REVEAL YOUR Your ultimate travel guideline into magnifi cent Qazaqstan KAZAKHSTAN’S TOP WINTER DESTINATIONS Burabay 2 Cold weather shouldn’t be hindering you from spending time outdoors outside of big cities. Whether it’s a week day or a weekend, there are plenty of suitable places for discovering in a new way. BURABAY The closest winter destination to Nur-Sultan and probably the most visited one is Burabay. It is surrounded by the same name national park and a small village on the lakefront. Burabay is a lovely getaway for both who like to relax during vacations, and those who Almaty prefer sports and other activities. In Burabay visitors can choose from ice- fishing, snowmobiling, skiing, ice skating and snowboarding to name a few. ALMATY For those who seek more adventurous experience, Kazakhstan offers amazing ski resorts in its mountain areas. Famous Shymbulak ski resort is located only 25 minutes from the city center of the former Kazakh capital Almaty. It can be reached by a cable car at the Medeu ice rink or by electric buses. The resort boasts both skiing and Shymbulak ski resort snowboarding options as well as para-gliding and snowtubing. Besides Shymbulak surroundings of Almaty offer numerous other options, including Yelik Sai, Almatau, Ak-Bulak, Lesnaya Skazka and Tabagan. EAST KAZAKHSTAN Another destination for ski lovers is East Kazakhstan’s resorts. East Kazakhstan offers slopes at Nurtau and Altay Alpes resorts both surrounded by unspoiled nature and magic landscapes. FISHING East Kazakhstan, Beluha mountain Fishermen have plenty of choices among the lakes and reservoirs where one can practice ice fishing. Ice fishing is a great way to test your stamina and create unforgettable memories. Kazakhstan’s biggest lake Balkhash, rivers like Ile, Yessil as well as water reservoirs Kapshagai and others are just a few to chose from. Overall, winter is a good time to visit any Kazakh city. Abundant snow and a festive New Year’s mood add a magical touch to this season. Ice fishing Go to kazakhstan.travel to find out more. By Zhazira Dyussembekova, The Astana Times 3 MUST-SEE 8 LANDSCAPES IN KAZAKHSTAN 1 Burabay In Kazakhstan you will find attractions from all six continents of the world: travelling to historical sites and ruins of ancient civilizations, off-road driving across steppe and sand dunes, skiing and snowboarding at high-altitude resorts, conquering glaciers or just hiking in the mountains. 2 Singing Dune 4 3 Katon-Karagay All these are accompanied by incredibly picturesque landscapes that will make even the most discerning traveler savour their charm. In this article we have prepared 8 unique sites in Kazakhstan that look as if they stepped out from the paintings of great artists. 4 Charyn Canyon 5 Kaindy Lake For more information visit kazakhstan.travel 5 7 Korgalzhyn Lakes 6 Kolsay Lakes 8 Bozzhyra 6 SCENIC DRIVING ROUTES 5 IN KAZAKHSTAN Just get in a car to set off on a journey of a life-time. Crossing endless steppes and through the mountains surrounded by magnificent views. Be it a few hours getaway or a several days adventure you will love the feeling of being a part of something boundless and free. 3 Yazevoe Lake 1 Dzungarian Alatau 4 Akmeshit Cave 2 Bayanaul National Park 5 Turkestan 7 BEST OUT OF TOP 10 3 TREKKING ROUTES 1 Charyn Canyon 8 You can’t be a real traveler if you have never trodden a single trekking route in your life. Each one of us is craving for new discoveries, breath-taking adventures and unforgettable memories. That’s why every once in a while we pack our bags to embark on a journey – no matter whether it is for fishing at a lake nearby or taking a long-haul flight. The land should be walked upon in order to feel the power and undisputed beauty of nature. Go to Kazakhstan.travel to read about the rest of the TOP 10 trekkings. 2 Butakovskoye Gorge 3 Kolsay Lakes For more information visit kazakhstan.travel 9 FEEL NOMADIC: EXPLORE THE HORSEBACK RIDING ROUTES Breathing in sweet forest air and admiring the beauty of mountains and glacier lakes while riding on a horseback - a perfect travel, isn’t it? Amazing nature of Kazakhstan, the land of ancient nomads, opens up from a completely new side when you discover it in the way the ancestors of modern Kazakhs did in the past. Stout but absolutely strong and enduring horses will take you through the mountain paths, dense forests, turbulent rivers and have you gallop across vast lands. You will definitely remember this adventure and recall it again and again until your legs feel the pain of sitting in the saddle again. Horseback riding tours, especially the lasting ones, will definitely bolster your spirit and build your character. 1 Northern Tien-Shan 10 3 Zailiskiy Alatau Mountains 4 Djailau 5 Burabay 2 Kaindy Lake 3 Kolsay Lakes For more information visit kazakhstan.travel 11 HOW TO TAME A BIRD OF PREY? TAMING A BIRD IS A COMPLICATED PROCESS We must admit that no one remains indifferent when watching a berkutchi or a falconer hold a bird on his/her arm while on a horseback. When you see how a master and his bird are working together, how a huge berkut is chasing a prey or a falcon is circling the steppe in free flight and then returning on his master’s arm – all these will take your breath away. But there are many years of hard work behind this beautiful scenery, because taming a bird is a complicated process. FROM HISTORY Kusbegi (falconers) knew that comprehensive development of a chick can only happen under the parental wing; therefore, people took chicks “Hunting with animals (greyhounds, cheetahs, away when they became fledglings, just prior to hunting birds) has always been cultivated leaving their nests in Eurasian steppes; this is evidenced by archaeological digs and ancient manuscripts telling about nomads’ household”, – this is what THE MOST IMPORTANT PART Assylkhan Artykpayev, local historian, biologist, hunting expert, writes in one of his publications IS ALLOWING BIRD SOME devoted to hunting birds. – Gradually, this type of TIME TO GET USED TO A MAN hunting had been widely disseminated among nobility of many states in Europe and Asia. In the Getting used to men has always been the first Middle Ages hunting with birds was a prerogative stage in taming of a hunting bird. During first of monarchs’ yards. hours after taking chick out of its natural habitat, a hunter should be spending almost all his time Hunting birds have always been very valuable – a next to the bird. During that period the bird was berkut or a falcon is considered as sacred birds, kept on “yrgak” (a swinging falconry block used and a random person couldn’t deal with these at the beginning of bird’s training), and from birds.” In the old days chicks were taken straight time to time hunter was stroking bird’s chest from their nests and prepared to be hunting preventing from falling asleep. After some time birds. People were observing a nest from the tired bird started getting used to the hunter. moment of egg laying. They were living not far from the nest up to the moment when chicks How hunting birds are tamed nowadays? It started leaving it. People had enough time to is strictly prohibited to take chicks out of the learn biological features and predator habits in nest: all birds species in Kazakhstan related to the natural habitat. hunting birds are recorded in the Red Book. 12 PEARL OF ALTYN EMEL Although there are a lot of deserts in Kazakhstan, we do not have any classical lands where only lifeless sands are spread to the horizon. However, the following areas with picturesque dunes ridges with Aeolian ripples, can be easily found in the Aral Kara Kum, Kyzyl Kum, Moyynkum, Taukum, Saryesik-Atyrau, and everywhere in our desert zone. There are lots of dunes in Kazakhstan, but Barkhan is the only one - a mountain of pure sand over one hundred metres in height. The Singing Dune! For more information visit kazakhstan.travel 13 REASONS TO 6 VISIT BURABAY The unique aura, which nature has nourished these places with, infects every visitor with an irresistible desire to come back here again Local autumn is a relic echo of the past caught in the boundless steppes of 1 Kazakhstan by the tops of Every rock, especially such rocky mountains. noticeable as Okzhetpes (symbol of the place!), 2 is a story frozen in a stone about something wonderful that happened here in the ancient times. There are at least fifty original lakes, many of which – Shuchie, Big and Small Chebachie, 3 Zhukey, Katarkol – are no less picturesque and charming. 14 You can hear squirrel paws are scrubbing the bark somewhere in the Nowhere else 4 wood and fearful deers are in the world there rustling fallen needles. is such magical air, 5 which back in the day lured weak and wounded seeking treatment with just air. And climbing any of the local mountains (especially to the top of the Kokshe-Sinyukha with a 6 height of 947 meters) will surely be remembered for the rest of your life unveiling vast open spaces stretching for hundreds of kilometers! For more information visit kazakhstan.travel 15 KAZAKH CUISINE: TRADITIONAL DISHES YOU MUST TRY WHILE IN KAZAKHSTAN It is well known that many travellers find And now, owing to the efforts of progressive traditional nomad’s food to be delightful. restaurateurs, we can see a tendency of Kazakh Famous American actor Mark Dacascos, Brazil haute cuisine turning into a distinctive feature coach Joao Barbosa, the Two Michelin starred and a calling card of the gastronomic field in Italian chef Norbert Niederkofler, and many Kazakhstan.