In Kazakhstan, I rediscovered my love for travelling differently. It also made me realize why I still do.
Yes, I love train travel, especially the long-distance ones, I’ll still gladly give up not seeing everything just to linger on in a coffee shop and hear the voices of strangers, I’ll look for local food in local markets and I’ll still enjoy getting lost and laughing with the locals.
I arrived in Kazakhstan on a very short notice – like booking my tickets on Wednesday for a Thursday night departure to Almaty. Yes, sometimes that works too.
I’ll be honest. I knew where I wanted to go and how to go about it (yeah, I spend a lot of time looking for offbeat experiences) so I knew exactly who to speak to for my tour. I arrived at my hotel at 4 am and the driver was at the door with this 4WD at 8 am to begin the tour.
We left the bustling and modern city of Almaty and crossed into broad dry plains interspersed with man-made reservoirs, grassy stretches and not much else till we hit the views of the Tian Shan Mountains. Kazakhstan is often called the land of deserts, steppes, yurts and horses. The country is also associated with the Silk Road. However, driving through endless plains was often exhausting, thanks to the ‘nothingness’, but the natural diversity was amazing – especially when snowcapped mountains and valleys came into view in the southeast region.
My itinerary was simple. To travel through Kazakhstan’s Golden Triangle.
Day 1: Heading to the Canyons
The Golden Triangle includes three major attractions such as the Charyn Canyon (also written as Sharyn Canyon), the Kolsai Lakes (or Kolsay lakes) and Altyn-Emel National Park.
So, it took us over three hours of fast driving (oddly, the dual carriageway leaving Almaty has a speed limit of 50 kmph in most places with speed cameras everywhere) to arrive at Charyn Canyon, our first stop.
From here, we headed to the Moon Canyon, about 15 kms away before making a photo-stop at the Black Canyon. From here we proceed to the small village of Saty flanked by the Kazakhstan side of Tian Shan mountains. This is where we were staying the night.
The most interesting part of the drive was the last hour or so towards Saty– where we passed through a grassy region with farmers on horseback tending their herds. Similar to Mongolia I thought, except that the Kazakhs no longer lead a nomadic life but are settled on farms.
Our guesthouse was lovely and neat, and lunch was a home cooked meal of chicken and potatoes, served alongside bread, baursak (fried dough), salads, homemade jam, biscuits and lots of tea.
Did you know that in Kazakhstan, tea is served in bowls (pialas), ideally half-full to show respect to guests, and is accompanied by baursaks, dried cheese curds (kurt), and sweets.
The night at the guesthouse in Saty was quiet. I mean quiet in the way that induces good sleep and washes away the stress. I swear I could hear the stars talk.
Day 2: Exploring the lakes
Today was the day for the exploration of the lakes and head straight to Bassih village for the night. It was going to be a long day – the driver told us, and we were ready.
Kolsai Lake is about 15 kms from the village of Saty. It was frozen but stunning, nevertheless. This is among the most famous Alpine lakes in Kazakhstan and fondly renamed the “Pearl of the Tien Shan mountains”. It consists of 3 lakes – the Lower, the Central and the Upper Lake (which requires long hours of hiking). Plenty of options for hiking, camping, trekking, fishing and boating activities.
From here, we proceeded straight to Lake Kaindy, the underwater forest lake.
The rest of the day was spent driving to Basshi village. Once again it was a local guesthouse for us – something I was grateful for, considering that there was nothing else or nowhere in the town we could eat or buy anything! Basshi doesn’t have too many choices and guesthouses are the best and often, the preferred option.
From here, we return to Saty and head straight to Lake Kaindy, the underwater forest lake. This is a rather young lake, formed in 1911 following an earthquake, is 400 meters in length and has crystal clear waters. (Again, this lake was partly frozen when I visited) but we truly enjoyed the horse riding and snowy-hikes and spectacular views.
We made a quick stop at the mini-market to stock up on water biscuits and chips and fruits. Coffee, the driver told ys, was to be found in a petrol station, two hours (or more) away. in hope, we drove on.
The rest of the day was spent driving to Bassih village. We spent the night here – not that there are many choices anyway
Once again it was a local guesthouse for us – something I was grateful for, considering that there was nothing else or nowhere in the town we could eat or buy anything!
Day 3: Exploring the coloured mountains and sand dunes
After breakfast, we head to Aktau Mountains in the Altyn-Emel National Park, famous for its coloured mountains. En route, we encountered bactrian camels roaming free.
Altyn-Emel National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage spanning roughly 4,600 square kilometers and is the country’s largest reserve. Its vast, arid landscape is made up of desert and rocky terrain.
These mountains are said to be about 400 million years old. It is impossible not to be mesmerized by the unusual colours and whimsical formations. They are like an open-air museum and one of the world’s largest paleontological deposits.
From here, we head to the Singing Sand Dunes, located about 45km from Basshi village, accessible largely on dirt road through dry and undulating landscape. The dunes rise from the dry plains to a staggering 120m in height and stretches to over 1.5 kms in length. Shaped like a crescent, the dunes produce a deep, resonant hum when the wind blows, which gives it the same. The exact reason for this is a mystery but scientists believe it may be due to static electricity generated by friction in the hot, dry sand, which then produces a low-frequency vibration.
From here, we return to Almaty and reach quite late, but mighty glad to check into Renion Hotel close to Panfilov Park, green Bazaar and Arasan Spa.
Day 4: Take on the ski slopes at Shymbulak
A bus brought us to Shymbulak on a snowy I especially enjoyed relaxing at the cafés on the mountain, watching the landscape and taking photos. Shymbulak in summer is a hidden gem. I highly recommend it to anyone visiting Almaty — a beautiful place that exceeded all my expectations.
I enjoyed relaxing with a hot chocolate (followed by coffee, of course) at La Skala Café at 2870 m watching the snow-covered landscape and taking photos. Shymbulak in summer is a hidden gem but in winter it is a wonderland.
I highly recommend it to anyone visiting Almaty — a beautiful place that exceeded all my expectations. It is the largest ski-resort in Central Asia built in 1954 to train Russian skiers. It has a diverse set of slopes for all levels. While I am no skier (nor tried my hand at it), it was great watching beginners and professionals skiing down the powdery slopes.
Day 5: Petroglyphs, City of Nomads and a car museum
We left the city once again heading towards Kapchagay for the visit to Tamgaly-Tas.
This place is special because the stones and rocks are adorned with images of Buddhas and Buddhist inscriptions dating back to the late Middle Ages, specifically the 14th-16th centuries AD. There is also a rather long inscription on the rocks expressing gratitude to the Buddhas for overcoming danger and wishing to find peace in this land. The most significant Buddhist mantra, Om Mani Padme Hum, accompany the images of Buddhas.
The Tamgaly-Tas is located on the bank of the Ili River (across the river is the City of Nomads, our next stop) about two hours (120km) from Almaty, passing the town of Kapchagay (now Konaev) crossing the village of Bakanas. This is where having a local driver becomes even more important. The roads are not very clearly marked and there is every chance you may get lost! The signs are all in Kazakh (if there are any).
From here, we head to the City of Nomads on the other side of the Ili river. The drive is beautiful and roads are rather smooth and less-used. this ‘medieval city’ was built for the filming of the movie Nomads and later fell into ruins. Work is on to restore this city to its former glory. A wide network of roads has made traveling to this place easy. The setting of this city is impressive – surrounded by rocks with the river flowing alongside. This ‘fortress’ has a huge gate, domes and towers. Here is a short video I took of it from the inside –
On our return, we visited the car museum in the town of Konaev (formerly Kapchagay. Konaev has numerous casinos and can get very busy in the evenings) has a good collection of vintage USSR-era cars from the 1940s to 1970s including Volga, Moskvich, Zaporozhets, Soviet police cars, ambulances, motorcycles, and even a Cadillac.
Day 6: Spa and Bazaars
The Green Bazaar is a highly visited bazaar (frankly I thought the Chorsu bazaar in Tashkent was more attractive) and easily a must visit on your exploration of Almaty. This bazaar has everything you would need, spices to meat, clothing and place to eat local food (and souvenir stores at the entrance).
From here we head to (easily walkable) Arasan Wellness spa. Just for clarity’s sake – there are two (the original one where the baths are located (in pic) and the other, right around the corner on the main road is the place offering various wellness therapies.
Why multi-day tour is recommended in Kazakhstan
I highly recommend spreading the Golden Triangle itinerary over 3 days to give yourself enough time to properly immerse in the experience. You can switch the sites around if you prefer. You can just as easily explore the lakes on Day 1 and then the canyon on Day 2.
I’d recommend doing the Charyn Canyon walk in the morning hours as afternoons can get warm and stuffy.
And since you are already in Kazakhstan, why not make your trip longer? I did. I didn’t need a 4WD for Day 4, 5, 6 but given the distances to certain attractions we intended to visit, we did hire a car with driver for Tamgaly Tas, City of Nomads and the car museum.
Shymbulak Ski Resort is within the city limits and is easily accessible. Buses and taxis are readily available.
Basic must know
- While citizens of most countries can travel visa free to Kazakhstan, it is advisable to check on the visa requirements.
- Kazakhstan is safe to travel, even for solo female travellers.
- Food can be a challenge outside the main cities like Astana and Almaty. There is limited food variety (meat, pasta, fried foods and dairy products) and proves extra challenging if you are vegetarian, unless you are okay with fruits and raw veggies and bread). Once you leave the city limits, your chances of getting anything close to a sandwich or coffee is limited to petrol stations that are few and far between.
- I am not a picky eater, but I did find food challenging and was really grateful to be staying at guesthouses and eating home-cooked meals.
- Almaty has many dining options and international cuisine.
- There is no dearth of stay options in Almaty or Astana – from budget to luxury, there is everything.
- Buying a sim card and getting mobile internet is also not an issue now. You’ll need one to use Yandex (taxi app) anyway.
- Maps.me and 2GIS are often better than Google maps.
- Currency is Tenge. (I USD = 500 Tenge)
Trains and planes
Kazakhstan has several high-speed trains connecting bigger cities, although much of the railway network is being developed. Slow trains are very economical to travel on. Flights are moderate to expensive way of travel within the country.
