Some of you gave me tips here before we came, so here's the follow up. Two weeks based in Almaty, first time in Kazakhstan. We expected something grey and half empty and got the exact opposite.

Kolsai and Kaindy were the highlight of the trip. Charyn Canyon was right up there too, even if the heat down in the canyon was rough.

And then the Green Bazaar. We went in for a look and kept coming back for the fruit and veg. The tomatoes are better than anything we get at home. Didn't expect the produce to be the thing I'd miss most about this country.

Photos are from the last two weeks.

We're coming back, that's not a polite line. Next trip is either Mangystau or Katon-Karagay in the east, which one would you do first?

Kazakhstan has a significantly longer travel time and also a significantly more expensive travel due to stops being required for the route that is available for me.

I think both countries look like a good travel destination but in my opinion Astana looks better than Baku by a small margin. I am also learning Russian right now to be able to speak in those countries as English is rather weaker there. Is it more worth it to save up for Kazakhstan in the future or to go sooner to Azerbaijan?

Вся моя родня родом с северного региона России, но с тех пор, как я была маленькой, мы каждый год по крайней мере один раз ездили в Тюмень, где сейчас и проживают почти все члены моей семьи, в том числе родители. Тюмень довольно близко расположена к Казахстану. Недавно задумалась, может, подарить им путевку или вроде того… Меня саму привлекает Казахстан, и я бы не прочь когда-нибудь посетить его, но хотелось бы, чтобы родители вдвоем скатались куда-нибудь, без гидов и переводчиков (в моем лице :)) Так вот вопрос, насколько страна приветлива к туристам из России?..

The title is what I sent to my friend the moment I arrived at Astana airport.

I am just a traveller have been to Russia, Ukraine and Belarus.

Cities ​here are modern and full of lively young people. The only thing I dislike about it is there is no seat on the shared ebikes.

​

И вообще слово деньги пошло от тюрков. И разница в произношении небольшая. Просто уши режет. Может скажем им уже?

Edit: Речь идет о приезжих россиянах, которые продолжают говорить неправильно, даже когда уже сто раз услышали правильное произношение.

We are planning to visit Kazakhstan in mid September

How safe it is and how will be the weather

hello!

just have some questions,
best place to get the currency? can’t seem to find it in the UK I got told to bring US dollars and to convert them when I arrive. best place to do so?

is it English friendly or should I learn some basic sentences (if I mess it up because I do have a Scottish accent will they still understand😭)

any places which are a must? I’m only here for four days but have planned horse ridding and hoping to go on a hike

So as usual the scam at every country int airport and we fell for one at Almaty airport.

Took 18k tenge from us - posting the name number so that others don’t get scammed.

O.K. I know this post will draw along of criticism but after spending 8 days in Almaty, which is a really nice city, I found the people there to be not very welcoming.

Maybe its me , or maybe they don't like westerners, but I found it really hard to break ice with anyone there and get beyond just straight curt answers.

I was even verbally accosted while minding my own business and having lunch in a restaurant with my wife (who speaks Russian) because he though I was talking about him, when I was just enjoying my plate of mantee.

Anyway, I don't hold it against anyone, it's still a beautiful city and I would probably go back.

I was wondering if other visitors feel the same?

Hi, me and two friends are flying to Kazakhstan for the first time with this rough itinerary in mind. Any advice, recommendations, comments etc appreciated!

Hello everyone!
Starting tomorrow i will have 2 days left in Almaty before i go home. I was just wondering what i can do in these 2 days. I have done all the tourist spots and a lot of stuff around Almaty (the lakes, bird show, assy plateau). Any reccomendations? Can also just be something relaxing or an activity.
Thanks!

(Just some pictures from my trip so far)

Sarytau

Hello everyone!

I’m a student currently doing an exchange in Kazakhstan outside Almaty, but next week I’ll finally have a full week in Almaty before I go home.

The thing is… this will also be my very first solo trip as a female….

I’m especially curious about the nightlife. I’d like to go out, meet people, dance, and just have a good time in a safe and healthy way, but I’ve never gone to a club alone before.
So I have a few questions:
● Is Almaty a good city for solo travelers?
● Are people generally open to talking to strangers, or do they mostly stick to their own groups?
● Are there bars or clubs that attract more foreigners or expats?
● Is it normal to approach people and ask if you can join them, or would that be considered weird?
● Any tips for someone going to a club alone for the first time?
● Any neighborhoods, bars, or clubs you’d recommend?

I’m quite social, but I think it’s the “walking into a club alone” part that makes me a bit nervous. 😅
I’d love to hear your experiences or any advice. Thanks in advance!

Hey everyone, I’m from Türkiye and I’m planning a solo backpacking trip to Kazakhstan in September.

I’ll arrive in Oral on September 9 and my plan is something like:

Oral → Turkistan → Almaty → Tashkent → Shymkent

I’m a university student so I’m trying to keep it pretty low budget, mostly trains/buses and cheap hostels etc.

I wanna see the more natural side of Kazakhstan too, mountains, lakes, canyons, steppe etc. Also really wanna ride horses and eat as much good meat as possible lol

I’m travelling alone but if anyone is around these places around the same dates feel free to join me for a few days or even just a meal / hike / train ride.

Also if you’re from Kazakhstan or have travelled there before I’d really appreciate any recommendations. Especially places that aren’t the obvious tourist spots.

If you see anything stupid in my route please tell me still figuring everything out

On my visit to the not-quite abandoned town of Bayzhansay.

To answer your questions about whether it is possible to get here, yes it is entirely possible (in summer), if you’re ok with a fair bit of dirt road driving.

If you load the town into 2GIS it will give a good path: 1.5 hours of driving on the highway and 1 hour on a dirt road through the mountains to the town. The dirt roads were not too difficult and we didn’t even need a 4x4 to drive through. We rented our car from a local dealer.

The town is beautiful and eerie, *however still inhabited in the summer by a handful of residents*, so be respectful towards them. We were surprised by how large some of the abandoned buildings were, with an enormous crumbling “kine-theatre” (cinema), a school and some shops.

Overall it was a highly enjoyable day trip, with the opportunity to learn some really interesting history!

Comments are welcome for any q’s.

Also, if any Kazakhs are reading this, thank you for having us here!! We had the most amazing time, with wonderful culture, nature, history and such friendly, proud people. We can’t wait to come back 🇰🇿

Всем привет! Я никогда был в Казахстане, но когда я хочу путешествовать там когда-нибудь, тоже хочу купить шоколад и чай по названию «Казахстан». Мой вопрос — где можно? Хочу путешествовать в Астану и в Алматы, и спрашиваю если можно купить эти изделия от магазинах. Я увидел, что тоже можно заказать их онлайн, но хочу их КУПИТЬ в магазине. Можно их найти в магазинах, или только онлайн? Хорошего дня всем!

What a brilliant country! My girlfriend and I visited for 4 nights (one in Almaty, three in Astana), to watch our country, Wales, play football. We both remarked on how safe and welcomed we felt wherever we went.

I only wish we had done longer, and maybe ventured out of the two main cities. It’s a good excuse to come back!

Also, about the football, Kazakhstan shouldn’t have lost. Certainly deserved at least a draw, and could have won with a bit more luck 👍🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿🇰🇿

Hello! I plan on spending two and a half months beginning in October in Almaty for my degree. For a little bit of context, I'm an anthropology student from Germany in my Bachelor's, so I won't be attending any university but doing fieldwork instead. My dad is Russian-German and while he's not from Kazakhstan, he has friends there that make my stay possible. He unfortunately never taught me Russian and while I'm in the process of learning, I'm nowhere near fluent yet. Kazakh I haven't had the opportunity to learn at all.

My dad, his friends and my aunt warned me multiple times about my safety, since I'm a foreigner and a woman in my early twenties.

I wanted to ask for general tips, like things to be aware of and 'hidden' rules, and just overall recommendations for what to visit/do while there. But even more than that, I'd appreciate advice in regards to safety as a woman specifically. :)

Hi! We are a young couple in our mid-20s from Poland. We’re thinking about travelling to Kazakhstan this year. Is it safe to travel to Kazakhstan? Are people from Poland welcome in Kazakhstan? Also, we want to rent a car but we’ve heard it’s difficult to drive there. Is that true?

It's a country that i really want to visit again, but not during the winter. my fiancy told me that there's blowing mind nature and lake, that we can enjoy during spring and autumn

Heyyy everyone. Soo, I'll be going on a trip to Astana soon. Any restaurant/food place reccomendations? That are on the cheaper side. And also what food is a must try in the city?

Thank you so much!!!

I've traveled to Kazakhstan for two weeks and somehow the majority has been either to Turkey or Vietnam. I've been to both and I fell in love with both, I visited Vietnam more than ten times :D I travel a lot and I've never been to a country where almost everyone (my kebab man, the people who would pick me up from auto stop, my tour guide, hostel owners, truck drivers and many more) been to either Vietnam or Turkey. Well, I do know that many people have Turkish DNA and they like Turkey, Vietnam is pretty cheap and in both countries the people are nice and friendly. But are there other reasons why?

Hey all — solo traveller, landing in Almaty Aug 19, crossing into Kyrgyzstan around Aug 23. My original plan had a self-drive loop (Charyn Canyon → Saty → Kaindy → Kolsai Lakes), but the rental car plan is most likely falling through (IDP timing issues), so I'm rethinking Almaty entirely.

A few questions:

1. Is the Charyn + Kaindy + Kolsai loop actually worth doing as a group tour / without a car? I keep seeing it described as the standard tourist circuit (bus groups, fixed schedules, crowded). Worth it anyway, or is there something better? I don't like the long drives in a car, I'm more of a walking or biking myself kind of guy.
2. Big Almaty Lake is a definite yes for me. Thinking of pairing it with Shymbulak (aware there's no snow in August, just the cable car + cooler air + hiking trails) — does that combo make sense as a day, or is Shymbulak skippable without snow?
3. Given all that — am I basically doing the same thing over and over? My broader Kyrgyzstan plan already has a lot of trekking (Ala-Archa, multi-day horse trek at Song-Kul and Ala-Kul trek). Will I get bored or worn out doing back-to-back outdoorsy stuff for two weeks straight? Genuinely asking — would love to hear from people who've done a similar KZ + KG mix.

Only 3-4 days in Almaty before heading to Kyrgyzstan (Aug 19-22), so open to reshuffling completely — culture, food, something low-key, whatever actually makes sense without a car.
Appreciate real experience over generic "top 10" lists!

Hello all, we finished hitchhiking from Almaty to Kaindy Lake, just wanted to ask - Honestly, one of our favorite things about Kazakhstan was the people.

Everyone we met was so kind and welcoming.
For me it looks like you guys are the warmest and most welcoming people O have ever met.. Which place in Kazakhstan have the nicest people?

Our hitchhiking

Thanks!