher. They will go up to highest peak of Boroldai range, Bokeitau Moun- 5.1.4 Climate tain, and will visit “Spirit Valley”. Interregional route “Zhabagly- Tonkeris- Kaskasu” (60 km, 3 or 6 days). From Zhabagly, tourist will travel along the Aksu River 5.2 Get in to lunch at Karalma Bridge. The trip then continues to the village of Tonkeris where tourists will stay for the 5.3 Fees/Permits evening and cultural show. In the morning, tourists go along the Sairamsu River where they will lunch before beginning their descent into Kaskasu village in 5.4 Get around Ugam. There is an option of returning Karatau Moun- tains (different flora and fauna from that of the Tien Shan, Kornilovka Lake), The bird ringing station at Chokpak 5.5 See (during the bird migrations), The Mausoleum of Kozha Ahmet Yassaui at , The 13th century ruins of Red Hill and Stalactite Cave (1 day, 38 km). This place Otyrar. gets its name from the large numbers of flowering Greig Tulips that bloom from late April to early May. It is said that there can be up to 62 flowering tulips within 1 square meter. While spending the day, there are places 5.6 Do for picnic. Also, with more than 2 km of underground roads, the stalactite cave is accessible. The cave is filled with both large and small halls of stalactites and an un- 5.7 Buy derground lake. Kshi-Kaindy Waterfalls Ulken Kaindy

13 14 CHAPTER 5. AKSU-ZHABAGLY

5.8 Eat

5.9 Drink

5.10 Sleep

• Zhenia & Lyuda’s, 36, Zhabagly, ☎ +7 72538 55584, +7 701 717 58 51. 5000KZT/person.

5.10.1 Lodging

5.10.2 Camping

5.10.3 Backcountry

5.11 Stay safe

5.12 Go next Chapter 6

Almaty

Almaty, in Almaty Province, is the former capital of dispensable guidebook to the city which is printed in En- Kazakhstan, and still its largest city and the financial and glish and Russian and sold at newsstands. It’s priced at cultural center. It is an old city, once one of the main US$3 and covers all the attractions, including photos and centers of the Zhetysu region along the Silk Road. descriptions. On a clear day you can see the beautifully rugged, snow- capped mountains, right at the city’s doorstep to the south. The city, in general, slopes from south to north which 6.2 Get in makes navigating the streets easy. If you are traveling uphill, you're going south. There is also a small mountain 6.2.1 By air range bordering the city to the east. • Almaty International Airport (Kazakh: Xalıqar- alıq Almatı Äwejayı/Халықаралық Алматы 6.1 Understand Әуежайы, Russian: Международный Аэропорт Алматы (IATA: ALA, ICAO: UAAA)), Ul. Be- imbeta Maylina (ул. Беимбета Майлина), 2 (15 km northeast of Almaty. Take bus № 79, 86, 92, 106 (20-45 mins.)), ☎ +7 727 2703333 (Flight Information). This is a hub for the national carrier Air Astana. It is also a major Central Asian cargo hub.

6.2.2 International Flights

For people from most countries, the easiest way to get to Kazakhstan is by air. It’s roughly a 7-8 hour flight from Europe. Air Astana, with a fairly modern fleet of Air- Soviet monument to WWII heroes buses and Boeings, has direct flights from major Euro- pean cities. Also there is the low-cost carrier airBaltic As an important hub, not just for Kazakhstan but for from Riga. Central Asia as a whole, Almaty has a moderately large Visas must be obtained in advance of arrival, as they are expatriate community and is on the itinerary for most no longer available on arrival at the airport, (unless you tourists in the region. are arriving from a country that has no consulate, and Almaty is in the top 50 most expensive cities worldwide that type of planeside visa usually needs to be coordinated for expats according to Mercer Human Research. Al- with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs at least one week in though Almaty dropped from 30th place in 2007 to 44th advance). in 2008, it’s still more expensive than Toronto, Los Ange- The airport is small, and sometimes several flights de- les or Hamburg. Nevertheless, it is a wonderful gateway part around the same time, meaning shocking queues and to this undiscovered and distinctive country. Kazakh peo- waits for no apparent reason. Be early, and expect flight ple are very kind and welcoming, and you will be pleas- delays. Lots of departures from Almaty end up leaving a antly surprised by the hospitality. bit late, but most arrivals are pretty timely. If you can read English and do not have a guide- A taxi from the airport to the city costs about USD20–25 interpreter in Almaty, then you can buy Pogulay, an in- (KZT3,000-3,500). You can also take a bus to the center,

15 16 CHAPTER 6. ALMATY

which starts at 07:00 and costs KZT80 . The best is to train directly at the Chinese side of the border after buy- ask at the airport information booth to order you a cab (it ing the ticket there the same day (Jul 2010). Organizing will be about a 10 minute wait for one to arrive), which the Kazakh visa in Urumqi takes at least 5 working days they will, and it will cost you half the price of getting one (Jul 2010). The trip takes 34 hours, eight of which are outside the airport (KZT1,200). spent clearing Chinese and Kazakh Immigration. Taking Check-in desks open around 3 hours before flight depar- the bus or flying are better options if you are in a hurry. ture and you are not permitted into the check-in area until the desks for your flight have opened. 6.2.5 By bus

• 6.2.3 National Flights Sayakhat Bus Station, Zhetysu District, Rayim- bek Prospekt (Located one km east of the railway • Air Astana - Aktau, Aktobe, Astana, Atyrau, station Almaty 2. -). Marshutkas run from here to Sary-Arka Airport, , Oskemen, Pavlodar, the north and east of Almaty, as to Talgar, , Shymkent , . • • SCAT Airline - Aktau, Aktobe, Astana, Atyrau, Sayran Bus Station (Sairan, Междугород Karaganda, Kokshetau, , Oral, Oskemen, автовокзал «Сайран»), Ulitsa Sadovnikov (yлица , Semey, Shymkent, Taraz, Urdjar, Садовникова 294) (Tole bi and Zhezkazgan corner. - take tram 4 to Center). International buses to: Kyrgyzstan (Bishkek $7), Tajikistan, China (Urumqi $56). - Daily buses to: Taraz and 6.2.4 By train Shymkent ($2), Ust-Kamenogorsk (23 hours), Tomsk ($100), Astana ($26), Türkestan ($17), There are two railway stations, Almaty-1 and Almaty-2. Karaganda und Balkhash. Almaty-2 is in the city centre, Almaty-1 is about 4km from the centre. Most trains end at Almaty-2, but some lower-class trains end at Almaty-1. From China Sleeper buses leave from Urumqi at 18:00 every day • − Almaty 1 Train Station (Станция Алматы 1), of the week except Saturday and take approximately 24 Ulitsa Rikhard Zorge (Turksib District. - Trolley №7 hours to arrive in Almaty (Nov 2008: only buses on Mon- connecting with centre (50 min.)). day, Wednesday and Friday at 19:00). Tickets for a lower • Almaty 2 Train Station (Железнодорожная bed are ¥420, upper beds are ¥400, and a berth in the Станция Алматы−2), Ave. Abylai Khan (Trolley back bed of the bus is ¥380. Buses depart from the inter- №5, №6 connecting with centre (30 min).). national branch of the Nianzigou Bus Station (), which is located about 50 m to the left of the main Ni- anzigou station (if facing the front of the station) on the From Russia other side of the Wenshabao () building. Beware that the crossing at Korgas () closes on Chinese national There are many direct trains between Russia and Kaza- holidays (including the first week of October for National khstan. Train 8 goes from Moscow to Almaty, and de- Day). parts from Kazanski Station. The trip takes about 82 Buses also leave from Yining and it takes about 10 hours hours, with stops in Saratov, Uralsk, Aktobe, Turkestan, to Almaty. They cost USD30 or ¥150. These buses leave and Shymkent on the way. two or three times in a week, ask the bus drivers in Yining when they will go. You could also take a bus to Korgas From Urumqi, China from Yining (¥30-38) and go to Kazakhstan by foot from Korgas. After being on the other side of the border you The N895 train leaves every Saturday and Monday night could take a taxi which will cost about KZT3,000 to go (23:58 Beijing time) direct to Almaty. To buy the ticket to Almaty. The trip from Korgas to Almaty is about 4- in Urumqi the office is in the Yaou Hotel to the right of 6 hours. The city of Tacheng city (north of Korgas and the main station. Tickets need to be purchased a few days north of Yining) also has buses that run several times a in advance and cost around ¥870 (about USD110). week to Almaty and back. Ticket sale for the Saturday train starts on Monday, 10:00, for the Monday train it starts Friday, 10:00. The train on From Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan Saturday is very busy, while for the train on Monday it is possible to purchase the ticket on the same day. There Minibuses travel to Almaty Sairan station from Bishkek’s will always be free seats in the train so you may enter the western bus station, and cost about KGS400/KZT1,300 6.3. GET AROUND 17 and take up to 5 hours depending on how long the Kyr- photocopies of your passport photo-page and your gyz/Kazakh border crossing takes. Enter the station in Kazakh visas as well as your accommodation’s ad- Bishkek and look for the minibus bay with Almaty writ- dress. You can drop off your passport (copies not ten above it. They go when they fill up, so expect to wait accepted, nor letters from embassies confirming that about 20 minutes to an hour after arriving. Just get on they are holding your passport) with the aforemen- and take a seat and payment occurs when the bus is full tioned documents in the morning, and they will ask and about to leave. you to return later in the day to pick it up. If you do The trip to the Kazakh border doesn't take long from not register within five days (beware this duration starts from the day you landed in first Kazakhstani Bishkek and when you arrive you must get out and take your luggage through the border crossing yourself. Each airport on your arrival till you take off on your depar- ture from the final Kazakhstani airport, this is im- passenger and the minibus must clear the border individ- ually, and hopefully the bus will still be waiting for you portant considering that the cities are not well con- nected by international flights on daily basis due to on the other side when you complete the ordeal. Unless you individually experience a major delay it is likely the which you spend in stopovers at domestic airports), the fee is USD100, otherwise you will pre- minibus will wait for you. Once through the border cross- ing, the minibus will stop again after an hour for a rest vented from leaving the country. Those who regis- stop at a gas station. tered at arrival at an international airport (at a border checkpoint), do not need to apply to police for reg- istration. Beware that if you enter under the “visa Kyrgyz/Kazakh border crossing free” programme (trial phase to July 15, 2015) you may still have to register: if your “migration card” The border crossing involves several lengthy, disorgan- bears only a single entry stamp, which may be all ised queues which frequently see large groups of people you are given at land borders. If at all possible let skipping to the front of the queue claiming young children your hotel obtain the registration for you (should be or infirmity as an excuse. Forget any queuing etiquette free of charge). and do your best to stand your ground. The border cross- ing begins with clearing Kyrgyz immigration. If you're a non-Kazakh/Kyrgyz national you simply have to go and 6.3 Get around present your passport to a man who resides in a room behind a mirrored door at the back of the first building you come across. You can either skip the scrum of peo- ple and try to walk around to the back of the building and knock on the mirrored door behind the immigration booths, or you can line up and have the man at the immi- gration booth you through to the door. Once through the Kyrgyz immigration point you must en- ter Kazakhstan, and at this point the scrum of people be- comes even more intense as you are lined up through a green cage or sorts, although it doesn't seem to apply to everyone as large groups of people will attempt to skip to the head of the queue by waiting outside the end of the green fenced area. Once at the end of the green cage area, there is a larger area where you line up into three queues, one of which is let go at a time into the area with immigration booths. Once into the Kazakh immigration booth area, grab an immigration form and fill it out while you line up at one of the booths. Expect a lot of standing around, pushing, yelling, and queue jumping.

6.2.6 Registration Remember that the mountains outside of town are criti- • OVIR (Migration Police) (Corner of Baytursynov cal to direction. When someone tells you to head “up”, & Karasay Batyr St), ☎ +7 727-2544132. M–F they are telling you to head towards the mountains. When 09:00–18:00, Sa 09:00–13:00, Passport collection: someone tells you to head “down”, they are telling you 17:00–19:00. Enter the side door through the blue to head away from the mountains. It is very easy to get porch and go to Window 3. The building is marked around Almaty, since most of the roads are either paral- “Migration Police” on Google Maps. You need lel or orthogonal to each other. The destinations are usu- 18 CHAPTER 6. ALMATY

ally determined by intersections like in New York City. 6.3.2 By trams, buses, and trolleys Therefore, for instance, if you know that Kazakhstan Ho- tel is at the intersection of Abaya and Kurmangazy, local There is an extensive network of buses and trolleybuses people will be able to help you out with ease. in the city. The trams lines are limited and serve only specific areas of Almaty. The fare is universal, KZT80. You need to put coins inside a dedicated machine inside 6.3.1 By Metro every vehicle or pay the conductor when exiting. Make sure that you have the correct change; you won't please Central Almaty benefits from the underground system the conductor by giving her notes. Younger conductors launched in 2011. It boasts some great architecture, and speak a bit of English and are more than happy to help is relatively cheap. There is only one metro line consisting point you in the right direction and tell you about where of the following stations: Alatau, Auezov Drama Theatre, to get off or connecting buses. Baikonur, Abay, , Zhibek Zholy, and Raiymbek Batyr. The second line is under construction, which will reach more remote parts of the city. 6.3.3 By taxi A single trip costs KZT80 (USD0.52). Payment does not There are both official and informal taxis. Official taxis depend on the length of the trip. The tickets (plastic yel- can be booked in advance and normally show up rapidly. low coin tokens) are sold at booths within the stations The fare difference between official and unofficial taxis (“kassa”) only (Dec 2013). may vary up to 3 times. Just raise your hand and a car will There are no day tickets or similar offers tailored to vis- eventually stop. You should negotiate the price and direc- itors, but for those who use Metro often and for an ex- tion in advance. Normally the fare varies from KZT200- tended period of time, there is a rechargeable unlimited 1,000 depending on the remoteness of the area. These trips smart-card (small refundable deposit is required), are really efficient, and, although it takes a bit of getting which can be recharged for a period up to 3 months. If used to, it is the perfect solution to getting around. Nev- you lose it, you will not get any refund or replacement. ertheless, single travellers should be aware of muggings late at night. Avoid cars with more than one male occu- The Metro is open from 06:00-24:00. The Metro is safe pant at night. Usually a car will stop within 30 seconds and guarded by police at all times. to 3 minutes of having your hand out. If the driver does not wish to drive to your destination, no problem. The next one will stop a minute or two after. You will need Metro Stations the name of your destination street and the nearest cross street, in Russian, in order to get to where you want to go. From North to South(west) Very few people speak or understand even basic English. It is necessary to have small money. Usually drivers avoid • Raiymbek batyr (Russian: Райымбек батыра, giving change, so it is better to have the exact amount in Kazakh:Райымбек) (Almaty 2 Train Station). hand.

• Zhibek Zholy - Dostyk (Russian: Жибек Жолы) (Ascension Cathedral, Kazakh-British Tech- 6.4 See nical University). 6.4.1 Churches • Almaly (Russian:Алмалы) (Hotel Almaty, Opera and Ballet House).

• Abay (Russian:Абая, Kazakh:Абай) (Kazakh Na- tional Agrarian University, State Academic Russian Drama Theatre).

• Baikonur (Russian:Байконур,Kazakh: Байқоңыр) (Sport Palace/Central Stadium).

• Auezov Theater (Russian: Театр имени Мухтара Ауэзова, Kazakh: Мұхтар Әуезов атындағы театры) (Auezov Theater, Circus, Rahat Palace Ho- tel). Zenkov’s Cathedral • Alatau (Russian:Алатау). 6.4. SEE 19

• National Museum of Fine Arts (Республиканский музей изобразительного искусства им. А. Кастеева.), Ulitsa Satpaev (M Auezov Theater).

• National Museum (Central State Museum of the Republic of Kazakhstan), Furmanov St (ул. Фурманова), (Opposite the Presidential Palace, Metro 'Abay' the nearest station), ☎ +7 2645577. Blue-roofed. Features displays on Kazakh history, from prehistoric times through the Mongol peri- ods to the present. Guided tours in English (and Central Mosque of Almaty other languages) are available if you call the museum ahead of time to reserve. English guided tours are KZT2,000 and Russian guided tours are KZT600. • Ascension Cathedral (Zenkov’s Cathedral, Voz- nesenskiy sobor Zenkova, Свято-Вознесенский • собор Зенкова), Kazybek Bi St (Middle in the Park Museum of musical instruments the 28 Guardsmen, Metro 'Zhibek Zholy' (Жибек (Республиканский музей музыкальных Жолы) station 400 m away). Completed in 1907, инструментов им. Ыкыласа.), Zenkov St, it is the second-tallest wooden building in the world. (East side of Heroes Memorial Park). • Kazanskiy sobor (Казанский собор), Khaliullina • Railway Museum (Алматинский str (Халиуллина) 45 (NE three km of Metro). A железнодорожный музей.). Russian Orthodox Church • St. Nicholas Cathedral (Никольский собор.), Ulitsa Baytursynov (Near to Nikolsky Bazaar.- The 6.4.3 Others Baykonur Metro Station three blocks away). was built in 1909. But it was converted to a barn for • cavalry horses by the Soviets but was eventually re- Heroes Memorial Park, Between Kunaev St, stored and reopened as a church in 1980. Gogol St, Zenkov St and Kazybek Bi St (Metro 'Zhibek Zholy' station in the nearby). Honors the • Central Mosque of Almaty (Мечети города men and women from Kazakhstan who died on the Алматы), Ul. Pushkin (ул. Пушкина), 16 (Metro: battlefields of the WWII against the Nazis. There Raiymbek batyr), ☎ +7 727 397 76 0, e-mail: is an eternal flame by the war memorial where [email protected]. schoolchildren put flowers on the last day of school, and newlyweds also come to have their photos taken • Sophia Cathedral (Софийский собор/Sofiyskiy there. In the park is an Orthodox church built sobor, Свято-Богоявленский храм), Ulitsa from 1904-1907, painted in dollhouse colors with Sadovnikov (Садовникова улица), 196., ☎ +7 727 a metallic steeple. You can often hear beautiful 225 0313. singing inside.

6.4.2 Museums • Presidential Palace, Furmanov St (ул. Фурманова), 205. You will not be allowed to • Akhmet Baytursynov Memorial Museum go inside. Nonetheless, the scenery and architec- (Ахмета Байтурсынов дом-музей). ture is breathtaking. If the guards are out front, it means the president is there. • Museum of Archeology of the Academy of Sci- ence of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Ulitsa Kal- dayakov. • Republic Square (New Square, пл. Республики). Former administrative center. Since the capital was • Museum of Books (Республиканский музей moved to Astana, this square has been renovated. книги.), Ulitsa Shevchenko 28 (Academy of Science TV stations occupy some buildings. There are flower of the Republic of Kazakhstan). gardens. There is also a Kazakh memorial, con- • City History Museum, Ulitsa Nauryzbai Batyr (M: sisting of a tall statue of the golden boy, an early Almaly). Kazakh figure, whose name is Altyn Adam, and cir- cled by metal bas relief panels recounting the history • Geological Museum of the Republic of Kaza- of Kazakhstan, from the time of the fierce Amazon- khstan, Dostyk Ave. like queen, to independence 10 years ago. 20 CHAPTER 6. ALMATY

• Hike Big Almaty Lake (Bus 28 bus goes from the roundabout at Al-Farabi and Navoi up Dulati St and ends at the last left turn before Almaarasan. This is a good ways up towards Big Almaty Lake; the remain- der can be done on foot: the hike is about 15 km and a 1,000 m altitude increase (to 2,500 m) Follow the road about 8 km until you reach a big water pipe, and then follow the water pipe. The first bit is steep, but beyond that it gets easier. If you don't take the water pipe the journey is much longer. When you get off the Bus 28 there are taxis waiting: they will take you up to within 4 km of the lake for KZT2,000 (Oct 2011). From the roundabout at Al-Farabi and Navoi a taxi will take you to within 4 km of the lake. You should be able to barter them down to KZT2,000 (Oct 2011) for a one-way trip.). There is good hiking around the Big Almaty Lake area up in the mountains (the 6.4.4 Further afield lake is at 2,500 m and there are peaks overlooking it, some of them above 4,500 m.) The lake and sur- • Charyn Canyon (Шарын шатқалы, Шарын rounding area are beautiful. The lake freezes in the каньоны) (3 hr from the city, close to the Chinese winter and in the autumn it is a stunning turquoise. border.). Gorgeous red and orange sandstone lay- ers. The “Singing Dunes” are also not too far. A • Kazakhstan English Language Theater, Ave day trip. Abay 2 or 30? (On the campus of KIMEP Insti- tute in the heart of Almaty, Moscow Subway Station a couple meters away), e-mail: [email protected]. Started in 2001, the Kazakhstan English Language 6.5 Do Theater (KELT) is the only English language the- ater in former Soviet Central Asia. KELT does two shows a year, and runs English language the- ater classes and workshops periodically throughout the year. • Kok-Tobe (The cable car leaves from near the cor- ner of Abay and Dostyk (still sometimes referred to as Lenin St), next to the cinema, and costs KZT800 (about USD5) one way or KZT2,000 both ways. Or take buses 95 & 99 (KZT50)). Take the cable car up to Kok-Tobe for wonderful views of the mountains, vineyards, and Almaty. Buy and have a cup of hot chocolate at a table under the shadow of the TV tower or take a ride on an unpowered roller coaster. KZT100. • Medeu Ice-skating Medeu Ice Skating (Outside town, on the road to Chimbulak. Take Bus 6 in front of Hotel Kazakhstan on Dostyk Ave to go to the Medeu (KZT50 on week- days, KZT70 on weekends), every 20 min). The • Arasan Baths, Kunaev St 75. Tuesday - Sunday: world’s highest Olympic-sized ice stadium. More 0800 - 2400. A large public bathing complex with a than 180 world records were made on this ice. Fun magnificent Samarkand style domed pool. The per- to visit in winter. Skate rentals are available. Tipsy fect place to spend a few hours relaxing. Due to teenagers teeter across the ice, coloured lights and its cold and windy conditions, visiting saunas with loud pop music create a slightly surreal, but fun am- friends is very popular in Kazakhstan. Saunas (Rus- bience. There is also a large mountain-water swim- sian “banyas”) are an excellent place to discuss busi- ming pool just below the ice rink, open in summer. ness issues or just socialize with friends. Having par- The water is extremely invigorating, about 15°C. ties (birthdays, New Year, etc.) in saunas is normal practice. In fact many modern saunas in Almaty are • Panfilov Park (City center, surrounded by Gogol, fully equipped with karaoke, billiards, swimming Zenkov, Kazybek and Kunaev streets). Stroll this pools, relax rooms, massage rooms, etc. beautiful park, featuring Soviet-era architecture, the 6.6. BUY 21

cathedral, and spectacular WW2 monuments that at Cafemax on the second level (KZT500 for 100 are popular for wedding photographs. minutes) and a selection of upscale shops. Most of these shops are imitations of Western chain stores • Picnic at Tamgaly Petroglyphs (Drive 2 hr out, such as Zara. They also imitate Western prices. about 30 km past Copa off the road to Bishkek). Pack a picnic and. The famous “Sunman” is worth the • Barakholka. Cheap shopping at a large vendor- drive. style market, find name brands (knock-offs) for cheap. You can find virtually anything there, and • Ski or Snowboard. At Chimbulak, Ak-Bulak and if the price isn't right, you can easily haggle with the Tabagan ski . merchants. You want to find a USD300 winter coat • Tau Spa. Relax at this mountain spa, worth a visit for about USD45? It’s possible. Be wary of pick- summer or winter. Try the plunge pool at −15 de- pocketing. grees C! • Green Market (Zelyoni Bazaar), Zenkov Street (M: Zhibek Zholy (Жибек Жолы)). Fresh vegeta- bles, dairy products, and meat, as well as a number 6.6 Buy of non-food household items. Fruit and vegetables are on the lower level. On the upper level you will USD1 equals about KZT300 and 1 Euro about KZT340 find dried fruits, nuts, spices, honey and plants, as (Mar 2014). As a comparison (2011): a Snickers bar was well as cheese and meat. The meat section includes KZT80; a can of Coke KZT70; a cheese pizza at il Pa- horse sausages and is a bit challenging to the nose, so tio about KZT1,200; a cinema ticket for a movie about vegetarians beware. The prices increase seasonally, KZT1,000; a 10 minute taxi trip about KZT300-400; and unless you come from Tokyo or London, you cigarettes, KZT50-150; vodka KZT500+; beer 500ml will find it quite expensive, as opposed to your typ- KZT120+; a litre of juice around KZT150. Beef, KZT ical Asian market shopping experience. Wallet in 900-1,500 a kilo; pork KZT800 a kilo; horse meat, your front pocket, lest the pickpockets relieve you KZT1500 a kilo. A loaf of bread, KZT40-70. A 2 of your hard-earned money. bedroom modern apartment about USD1,000 a month. Clothing is expensive unless buying knock-offs at Bara- holka. (Green Market is relatively expensive). 6.6.3 Supermarkets

Good buys: Almaty has many modern supermarkets, offering every- thing from a bakery section to toiletries and vodka. Any • Handmade carpets food you could possibly want to find is readily available. There are four major supermarket chains: Ramstore, • Felted goods. Handmade dolls, rugs, and slippers SM-Market, Gros, and City. And plenty of single super- made with boiled lamb’s wool and natural dyes markets and small local grocery shops. The chain called • Handcrafted metal jewelry, including a “tumar”, “Gros” has convenient locations around town and a good which is a pendant that opens like a locket selection of drinks and snacks. Ramstore also has at least three locations, but is a bit pricier. The favorite stores • Handcrafted leather chess sets in a leather folding among locals are Stolichni (Ablai Khan and Kabanbai case with a board pattern stitched on. In most sou- Batyr). Super helpful staff and decent fruits/vegetables venir shops, and on ground floor of Silk Way (Zhy- year around, but vegetable prices are very expensive. bek Zholy and Furmanova). Dastarkhan (Gogolya St between Ablai Khan and Fur- manova) has excellent baked goods, especially cakes and cookies. Silk Way City (Tole Bi and Nauryzbai Batyr) 6.6.1 Banks shopping center has a supermarket in the ground floor. • Kaspi Bank, Sharipov St 90. • Ramstore Atrium Supermarket Trade Center (Рамстор Атриум), Ul. Raiymbek Nauryzbai Batyr 6.6.2 Markets, Shops (Райымбек даңғылы) (Metro: Raiymbek batyr), ☎ +8 727 244-6556, fax: +8 727 244-6530. Open: • Arbat (Zhybek-Zholy “Silk Road”). Almaty’s 09:00-23:00. International retrail store chain. - 9 artist’s row on a tree-lined pedestrian street. “Arbat” cashdesk with electronic scales; - Accept Money- is a nickname of the street. On the same street you cards as: Visa, Master Card, Euro Card, Amer- can visit the big mall - TsUM (in Russian - ЦУМ - ican Express, China Union Pay, Altyn. - More Центральный Универсальный Магазин). At the units: Samal Shopping center, Address: Furmanov east end of this pedestrian street there is the Silk str., 226 (Phone:+8 727 330-5501, Fax:+8 727 258- Way Mall. Here you can find Wi-Fi Internet access 7570, Open: 9:00-24:00); - Tastak Supermarket, 22 CHAPTER 6. ALMATY

Address : Almaty, Tole Bi str., 229, (Phones:+8 6.7 Eat 727 2414008, Fax: 8 727 2414015, Open: 09:00- 23:00). - Aynabulak Supermarket, Address: Al- Cheaper Kazakh restaurants are all over the place, selling maty, micro-district Aynabulak, 98 B. (Phones: +8 shashlik, soup, salad and others. Fast food places are also 727 299-4009, 2994069, Fax : +8 727 2994009, everywhere - the local favourite is gamburgers, with sliced Open: 09:00-23:00). - Atakent Supermarket, Ad- kebab meat on a hamburger bun with pickles and garlic dress: Almaty, Temiryazev str., 42. (Phones:+8 sauce. 727 275-6833, +8 727 275-6835, 275-6838, Fax:+8 727 275-7289, Open: 09:00-23:00). - Mega Su- • Boudoir (On Bogenbai Batyr underneath the Kaz- permarket, Address: Almaty, Rozibakiyev str., 247 post, near Ablai Khan). Daily till 24:00. Lounge А. (Phones: +8 727 232-2612, +8 727 232-2614, restaurant offers “contemporary global cuisine” in +8 727 271-9740, Fax:+8 727 232-2613, Open: an intimate underground space. The menu includes 09:00-23:00). - Hyper Aport Hypermarket, Ad- kangaroo and crocodile dishes, and specialties of the dress : Moll А’port, (200 m from house are the live mud crabs cooked in 5 differ- the Market Altyn-Orda, Six km west of the City ent ways, and the chef’s selection of homemade ice Center. Phone:+8 727 312-15-61, Fax:+8 727 312- creams. Menus are in English, Russian, and Kazakh, 1563, Open: 09:00-23:00). - Mango Supermar- and the place has the funkiest cocktail menu in Cen- ket, Address: Almaty, st. Sholohova/Seyfullina 29. tral Asia. (Phone:+8 727 313-7522, 313-7520, Fax:+8 727 313-7522, Open: 09:00-23:00). - Globus Super- • Ciao Pizza, Tole Bi Street 87 (Next to Kazakh Na- market, Address: Almaty, st. Abaya/Auezova 109 tional Medical University). b. (Phone:+8 727 356-7564, Fax :+8 727 356- • Emporio Armani Bar (Al-Farabi and Shashkin). 7562, Open: 09:00-23:00. - Almagul Supermar- Moderate prices and excellent service. Live DJ and ket, Address: Almaty, microdistrict Almagul 18a. cosy atmosphere. (Phone:+8 727 396-2507. Fax :+8 727 396-2508, Open: 09:00-23:00). - . Hyper Altyn Taraz • Gakku, 7 Nikitina St (Between Nauryzbay Batyr St Hypermarket /Рамстор Алтын Тараз/, Address: and Seyfullin Ave). One of the best restaurants serv- Str. Abylai Han 3 Moll - Altin-Taraz , Желтоқсан ing Kazakh national food for reasonable prices. One көшесі (Near to Astan - 2 Station). Phone:+8 727 should try “beshparmak”, “kuyrdak” and other tra- 244-6102, Fax :+8 727 244-6106, Open: 09:00- ditional Kazakh dishes. 23:00).- Sputnik Supermarket, mkr-n Mamyr-1, 8a • Moll Sputnik. (Phone:+8 727 244-7519, Open: La Grenouille, Shevshenko 18 (Corner of Dostik). 09:00-23:00). - Shemyakina Supermarket, Address: Certainly the best French restaurant in town. Shemyakina str. 121, (Phone:+8 727 303-4048, Friendly atmosphere and tasty food (try the frog Open: 09:00-23:00). - Timiryazeva Supermarket, legs!) Address: Almaty, Str. Timiryazeva 37, (Phones: +8 • The Grill (On top of the hill at Kok-Tobe. Take the 727 248-4631, 248-4633, 248-4635, Open: 09:00- cable car up, near Hotel Kazakhstan on Dostyk). In 23:00). a picturesque setting overlooking Almaty. You are perched over the city on a wooden verandah (some parts nice & shady) and it is an awesome setting. The beers are a bit pricey, but the shashliks are awesome 6.6.4 Shopping Centers and a few drinks here is a must-do experience. • Jantik Club, 138 Bogenbay Batyr St (Corner of • Passage Shopping Center (M: Zhibek Zholy Shagabutdinov). Western-style bar. Live music and (Жибек Жолы)). 20th century super hits. Beatles fans will be very pleased to visit this bar. Moderate prices. • Tsum Shopping Center (Centralniy Universalniy • Mama Mia’s (On Gogol between Ablai Khan and Magasin), Abylai Khan Avenue (M: Zhibek Zholy Panfilova, across from Dastarkhan grocery store, (Жибек Жолы)). Every post-Soviet town has this and the second Mama Mia is on Tole Bi and department store. It’s filled with hundreds of iden- Zharokova). Pizza restaurant, but with a large as- tical little counters selling electronic goods on the sortment of fresh salads (a good place to go when first floor, and souvenirs and clothes can be found on you tire of carrots and potatoes in the winter time). the second. There is a good selection of souvenirs. A small, separate non-smoking section. For a One Saturday a month, there is an ad hoc market on change, stop in and order your dishes to go, then Ablai Khan across from the Tsum. Craftsmen from walk across the street to Dastarkhan to buy some all over come and sell their wares. It’s worth check- sodas and pastries for dessert; then walk two blocks ing out. east on Gogol and eat in Panfilov Park. 6.8. DRINK 23

• Namaste (On the corner of Kosmonaft and Sat- • Unnamed Chinese Restaurant (On Gogolya and paeva, about mid-way between the Intercontinental Tulebayeva, not far from Panfilov Park, on the and the Hyatt). One of the more popular Indian ground floor of an apartment building). Popular restaurants. Service is very slow, but if you have Chinese restaurant. Strange location, but very pop- time the food is pretty good. ular and clean.

• Il Patio / Planeta Sushi. Predictably passable pizza • and decent sushi in a clean and efficient atmosphere Unnamed Korean Restaurant (In the square in at decent prices. front of the entrance to the exhibition on Temirazova, a few blocks away from the Intercontinental and the • Pirosmani (On Ablai Khan, two blocks down from new ). One of the more Korean popu- Tsum). Georgian restaurant. Features khacha- lar restaurants. You'll often see businessmen from puri, cheese filled bread, eggplant stuffed with nuts, Samsung and LG here lunching with people from spinach with nuts, and various savory kebabs. Geor- the Korean Embassy. gian restaurants are great places for vegetarians to dine. • Venezia (On Dostyk (Lenina) between Satpaeva and Abaya). Four pages of choices. The pizza has very • Soho. Lunch isn't bad, a buffet with a nice assort- good thin crust. The restaurant has two rooms. ment of breads, soups, salads, and main dishes called a “business lunch” at a reasonable fixed price. How- • Zheti Qazyna (Ablai Khan Ave & Makataev). The ever the evenings are quite pleasant with live music restaurant with three kitchens: Uzbek, Chinese, Eu- and reasonable drink prices. No entrance fee during ropean. The Uzbek room has wonderful wood dec- the week. Soho is a great place for a single busi- orations, blue-tiled kitchen you can see into. nessman. It is not a very classy joint and is usually packed with Almaty’s working women. They have one of the best bands in Almaty and they sing in En- 6.8 Drink glish. Some of their covers are better than the orig- inals. It’s a must-see event. Try making a booking to avoid having to stand at the bar. • Queens Pub (Shevchenko & Seifullin). Modern En- glish pub with live bands and evening shows. • Taj Mahal, 59, Masanchi St (Corner of Kababai Batyr St, near Celinni Cinema). The most authentic • Sapphire. Late-night club and restaurant for young Indian restaurant, with traditional hukkah and spe- people. Basic Chinese menu and live DJ with a cial pizzas. Has started to attract an expat crowd due dance floor. The main draw here is the shisha, or to their traditional interior. water pipe. Other places in Almaty also have shisha (fruit-flavoured tobacco, smoked for an hour or two • Tau Dastarkhan (Halfway up the mountains). In from a hookah), but this is one of the few to use a large area made up of “islands” with Kazakh, real charcoal and authentic Al Fakher shisha to- Russian, Georgian, and Uzbek kitchens. Not to bacco from UAE. The bar delivers the vodkas pretty be missed in the summertime. It’s as fun to walk promptly too. around and see the various settings as it is to eat.

• Tbilisi (On Zheltoksan). Georgian restaurant. Fea- tures khachapuri, cheese filled bread, eggplant 6.9 Sleep stuffed with nuts, spinach with nuts, and various sa- vory kebabs. Georgian restaurants are great places 6.9.1 Budget for vegetarians to dine.

• Turandot (Two locations: one on Abai Ave between • Almaty-2, ☎ +7 727 260 42 13. Upstairs from the Baitursynuly St & Zhandosov St attached to the the- international hall of Almaty-2 train station. Cheap ater building, the other on Abylai Khan Ave just be- but very modest accommodation: shared bathroom low Makataev St). A very cheap and very tasty Chi- often without warm water, room doors have no locks nese eatery. Servings are huge, so don't go over- or even handles. The trains make constant noise at board. There are plenty of vegetarian dishes to night. KZT2,000. choose from, including tofu dishes. • Apple , 145 Kurmangazi St (100 m from the • Ultra’s (Satbaev St between Baitursynuly St & Sei- metro station), ☎ +7 727 3177696, +8 701 2202275, fullin Ave). Fun restaurant with its own microbrew- e-mail: [email protected]. Has friendly own- ery on site. It is one of the Staut chain. The restau- ers, is clean, soft carpet. Kitchen and washing rant has an excellent array of beer, albeit a little machine available. Beds, KZT2,000-2,500; single costly. room, KZT3,000). 24 CHAPTER 6. ALMATY

• Almaty SleepNGo Hostel, 34A Shashk- 6.9.3 Splurge ina St., ☎ +7 775 430 0320, e-mail: [email protected]. $10. • Hotel Almarasan. • Holiday Inn Almaty, 2d Timiryazev St. Good • Hostel 74/76, Zhambyla st. 74/76, ☎ +7 727 international hotel next to the government sector. 2674025. $14. $130+. (updated Jul 2015)

• Miras, 65a Baitursynuly St, ☎ +7 727 2927077. • Hotel Dostyk, 162 Furmanov St, ☎ +7 727 Singles, KZT2,900+; doubles, KZT4,800+. 2582270, e-mail: [email protected]. Big, old, and well-maintained hotel in the center of the city. • Hotel Transit, 12 Zheltoksan St, ☎ +7 727 233 USD150. 0438. USD7 for 3 hr. • Intercontinental Almaty, 181 Zheltoksan St, ☎ +7 • Hotel Turkistan, 49 Makataev St (Opposite the 727 2505000. It offers most of what you'd expect Green market), ☎ +7 8727 2664136, e-mail: from a luxury hotel. KZT46,000+ (~USD250). [email protected]. One or two • Rahat Palace Hotel (Formerly Hyatt), 29/6 Satbaev speak English. From $15. Ave, ☎ +7 727 2501234. Top end hotel with a de- cent health club. • Ulytau, 176 Furmanov St, ☎ +7 727 2619697. Run-down place. USD10 with shared bath, USD30 • Rixos Hotel Almaty. with private bath. • Worldhotel Saltanat Almaty, 164 Furmanov St (In the city’s historical centre), ☎ +7 727 2590935, 6.9.2 Mid-range e-mail: [email protected]. One of the most modern hotels in Kazakhstan, opened in 2011. • Alatau International Hotel & Business Center, 105 Dostyk Ave, ☎ +7 727 2581111, fax: +7 727 2581555, e-mail: [email protected]. USD80+. 6.10 Connect

• Almaty Business Hotel, 152 Vinogradova Str., ☎ 6.10.1 Internet +7 727 269 9086. USD100-120+. Free wifi is common in hotels but it may be unreliable. • Astra Hotel, 12 Zheltoksan St (north end, near Some bars and restaurants offer free wifi. Almaty-2 train station). Mid-range business hotel with a few problems but much cheaper than the in- • Internet (Corner of Baytursnuly & Karasay Batyr, ternational chains. A Ramstor shopping centre is near the OVIR). Eight computers and a tele- around the corner. $85. (updated Jul 2015) phone service but you can't use USB devices. KZT240/hour. • Grand Aicer, 1 Pozharskogo St, ☎ +7 727 250 33 50. Singles, KZT15,000+; doubles around • Internet (In the underpass of Zhibek Zholy & Tole- KZT19,000. baev, near the Silk Way Mall). KZT240/hour. • • Hotel Almaty, 85 Kabanbai Batyr St, ☎ +7 727 272 Omega Sector BiG Internet Cafe (Corner of 0070. USD180+. Abai & Baytursnuly, near the main station). KZT200/hour. • Hotel Ambassador, 121 Zheltoksan St, ☎ +7 727 • Supermarket, Samal-3 micro-district, Online Club 250 89 88, fax: +7 727 272 64 41. USD180+. (Silk Way City). There is free Wi-Fi inside the super- market. Best signal is on second floor in the middle. • Hotel Berkana, 83 Aiteke Bi St, ☎ +7 727 2797833. Singles USD75–150, breakfast included.

• Hotel Kazakhstan, 52 Dostyk Ave, ☎ +7 727 6.11 Stay safe 2582270. A Soviet-style hotel from 1977. KZT8,400-19,800. 6.11.1 Crime

• Hotel Kazzhol Almaty, 128/1 Gogol St (M: Almaty enjoys a relatively low crime rate and is, gener- Zhibek Zholy (Жибек Жолы)), ☎ +7 727 250 8941. ally, a safe place to travel. Use common sense at night, KZT7,900-9,900. particularly on Friday and Saturday when the youth hit 6.13. GO NEXT 25 the streets to get drunk, and in some unfortunate cases, • United States. look for trouble. You should abstain from any arguments • with locals; otherwise you may end up in the hospital. Uzbekistan. Immediate pick up with letter of in- Kazakh people are extremely friendly and welcoming to- vitation, USD75 for EU citizens. Come at 13:00- wards foreigners and nothing should happen to you unless 13.30 in the afternoon, (before 12:00: Kazakhs- you really want it yourself. Never go to places which you only) to get listed at 14:00 by the staff, wait around don't trust or don't know about, unless you have a local outside. You need 2 copies of your passport, a copy person with you to help out with the language. Racism is of your Kazakh visa and one photo. a generally of very minor concern although the average visitor is highly unlikely to encounter any problems. You must be always respectful to the country and locals. In 6.13 Go next this case, you will feel comfortable with anyone. • Alpine park. Outside town, on the road to Shym- bulak. Medeu skating rink is on this road too. 6.11.2 Driving • Big Almaty Lake. Big Almaty Lake (Bolshoye Al- Central streets such as Furmanov, Abay, Zheltoksan, matinskoye Ozero) is one the most admirable moun- Dostyk, and Abylay Khan are strictly regulated and con- tain lakes in Almaty’s outskirts, in Trans-Ili Alatau stantly monitored by police officers. Video cameras are in the gorge of Bolshaya Almatinka River at an ele- installed on 70% of city crossroads. There are some vation of 2,510 m. It lies in the cavity and is like a Kazakh drivers who reveal their aggressiveness on the sparkling mirror, surrounded on all the sides by ma- roads. Therefore, it is always best to take great care when jestic peaks. Three main peaks tower over the lake: crossing the roads. Peak of Soviet (4,317 m) – in the southeast, Ozerniy (4,110 m) – in the south, Tourist Peak (3,954 m) in the southwest. Depending on the season the lake 6.11.3 Emergencies changes its color from light green to turquoise. Can be reached by car. In the event of an emergency, call: • Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, is a 3.5 hour drive away on the best highway in Kazakhstan (pot holes are rare • 101 Fire and you can keep a 100 km pace easily after leav- • 102 Police ing the Almaty oblast, but watch out for crazy on- coming passers). You can catch a taxi to Bishkek • 103 Ambulance at “Sairan” international coach station. Approach a group of cars with Kyrgyz number plates and ne- • 104 Gas Service gotiate the price in advance. The average fare is • 112 Emergency rescue KZT2,500-3,000 per person (Jan 2009). It is def- initely worth the drive if you have a day or so to spend. You'll wind along the foot of the Tien Shan range through incredible landscape created by young 6.12 Cope volcanoes. Most of the “local” felt goods and rugs sold in Almaty come from tribes in Kyrgyzstan, and 6.12.1 Consulates can be bought for a quarter of the cost in Kyrgyzs- tan. • Canada, 34 Karasai Batyr St, ☎ +7 727 • 50-11-515253, fax: +7 727 582493, e-mail: Kolsai Lakes. Lakes of amazing beauty about 250 [email protected]. km away from Almaty. The first lake can be reached by car. To see the other lakes you have to hire • China, 12, Baitasov St, ☎ +7 727 2700207, fax: +7 a horse for about KZT500–1,000. You can stay 727 2700227. M, W, F, 09:00-12:00. Visa Office. overnight in a small two storey houses for about At the moment the Chinese consulate in Almaty KZT2,000–5,000 per night. The lakes are very (and probably also in Astana) does not accept visa clean and you can even drink it. You can see the requests of non-Kazakhs who do not have a Kazakh fish jumping out of it. work, student, or residence visa, but they can still • get a visa in the embassy through some of the travel . If travelers have several days to agents that can be found there. Cost of an urgent spend (and are craving a beach experience), the visa, issued in 4 days, is USD80. largest lake in the country can be reached by bus within 12 hours or private car within 8 hours. Lake • India, Maulenov St 71, ☎ +7 327 2921411, +7 327 Balkhash is half fresh (the eastern half where the 2921411, fax: +7 327 2926767. river enters from China) and half salt (the western 26 CHAPTER 6. ALMATY

half). There are a couple of hotels in the village of Balkhash, which is the half-way point between Al- maty and Astana if you want to drive 800 km instead of flying or taking the train. • Sharyn Canyon. The second largest canyon in the world. Located 200 km to the east of Almaty. Rec- ommended for tours more than one day. One of the most remarkable natural wonders is the canyon of Sharyn river. Sharyn Canyon is considered to be a miniature Grand Canyon. It is unusual and very di- verse in its forms that remind the towers of fairy-tale castle. That is why the canyon has another name, the “valley of castles”. On the slopes there could be found the remains of fossil fauna, dated 300 million years. • Shymbulak. Ski- with snowboard and ski tracks. Opened from November till April–May. A base for some great hikes. You can hike up to the top to get a great view of the city. Or you can by- pass Shymbulak and carry along the road, past the hotel and walk up to the dam and then the glacier. A tough, but beautiful walk. Hiking is definitely a highlight here. To go to Shymbulak, you can take the bus from the corner of Satbaev and Baitursynuly at 08:00 every day; don't miss the way back. Every Tuesday is lift is closed.

• Tamgaly - Temple of Sun. The Tamgaly petro- glyphs, a UNESCO site, are about 2.5 hours away by car (170 km, on the road to Bishkek). The pet- roglyphs range from ancient (3,000 years) to “mod- ern” (75 years), and feature pictures of the Sunman and hunting nomad tribes. There are also several gravesites. Not to be missed in the spring, summer or autumn, but watch out for snakes when it’s hot.

• Turgen Gorge. In the national preserve Ile-Alatau, 90 km from Almaty. In the gorge that has a depth of 44km. you can take pleasure from visiting hot springs, waterfalls, and plenty of forests. Gorge is famous with its waterfalls and relic Chim-Turgen moss fir woods that spread over the ground and cre- ate a dense fir-tree carpet. Chapter 7

Chimbulak

Chimbulak is a ski-resort in the mountains near Almaty, 7.3 See Kazakhstan. The times when mountain-skiing was only for the most courageous and well off have became a thing of the past. Nowadays, mountain skiing has became more 7.4 Do accessible to the masses. Mountain Chimbulak is a peculiar world. Go- 7.5 Buy ing up the mountain road, one plunges into something un- real: to the left and right and ahead appear grand moun- tains with snowy slopes and evergreen Tyan- Shan firs. 7.6 Eat

7.7 Drink

7.8 Sleep

7.9 Go next

Mountain ski Resort Chimbulak is glad to see on the slopes its new and old friends. Convenient routes and comfortable hotels, exquisite cuisine and numerous amusements to any taste - all this you will find at one of the most picturesque places near Almaty, at the Chimbu- lak Mountain-ski Resort.

7.1 Get in

To get to Chimbulak you can take the gondola from Medeo. To get to the gondola take the number 6 bus (check here ). This bus along Dostyk Avenue start- ing near the intersection of Dostyk and Abay Avenue.

7.2 Get around

27 Chapter 8

Taldykorgan

Taldykorgan is the capital of Almaty Province, Kazakhstan, with a population just under 150,000 and surrounded by beautiful mountain areas.

8.1 Understand

8.2 Get in

8.3 Get around

8.4 See

8.5 Do

8.6 Buy

8.7 Eat

8.8 Drink

8.9 Sleep

8.10 Connect

8.11 Go next

28 Chapter 9

Altai (Kazakhstan)

For other places with the same name, see Altai 9.6 Get around (disambiguation).

Altai is a mountainous region in the extreme east of 9.7 See Kazakhstan. It is home to some of the country’s most beautiful alpine scenery, with remote wildlands and clear 9.8 Do lakes. 9.9 Eat 9.1 Regions 9.10 Drink

9.11 Stay safe

9.12 Go next

Scenery from Kazakhstan’s Altai

9.2 Cities

• Ust-Kamenogorsk

• Zaysan — a town and former Russian military out- post up in the mountains

9.3 Other destinations

• Markakol Lake

9.4 Understand

9.5 Get in

29 Chapter 10

Ust-Kamenogorsk

Ust-Kamenogorsk (Russian: Усть-Каменогорск, 10.4 Do Kazakh: Өскемен, Oskemen) is a city in northeastern Kazakhstan, and is the capital of Eastern Kazakhstan Набережна (Naberezhna) This is simply the prome- Province, with a population of about 350,000 people. nade along the Irtysch river leading up to Strelka. Grab a beer, find a spot or stroll, and hang out by the water as the sun goes down. 10.1 Get in Go to a Hockey Game Ust-Kamenogorsk is home to Kazakhstan’s most famous icehockey team: Kazzinc- 10.1.1 By plane Torpedo. This is where NHL-players Nik Antropov and Evgeny Nabokov started their careers. The team plays in Air Astana and also SCAT airways have several flights to the Russian 2nd league. Ust from Almaty every week. SCAT also flies to Semi- palatinsk and Bayaan Olgi, Mongolia, once a week. 10.5 Buy 10.1.2 By train The eastern oblast of Kazakhstan is at the base of the Al- There are daily trains from Almaty and Astana to Ust- tai Mountains and known for its honey. If you are in Ust Kamenogorsk Zashita (защита) station every day. The in September ask around for the local honey fair, where trips take around 18-24 hours and tickets range from 1500 vendors from surrounding villages show off their wares. tenge for 3rd class to 3000-4000 tenge for second class. 10.6 Eat 10.1.3 By bus Pizza Blues A chain of restaurants with good, reasonably There are daily buses to Ust from both Astana and Al- priced pizza and beer. Great place to meet young people. maty. Buses leave Almaty from the Sairan bus station and arrive at the main Ust bus station on Abai st. The trip is overnight to both Astana and Almaty. 10.7 Sleep

10.2 Get around There are several hotels such as Irtysh and Tourist, but these usually provide poor value for the price. An old favorite is a small hotel in the large bright green “Nursat” Ust has an old but very pleasant tram system and buses building on Abai street, about a kilometer east of the bus move easily around the city. station. A room there can cost as little as 1200 tenge per night. 10.3 See 10.8 Connect Стрелка (Strelka) Strelka is the arrow of land where the Irtych and Ulba rivers meet. It is also the site of the Great Patriotic War Memorial. A nice place to stroll and have a 10.9 Go next “Limonad” on a warm evening, usually plenty of people hanging around.

30 Chapter 11

Caspian Basin

The Caspian Basin is the westernmost region of 11.3 Other destinations Kazakhstan. It spreads from the southern tail of the Ural Mountains, across the Caspian lowlands, to the shores of the . This 436,000 km² area is Kazakhstan’s 11.4 Understand oft-overlooked slice of easternmost Europe and is bigger than Sweden. The country’s major port cities and some Soviet-style beach resorts line the sea shore. The region 11.5 Talk comprises the provinces of Atyrau, Mangystau, and West Kazakhstan. If you are find yourself outside of the three 11.6 Get in provincial capitals, Atyrau, Aktau, and Oral, respectively, you are either an oil man, or you're exploring uncharted territory! 11.7 Get around

11.1 Regions 11.8 See

11.8.1 Itineraries

11.9 Do

11.10 Eat

11.11 Drink

11.12 Stay safe

The sort of place where you can find only the intangible... and oil

11.2 Cities

• Aktau — port city on the Caspian • Atyrau • Beyneu • Makat • Oral

31 Chapter 12

Aktau

Aktau (Kazakh: Ақтау, Russian: Akтау) is a city 12.1.1 People of approximately 200,000 citizens located on the banks of the Caspian Sea (Kazakh: Каспий теңізі, Russian: The Aday people are the overwhelming majority of Kaza- Каспийское море) in Kazakhstan. khs who live in or near Aktau. This tribe of people usually describe themselves as fierce and prone to fighting while at the same time friendly and generous to guests. Ethnic groups from across the Caspian populate Aktau 12.1 Understand as well. Most of these people were born in violent areas of Dagestan, Ingushetia, Chechnya or Ossetia and have wild stories if you are willing to listen. Groups here in- Aktau means “white mountain” in Kazakh, but it is a very clude Chechnyans, Utis, Lezgins, and Ingush. Many taxi young city that has little to do with historical Kazakhstan. drivers are Azeri or Georgian with a handful of Russians Despite its lack of history, Aktau is the capital of the Re- also present. People whose parents were born in other gion of Mangestau. parts of the former Soviet Union live here. These groups Mangestau translates roughly from Kazakh as “eternal include Koreans from Vladivostok, Ukrainians and Be- mountains”, although the region is actually home to the larussians. The largest expat community are Italians due Karagiye Depression - one of the lowest points in the to the presence of Agip and Saipem. world at 130 meters below sealevel. The region is also home to Sufi-pilgrimage sites such as Beket-Ata, Shakpak-Ata, Shopan-Ata and Masat-Ata, which exist 12.2 Get in due to Mangestau’s location on ancient, but minor, land trading routes around the Caspian. The region is also All trains arrive and depart from the Mangestau Station, home to some minor, albeit beautiful, natural attractions about 12 km out of town. There is a regular 24 hour such as “Fire Mountain” (Kazakh: Отпантау), oases train service to and from Atyrau. There is also the op- Tamshali and Saura, and Radon Hot Springs and Mud- tion of a two day long train service from Astana, and a baths. The Mangestau region is principally populated by three day long train service from Almaty, passing through Kazakhs of the Aday Tribe, which is one of the “little Shymkent two days after departing Aktau. brother” tribes in Kazakh history. Most people fly to , 23 km north of the Aktau was created as a uranium mining town in 1961 center of the city. Given the taxi situation there, it is best and was named Shevchenko, after the Ukrainian national to prearrange ground transport to the city. Taxi should poet Taras Hryhorovych Shevchenko (Ukrainian: Тара́с cost no more than 1600 Tenge one way. Григо́рович Шевче́нко). The Soviets built a major nu- clear power plant cum desalinization plant and the desert The cheapest way to fly to Aktau is with the decrepit air- was transformed into a livable city. After independence, line SCAT or the low quality Azerbaijan Air from Baku the Kazakhs renamed Shevchenko, and the city has be- or Tbilisi at a little bit less than 200 Dollars one way. come Kazakhstan’s only port. Due to the large amount Direct domestic flights include: Atyrau (SCAT and As- of oil and gas exported from Kazakhstan, the city has tana Air several times per day), Almaty (Astana Air or boomed and is now home to many new developments, SCAT once a day) and sometimes Aktobe (SCAT). which have stretched the infrastructure to its breaking Direct international flights include: or Moscow point. (Transaero). Twice weekly, you can fly direct with If you come to this city, you will be able to experience SCAT to Istanbul or to Tbilisi (both not possible to buy the paradox of large supplies of hydrocarbons, uranium online) between 400 and 450 USD return. Air Astana and seawater coupled with frequent brown-outs and water has recently announced a service to Amsterdam through shortages. a partnership with KLM. In addition to these regular

32 12.5. DO 33

flights, there are sporadic flights with SCAT and other are in the Ardager shopping complex (district 9). Be- local airlines to Makhachkala, Yerevan and Astrakhan. yond that, in the furthest shopping center to the south is There is a direct charter flight to Urumqi departing on “Shoom” (ШУМ)(district 4), which has a large variety of the 15th of every month and returning around the 20th low-quality stores. of the same month. To the north, in district 16, you can find Aktau’s new mall. There are occasional ferries to and from Baku, Azerbai- The mall includes a very small ice-skating rink, movie jan. Ferries leave every 7–10 days, but nothing about the theater and a number of low and high quality shops (low port is set up for passengers. quality children’s clothes on the top floor, Hugo Boss on the main floor). The mall includes arguably the best deal in town for food at Asorti on its top floor. 12.3 Get around District 10 has little of note, but it serves as a great view- ing point of the huge frescoes, which cover one side of decrepit Soviet apartment buildings across the main street Aktau is the type of city U2 may have been talking about in district 9. The frescoes depict various “national fa- when they sang about a place where the streets have no thers” of Kazakhstan, and rumor has it that current pres- name(s). The city is divided up into largely unlabeled ident Nursultan Abishuly Nazarbayev is keen to have his and chaotically numbered districts (including district 9). picture painted in a similar fashion. At the moment, he These are called “micro-raion” in Russian, which even is making do with an enormous banner draped over an Kazakhs use to describe them in Kazakh. apartment building on that row. There is no marshutka (bus) map in existence, but taxis are plentiful. Flag fare should be 200 Tenge to anywhere within the city center, but this is often 300 Tenge for foreigners. Most cars in Aktau will stop and pick you 12.5 Do up informally and there is no need to wait for an official taxi to pass by. Official taxi drivers are usually from the The beaches of Aktau have nice water, and you are al- Caucasus, and they rarely speak Western European lan- lowed to swim anywhere. However, the amount of glass guages. Locals driving newer cars are a better bet if you on the beaches can make your beach experience dicey in aren't comfortable communicating in Russian or Kazakh. many locations. Usually, the locals stick to the beaches When you get in the car, you can simply say 'micro-raion' below the Renaissance. Behind the beach-side grills and and then state the district’s number in Russian. After- clubs there, the beaches are fairly clean and sandy. wards, say the building (“Zdanie” or apartment building Unfortunately you cannot kick back just anywhere on the “Dom”) followed by the number. Addresses in Aktau are edge of the Caspian, or around the town for that matter, generally written as follows: 14-42-30, where 14 indi- and down a sunset drink. You are not allowed to drink al- cates the district, 42 indicates the apartment or commer- cohol outside of these beach-side bar and grills, although cial building and 30 indicates the apartment number. there are absolutely no signs to warn you otherwise. The If you should choose to experience a decrepit form of local police take advantage of this situation and the gen- transportation, you can pay 25 Tenge for buses and 35 eral fear that many tourists have for police. If you are Tenge for marshutkas. You will see them plowing their caught drinking, they only want 1000 Tenge as a bribe, routes on the three main roads in Aktau (north and south even if you don't speak Russian or Kazakh. Most of the coastal, middle north and south road, and the eastern locals drinking on the street are ignored by police or pay north and south road). the small bribe. Bowling and Pool are very popular in the city. There are at least 2 bowling alleys of good quality: just down the 12.4 See steps from the Soviet plane is Alia Bowling Hall (in be- tween districts 7 and 9) and in Aktau Mall (district 16). There is an old Soviet-era plane on a pedestal just down Pool is available at those places as well as in Elite Al- the hill from the Asian-themed World War II memorial. liance (building 38 in district 8) in two places: near the At this memorial, an eternal flame (Russian: Вечний corner of the main road in the small Baiterek Center and Огун) burns under a circle of partial-white arches, which one directly behind the building in between Elite Alliance are reminiscent of a yurt. Across from the memorial, and apartment building 7. Nautilus Restaurant also offers there is a drama theater with regular productions in Rus- pool. sian. Beach volleyball is available in the summers at Aktau Just south of these structures, on Aktau’s middle north- Mall sports center in district 16 and on the beach near south thoroughfare, you will find a collection of restau- the Renaissance Hotel. rants, night clubs and shopping centers. A well-appointed Grand Hotel Victory will let you use its saunas, gym, grocery store (Ramstor), movie theater and night club Turkish baths, etc. for one day for 4000 Tenge. 34 CHAPTER 12. AKTAU

12.6 Buy for lunch on weekdays between 11:30 and 2:30, of- fering a mediocre buffet for around 1000 Tenge per Aktau is home to prices that are high, even by West- person. It seems that this buffet is reluctantly all- ern European standards. Quality electronics, clothes, you-can-eat. It is not worth the 200 Tenge savings western-style foods, hotels, entertainment and gyms are to eat here instead of Asorti or the premium over readily available. However, all of these are marked up Shvedski Stol. anywhere from 100 to 300% above American or German prices. It is best to go local in Aktau and/or buy anything • Shvedski Stol (шведский столь) has two locations, of any consequence before you come. one in district 2 across from Shoom (ШУМ) and There are a few bazaars in Aktau. All of them have one in district 6 on the main east-west road. These bad reputations for fleecing foreigners: Yellow Bazaar restaurants also have an all-you-can-eat lunch buf- (Жолтий Базаар) in district 31, Wave Bazaar (Волна fet on weekdays, which costs around 900 Tenge per Базаар) in district 5, Old Bazaar (Старий Базаар) in dis- person. Be careful of overcharging, as the wait-staff trict 22, and White Bazaar in district 8 (Ак Базаар). will sometimes ring up your bill according to their perception of your ability to pay. Since both are lo- cated near Aktau’s largest employers of office work- 12.7 Eat ers, good luck finding a table at lunchtime.

• In Aktau Mall (district 16), Restaurant Asorti on the • Chinese is available at China Town Restaurant in top floor offers one of the best deals in town. There district 9 for around 1500 Tenge per person. It is are two Asorti Restaurants in the mall, but the one also available at Urumqi Restaurant in district 2 for on the ground floor doesn't offer the buffet. The around 3000 Tenge per person. top floor restaurant offers an all-you-can-eat buffet lunch between 12pm and 3pm every weekday for • Korean is available at Korea in district 11, next to 1200 Tenge per person. There is a live piano player Taksim. The food is not very Korean or very good. every weekday for lunch, and the decor is sleek.

• Pizza is available in district 4 at Napoli Restaurant • The second best deal in town are the Shwarma for around 1500 Tenge. Napoli also has a location in places near the Ramstor (Pamctop) behind Adagar Astana Mall in district 14, which has hookah (Rus- (Ардагәр) Mall, near the eternal flame memorial. sian: кальян) available. Ask for a 350 Tenge shwarma without sauce (“bez sosa”) if you don't want it swimming in mayonnaise. • Restaurant Pinta at the major roundabout between • The most expensive places are Taksim in district districts 12, 14 and 11 serves a variety of coffees, 12 (near the big roundabout separating districts 10, teas and Soviet-foods. The food is reasonable but 14, 12 and 11), Noodles in district 2, or one of the costs 2000 Tenge per person for an average meal. restaurants at the Renaissance. Both of these of- fer what could be called a Soviet interpretation of • Coffee and People. There are two locations, one Western-style service for around 25 USD per per- in district 2 near Aktau Hotel and one in district son. The food is mediocre for the price charged. 7, off the main road behind a small city park and fountain. Both locations are swank, serve reason- • Japanese, CIS style, is available at the downstairs ably good food, and charge about 2000 Tenge per location of Asorti at Aktau Mall, at Osaka in district person for a meal at any time of day. 4, at Arabic down the steps from the Soviet plane in between district 9 and 7, and at the Jazz Club in • Prag - This restaurant has tasty coffee and is located district 5. You should expect to pay at least 20 USD in district 6 to have a couple of small roles at any of those places.

• Alma-Ata Restaurant (behind Pinta and Taksim) has • Hollywood Cafe - Two locations, one near Baiterek sturgeon caviar (Beluga) kebabs available for around Center in district 27 and one in Aktau Mall in district 1500 Tenge per person. This is widely considered to 16. Both are located next to cinemas and both are be the best fish place in Aktau, but this doesn't say expensively priced. much about the quality of fish places in Aktau. • Caucasian grilled meat (shashlik) is available at the • Fuenta Club next to Ardagar (Ардагәр) Mall in dis- beach-side grills below the Renaissance hotel. These trict 9, near the eternal flame memorial, opens up are usually 800-1000 Tenge per person. 12.10. CONNECT 35

12.8 Drink • Chagala Hotel - 100-200 USD per night, offers a wide selection of long-term suites with kitchens and • The English Pub at the 5 Star Hotel “Grand Victory” short-term rooms. It is the only beach hotel in the in district 13 has a laid-back atmosphere and com- city of Aktau. fortable seats, but charges 5-8 dollars per pint. • Grand Nur Plaza - 150 USD per night, is theoreti- • 3 Делфини near the Renaissance offers a well- cally a 4 star hotel, but it is priced the same as the priced menu and drinks much better appointed and located 5 star hotels in town. • Shamrock Irish Pub in district 7 is a reasonably at- tractive watering hole with expat prices similar to • Golden Palace Hotel - 100 USD per night, has the those at the English Pub. best location, along with Aktau Hotel, for central of- fices in Aktau and Aktau night life. However, it is • Guns and Roses in the Aktau Hotel in district 2 has not very well appointed. a live music scene on weekends and expat prices to make it painful to enjoy. • Aktau Hotel - 100 USD per night, is close to the Golden Palace Hotel. It is better appointed than the Golden Palace and has Guns and Roses downstairs • Mojito probably has the youngest crowd of expats for bored visitors. (average age: 40) in district 4, and it is not as expen- sive as Shamrock even though it is almost directly behind it. • Stiegel Beach Resort - 100-150 USD per night, is the most relaxing location near Aktau. The air is fresh and the artificial beach is kept very clean. However, • Fuenta Club in district 9 is probably the most consis- it is about 30–45 minutes on unlit 2-lane roads from tently crowded nightspot. The music is mostly So- Aktau. viet techno and old hip-hop.

• The beach-side bars near Renaissance offer nightlife similar to that at Fuenta, but they mostly shut during 12.10 Connect the winter. The local area code is (+7) 7292. • Restaurant Pinta has occasional ballroom dancing parties on Sunday evenings. 12.11 Go next • Arabica is a new club that has just opened up on the down the stairs from the Soviet plane. The club Other than buses to even more remote outposts in the is a little bit cleaner than Fuenta and the location desert, Aktau is an extremely out-of-the-way place, so near the beach is nice. However, the music could be getting out of town usually means backtracking in the di- much better. rection you have just come. Also, the situation with Turk- meni visas has not been investigated well or at all by any • Esperanza next to Ramstor in Ardager Mall shows of the travel agencies in Aktau. Therefore, you should not live Premier League matches and offers a decent plan to come here first before getting a visa to continue menu in a rather small, cramped area. to Turkmenistan. If you do have a Turkmeni visa that authorizes a crossing from Mangestau to Turkmenbasi, then you can make your way easily to the border. There 12.9 Sleep are frequent morning buses to Zhanaosen (about 140 km east of Aktau) and then at least one daily bus from there to Turkmenbasi (about 300 km south). • Renaissance Hotel - 200 USD per night, but usually great views with an outdoor and indoor pool in dis- Tourist agencies in town can make arrangements for visits trict 9. There is also a gym inside but no shopping to Suni shrines and very distant caravansarais. center. To take advantage of the superior location The most famous of these shrines is Beket Ata - which of the hotel, you should request a sea-view. is not very old - but already has many superstitions about magical properties of the site. Built into a cave, this shrine • Grand Victory Hotel - 150-200 USD per night, to an 18th-century Kazakh wise man is usually visited classy place with pool, gym and shopping center in in groups. First, you will drive 3–5 hours from Aktau district 13. Views can be as good as the Renaissance on poorly paved or unpaved roads to reach the shrine of or could be of a Soviet building. Shapak Ata (mentor of Beket). After visiting Shapak Ata 36 CHAPTER 12. AKTAU you will travel another 30 minutes to Beket Ata. You will need to take a live goat with your tour group that will be sacrificed later that evening. After consecrating the goat, you will feast on the meat and relax and pray in the dor- mitories next to the site until very early the next morning. At that point, you will get back on your tour bus with the leftovers and drive back to Aktau. Radon Hot Springs offers a slightly radioactive relaxation experience. It is a very primitive location that is about 54 km South of Aktau, with 13 km of that journey of- froad. The hot springs are free, but room or yurt rental will cost 500 Tenge per hour. The facilities are very prim- itive (no electricity, no restaurant, no potable water nor western toilets or toilet paper) so you have to take every- thing with you. There are mudbaths about 3 km beyond Radon on a nearby dirt road. In both cases, you MUST have a local guide as the roads are completely unmarked and hazardous to drive on at night and there is no public transportation. 150 km from Aktau, Samal / Sherkala is an area formed by extreme geological instability. Although Aktau does not experience earthquakes now, it used to have extreme earthquakes millions of years ago. These resulted in the created of the big depression north of the city as well as the valley of Samal. This valley is under “Black Moun- tain” (Каратау) and “Fire Mountain” (Отпантау). The fire mountain has a natural eternal flame on top as well as a monument to . Nearby, the holy mountain of Sherkala attracts the superstitious who believe circumam- bulating the mountain between 1 and 7 times will result in good luck. You will need locals to show you how to get there as nothing is signposted and there is no public transportation. Fort Shevchenko has nothing of historical or cultural note save that Mr. Shevchenko himself stayed there during his exile from Ukraine. It is about 150 km north of Aktau and some buses leave district 8 infrequently to get there. This is one of the few signposted locations in Mangestau. Two desert oases are within reach of Aktau by day trip. Saura is about 50 km north and Tamshali is about 130 km northeast. You will need locals to show you how to get there as nothing is signposted and there is no public transportation. A high-quality tourist agency (by local standards) is

• Riviera Tour. Address: 4-52-14. Tel 50- 74-24, 50-41-14. Mobile 7701 489 31 60 or 7.777.613.44.44. They can also be reached at [email protected].[www.riviera-tour.kz] Chapter 13

Atyrau

Atyrau is at the northern end of the Caspian sea in 13.2 Get in Kazakhstan. Atyrau is an important railway station, and has daily, or bi-daily, connections with many Kazakh cities, except for the northwest (including Astana). International rail con- nections include Tashkent/Saratov, Moscow/Dushanbe and Astrakhan. There are also daily international buses to Astrakhan. Aktau is serviced daily by a 20 hour train. Atyrau Airport (IATA: GUW) SKAT airlines and Air Astana both service many domestic routes from the airport. Additionally, Air Astana flies internationally to Amsterdam and Istanbul while Transaero flies to Moscow.

Atyrau Bridge

13.1 Understand

The wooden fort at the mouth of the Yaik River was The Mosque founded in 1645 as Nizhny Yaitzky Gorodok (literally, Lower Yaik Fort) by the Russian trader Gury Nazarov. The fort was plundered by Cossacks, leading the Guriev family to rebuild it in stone (1647–62). The fort gradually lost its strategic significance and was demolished in 1810. 13.3 Get around Between 1708 and 1992 the city was known as Guriev. The city began growing in 1930s when a fish cannery was constructed and the Balykshi housing area. Later, a lot 13.4 See of industrial plants were transplanted here during World War II. An oil- and gas-processing plant was constructed and a housing district, Zhilgorodok. In October 1991, the 13.5 Do Guriev city administration decided to rename it Atyrau. In Kazakh language the word “atyrau” means the place • Atyrau Fitness Center, Alipova St 1. 09:00-24:00. where river flows into sea. Atyrau city was founded on The gym has a good selection of machines including the bank of the river, but today it is 25–30 km from the running, cycling, steppers, multi-weights and free river. weights. A sauna is available.

37 38 CHAPTER 13. ATYRAU

• Ice Skating Palace (Muz Aidyny)(In the Nursaya 13.7 Eat micro district), ☎ +7 7122 209355, +7 7122 328834. The complex is six thousand square meters with ice • Cafe La Roma, Kurmangazy 5, ☎ +7 7122 283 area of 30 meters wide and 60 meters long. 700, e-mail: [email protected]. Pizzeria. Delivery available.

• Kazakhstan English Language Theater of • Petrovski, 2, Azattyk St, ☎ +7 7122 321092.A Atyrau. The first all-English theater and drama restaurant where you can just sit around and enjoy group in Kazakhstan. Started in Almaty in 2001, the food, Asian and European. Air conditioned and KELT began operating in Atyrau in 2008, per- family-friendly. forming Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” in spring 2010. KELT meets weekly for improvisational theater games, and good English • Taksim Cafe 324131, 9A, ABAY, ☎ +7 7122 language practice. 324131, e-mail: [email protected]. Taksim Cafe has good food, especially meat, and slow music. It is halal and serves no alcohol but • Munayshy Swimming Pool, Zhilgorodok, does serve non-alcoholic cocktails. Pizza, soup, ca- Mukanov Street 5. An Olympic size pool with lat, steak and burgers are on the menu. Also for de- 8 lanes. There is also an automatic scoreboard. livery of meals tel: 502358 Taksim Fastfood International competitions are held here. • Taksim Fastfood (Ploshit), Kulmanova 107 (taxi,), ☎ +7 7122 502358, e-mail: [email protected]. 09-−04. Doner, pizza, burgers, lamb, sish, cocktails, fresh drinks, 13.6 Buy cola. Tel for delivery: 502328 0.

• Ardager. Has items ranging from KZT100- 500,000. There are clothes shops like Mango. They 13.8 Drink have an international grocery shop called Ramstore, which is very popular among foreigners. It has small jewelry and make-up stands next to the escalators. 13.9 Sleep It has two big beauty shops called Mon Amie, and Beauty Mania. They have some eating places like • Green Hotel. Taksim and Baskin Robins. They also have Dream which is a bowling place, and next to it is a karaoke • Hotel Marriot. place. There is Dostyk near by, which is an Amer- ican village. There is a mosque nearby and the Re- • Hotel Renaissance, 15B Satpayev St. There is a naissance Hotel. Mukhambet Square is within walk- fitness center in the hotel complete with cardiovas- ing distance. Fake pink and blue lighted trees fill cular equipment and free weights. Two swimming Ardager with rich flamboyant colors. If you’re go- pools, one is a heated indoor swimming pool and the ing to be doing activities outside then you only need other is a children’s pool. Sauna, steam room and cash. But if you're doing activities inside the mall, solarium, beauty treatment rooms and massages. then you can pay with debit or credit card. • Hotel Renco. • Tamasha. The main mall in Atyrau. Tamasha has items ranging from KZT100-300,000. It all depends on what you buy, and which season you buy it in. In 13.10 Go next Tamasha, there are clothes shops, like United Colors of Benetton, Tvoe, Incity, Motors, Kira Plastinina, and many more. They also have a Japanese restau- rant with a bar on the first floor called Yamato. They also have a price-saver grocery store, called Ideal, which is opposite to Yamato. There is horse and yak riding. There is a carousel and a Ferris wheel. There is a Russian Circus hosted there for about 2 weeks every year. There is the kids play area on the top floor. There is also a large toy store in the first floor. Chapter 14

Oral

Oral (Kazakh: Орал Oral, Russian: Уральск Uralsk) is 14.2.2 By train a city in West Kazakhstan. Train services calling at the Uralsk train station include Kiev-Astana, Moscow-Almaty and Moscow-Aktobe di- rect services that run every other day. 14.1 Understand 14.2.3 By car Oral (Kazakh: Орал), Uralsk (Russian: Уральск) in Russian, is a city in northwestern Kazakhstan, at the con- 14.2.4 By bus fluence of the Ural and Chogan Rivers close to the Rus- sian border. As it is located on the western side of the There are bus services connecting Uralsk with Samara (4 Ural river, it is considered geographically in Europe. It a day), Saratov and Orenburg as well as Atyrau (4 a day), has a population of 350,000. It is the capital of the West Aktobe and Aksai. Kazakhstan Province. While the majority of the popula- tion is made up of ethnic Kazakhs, ethnic Russians also make up a large percent of the populations, and many other ethnic groups such as Tatars, Bashkirs, and Azaris 14.3 Get around are also represented. Because of its geographic proximity to Russia and its history, the city has been greatly influ- The city has a functioning transportation network includ- enced by Russian culture. ing buses and marshrutkas (mini-vans that drive along a set route). However, getting a map of the transportation Founded in 1613 by Cossacks, the city was originally part network may be difficult for travelers to the city. Taxis of the Russian Empire. The Russian influence is still services are also available. As in many countries of the present to this day having strongly influenced the archi- former Soviet Union, gypsy cabs can be easily hailed from tecture and culture of the city and its people. The city the street. played a small part in Russian history as the center of the Pugachev serf rebellion in the 18th century. The father of Russian Literature, Alexander Pushkin, visited the city with his friend Vladimir Dahl in September 1833 while 14.4 See doing research for his book The History of Pugachev and his novel The Captain’s Daughter. Traditional Russian architecture dating back to the 17th century can be seen throughout the center of the city. The main pedestrian street of Teatralnaya is like a mini ver- sion of Moscow’s Arbat. Kazakhstan’s first drama the- 14.2 Get in atre, 150 years old, is located in this street. This theatre is now known as the Russian drama theatre. A larger, mod- ern drama theatre, known as the Kazakh drama theatre, is 14.2.1 By plane located nearby on the main boulevard, Dostyk. Beautiful architecture, including two Russian Orthodox churches Uralsk Ak-Zhol airport (URA/UARR). Bek Air and (one which is quite old), can also be found along Dostyk. SCAT offer daily flights to/from Almaty, Astana and Atyrau. Direct flights to Moscow remain somewhat spo- radic (twice a week by SCAT, as of January 2013). If 14.4.1 Museums you have Russian visa, you can use the nearby airport of Samara with direct flights to/from Moscow (up to 12 a • Museum of Yemelyan Pugachev (музей им. day), Frankfurt (Lufthansa) and Prague (Czech Airlines). Емельяна Пугачева), 35 Dostyk Avenue;

39 40 CHAPTER 14. ORAL

This museum is located in a house built in 18th cen- 14.9 Sleep tury. This house, which was built as a residence for Py- otr Kuznetsov, an Ural Cossack, once happened to be the 14.9.1 Budget very center of Pugachev inspired Russian serf rebellion, which took place between 1773-1775. It was once also Aidana is a new hotel complex which offers quality ac- a home for a library until it was transferred to a regional commodation at a low price. Located in front of city’s historical museum. It houses an extensive display of Ural indoor skating ring. Cossacks’ artifacts such as cannons, banners and luxuri- ous presents from Tzars. This is a very exciting exhibition Sayakhat Hotel is in the very center close to the Rai (The that represents the life of Ural Cossacks. Heaven) night club. Hotel Oral (Ural) is quite cheap and services are see- • Museum of Regional History, 184 Dostyk Av- ing some improvement lately. Close to Atrium shopping enue; center and many bars and cafes.

• Nature and Environment Museum, 151-1 Dostyk Avenue; 14.9.2 Mid-range

Pushkin Hotel located in the historical building close to Ural River bank and Uralsk University main building. 14.5 Do Good restaurant and very cozy rooms. Chagala Hotel Uralsk. Good food, in-house bar and 14.6 Buy comfortable accommodation.

14.7 Eat 14.10 Connect

14.7.1 Budget Free Wi-Fi spots available in the domestic airport termi- nal, Dixi pub in Atrium shopping center and City Park. • Cum Cum. This restaurant is the most renowned There are few internet cafes scattered around the city; try in Uralsk for it’s 'Meat-on-a-stick' or 'Shashleek' as Kazakhtelecom in the city center. the local Kazakh’s call it. Check out the back room where there is an excellent picture of some 3D cats. Superb toilet facilities. 14.10.1 Consulates:

• Russian Federation, Mukhit Street 78, Uralsk, • The Geordie Pub (opposite Cum Cum). This bar is Kazakhstan, ☎ (7112) 51-16-26, fax: (7112) 54-54- located in the center of Uralsk. It is only open during 04, e-mail: [email protected]. Monday to summer, but provides a lovely range of local beers, Thursday: 09:00 - 13:00 and 14:00 - 18:00. has some lovely food and really nice toilet facilities. There is also a bar maid that has been to Newcastle. • Italy, Honorary Vice-Consulate, AB2 Building, Look for a fence, some umbrellas and a TV. Czech Camp, Aksai 418440, Kazakhstan, ☎ (571) 22-22-262, fax: (571) 22-22-667, e-mail: 14.7.2 Mid-range [email protected].

14.7.3 Splurge 14.11 Stay safe 14.8 Drink 14.12 Cope • The Golden Cat (opposite Cum Cum). This bar cum restaurant is a favorite haunt for locals and ex-pats 14.13 Go next alike. You will often find people from the UK and US gathered here. The food is excellent and the beer is better. If you attend on a weekend evening, you can enjoy the sweet, chilled pleasure of saxophone jazz. Check out the che-chill and the excellent toilet facilities. Chapter 15

Central Highlands (Kazakhstan)

The Central Highlands of Kazakhstan is a huge, 15.6 Get in sparsely populated region larger in area than Pakistan, consisting of the endless steppe of the Aktobe and Kara- gandy provinces, as well as the western half of East 15.7 Get around Kazakhstan Province (i.e., the Soviet-era Semipalatinsk Oblast). 15.8 See

15.1 Regions 15.8.1 Itineraries 15.9 Do 15.2 Cities

• Aktobe — big city on the steppe, now rapidly devel- 15.10 Eat oping as a center for the oil industry in northwestern Kazakhstan 15.11 Drink • Ayagoz — a small town and major stop on the Turkestan-Siberian Railway 15.12 Stay safe • Balkhash — small city located on lake Balkhash about halfway between Astana and Almaty by bus

• Karaganda — a big Soviet coal mining city

• Semey — a Soviet-era atomic city (with the radia- tion levels to prove it), which earlier served as point of exile for one Fyodor Dostoevsky

• Temirtau

• Zhezkazgan — a medium sized mining city in west- ern Karagandy Province, at what is nearly the exact center of the country

15.3 Other destinations

• Karkaraly National Park

15.4 Understand

15.5 Talk

41 Chapter 16

Aktobe

Aktobe (Kazakh: Aqtöbe) is a city in Kazakhstan's 16.7 Drink Central Highlands. 16.8 Sleep 16.1 Understand • Best Eastern Albion, 13 Aiteke Bi Street. Decent hotel. Aktobe is an industrial city and one could be excused from not being particularly excited about it, but it is situ- ated to the south of the southern end of the Ural Moun- tains and thus in the most eastern part of Europe. Not all geographers could agree to date just exactly where Eu- rope’s eastern limits run but popular argument is that they cut through Kazakhstan from Aktobe to the Emba River and then thus westwards into the Caspian Sea before pass- ing though Azerbaijan, Armenia and Georgia en route to the Black Sea.

16.2 Get in

Flights to Aktobe have to be searched for at Aktyubinsk, Kazakhstan.

16.3 Get around

16.4 See

• World War II memorial

• Children’s Palace theatre

• Aliya Moldagulova Museum

16.5 Do

• FC Aktobe — the local soccer team

16.6 Eat

42 Chapter 17

Balkhash

you up and down Lenin St. When riding the bus you pay an attendant who will come around to collect your fare.

• Taxi : Taxis in Balkhash are generally marked and charge a fare of 200 tenge if flagged on the road or 150 tenge if called. Drivers are unlikely to speak English so be prepared to practice your Russian.

17.4 See

17.5 Do Palace of Culture of Metalworkers from the Soviet Era - found in the town center.

Balkhash is a small city located on a lake of the same name and in the Central Highlands of Kazakhstan.

17.1 Understand

The city of Balkash is small by most standards with a pop- ulation of just under 70,000. The city principally exists to support the activity of local copper mines and a large copper smelting plant just outside of town. Other indus- tries in the town include fishing and a modest in- dustry that is primarily focused on the lake. This makes Balkhash a pleasant enough city with many cafes and some minor attractions for both residents and travelers. Picture of the Balkhash town beach. The picture is a bit flattering as there is a large factory in the other direction.

17.2 Get in • Go to the beach : The beach isn't impeccably clean but is a pleasant enough place to sit and read a book, 17.2.1 By bus join the locals for a swim, or sit in a beachside cafe. The best beaches are found outside of town though. 17.2.2 By train

17.3 Get around 17.6 Buy

• City Bus : The bus service in town costs 30 tenge 17.7 Eat per ride regardless of distance but only really takes

43 44 CHAPTER 17. BALKHASH

17.8 Drink

17.9 Sleep

17.10 Connect

17.11 Go next Chapter 18

Karaganda

Karaganda (also Karagandy) is the largest city of the Central Highlands.

Miners’ House of Culture

18.1 Understand

Karaganda is the biggest mining Soviet city in Kaza- Statue of Lenin and Gorky - one of many sculptures in the city khstan.

18.2 Get in

18.3 Get around

18.4 See

18.5 Do Karaganda Train Station

18.6 Buy 18.8 Drink

18.7 Eat 18.9 Sleep

45 46 CHAPTER 18. KARAGANDA

A huge plate of purple creedite crystals, mined at Aqshatau Mine in Karaganda Oblast'

18.10 Connect

18.11 Go next Chapter 19

Karkaraly National Park

Karkaraly National Park (Kazakh: Қарқаралы strict control are allowed. Near the park are two other мемлекеттік ұлттық табиғи паркі) (Russian: protected areas: Bektauata National Preserve – 500 ha Каркаралинский государственный национальный Beldeutac National Preserve - 44,660 ha природный парк) is a protected reserve and national In the Paleozoic Age (250-300 million years ago), this park in the Karaganda Oblast in the Central Highlands area of Kazakhstan was an inland sea. The water re- of Kazakhstan. The park headquarters are in the city of treated 1.2 to 2 million years ago, when the ancient Pale- Karkaraly, 244 km east of Karaganda. ozoic shield was cracked by granite. The area lifted and created the Kent and Karkaraly Mountains. The rocks and cliffs have been here ever since and for many thou- 19.1 Understand sands of years the untamable steppe wind and precipita- tion has sculpted the rocks into unique shapes. 19.1.1 History People have lived in the Karkaraly area since ancient times. The earliest archeological finds connected with an- On March 1, 1884, the Karkaraly Forest was established. cient people dates back to the Paleolithic (or Stone) Age. In 1889, construction began on many of the parks cor- Archeological sites from the Bronze Age have been in- dons: Bedaik, Koktobe, Ayushat, Tulkebai, Tonkurus vestigated more often. There are over 30 archaeological and others. From 1910 to 1913, the House of the For- sites (from the Stone Age, Bronze Age, and Iron Age) est Warden, the parks most famous building was con- of burial mounds and ancient settlements within the park structed. It is known for its interesting architecture. Pre- boundaries. Some of these are the best discovered sites Bolshevik Revolution, all former forest cottages were al- from these periods in Kazakhstan. lotted to army troops, Karkaraly Cossacks, and to local people. The Kent and Karkaralinsk forest cottages were part of the Karkaralinsk forest treasury and were state 19.1.3 Flora and fauna property. After the October Revolution, the entire forest area became part of the state forest fund. Having under- Flora gone several administrative changes in 1947, the Karkar- aly Forestry Department was organized. In the beginning The park has over 700 species of plants and is home of the 1990s, work began on the creation of the national to 80% of all flora found in central Kazakhstan. Five park. On December 1, 1998 resolution number 1212 was plant species are listed in Kazakhstan’s Red Book of passed, transforming the area into the Karkaraly National protected species: Kyrgyz Birch (Betula kirghisorum Park. The primary of the national park is the pro- SAV.-RYCZG) Smooth Sphagnum (Sphagnum teres tection and restoration of the natural area within the park (Schimp.) Angstr.) Thin Poppy (Papaver tenellum) boundaries. Spring Pheasant’s Eye (Adonis vernalis L.) Karkaraly barberry (Berberis karkaralensis Kornilova et Potapov) However, in total, there are 28 rare or disappearing kinds 19.1.2 Landscape of flora in the park. The forests within the park are made up of pine, birch, The total area of Karkaraly National Park is 112,120 poplar, willow, and juniper trees. 71.3% of the wooded ha. Of this 44,339.5 ha are forested. The park terri- area in the park are pine trees. Birch forest occupies 10% tory is divided into 4 areas: Mountain Forest - 25576 of the wooded area and aspen forest take up 2%. The un- ha Karkaraly Forest - 23846 ha Kent Forest - 40,901 ha derbrush of the park includes Cossack’s juniper, Tatar’s Baktuh – 21,797 ha The park has 22,243 hectares where honeysuckle, and other plants. Shrubs occupy 34% of the all forms of economic activities are forbidden. The park total area of the park. There are 87 kinds of medicinal, oil has 89,877 hectares where all economic activities under bearing and alkaloid plants in the Karkaraly Mountains.

47 48 CHAPTER 19. KARKARALY NATIONAL PARK

Because of drought and high winds, 2,525 hectares of to ripen (strawberries, stone berry, raspberry, strawberry, the Karkaraly forest were burned by forest fires in 1997- currant), and edible mushrooms are abundant. The sum- 1998. After the fire, the park worked very hard on plant- mer months are considered the most comfortable time of ing new trees and restoring the forest to its original state. the year to visit Karkaraly. A nursery in the Kent mountains provided the saplings Autumn: Autumn is the most vivid and colorful season for the re-vegetation project. Fire prevention standards in the national park. It starts in mid-September and lasts were implemented and the following year 164 hectares until mid-November. The weather is particularly good in were destroyed from 18 separate fires. In 2003, only 84 September, as a temperatures begin to drop. In October, hectares were burned. there is a possibility of a freeze and there is an increase the number of cloudy days, with possible rain. In the first Fauna half of October the average daily temperature falls below 10 C. By the end of October all the migratory birds fly There are 153 species of birds in the park. 11 of south. The forests in the park are saturated with colors. these species are in Kazakhstan’s Red Book of Protected Many mushrooms can be found during this time of year. Species [1]. They are: Golden Eagle, Imperial Ea- In late autumn, most wild animals are changing the colors gle, Steppe Eagle, Booted Eagle, Saker Falcon, Eurasian of their coats and preparing for winter. In the autumn Eagle-owl, Dalmatian Pelican, Black Stork, Whooper months, the most comfortable months are September and Swan, Swan Goose, Pallas’s Sandgrouse. early October. Of these, the Imperial Eagle, Saker Falcon, Dalmatian Winter: Winter in Karkaraly is cold and snowy. Nega- Pelican are protected internationally under the IUCN Red tive temperatures are recorded from November to March List. The park also has the Lesser Kestrel, which is pro- and sustained cold weather lasts an average of 135 days. tected internationally under the IUCN. During this period, the daytime temperature does not usu- ally rise above 0 C and nights are usually very cold. In The park has 46 species of mammals, including the , January–February, the temperature drops to an average Red Fox, Corsac Fox, European badger, , Red of – 20 to −30 C. In abnormally cold years, the temper- Deer, Siberian Roe Deer, , Argali, Eurasian linx, ature can drop to - 49 C. The snow cover reaches heights 3 species of bat, Pallas’s Cat, and many others. The ar- of 50-60 cm, and in drifts up to 1 meter or more. During gali and Pallas’s Cat are protected under Kazakhstan’s red the winter, locals and tourists enjoy cross-country skiing book of protected species. Argali are the largest species on the roads and in the forests. of sheep in the world. The argali in the national park are one of six subspecies of argali living in Kazakhstan. In the Karkaraly National Nature Park the highest numbers of argali are in the Kent Mountains and in the neighboring 19.2 Get in Beldeutas Natural Reserve. Currently the only way to access Karkaraly is by road. 19.1.4 Climate 19.2.1 By Car Spring: Spring in Karkaraly begins in mid-March and lasts until the end of May. During this short period the The city of Karkaraly is reached by road from the city of air temperature rises to an average of 15 C. Snow cover Karaganda. Karkaraly is 244km east of Karaganda. Road in open areas begins to melt quickly, but in shady canyons signs out of Karaganda are in English. The trip usually the snow may last until the end of May. When snow melts takes 2.5 to 3 hours in a car. There is only one place to there are numerous streams and small waterfalls, as well purchase gas (petro) between Karaganda and Karkalaly as dry riverbeds that fill with melt water. The surround- (45 minutes into the trip, in the town of Botakara). ing nature also begins to wake up: the birds and animals Taxi’s can be rented near the Karaganda bus station. arrive. The primrose, tulips, and other flowers begin to There is no schedule, but taxi drivers will wait until there arrive. In May, the trees are covered with young leaves is a full car before leaving. The price for a taxi (with full and the forest is filled with even more birds. Within the car) is approximately 1,200kzt. Taxi’s usually do not have spring months, May is the most enjoyable seat belts. Summer: In Karkaraly, summer begins in early June. The overall average air temperature for the summer months is 18 C, and in the daytime the air warms up to an 19.2.2 By Bus average of 25 С (on hot days to 37 C). The hottest month of the year is July. Rainfall in the summer usually comes Regular buses travel between Karaganda and Karkaraly. in the form of showers and thunderstorms. The begin- The trip costs 800kzt and will take approximately 4 hours. ning of summer is characterized by the abundant flow- But times can be found at the Karaganda bus station or at ering of plants. In the middle of summer, berries begin the bus stations website. 19.5. SEE 49

19.2.3 By Plane 19.5 See

There is no air access to Karkaraly. The closest airport • Lake Baceen The 3km hike from town is worth it is in Karaganda, which has regular flights to Astana, Al- alone, but the lake is truly unique. The lake is sur- maty, and other national airports. Upon reaching Kara- rounded on all sides by granite cliffs, which makes a ganda, you must either rent a taxi or take a bus. “basin” look.

• Lake Shaitankol or “Devil’s Lake”. This is the 19.2.4 By Train most popular tourist destination in the park. Lo- cated 5km from town, this lake provides scenic There is no train access to Karkaraly. Karaganda is ac- views and a lake surrounded on 3 sides by rocky out- cessible from Astana and Almaty. Upon reaching Kara- croppings. ganda, you must either rent a taxi or take a bus. • Bolshoy Palatah” or “Big Chamber”. This stone grotto in the mountains above town offer scenic views of the valley and town. 19.3 Fees and Permits • Trie Pesherah” or “Three Caves”. This cave, approximately a 30 minute walk from town of- Many areas of the park are off limits without a permit. In- fers insights into past cultures. The cave can be quire at the park’s headquarters, in the city of Karkaraly, muddy inside, but the area is beautiful and the about which areas you can visit. Russian or Kazakh lan- hike is worth it. guage skills are needed, as there are currently (Feb 2011) no English speakers in the park staff. The mountains surrounding Karkaraly are open and free 19.6 Do to explore. If you travel by car to the hotel complex, Shaktior, you will need to pay a small fee to enter the • Boulder hopping The mountains around Karkaraly park. Some areas of the Kent mountains, southeast of are very rocky. Weather and time have created many Karkaraly, are closed to tourists without purchasing a per- unique shapes. Walking around the mountains will mit and using a park . Inquire at the park’s be very enjoyable and offer wonderful views. Rocks headquarters about these services. can be very slippery when wet.

• Hiking The trails system in the park is not very ad- 19.4 Get Around vanced. Some trails are overgrown or appear to dis- sipate. Trails maps are not reliable. But the most popular trails are clearer, though not without its con- 19.4.1 By Foot fusion. Account for this when you plan. Cell phone range (Beeline and Active) can be reached on most The mountains surround Karkaraly and many attractions mountain tops, but not within the forest. are within walking distance of the town. If you wish • to sleep in the hotel complex Shaktior (7km outside of Photography The unique rock formations, the “hid- town), taxis and buses can be found. If you wish to sleep den” mountain lakes, and the pine forest offer great at the hotel Tac Bulak, you will need to take a taxi. opportunities for photography. If you wish to see the Kent Mountains, you will need to • Camping Camping is allowed within designated purchase a tour package from the park administration. camping areas. Check with the park administration They will use their transportation to guide you. Advanced about regulations on fires and camping. Tents, sleep- notice of a week is needed for this. ing bags, and pads can be rented from the park ad- Because the town is at the base of the mountains, traveling ministration for a small fee. All are basic gear but by foot is possible and a car is not needed. will suffice for simple camping trips.

19.4.2 By Car 19.7 Buy

Having a car will open up more possibilities but you Souvenirs are hard to come by. For the park, souvenirs should check with the park administration as to where can be purchased at the Nature Museum 3km outside of you are able to go, and how much the permit for entering town. Hand-carved wooden bowls with Kazakh designs areas will be. can be purchased here, but they are often out of stock. 50 CHAPTER 19. KARKARALY NATIONAL PARK

19.8 Eat and Drink

Karkaraly has small stores and several cafes.

19.9 Sleep

There are two hotels in Karkaraly. Both are basic and the cheaper rooms have communal bathrooms. The best hotel in the area is Tac Bulak, 3km outside of town, where there is always hot water and meals are included. Other options are at Shaktior, a hotel complex 7km from town.

19.10 Connect

The park administration can be contacted through their website. The park staff does not know English. They only know Russian and Kazakh.

19.11 Go next Chapter 20

Semey

Semey (Kazakh: Семей), formerly known as Semi- 20.2.1 By plane palatinsk (Russian: Семипала́тинск, until 2007) and Alash-kala (Kazakh: Алаш-қала / Alaş-qala, 1917– Semey Airport (IATA: PLX) has flights to Almaty and 1920), is a city in Kazakhstan with population of around Astana. 300,000 people. 20.2.2 By train 20.1 Understand Train connections include Almaty, Astana via Pavlodar and Novosibirsk.

20.2.3 By bus

20.3 Get around

20.4 See

• “Silnee Smerti” (Stronger than death) Memorial to the victims of nuclear testing, Polkovnichiy Island. • The Semipalatinsk Bridge

20.4.1 Religious buildings

Abai Qunanbaiuli Literature Museum

20.4.2 Museums Voskresenskiy Sobor • Abai Museum (Abai Qunanbaiuli Literature Mu- Semipalatinsk was the centre of the Soviet atomic seum). weapons testing program. • Dostoyevsky Museum (Fyodor Dostoyevsky Liter- ature Museum). • East Kazakhstan Regional Museum of Fine 20.2 Get in Arts. The largest art museum in Kazakhstan, over 3500 artworks.

51 52 CHAPTER 20. SEMEY

20.5 Do

Enlik-Kebek cinema

• Enlik-Kebek cinema

20.6 Buy

20.7 Eat

20.8 Drink

20.9 Sleep

20.10 Connect

20.11 Go next

• Omsk and Novosibirsk in Russia

• Oskemen • Pavlodar Chapter 21

Kazakh Desert

The Kazakh Desert is the southernmost region of in • Turkestan — another ancient city, long a border Kazakhstan, spanning across the nation’s sections of the town between the Persian culture to the south and vast Qyzylqum and Aral Karakum deserts. It is com- the Turkic nomadic culture to the north, now ma- prised of the Kyzylorda, South Kazakhstan, and Zham- jority Uzbek and home to several important cultural- byl provinces. This area is home to the lion’s share of historical monuments Kazakhstan’s historical monuments, as well as the car- wreck-fascinating ecological disaster of the . Aralsk, Qazaly Shardara, Jetisu, Saryag'ash and Lenger You will also find here the main border crossings into nearby Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, and Tashkent, Uzbekistan. 21.3 Other destinations

21.1 Regions • Aral Sea • Baikonur 21.2 Cities • Barsa-Kelmes Nature Reserve — wildlife preserve located on an island in the Aral Sea • Aral — a benighted city, with a fishing economy that • Otrar — a desert oasis surrounded by the ruins of was dependant on a now disappearing sea the various castles and towns that once occupied this spot • — a medium sized mining city, formerly a destination for Soviet exiles

• Kyzylorda — a major stop on the Silk Road, with 21.4 Understand plenty to see and do

• Sayram — a 3,000-year-old city, with Kazakhstan’s 21.5 Talk oldest mosque and a very strong sense of Central Asian culture—there is a lot to see here 21.6 Get in • Shieli— a small town located between Shymkent and Kyzylorda, this town is very popular for its 21.7 Get around vegetables such as huge watermelons and melons. Also,marjan kurus (diamond rice) is the highest quality rice grown in Shieli. Also, this region is 21.8 See crowded by very kind, hospitable and nice people who will always welcome you! 21.8.1 Itineraries • Shu — a relatively small town, and administrative center of Zhambyl Province 21.9 Do • Shymkent — Kazakhstan’s third largest city, an old market town located near Tashkent and some beau- 21.10 Eat tiful mountains; now booming with oil exploration

• Taras — a 2,000-year-old city, rich in archaeologi- 21.11 Drink cal finds

53 54 CHAPTER 21. KAZAKH DESERT

21.12 Stay safe Chapter 22

Aral

Aral (Арал) or Aralsk (Аральск, formerly, and in Rus- 22.4 See sian) is a city in Kazakhstan. Aral does not have many attractions and most tourists are not interested in the town itself. The old harbor is lo- cated just outside the hotel and it is possible to walk out 22.1 Understand to abandoned ships on the dry seabed from there. Jeep tours can be booked, and in a half an hour you can reach a ship cemetery or the Aral Sea. For information on sights Aral is a former fishing village located in Western Kaza- and tours contact Aral Tenizi. The Aral Tenizi office khstan near the Aral Sea. In 1920, Lenin famously asked is located a few houses down from the hotel on 10-12 the people of Aral to give fish to feed starving Russians, Makhataeva. which they did. The story is commemorated by a mu- ral in the Aral train station. Aral has suffered in recent years due to the retreating Aral Sea. Many tourists come to Aral in order visit ship cemeteries, which, like the Aral 22.5 Do Sea itself, are quickly disappearing. Many locals use the metal from the abandoned ships to build fences and walls, Jeep tours can be arranged to various places along the and in many ship cemeteries all that is left are skeletons Aral Sea, including various ship cemeteries. of ships.

22.6 Buy

22.2 Get in There are very few shops in Aral. A main market is housed west of the main square and past the train tracks. The closest major city to Aral is Kyzylorda, which is Here you can find fresh fruit and vegetables. Other about 12 hours away by train. Trains leave from Astana smaller shops can be found near the center of town by the and Almaty to Aral. The train from Astana does not, hotel. These shops sell bread, jam, candy, soda, noodles, however, stop in Almaty. Trains from Astana to Aral will etc. take about 2 days to reach their destination. 22.7 Eat

22.3 Get around Aral does not offer much diversity in dining. One restau- rant is located across the street from the hotel and serves Aral is a very small city to walk around in; there are a variety of Kazakh dishes. This is the largest restaurant taxis but they are basically unnecessary. The train station in town and able to make a wide variety of dishes. Other is about a 15 minute walk from the main hotel. There restaurants can be found around town (many of them with are two main streets: Makhataeva, on which you will the name Chin Son) that offer less options, so be prepared find the hotel and Aral Tenizi office, and Abilhayir Han to eat manty and shashlyk here. All menus will be in Rus- (Абилхайыр хан), on which you can find some small sian. shops and internet, this is also the road to follow north to get to the train station. Абилхайыр хан was formerly called Gorky and may still be called as such in some travel 22.8 Drink guides.

55 56 CHAPTER 22. ARAL

22.9 Sleep

There is one hotel in Aral, called simply “Aral”. It is lo- cated at 4 Makhateava St. It has two floors of rooms and one restaurant. The rooms are quite simple and many have small tubs but no showers. Expect to pay about 4,000 T per night. Homestays are available and for this you should ask around. If you do not speak Russian, try looking lost and asking for komnaty (комнаты, “rooms”).

22.10 Connect

22.11 Go next

To leave Aral, buy tickets at the train station for your de- sired destination. Be sure to include what class you would like to travel in. Kupeyny is second class and has four berths and a closing door. Third class has six berths and no doors, for a long train ride it is not the most comfort- able but is good for meeting locals, who will most likely be very curious about you. Chapter 23

Baikonyr

Baikonur (Kazakh: Байқоңыр Bayqongyr, Russian: 23.3 Get around Байконур Baykonur) is a city in Kazakhstan. 23.4 See

23.1 Understand • Baikonyr Cosmodrome. A large quantity of Rus- sian’s exploration of space was launched from here. Baikonyr is famous worldwide for its cosmodrome, the Permits are necessary and must be arranged at least site of many spacefaring feats including the first opera- 45 days in advance; the only practical way of do- tional ICBM, the launch of Sputnik and the launch of the ing this is through a specialist . Visits first manned orbital flight by Yuri Gagarin. The modern during space launches are particularly popular, but town of Baikonyr was built near the existing village of scheduling is subject to unpredictable delays. Toretam (Төретам), the name still used by the railway station, and was known as Leninsk (Ле́нинск) until re- • Baikonyr Cosmodrome Museum named in 1995 by then-president of Russia, Boris Yeltsin. 23.5 Do 23.2 Get in 23.6 Buy The easiest way to visit Baikonyr, and the only way to visit the cosmodrome, is by guided tour. Prices vary wildly but are always steep: a one-day tour starting from Almaty 23.7 Eat starts from US$700 per person, while a multi-day excur- sion from Moscow can cost US$5,000. as the cosmod- 23.8 Drink rome area (6000 km2.) is rented by Russia, no Kazakh visa is needed if you fly in directly from Moscow. 23.9 Sleep

23.2.1 By plane 23.10 Go next Baikonyr’s two airports, Krainiy (in city) and Yubi- leyniy (in cosmodrome) serve only semi-regular char- tered flights from Almaty and Moscow. The nearest town with scheduled service is Kzyl-Orda (267 km away), which has scheduled daily flights to Almaty and Astana on Air Astana.

23.2.2 By train

Baikonyr’s station, Toretam, is on the Moscow-Almaty main line. The station is 1445 km from Almaty and the trip takes around 27 hours on an express train.

57 Chapter 24

Shymkent

Shymkent (Kazakh: Шымкент) is a city in the Kazakh • Park Ken-Baba. some miniatures of famous ar- Desert, and is the third largest city in Kazakhstan. chitecture, as well as a little pond and walking area with rides/swings. On main road Tauke Xana, and Kazybek-Bi 24.1 Get in

• The big Tulip Fountain. on the corner of main 24.1.1 By plane street Tauke Xana and Mamashuli. Shymkent International Airport (IATA: CIT) with flights to other Kazakh destinations, China, Russia and • New Memorial. very impressive, at Ordabasy Turkey. Square, the site of the founding of Shymkent. There is a massive monument recently built that you can 24.1.2 By bus get to by climbing up on a bridge past some nice fountains (equally if not more impressive at night). As of May 2010, there are overnight buses from Almaty’s Also see the Philharmonia (though I have never seen Sayran bus station that leave at roughly half hour intervals a concert here even once), a nice park area, and the from 18:00-21:00 everyday. The journey takes approxi- new yurt-like museum they built recently, all in that mately 12 hours, KZT2400 [update Aug 2012]. area. Inexpensive shared taxis to Sairam also leave from this square. Overnight buses will arrive at the Samal bus station, 5km out from the city center. From there, you can take buses from 35tenge to 40tenge for a marshrutka to the center. • Hippodrome. if anything is going on (which is Taxis to the center are also available for 300-400tenge. rare: usually public holidays like Nauryz), the Hip- podrome is well worth a visit for horse games such as Kokpar. Hard to find out when things are hap- 24.2 Get around pening, however.

You can take “gypsy cabs” for 300-400 tenge anywhere in the city. Bargain if they try to overcharge. Busses run to and from the center and all of the microdis- 24.4 Do tricts. The cost was 35 tenge as of 2011 but prices were set to rise and currently (March, 2014) is 50 tenge. Mega: most popular youth hangout place in town, a mall “Marshrutkas” are mini-busses that run largely the same with indoor skating rink, movie theater, Western-style routes as the busses. They cost 40 tenge as of 2011 but chain grocery store and an upstairs food court. On Tauke- prices were set to rise. They can be very crowded during Khan avenue. rush hour (e.g. standing room only, with low ceiling) Spartak - awesome outdoor swimming pool, soccer field and basketball court. Across from Mega on Tauke-Khan avenue. 24.3 See Movies: playing (mostly Western movies dubbed in Rus- • Abay Park. memorials, tanks, ferris wheel, statue sian) on the top floor of Mega Center. of Abai. Attached is the aquapark “Delfin” if you Babylon: arcade complex also on the top floor of Mega want some water park fun in the summer Center, complete with games and laser tag

58 24.8. SLEEP 59

24.5 Buy • Karaoke bars. down past Hotel Shymkent on Re- public Aveue (extension of main street Tauke-Khan Markets: Ayna Bazaar, good for buying food and ran- avenue), bus stop “Ogonyok” dom stuff (some clothes, Chinese electronics, burned CDs with Kazakh music, etc.). In a microregion a bit • Bowling and pool tables. at Tauke-Khan avenue outside of town, but public transport regularly goes there. and Kunayev Avenue, upstairs at the “Maharaja” en- Koktem Bazaar is good for fresh produce and fruit. There tertainment complex right next to the Spartak sports are good souvenir shops in Park Ken Baba, on Tauke- complex in the middle of town Khan avenue. They sell stuffed camels, magnets, key- chains, leather goods, plates and figurines. • Hookah bar. recently opened in the 17th microre- gion, expensive but nice ambience and stage with DJ/live music on certain nights/events 24.6 Eat 24.8 Sleep • Kok-saray. Uzbek restaurant on Ilyaev Street and Momyshuli Steet • Hotel Nurotau. The rooms are better than the hotel looks from the outside. Single rooms T4000, dou- • Caravan. excellent Uyghur lagman (get the Busso bles T5000-7000, triple T8000. Wi-Fi is available. lagman, fried with meat and peppers), inside of park Ken-Baba. • Hotel Ordabasy, Kazybek Bi 1 (Located on the corner of the Ordabasy plaza where Tole Bi and • Madlen. western-style sandwiches, pastries, salads Kazybek Bi intersect), ☎ 53 64 21. Check-out: and shakes. Two locations: Ilyaev Street, or the big- 10:00. This mid-range hotel is conveniently located ger Madlen next to Shymkent Hotel on Tauke-Khan at Ordabasy plaza, in front of the large MiG mon- avenue. Very popular Shymkent hangout with lo- ument. As of May 2010, a double-room goes for cals. 6400KZT with a private bath, satellite tv, and bal- cony (if facing the street). No late check-out is avail- • Mozzarella. expensive Italian food with free Wi-Fi, able. DB:6400/night. on Ilyaev Street and Dulati Street • Rented apartments are available - bargain for your room. Don't pay more than 2000 tenge for a normal • El Doro. excellent and reasonably-priced pizza, on room or 4000 tenge for “elite” (newly remodeled Tauke-Khan avenue past/across the street from Park room) in a rented apartment. No meals included, Ken-baba. Try the vegetarian with goat cheese so-so conditions for the most part, but inexpen- sive. There are apartments on the main road (Tauke • Dinara cafe/bar. pick up a good shashlik (grilled Xana/Respublika) close to the bus stop Ogonyok. meat kebab) and mug of Shymkentskoe beer, a “typ- The apartment rental is done out of a rainbow- ical Shymkent” meal. Right across the street from colored cafe right on the street. Mega Center mall on Tauke Xana • Other hotel options include Hotel Shymkent, and • Doner. Best Turkish “doner kebab” is a lavash flat Clara Sapar (better option for business/diplomat pita bread filled with meat, carrots, tomatoes, cu- guests). Rooms are over $100 night. cumbers, mayo and a ketchupy sauce. The best doner kebab in Shymkent is a stand with a few out- door tables/chairs located south of the center on 24.9 Connect Turkestanskaya Street and Konayev Avenue. +7-7252 is the area code for Shymkent. 24.7 Drink 24.10 Go next • Cinema Bar. a European-esque techno club with no cover charge, attached to the old cinema on Zhel- Turkestan: the most famous Muslim site in Kazakhstan, toksan street and Baitursynov Street. Has a cool am- with a beautiful mausoleum and brand new historical mu- bience inside, old-movie decor. May be closed now, seum. Definitely a must-see if you're in the south for a not sure. few days. 60 CHAPTER 24. SHYMKENT

Sairam mausoleums: you can take a taxi from Ord- abasy Square to Sairam for 200-300 tenge. Stop to see the “SHYMKENT” Hollywood sign on your way! Sauran ancient city ruins - you can book a private taxi from Shymkent, or take a taxi from Turkestan if you're already there. Chapter 25

Turkestan

Turkestan is a small but ancient city in the Kazakh across Central Asia and has come to epitomize the Desert. Kazakhstan largely lacks the kinds of Central Kazakh national identity. Asian historical towns that make Uzbekistan a popular travel destination, but the exception is this one, relatively well preserved, 1600-year-old city. In the 11th century 25.4 Do AD, the great Sufi Sheikh Khoja Ahmad Yasavi turned the city into the region’s principal centre of learning, drawing scholars from across the steppe. In the late 14th 25.5 Buy century, Timur commissioned the creation of a massive mausoleum in his honour, which is to this day Kaza- khstan’s most prominent historical attraction, a major 25.6 Eat Muslim pilgrimage site, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. 25.7 Drink

25.1 Get in 25.8 Sleep

25.2 Get around 25.9 Connect

25.3 See 25.10 Go next

Mausoleum of Khoja Ahmed Yasawi

• Mausoleum of Khoja Ahmed Yasawi (Мавзолей Ходжи Ахмеда Ясави). Commissioned in 1389 for the 12th century Sufi poet and mythic Khoja Ahmed Yasawi but never finished. This mausoleum is nev- ertheless a major destinations for pilgrimages from

61 Chapter 26

Kazakhstani North

The Kazakhstani North is comprised of the provinces • Burabay National Park — The little Switzerland is of Kostanay, North Kazakhstan, Pavlodar, and Akmola. a spot you don't want to miss when travelling to You will find the new capital of the country here, as Kazakhstan. Only a few hours by train from As- well as most of the country’s major industrial cities. The tana, hotels are very demanded in summer and an Kazakhstani North also is home to most of Kazakhstan’s early booking is necessary. Camping can be done large Russian ethnic minority. Make no mistake, here without any problem as the nature is quite wild as of you are moving out of Central Asia and into cold, cold July 2008. However, the place has been chosen as a Siberia. tourist resort and in the next few years it might lose it’s untamed appearance. 26.1 Regions • Naurzum State Nature Reserve, Kostanay Province. Together with Korgalzhyn (below), this nature re- serve comprises the Saryarka – Steppe and Lakes 26.2 Cities of Northern Kazakhstan UNESCO World Her- itage site. Both contain wetlands on the steppe • Aksu — a medium sized coal city, also home to a which serve as a rare habitat for a diverse range of large power plant bird species, many of them endangered, as well as various other steppe flora and fauna. • Astana — the national capital • Korgalzhyn State Nature Reserve, Aqmola • — a big coal city, home to the world’s Province. Korgalzhyn stands out from Naurzum for biggest open-cast coal field, and former home to gu- its very popular pink flamingo population. lag prisoner Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn

• Kokshetau — the administrative center of Akmola Province 26.4 Understand • Kostanay — one of the few cities in the north of any touristic interest, with an attractive, unique mosque, 26.5 Talk several memorials, and some hotels that cater to people other than energy-sector businessmen 26.6 Get in • Pavlodar — the oldest Russian city in the country, founded in 1720, closed until 1992 for its military significance in tank production, and home to one 26.7 Get around very impressive mosque, as well as other interesting Orthodox churches and various memorials 26.8 See • Petropavl — another former Russian fort town, now the center of the North Kazakhstan Province 26.8.1 Itineraries • Rudny — an iron-mining city 26.9 Do 26.3 Other destinations 26.10 Eat • Bayanaul National Park

62 26.12. STAY SAFE 63

26.11 Drink

26.12 Stay safe Chapter 27

Astana

27.1.1 By plane

Astana International Airport (IATA: TSE) is about 15 kilometres south of central Astana. It serves Vienna, Kiev, Moscow, Beijing, Delhi, Seoul, Bangkok, Istanbul, Dubai, London, Amsterdam, Hannover and Frankfurt, as well as several domestic destinations. Air As- tana, the flag carrier of Kazakhstan, flies to Almaty, Delhi,Dubai, Frankfurt, Hannover, Istanbul-Atatürk, Moscow-Sheremetyevo, and Ürümqi from Astana Air- port. Bus 10 connects the airport and the city centre twice hourly, price is KZT60. A taxi from the airport to the city centre is about USD20.

27.1.2 By train

Ministry of Transportation, Left Bank, Astana

Astana (formerly Aqmola and Tselinograd), in the north of Kazakhstan, is the second largest city in the country. It took over the role of capital city from Almaty (the largest city) in December 1998. Now it’s undergoing a transfor- mation costing billions of dollars, where top international architects assist in trying to make Astana a worthy capital - not only of Kazakhstan but of all Central Asia. Astana Astana rail station presents an interesting and intriguing blend of old Soviet architecture with the modern designs of Norman Foster Astana is served by the Qazaqstan Temir Zholy (Kaza- and the like. Astana is growing, but still does not offer khstan National Railway). Express trains run between the comforts and thrills of its Western counterparts, or Almaty and Astana. Additional service connects to Almaty, but has its own charms and pleasures. Russia and Urumqi in western China. English Timetable.

27.2 Get around

27.1 Get in There are plenty of taxis around: expect to pay KZT300- 1000 for a trip within the city.

64 27.3. SEE 65

Street taxis: Stand at the side of any road and thumb down a passing car, within 3 minutes you should have had a string of them. Tell them your destination and they will either drive off or gesture you in. It is useful to know numbers so you can set a price for the journey before starting. They are much cheaper than official taxis and you can expect to pay about half the price in one of these, prices start at about KZT500 for a cross river trip. Some drivers will practice their English on you, others will race around the streets like a maniac, slowing down for the obvious speed camera. Use this method with caution and try to travel in groups.

The public buses cost KZT60. Get on the bus and a con- Downtown with Baiterek Tower in the middle ductor will come and ask for your fare and give you a ticket. Given the simplicity of the process, you don't need to speak the language to be able to do this. The buses are efficient and comfortable, but they are often full. Some buses are from the 1990s, but there are also newer buses from the last 10 years that match any modern city in terms of the quality of the bus. The municipal authorities have published a bus route map. Unfortunately, however, you have to choose the bus number to see the route. This is not helpful if you know where you want to go but don't know which bus to take! Once you're on the bus, there is a route map, so it’s worth taking a photo of that on your phone for later trips around the city! When you get on a bus tell the conductor your destination and they will either tell you when to get off or gesture you to get on another bus. Nur-Astana Mosque On the route map published by ZaProezd.kz (click here) you can more easily search for the route you want in ei- ple of the futuristic architecture in the newborn city. ther Astana, Almaty or Karaganda. The page will suggest Nicknamed Chupa Chups by the locals due to its routes for you on the page’s left side. similarity to a giant lollipop, this 97m high build- ing offers a great view of the city as well as an art The number 12 bus does a nice loop around the new part gallery, an aquarium and a restaurant. In the cen- of the city with the palace etc., so this is a nice one for a tre of the top sphere, the ever so humble President tour. Nazarbayev has made a golden palm print where vis- itors may put their own hands. Be warned at bus- ier times the queue for the palm can be very long. 27.3 See KZT500 for Adults, KZT150 for 5-15 (with docu- mentation), under 5s are free.

• Khan Shatyr. Is a giant transparent tent big enough to hold 10,000 people. The 150m-high tent has a 200m elliptical base covering an area larger than 10 football stadiums, and contains a park, a shop- ping and entertainment area with squares and cob- bled streets, a boating river, minigolf and an indoor beach resort. It even contains its own monorail with several stops. While Astana is one of the world’s coldest capitals with temperatures down to −40°C in the cold season, the transparent material lets sun- shine in and helps to keep temperatures comfortable all year. KazMunayGas Headquarters • The President’s Museum of Kazakhstan, • Bayterek Tower (Бәйтерек, Bäyterek). An exam- Barayev 3. Built like a yurt with a dome resembling 66 CHAPTER 27. ASTANA

a mosque. It contains exhibitions about the history • Kazakh Eli monument. Situated next to Pyramid of the country. The main attraction is a replica (Palace of Peace) and has a small statue of the first of the Golden Man costume, a warrior’s suit that president of the Republic of Kazakhstan. It is about was found in a tomb east of Almaty. It contains 100 metres tall and has a mythical golden bird Sam- more than 4000 gold pieces, and the original was ryk on the top. Monument is made from white mar- considered too fragile to be put on display (it is now ble and surrounded by very beautiful fountains. kept safe in the national bank). • Shabyt Palace. Shabyt is a palace of arts situated to • Atameken Map of Kazakhstan. An outdoor mu- the right of Kazakh Eli monument. It is a dish like seum giving you an overview of the entire coun- building made from glass. try in a miniature version. This 1.7-hectare ex- hibit features more than 200 mock-up pieces, creat- • Palace of Independence. Many political and busi- ing Kazakh cities and historical memorials. During ness gatherings are held in this palace. The summit the summer months at least, there are normally En- of the OSCE (Organization of Security and Coop- glish speaking guides available (optional obviously), eration in Europe) took place in December 2010 in should you wish to learn a little about the models, this building; 56 countries were invited and it was and there is a covered section which focuses on the one of the largest gatherings of Heads of State (big- newer constructions within the city of Astana itself. ger than Washington Nuclear Summit). Summits Taking photos sometimes requires an extra payment concerning ecology were held in October 2010 and to be made - you may want to keep cameras in your 2011. bag until you pass out of sight of the front ticket of- fice. There is a covered map of Astana on a platform • overlooking the rest of the map, be sure to visit the Museum of the First President of the Repub- exhibition underneath this, which offers dioramas of lic of Kazakhstan. This is situated north of the Kazakhstani industry, sport and culture. river on the junction of Abai Street and Bebeishe- lik Street. This magnificent building was the seat of power before the new presidential palace was built. • Palace of Peace and Reconciliation. The pyramid There is an entrance on Abai Street where you will portion of the building is 62m high and sits on a 15m have your baggage searched and you will be scanned high earth-covered block. All of this construction is for metal. Once inside be sure to ask the people above ground level. The building holds a summit of at the front door for an English . Pic- all religions of the world every 2–3 years. Though tures are allowed on the ground floor (1st in Kazakh the landscaping of the park rises up to cover the speak) and outside, but no where else. Most people lower levels, these are not in fact basements. This will have to don covers for their shoes and all luggage building offers a great view of the city as well as must be stored in lockers. Entry is free. The build- two art galleries, an archaeological and ethnographic ing consists of displays outlining the struggle for in- museum, opera hall, and a cafe. dependence, gifts and awards given to Nazarbayev including a machine gun from the Saudis, and state • Duman. An entertainment complex consisting of rooms preserved as they were when Nazarbayev was an oceanarium, 3D theatre, dome area, souvenir there. On the top floor there is a comprehensive shops and cafes. The aquarium is unique for being photo display of Yeltsin, someone that Nazarbayev located over 3,000 km away from the ocean! It has seems to have a lot of sympathy towards. Be sure more than 2000 sea inhabitants, the representatives to see the full sized recreation of the golden man. of 100 species of sea fauna from different parts of The museum is often on the empty side and don't be the world. You can also see “Mermaid” and sharks- surprised to find yourself trailed by anxious (maybe feeding shows at the aquarium. In the Motion The- bored) gallery staff. There isn't much for the kids atre you can make an underwater trip under the com- here, it is more suited to those interested in the art mand of captain Mac-Cloud during the World War of state diplomacy and the history of Nazarbayev. II, to overcome the traps while rescuing the gorgeous There is a small on the ground floor with princess, confined in the dungeon, go on a tour to the the normal tourist paraphernalia. past to dinosaur age, escorted by a troll etc.

• Nur-Astana Mosque. The second largest mosque 27.4 Do in Central Asia, completed in 2008. 'REVision Park' Cinema in English: Every Tuesday at The dome area contains symbols from all over the world 8pm, 24 Turan St. Sary Arka Shopping Mall (3d Floor). like the Statue of Liberty, the fragment of the great Chi- , Revision Park is a new project of Language Leader and nese wall, the “Doriphor” statue, Parthenon and others. KinoPark Multiplex cinemas . 27.6. EAT 67

• Ak Bulak sauna Complex, 8th kilometre on the supermarket with good bakery, dairy, tinned food and Astana-Airport highway (Olympic stadiums), ☎ +7 frozen food. Fruit and vegetables don't look so good (in 7172 497698 (reception), +7-705-140-7221 (cell). late 2011). Some basic homeware is also on sale. There 24 hours. A Sauna Complex with 3 private VIP is a Finn Mark shop for winter clothes. There is also a double floor saunas (for a party of 6, 9 and 12 Fitness First gym. people). Each sauna is decorated in a different Artem. This is half way between a bazaar (as some geographic style and has its own swimming pool, people call it) and an old fashioned shopping mall. The Finnish and Russian steam rooms (banya), jacuzzi, ground floor is open and feels like a market - it has lots hamam, entertainment hall with a banquet table, bil- of fresh fruit and vegetables, and dried fruit and nuts, all liard, karaoke, TV with cable channels and 2 pri- for sale in market stalls; plus mobile phone shops at one vate relax rooms. The Complex has its own parking end. There are also areas that sell meat and fish. The lot and conveniently located on the main Astana- many upper floors contain mostly clothes shops - a bit Airport highway (not far from Olympic stadiums). more reasonably priced than MEGA, Khan Shatyr etc., Ak Bulak sauna Complex is an excellent way to en- plus toiletries, furniture, and more. joy cold and windy Astana and feel the bathing tra- dition of Kazakhs. Food and beverages are provided Alem at the Complex. Different types of massage can be Shanghai. These are big supermarkets that are more like ordered at the reception. from USD20-60/hour. bazaar mostly for the groceries but they also have clothes. Eurasia. One of the first shopping centres in Astana. Has 27.5 Buy everything for a little bit lower prices. With China relatively close, you can find many electronic gadgets in the shops, just remember that returns policies 27.5.1 Souvenir shopping are not as customer-friendly as in the West. Also some of the latest gadgets such as iPhones and iPods are more Talisman on Republic Avenue is a great little souvenir expensive here than in Western countries. shop with T-shirts, felt products, leather paintings, tradi- tional musical instruments, desk sets and jewellery and Khan Shatyr. Contains a Greens supermarket - well stuffed leopards. A bit expensive and the staff watch you laid out (the aisles aren't straight, so it doesn't have that very carefully to make sure you don't shoplift, but there factory-like feel of typical supermarkets). Prices are rea- is a good variety of goods. sonable considering it’s in the Khan Shatyr. There is also a Debenhams in Khan Shatyr. TSUM also has a nice little souvenir shop in the second floor with traditional Kazakh souvenirs. 27.6 Eat 27.5.2 General shopping Beshbarmak - a horse meat and pasta dish. Most restau- TSUM The central shopping mall on Kenesary Street, rants that serve it will present a portion enough for two or across from Congress Hall has some shops for clothes, three people. Boursaky - bread best served piping hot. perfumes, a camera shop, cafe and a small supermarket. A little like an unsweetened doughnut. Shashliq - unless you have a sturdy stomach, best to avoid unknown street New Western-style shopping malls have sprung up with vendors, but these kebabs are often cheap, and a good all the variety of shopping you would expect from a mall 'safe bet' if you recognise little else on the menu. in the West including: Along Turan street (formerly Sara Arka), there is a row of Keruen on the Left Bank near Bayterek. Supermar- restaurants that while a bit expensive are quite good. They ket, Cinema, Babylon (video-arcade/indoor rides for chil- also have private rooms for parties, saunas, and even hotel dren). Food court. rooms. Mega on Turan Street. Cinema. Ramstor supermarket. Climbing wall. Food court. • Cafe Shimket, Immanova, near Republic Street (in Sara Arkai on Turan Street. Cinema. Supermarket. Kazyna Mall, next to Cinema City). If you want a greasy spoon style meal, with cheap prices, and a Ramstor is another chain of supermarkets that is pop- mixture of makes in the car park, rather than 4x4s, ular among Westerners in Astana. They sell lots of Hummers and Mercedes, head over here. cheaper. things you can't find elsewhere such as macaroni and cheese, microwave popcorn, Worcestershire Sauce, bar- • Melnitsa (Windmill), Turan Street (near Khan beque sauces, tortilla chips, salsa and so on. Shatyr). Possibly the only Ukrainian restaurant in Asia Park. Next to Central Mosque of Astana. Has a Astana with one of the best outdoor dining areas in nice skybar with a pretty good view. Includes an Alma the city. Lots of traditional Ukrainian dishes like 68 CHAPTER 27. ASTANA

potato pancakes and of course Chicken Kiev. Live • Vodka - supermarkets stock a huge variety, ranging music in the evenings. Fresh bread oven. Great dé- from $2 bottles that will strip your throat to $115 cor, like a farmer’s hut. KZT1500-3000 for a main bottles that are more for giving as a present or show- dish.. ing off your wealth. Shots tend to be drunk, rather than utilising mixers - don't feel obliged to down • Tre Kronor (Three Crowns), Turan Street (near each and every one if at a celebration. Mega Mall). Consistent with its name, the restau- • Cognac - what we would refer to as brandy, again a rant strives for a more European fare. It features ex- wide range in the shops and restaurants. Same rules cellent steaks and decent sausages. Nice Brew Pub apply regarding shots - with all the toasts made at atmosphere though it is a proper restaurant. Most parties and other gatherings, you may want to pace evenings there’s a live band which plays a mix of yourself. reggae, classic rock and Russian rock. Nice out- door cafe in the summer. KZT1500-3000 for a main There are more than 10 discos (night clubs) that are fre- dish.. quently referenced by locals: Chocolate , A8, Fusion, Ice, etc. Chocolate is in the same building as the SAS Radis- • Satti, 32 Kabanbay Batyr Street, ☎ +7 (7172) 24 son hotel, but may only be open on selected days (week- 28 48. ends). “Ice” (centrally located - ask locals for the address) has a nice atmosphere and is on two floors with a large • Line Brew. Popular with expats and locals alike, dance area. Prices are towards the high end, no entrance Line Brew features its own brew of beer, with an im- fee on Thursday night. pressive menu that includes several delicious steaks, including one made of horse meat. • 1000 and 1 nights cafe, Bayan Sulu hotel, ☎ +7- 27.8 Sleep 7172-366-222. The main destination for authentic Turkish and Arabic cuisine in Astana. Operated by • Duman - located behind the Duman entertainment Turkish management. Located at Bayan Sulu Ho- complex, this approximately four star hotel is an 18- tel, which is located not far from Eurasia shopping story building built in 2008 and overlooking the park center. and river to the North and East, and MEGA shop- ping mall to the south. The rooms are good quality, • Ali Babas, 3 Bukeikhan st. Astana 010000, Kaza- with space, large beds (beds are firm - how good this khstan. 8 172321899 (North of the river). Sum- is depends on your preference) heating and air con- mer only. A very popular summer restaurant. The ditioning, and excellent showers and bathroom fa- waitresses and waiters dress in traditional dress and cilities. The room rates vary. The lobby bar on the the menu offers a selection of central Asian cui- ground floor sits at the bottom of an 18 floor atrium, sine. Prices are in line with Europe or America but one wall of which is all glass. The glass lifts in the the food is good. There are fake bird cages hang- atrium give an impressive view out the glass window. ing from the roof which tweet electronically. Camel On the 16th floor there is a bar and restaurant with and horse milk are on offer along side Leffe beer c. great views but very poor food. The laundry ser- KZT3000. vice is exorbitant - about $100 for a week’s worth of • Rafe, Bukeikhan Street Astana, Kazakhstan (Almost clothes. opposite Ali Babas). A modern coffee bar offering Italian food with a twist. Be sure to check out the • Okan InterContinental Astana, 113 Abaya Av- horse pizza c. KZT3000. enue, ☎ +7 (7172) 391-000. The first luxury hotel in Astana, the service is very good and the room quality • Turfan, Alikhan Bokeikhan St 10, ☎ +7 717 239 is consistent. Singles/doubles from KZT 46000. A 0850. Popular restaurant with the locals, offering very good breakfast bar is included, and there are a good range of Central Asian food selectable by is a popular Italian restaurant (Pucchini’s) and an pictures, they don't have an English menu but the eastern-style (Turkish) restaurant, as well as a pub staff will happily try their English on you. Slightly on the mezzanine floor. Expensive (but fast, reli- cheaper than the near-by Alibaba. During Ramadan able) wireless internet, and a nicely equipped busi- they don't serve alcohol (updated May 2015) ness center. A nice range of conference facilities. Unfortunately, the once nicely equipped gym (pool, exercise room/equipment, saunas) is closed through 27.7 Drink the end of 2007 for a full renovation. Located in the old area of town, within walking distance from • Kumis - different varieties are available of this many restaurants, it is a long way from the govern- mare’s milk, some are a little salty. Slightly fer- ment buildings on the other side of the river now that mented. the government has moved. 27.9. CONNECT 69

• Rixos Presidents Hotel Astana. Make no mistake have a good grasp of English. The bar is pricey and about it, this is the most luxurious hotel in Astana. Friday night is cocktail night. From KZT18,000. For starters, standard rooms come with heated tiled floors in the bathroom, step in showers and jaccuzi tubs, LCD wide-screen television, and free wireless 27.9 Connect internet (although it is not very consistent). The ser- vice is friendly and professional. There is a bar, a cafe, and two restaurants, and the best conference 27.9.1 Mobile phone providers facilities in Astana. The spa has the best exercise equipment in Astana, and the pool is lovely. It is There are three mobile phone providers: KCell, Tele2 and within walking distance to the ministries and the bet- Beeline. All three offer mobile web (Edge, 3G). SIM ter restaurants, and the breakfast buffet is more than cards are cheap and can be bought without filling in doc- fantastic (they've been known to put out caviar!) umentation. complete with a harpist. The main drawback? So many VIPs prefer to stay in this hotel (visiting pres- idents, prime ministers, and other big-wigs) that you 27.9.2 Money often have to fight security to get in and out! Rooms start around USD250/night.. There are cash machines in shopping centres, on the street and in most hotels. Most accept VISA and some people have had trouble with MasterCard. Most banks convert • Radisson Hotel Astana, Sary Arka 4, ☎ +77 (172) dollars, euros and roubles. Pounds are much harder to get 670-777. New hotel, just north of Ishim river with rid of. 180 rooms. Singles/doubles at USD 480 includ- ing breakfast, access to fitness center but excluding current VAT. Rooms are modern design, with flat- screen TV and free internet. Wi-Fi in the rooms can 27.10 Cope be dodgy, but there is a cable alternative, and Wi-Fi works fine in the lobby/lounge. Hotel has a reliable 27.10.1 Embassies Italian restaurant, and a sports club/spa. • China, 37 Kabanbai Batyra Ave, ☎ +7 7172- • Bayan Sulu Hotel Astana, microdistrict 2a, build- 793561, fax: +7 7172-793565. ing 8/1 (Eurasia shopping centre), ☎ +7 (7172) 36- 62-22, +7 (7172) 36-60-79, fax: +7 (7172) 36- • Egypt, 24A Sarayshyk Street, Diplomatic Town, 89-30, e-mail: [email protected]. This ☎ +7 7172-241830, fax: +7 7172-286050, e-mail: inexpensive, but very comfortable 3-star hotel en- [email protected]. 09:00-16:00. joys a quiet location in Astana, a 10-minute walk from the Kazakhstan Sports Palace and 5-minute • Finland, Astana Tower 17th floor, 12 Samal drive from the left bank – a new administrative cen- Microdistrict, 010000 Astana, ☎ +7-7172- tre of dynamic Astana. The hotel offers 3 saunas 44 21 21, fax: +7-7172-44 21 16, e-mail: that include swimming pools, jacuzzi, Finnish steam sanomat.ast@formin.fi. rooms. Wi-Fi is free in all rooms, which are warmly furnished with elegant interiors and wooden floors. • Every room is air-conditioned and has a working ta- Greece, 109 Micro District Karaotkel 2010000, ☎ ble, minibar, cable TV and private bathroom with +7 7172-563714, +7 701 188 7406 (Emergencies), a bathtub. A free breakfast is provided for guest fax: +7 7172-244776, e-mail: [email protected]. each morning at the “1000 and 1 night” Café that M-F 09:00-12:00 & 13:00-17:00. serves European, Arabic and Turkish cuisine. From USD55 for a single room to USD85 for 2-room • Netherlands, Kosmonavtov street 62, Renco build- deluxe. ing 3rd floor, Microdistrict Chubary, ☎ +7 7172 555450, fax: +7 7172 555474, e-mail: • Hotel Gran Park , Beibitshilik Street Astana, [email protected]. M-F 09:00-13:00 & 13:30-17:30. Kazakhstan (North of the river opposite the Msueum of the first president of the Republic of Kazakhstan). • India, Kaskad Business Center, 5th Floor Check-in: 13:00, check-out: 12:00. A pleasant 6/1, Kabanbai Batyr Ave, ☎ +7 7172 and clean hotel that is breakfast included. There is 925700, fax: +7 7172 925716, e-mail: free wifi and satellite television. The gym, pool and [email protected], [email protected], sauna are free, as is the masseur but you must book [email protected]) [email protected], ahead. The mini bar has condoms, listed under 'mis- [email protected], [email protected], cellaneous’. The staff are friendly and receptionists [email protected]). 70 CHAPTER 27. ASTANA

27.10.2 Religion

Catholic church of Maria Santissima. Tashenov St - Ser- vices: Sunday 11am (Russian), 6pm (English)

27.11 Go next

Burabay National Park 3 hours north by train Almaty 21 or 13 hours south by train Chapter 28

Burabay National Park

Burabay National Park is in the Kazakhstani North. 28.4 Get around

Taxis are available opposite the war memorial 28.1 Understand 28.5 See 28.2 Get in War Memorial

The nearest rail station is Kurort Borovoe situated about Boroboe Lake. The north west of the lake is the pret- 30Km to the south in the town of Schuchinsk. There are tiest, with beautiful rock formations and boats to hire. several trains a day from Astana, with the journey lasting Boats cost 1000T per half hour. There is a path along the 3hr. The automatic machines in Astana railway station northern edge of the lake from Borovoe town, the walk might only offer local trains to Kokshetau, if you want is paved, but badly maintained. In places it is overgrown to hitch a lift on a sleeper train you'll need to speak to a with floor blocks missing/crumbling. There are several salesperson, who will need your passport to get you on the Soviet era buildings on the route as well as an abandoned sleeper. Once you leave the station, follow the road to the music venue. right to get to the bus station. There are buses through- Northern lake - this is pretty, but far less impressive than out the day, but it is very hard to work out where and Borovoe lake. when they stop. You might have more luck with the pri- vate mini-buses. Be sure to check out the soviet era glass sculptures in the bus station. To the left of the train sta- 28.6 Do tion is a giant soviet era steam engine. Taxis are available outside the station and opposite the bus station, expect to pay 1000-1500 Tenge to travel to Borovoe, it'll take about Take a boat out on lake Borovoe 25 minutes and some drivers might be willing for you to hire them for the day to see the sights. 28.7 Learn Buses are available from Astana to Borovoe. These are small minibuses Taxi’s can drive you from Astana to Borovoe. It'll take 28.8 Eat about 3hours 28.9 Sleep

28.3 Fees/permits (parks only) Rixos

The park at the western edge of Borovoe has an entry fee 28.10 Stay safe of: 28.11 Go next • 198T per pedestrian

• ??T per vehicle

71 Chapter 29

Kokshetau

Kokshetau is in the north of Kazakhstan, part of the for- In warmer weather, there are lots of amusements for small mer Soviet Union. kids in the paved square opposite the new movie theater. In freezing cold weather, the same paved square hosts an amazing ice-carved village, including a very long ice 29.1 Get in slide. Lots of fun, but bundle up b/c it gets c-c-c-cold. . .

29.1.1 By car 29.5 Buy 29.1.2 By plane 29.6 Eat The capital city Astana is close, it has an international airport. • Apelsin From Almaty (the only flight!), which stops in Kokshetau, unloads passengers, and then takes off for Petropavlovsk. • Cafe Novinka - relatively new establishment, at- From the airport, buses to the city center run about every tached to the store “Novinka” near Tsum (Uni- 30 minutes, and taxis are plenty and inexpensive (about vermag). Good burgers, pizza, doner kebabs and US$5-7). desserts, including baklava. Owned by a very nice Turkish entrepreneur.

29.2 Get around • Hunter’s Lodge

29.2.1 By taxi • Raduga

Abundant taxis. Average trip cost US$2. • Venezia' - Excellent Shashlyk and grilled mar- inated meats (cooked on a real wood coal bar- beque). Well worth a visit. On Gabdullin and 29.3 See Abai.

• The end of the world’s biggest powerline - it starts But the best restayrant is ASTANA in Ekibastusz and ends here Eat shish kebabs (shashlyk) Bowling Center has good restaurant, with a nice kitchen. • Burabai (Borovoe) - Mountainous resort area 30 You can enjoy good food and fun game. miles from town. Numerous other lakes.

29.7 Drink 29.4 Do Do not drink from tap, only drink bottled water. Local Bowling alley bottled water is also sold in 5 liter containers. Movie theatre Cheap, good beer, including the ubiquitous Brazilian im- The Central Park has a small amusement park with a slow port, Brahma. moving ferris wheel and other fast-moving rides. Nightclubs: Kazakhstan, Brooklyn.

72 29.10. GO NEXT 73

29.8 Sleep

The hotel industry is in rudimentary state. There are world-class hotels in Borovoe (Burabai) resort region. In Kokshetau, however, the hotels are built on the legacy of the Soviet Union. There are high quality apartments available.

• Zhekebatyr - newly built 4-star hotel close to the center of the city. Nice rooms, European standard. Not cheap, but if you are staying for 1-3 nights, you will have a nice time.

29.9 Stay healthy

Avicenna: If you will get sick having fun during winter visit Avicenna. Avicenna is the best private hospital in Kokshetau. It has great service and great proffesionals. It is the best hospital of Kazakhstan with high quality and low prices.

29.10 Go next Chapter 30

Korgalzhyn Nature Reserve

Korgalzhyn Nature Reserve is in the Kazakhstani 30.2 Get in North. Together with the Naurzum State Nature Reserve it forms a UNESCO World Heritage site. The nature reserve is a little less than 200km southwest of Astana, next to Lake Tengiz.

30.1 Understand 30.3 Fees/Permits

30.4 Get around

30.5 See

30.6 Do

30.7 Buy

30.8 Eat

Korgalzhyn landscape 30.9 Drink

30.10 Sleep 30.1.1 History 30.10.1 Lodging 30.1.2 Landscape 30.10.2 Camping The landscape consists of steppes and wetlands. 30.10.3 Backcountry

30.1.3 Flora and fauna 30.11 Stay safe

Koralzhyn is known for its bird fauna and is the northern- most place in the world where you can see pink flamingos 30.12 Go next living in the wild. Other animals include pelicans, cranes, antelopes, marmots and wolves.

30.1.4 Climate

74 Chapter 31

Naurzum State Nature Reserve

Naurzum State Nature Reserve is in the Kazakhstani tional capital Astana. North. Together with the Korgalzhyn Nature Reserve it forms a UNESCO World Heritage site. 31.3 Fees/Permits 31.1 Understand 31.4 Get around

31.5 See

31.6 Do

31.7 Buy

31.8 Eat

31.9 Drink

Naurzum landscape 31.10 Sleep

31.1.1 History 31.10.1 Lodging

31.1.2 Landscape 31.10.2 Camping

The landscape is mainly steppe with some pine and birch 31.10.3 Backcountry forests. 31.11 Stay safe 31.1.3 Flora and fauna

The fauna of the park is fairly similar to northern Europe 31.12 Go next including elk, foxes, wolves and a wide range of rodents.

31.1.4 Climate

31.2 Get in

The park is located on the Turgai plateau, about 150km southeast of Kostanay and 400km northwest of the na-

75 Chapter 32

Pavlodar

Pavlodar is a city in northeastern Kazakhstan. It is the you south to the old River Station, which operates sum- capital of the Pavlodar Province and has a population of mer boat rides in the summer for a couple hundred tenge. 318,000 (January 2009). There are a number of old theaters, including the old Chekhov theater, and concert halls. There are also a few museums of interest. 32.1 Get in

From Almaty by train either through Astana or through Semei. Through Astana, trains run everyday and through 32.4 Do Semipalatinsk every other day. From Astana either by evening train or several buses a The night life is quite active in Pavlodar. There are sev- day. eral night clubs that play mostly techno and house mu- sic, though almost all have an 80s or 90s night during the From Omsk (Russia) by bus. week. Most cost 1000 tenge to get in: Flights on Air Astana are available from Astana and Al- Bumer (Бумер) Toraigyrov street, 62 tel.: 8 (7182) maty and on S7 from Moscow. 555730 Long-distance and regional buses are available from most Bayanaul (Баянаул) Kutuzov street, 36 tel.: 8 (7182) surrounding cities. 460305, 546285, 546227 Karabas (Карабас) Victory Square, 25 tel.: 8 (7182) 32.2 Get around 321932 Crystal(Кристалл) Lomov street, 38 tel.: 8 (7182) Within the city, there are many options for getting around. 675610 A fairly simple yet complete bus and marshrutka system 159 (formerally 777) Kutuzov street, 159 tel.: 8 (7182) exists as does a tram system. Taxis can be taken most 572652 places in the city for 350 tenge (2012). Outer regions of the city usually run about 400-450 tenge. To learn more about the bus system, one can download an electronic interactive map of the city. Click on the little 32.5 Buy “A” circles, which are the bus stops, to see what buses go there. Like all cities, there are several major open and closed Many things are in walking distance as well if you're look- bazaars in the city. There are also several large shopping ing for a little exercise. centers ("Артур", "Тулпар", and "Цум") and several large grocery store chains (GROS, Рубиком, Аманат Махх). 32.3 See

Pavlodar is a fairly quiet and uneventful former Soviet 32.6 Eat city. The main attractions to see here are the Mosque, the Orthodox Church, and the WWII memorial park and statue. 32.7 Drink Near the river is a nice trail to walk along that will take

76 32.10. GO NEXT 77

32.8 Sleep

There is no normal hotels in this city.

32.9 Connect

32.10 Go next 78 CHAPTER 32. PAVLODAR

32.11 Text and image sources, contributors, and licenses

32.11.1 Text

• Kazakhstan Source: https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Kazakhstan?oldid=2959115 Contributors: (WV-en) ImportBot, Cjensen~enwikivoyage, Wrh2, Sertmann, Jpatokal, Syced, Peterfitzgerald, Atsirlin, Jc8136, Dguillaume, Sumone10154, W. Frank, Ypsilon, Vidimian, Inas, JamesA, Pashley, Globe-trotter, Yann, Jonboy, Ravikiran r, Cacahuate, Saqib, Jnich99, Romaine, ClausHansen, Stefan2bot, (WT-en) Tatatabot, (WT-en) TVerBeek, (WT-en) Burmesedays, (WT-en) Bill Ellett, (WT-en) Episteme, (WT-en) Jnich99, (WT-en) Jjtk, (WT-en) InterLangBot, (WT-en) Abi, (WT-en) Jake73, (WT-en) Rmx, (WT-en) Travelbird, (WT-en) Karen Johnson, (WT-en) Joelf, (WT-en) Bijee, (WT-en) Davidbstanley, (WT-en) Stephen Atkins, (WT-en) Professorbiscuit, (WT-en) Felixboy, (WT-en) Od, (WT-en) CIAWorldFactbook2002, (WT-en) Eiland, (WT-en) Lionfish, (WT-en) Aleron235, (WT-en) Akajoey, (WT-en) Robert-Antonio, (WT-en) Liorv, (WT-en) KZBlog, (WT-en) Cpopa, (WT-en) Dark Paladin X, (WT-en) Uvik, (WT-en) Jangvijay, (WT-en) Dardekkis, (WT-en) Trinculo, (WT-en) Susya2, (WT-en) Ludmila87, (WT-en) Jenya, Thehelpfulbot, The dog2, Ikan Kekek, Pluke, Graham87, NJR ZA, LilHelpa, Marek69, Andrewssi2, Sumone’s bot, EvanProdromou, CarsracBot, MarkJaroski, Seligne, Sapphire, Andyrom75, Texugo, ChubbyWimbus, WOSlinker, Jjtkk, Inasbot, Traveler100bot, Danapit, SteveRBot, Wrh2Bot, Alistair1978, Addbot, Uhkabu, EBB, AlibekKS, FTMDave, Hobbitschuster, MargNely, Rubbish computer, PetarM and Anonymous: 197 • Temirtau Source: https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Temirtau?oldid=2633597 Contributors: LtPowers, Xltel, (WT-en) Netskald, The Anomebot2, Texugo, Traveler100bot and Anonymous: 1 • Uralsk Source: https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Oral?oldid=2636924 Contributors: Jpatokal, Atsirlin, LtPowers, Stefan2bot, (WT-en) George Furimidad, Thehelpfulbot, The Anome, The Anomebot2, Texugo, WOSlinker, Inasbot, Traveler100bot, Wrh2Bot, Matroc, A.Kuralbek and Anonymous: 6 • Almaty Province Source: https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Almaty_Province?oldid=2948132 Contributors: Wrh2, Peterfitzgerald, Atsirlin, Ypsilon, Vidimian, ClausHansen, The Anome, Traveler100bot, Matroc, Addbot and Anonymous: 2 • Aksu-Zhabagly Source: https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Aksu-Zhabagly?oldid=2948128 Contributors: Wrh2, Jpatokal, Syced, LtPowers, Pashley, ClausHansen, (WT-en) Dr.Kringeler, (WT-en) Strunger11, Hshook, Traveler100bot, DaGizza, Wrh2Bot and Anonymous: 2 • Almaty Source: https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Almaty?oldid=2959289 Contributors: Cjensen~enwikivoyage, Wrh2, Gobbler, Sertmann, Jpatokal, Peterfitzgerald, Atsirlin, Dguillaume, Jjtk~enwikivoyage, LtPowers, Vidimian, Inas, Pashley, Tsandell, Globe-trotter, Jonboy, Ravikiran r, Romaine, ClausHansen, (WV-en) Kalakar, Stefan2bot, (WT-en) Morph, (WT-en) Tatatabot, (WT-en) Episteme, (WT-en) Jnich99, (WT-en) Jjtk, (WT-en) Rouge, (WT-en) Jake73, (WT-en) Gobbler, (WT-en) Christiantc, (WT-en) Davidbstanley, (WT-en) Aleron235, (WT-en) CloutierFan02, (WT-en) Emerland, (WT-en) Mansonc, (WT-en) Hkoppel, (WT-en) Akajoey, (WT-en) Frijol, (WT- en) Chechen, (WT-en) Ramzan, (WT-en) Ifanonline, (WT-en) Robert-Antonio, (WT-en) Skraal, (WT-en) Liorv, (WT-en) Language- Leader, (WT-en) Language Leader KZ, (WT-en) Bermet777, (WT-en) Oiboi999, (WT-en) Geant-vert, Thehelpfulbot, Eco84, Ikan Kekek, Pluke, Daniel Mietchen, The Anomebot2, LilHelpa, Marek69, EvanProdromou, Crochet.david.bot, Seligne, Ds02006, WOSlinker, Inasbot, Traveler100bot, SteveRBot, Ibaman, Wrh2Bot, Matroc, Addbot, Globetrotter19, Drat70, Zenwort, Byrdabroad, A.Kuralbek, Nick346a, Indy-guide and Anonymous: 185 • Chimbulak Source: https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Chimbulak?oldid=2607010 Contributors: Jpatokal, Peterfitzgerald, Ypsilon, LtPowers, Ravikiran r, (WT-en) Jjtk, (WT-en) Nzpcmad, (WT-en) Davidbstanley, The Anomebot2, EvanProdromou, Traveler100bot, Wrh2Bot and Anonymous: 5 • Taldykorgan Source: https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Taldykorgan?oldid=2304774 Contributors: Peterfitzgerald • Altai (Kazakhstan) Source: https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Altai_(Kazakhstan)?oldid=2948149 Contributors: Wrh2, Peterfitzgerald, At- sirlin, LtPowers, Vidimian, Eco84, Texugo, Traveler100bot and Addbot • Ust-Kamenogorsk Source: https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Ust-Kamenogorsk?oldid=2837024 Contributors: Peterfitzgerald, Ypsilon, Lt- Powers, Vidimian, (WT-en) Dardekkis, (WT-en) Freecycle3, Ikan Kekek, Texugo, Inasbot, Traveler100bot, Has5477 and Anonymous: 5 • Caspian Basin Source: https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Caspian_Basin?oldid=2904737 Contributors: Peterfitzgerald, Atsirlin, Vidimian, Travelpleb, Texugo, Traveler100bot and Addbot • Aktau Source: https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Aktau?oldid=2574166 Contributors: Pbsouthwood, LtPowers, Vidimian, Globe-trotter, (WT-en) Hayesgm, (WT-en) Telamon 08, (WT-en) Siung99, Ikan Kekek, Riley Huntley, The Anomebot2, ChubbyWimbus, Inasbot, Traveler100bot, Addbot, Smokestack Basilisk and Anonymous: 2 • Atyrau Source: https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Atyrau?oldid=2856142 Contributors: Wrh2, Sertmann, Peterfitzgerald, Jc8136, Jjtk~enwikivoyage, Stefan2bot, (WT-en) Telamon 08, (WT-en) Atyrau-xman, (WT-en) Maha Bieber, (WT-en) Rushi, (WT-en) Afzal97, (WT-en) Nurfarah nisa, (WT-en) Maha, (WT-en) Atyrautravel, (WT-en) Mafzal, SarahStierch, Ikan Kekek, The Anomebot2, Seligne, WOSlinker, Traveler100bot, DaGizza, Wrh2Bot, Addbot and Anonymous: 5 • Oral Source: https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Oral?oldid=2636924 Contributors: Jpatokal, Atsirlin, LtPowers, Stefan2bot, (WT-en) George Furimidad, Thehelpfulbot, The Anome, The Anomebot2, Texugo, WOSlinker, Inasbot, Traveler100bot, Wrh2Bot, Matroc, A.Kuralbek and Anonymous: 6 • Central Highlands (Kazakhstan) Source: https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Central_Highlands_(Kazakhstan)?oldid=2949311 Contribu- tors: Wrh2, Peterfitzgerald, Atsirlin, Pbsouthwood, Pashley, (WT-en) Burmesedays, (WT-en) Dsmith890, Texugo, Chris1515, Trav- eler100bot, Addbot and Anonymous: 1 • Aktobe Source: https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Aktobe?oldid=2737819 Contributors: Jpatokal, Peterfitzgerald, LtPowers, (WT-en) Jonas79, Abstraktn, Texugo, Hshook, Traveler100bot, Wrh2Bot, Addbot, Juliusz14 and Anonymous: 4 • Balkhash Source: https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Balkhash?oldid=2637947 Contributors: LtPowers, (WT-en) Burmesedays, (WT-en) Dsmith890, The Anome, The Anomebot2, Texugo, Inasbot and Traveler100bot • Karaganda Source: https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Karaganda?oldid=2444729 Contributors: Ikan Kekek, Texugo, ECLIPSE-MAN and Anonymous: 1 32.11. TEXT AND IMAGE SOURCES, CONTRIBUTORS, AND LICENSES 79

• Karkaraly National Park Source: https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Karkaraly_National_Park?oldid=2919766 Contributors: Wrh2, Peter- fitzgerald, Globe-trotter, (WT-en) John Thompson05, Texugo, Inasbot and Traveler100bot • Semey Source: https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Semey?oldid=2835765 Contributors: Jjtkk, Quaith, YiFeiBot and Anonymous: 1 • Kazakh Desert Source: https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Kazakh_Desert?oldid=2955352 Contributors: Wrh2, Peterfitzgerald, Atsirlin, Vidimian, Texugo, Traveler100bot, Addbot and Sabatoj • Aral Source: https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Aral?oldid=2948358 Contributors: Wrh2, LtPowers, Vidimian, Inas, Inasbot, Traveler100bot and Anonymous: 2 • Baikonyr Source: https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Baikonyr?oldid=2830076 Contributors: Jpatokal, Peterfitzgerald, LtPowers, Vidimian, (WT-en) TVerBeek, (WT-en) Jjtk, The Anomebot2, CarsracBot, Traveler100bot, Wrh2Bot, Addbot, Smokestack Basilisk, A.Kuralbek and Anonymous: 6 • Shymkent Source: https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Shymkent?oldid=2774545 Contributors: Peterfitzgerald, Atsirlin, Jjtk~enwikivoyage, Ypsilon, LtPowers, Vidimian, (WT-en) Strunger11, Ikan Kekek, The Anomebot2, Inasbot, Traveler100bot, Wrh2Bot, Matroc, Addbot, Uhkabu, Vyacheslav Nasretdinov and Anonymous: 6 • Turkestan Source: https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Turkestan?oldid=2696968 Contributors: Peterfitzgerald, LtPowers, Vidimian, Saqib, Ikan Kekek, Jonte--, Texugo, Inasbot, Traveler100bot, Wrh2Bot and Anonymous: 1 • Kazakhstani North Source: https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Kazakhstani_North?oldid=2955353 Contributors: Wrh2, Peterfitzgerald, At- sirlin, Vidimian, (WT-en) Dsmith890, Ikan Kekek, Texugo, Traveler100bot, Addbot and Anonymous: 1 • Astana Source: https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Astana?oldid=2959290 Contributors: (WV-en) ImportBot, Wrh2, Stefan2, Peterfitzgerald, Atsirlin, Sumone10154, AndreCarrotflower, W. Frank, Jjtk~enwikivoyage, Ypsilon, LtPowers, AlasdairW, Vidimian, Inas, ClausHansen, (WV-en) Kalakar, Stefan2bot, (WT-en) Episteme, (WT-en) Jnich99, (WT-en) JYolkowski, (WT-en) Jjtk, (WT-en) Panos, (WT-en) Rouge, (WT-en) Jake73, (WT-en) Zepppep, (WT-en) Lime, (WT-en) Rmx, (WT-en) Chinzh, (WT-en) LanguageLeader, (WT-en) KZBlog, (WT-en) Funkenstein3, Thehelpfulbot, Ymblanter, Ikan Kekek, The wub, Jonte--, Pluke, Daniel Mietchen, NJR ZA, LilHelpa, Marek69, Sumone’s bot, Traveler100, CarsracBot, Texugo, WOSlinker, Jjtkk, Inasbot, Traveler100bot, SteveRBot, Ibaman, Altaihunters, Wrh2Bot, Alistair1978, Matroc, Addbot, Drat70, Zenwort, AlibekKS, Indy-guide and Anonymous: 49 • Burabay National Park Source: https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Burabay_National_Park?oldid=2940440 Contributors: Pluke, Trav- eler100, Traveler100bot and Matroc • Kokshetau Source: https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Kokshetau?oldid=2822491 Contributors: Wrh2, Jpatokal, Peterfitzgerald, LtPowers, Tsandell, (WT-en) Ilkirk, (WT-en) Nikai, Ikan Kekek, The Anomebot2, Texugo, Traveler100bot, Matroc, Wiki9gel and Anonymous: 14 • Korgalzhyn Nature Reserve Source: https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Korgalzhyn_Nature_Reserve?oldid=2726274 Contributors: Ypsilon • Naurzum State Nature Reserve Source: https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Naurzum_State_Nature_Reserve?oldid=2726271 Contributors: Ypsilon • Pavlodar Source: https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Pavlodar?oldid=2451056 Contributors: Peterfitzgerald, Atsirlin, LtPowers, (WT-en) Dardekkis, (WT-en) PavlodarSwede, The Anomebot2, CarsracBot, Меридианец, Texugo, Inasbot, Traveler100bot, Addbot and Anony- mous: 2

32.11.2 Images

• File:Abay_museum_in_Semey.jpg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4b/Abay_museum_in_Semey.jpg Li- cense: Copyrighted free use Contributors: http://www.lexsemsk.narod.ru/images/panorama/p-abay-2762-600.jpg Original artist: Lex • File:Almaty_map.png Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fb/Almaty_map.png License: CC BY-SA 2.0 Con- tributors: :File:Almaty map.svg Original artist: Peter Fitzgerald, OpenStreetMap [1] • File:Astana-steppe-7748.jpg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/17/Astana-steppe-7748.jpg License: CC BY- SA 3.0 Contributors: Own work Original artist: Vmenkov • File:Astana.jpg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikivoyage/en/1/1c/Astana.jpg License: PD Contributors: wikipedia Original artist: Unleo • File:Astana_rail_terminal,_view_of_the_apron._May_2009.JPG Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5d/ Astana_rail_terminal%2C_view_of_the_apron._May_2009.JPG License: Public domain Contributors: Own work Original artist: Zac allan (talk) • File:Atyrau_bridge.JPG Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/df/Atyrau_bridge.JPG License: Public domain Contributors: Own work Original artist: Ds02006 • File:Balkhash_PalaceOfCulture.jpg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/85/Balkhash_PalaceOfCulture.jpg License: CC BY-SA 3.0 Contributors: Own work Original artist: User: (WT-shared) Dsmith890 at wts wikivoyage • File:Balkhash_townBeach.jpg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/84/Balkhash_townBeach.jpg License: CC BY-SA 3.0 Contributors: Own work Original artist: User: (WT-shared) Dsmith890 at wts wikivoyage • File:Central_Downtown_Astana_2.jpg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/66/Central_Downtown_Astana_ 2.jpg License: CC BY 2.0 Contributors: Central Downtown Astana, Kazakhstan Original artist: Ken and Nyetta • File:Central_Mosque_of_Almaty.jpg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a6/Central_Mosque_of_Almaty. jpg License: Public domain Contributors: http://mecheti.azan.kz Original artist: Мечети города Алматы • File:Creedite-289029.jpg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/01/Creedite-289029.jpg License: CC BY-SA 3.0 Contributors: http://www.mindat.org/photo-289029.html Original artist: Rob Lavinsky / iRocks.com 80 CHAPTER 32. PAVLODAR

• File:Enlik-Kebek_cinema_in_Semey.jpg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ea/Enlik-Kebek_cinema_in_ Semey.jpg License: Copyrighted free use Contributors: http://www.lexsemsk.narod.ru/images/panorama/p-enlik-2420-970.jpg Original artist: Lex • File:IMG_7431-Sharyn_canyon.jpg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/74/IMG_7431-Sharyn_canyon.jpg License: Attribution Contributors: http://www.satkauskas.com Original artist: Jonas Satkauskas • File:IMG_9369-Kaindy.jpg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/90/IMG_9369-Kaindy.jpg License: Attribu- tion Contributors: satkauskas.com Original artist: Jonas Satkauskas • File:KazMunayGas_HQ.jpg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3c/KazMunayGas_HQ.jpg License: CC BY- SA 2.0 Contributors: state oil company complex on Flickr Original artist: Martin Lopatka • File:Kazakhstan_Altay_2.jpg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c8/Kazakhstan_Altay_2.jpg License: CC BY-SA 3.0 Contributors: Own work Original artist: Dmitry A. Mottl • File:Kazakhstan_regions_map.png Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/05/Kazakhstan_regions_map.png Li- cense: GFDL Contributors: Own work based on the PD CIA maps [1] and [2] Original artist: Peter Fitzgerald • File:Lenin_&_Gorky.JPG Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7b/Lenin_%26_Gorky.JPG License: CC-BY- SA-3.0 Contributors: Own work Original artist: User:Wassily • File:LocationKazakhstan.png Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/58/LocationKazakhstan.png License: Public domain Contributors: ? Original artist: ? • File:Manjali_mosque_atyrau.JPG Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4c/Manjali_mosque_atyrau.JPG Li- cense: Public domain Contributors: Own work Original artist: Redtryfan77 at English Wikipedia • File:Map_mag.png Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/ce/Map_mag.png License: CC BY-SA 3.0 Contributors: Designer: FatCow Web Hosting (Transferred by TarzanASG) Original artist: The original uploader was Mey2008 at German Wikipedia • File:Mausoleum_of_Khoja_Ahmed_Yasavi_in_Turkestan,_Kazakhstan.jpg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/ commons/f/f5/Mausoleum_of_Khoja_Ahmed_Yasavi_in_Turkestan%2C_Kazakhstan.jpg License: CC BY-SA 4.0 Contributors: Own work Original artist: Petar Milošević • File:Medeobanen1.jpg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/73/Medeobanen1.jpg License: CC0 Contributors: Own work Original artist: Kefi • File:Naurzum_nature_reserve.JPG Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/87/Naurzum_nature_reserve.JPG Li- cense: CC BY-SA 3.0 Contributors: Own work Original artist: Tomiris • File:Nur-Astana_Mosque.jpg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e2/Nur-Astana_Mosque.jpg License: CC BY 2.0 Contributors: originally posted to Flickr as DSC00494 Original artist: msykos • File:Shimbulak1.JPG Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/56/Shimbulak1.JPG License: Public domain Contrib- utors: Transferred from en.wikipedia to Commons by Kenzhigaliyev. Original artist: Girdi at English Wikipedia • File:Steppe_of_western_Kazakhstan_in_the_early_spring.jpg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/91/ Steppe_of_western_Kazakhstan_in_the_early_spring.jpg License: CC-BY-SA-3.0 Contributors: Own work Original artist: The original uploader was Carole a at English Wikipedia • File:Tamgaly_Sacred_Site.JPG Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/dd/Tamgaly_Sacred_Site.JPG License: CC BY-SA 3.0 Contributors: Own work Original artist: Kiwiodysee • File:Voskresenskiy_sobor_in_Semey.jpg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c7/Voskresenskiy_sobor_in_ Semey.jpg License: Copyrighted free use Contributors: http://www.lexsemsk.narod.ru/images/foto/voskr.jpg Original artist: Lex • File:WWII_Monument_Feat,_Almaty.jpg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3c/WWII_Monument_Feat% 2C_Almaty.jpg License: CC BY 2.0 Contributors: Flickr: WWII Monument in Almaty Original artist: Ken and Nyetta • File:Wooden_church,_Almaty.jpg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7c/Wooden_church%2C_Almaty.jpg License: CC BY-SA 2.0 Contributors: Wooden Cathedral Original artist: Alastair Rae from London, United Kingdom • File:Дворец_Культуры_Горняков.JPG Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/51/%D0%94%D0%B2% D0%BE%D1%80%D0%B5%D1%86_%D0%9A%D1%83%D0%BB%D1%8C%D1%82%D1%83%D1%80%D1%8B_%D0%93% D0%BE%D1%80%D0%BD%D1%8F%D0%BA%D0%BE%D0%B2.JPG License: CC-BY-SA-3.0 Contributors: Own photo by en:User:Wassily Original artist: Photographed by User:Wassily • File:Қарағанды_вокзалы.jpg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/96/%D2%9A%D0%B0%D1%80% D0%B0%D2%93%D0%B0%D0%BD%D0%B4%D1%8B_%D0%B2%D0%BE%D0%BA%D0%B7%D0%B0%D0%BB%D1%8B.jpg License: CC-BY-SA-3.0 Contributors: User:Wassily Original artist: User:Wassily

32.11.3 Content license

• Attribution-Share Alike 3.0