Almaty is described by the Lonely Planet as being the highlight of Central Asia – I certainly wouldn’t go that far, mainly because the city itself is just a bit too former-Soviet-concrete and without enough wow factor to justify that, but more than anything there are some great experiences around the rest of Central Asia
That being said though, there are some things that are definitely worth doing and its nice to walk through some of the streets which feel more European in style and vibe than Asian. I’ll only provide a short entry here as, of the two times I’ve been, one was quite some time ago (2008) and the other a bit of a lash / partying blur. I’d suggest though giving yourself a full day and checking out:
- The picture perfect Zenkov’s Cathedral – gorgeous and sits within the pretty Panfilovtsev Park. I visited in summer and autumn, but I’ve seen photos of the cathedral in winter with the snow and looks stunning
- The views from Kok-Tobe Hill are worth taking the cable car up for – and you can often get to the Golden Eagles there which is cool
- The Arasan Bathhouse – a great for experiencing the Russian-style thrashing with the birch branches
- In the evening, if up for a big night, make sure to visit Sky Bar – located on the roof of an old factory, it’s split into various themed sections and is great fun. Might be one of the best clubs I’ve been to
I’m surprised the Charyn Canyon doesn’t get more attention – it is a 300m / 1000ft deep, 155km / 100mile long gash straight through the almost perfectly flat plain floor, with snow capped mountains in the distance and spectacular rock formations all the way along the 3km / 2mile easily accessible walk along the canyon floor. Its not even listed as a highlight of Kazakhstan, let alone Central Asia, which I think it certainly should be
A few high level tips:
- I don’t think its really worth visiting as a day trip from Almaty – it takes around 4 hours to get there, 4 hours back and you’re really rushing it for time to walk along the canyon floor. Instead, stay the night in one of the yurts at the end of the immediate canyon floor and enjoy the changes in colours all around the canyon for the sunsets and sunrises
- Stay longer? I even think it would be worth staying a bit longer to be able to head off on one of the jeep tours of the surrounding area. Seemed beautiful country and a fantastic way to explore it
- As with most spots in Kazakhstan, be aware of the weather – freezing in winter and boiling in summer
- Where to stay? – the only place to stay in the canyon itself is the Eco-Park Charyn Canyon Tourist Complex, which has rooms and yurts, plus a restaurant. So book ahead
- If tired in the heat or cold – there are a series of small trucks that pass along the road in the canyon and, if you ask nicely, they seem more than happy to give you a life
- Heading from here to Kyrgyzstan – as an extra tip, if you want to head to the beautiful hiking area around Karakol just over the border in Kyrgyzstan, you don’t have to go the super long way round via Almaty and Bishkek. Instead, you can travel directly over the border when it is open in May – October and head through the actually quite beautiful Karkara Valley. I did it myself and it was surprised how straightforward it was with a little basic planning and using a couple of taxis – do not try and do it with public transport. Rather than listing out all the info I vaguely remember about it, I found the website Away with the Steiners Kegan border crossing pretty accurate
A series of spectacular, but out of place, buildings rising up from the desert around them, Astana (now named Nur-Sultan) is less about the city itself (as there wasn’t really anything here before 1994), and more about the grand scale architecture build by some of the world’s leading architects to promote Astana as the nation’s capital . . . and to basically show off. A bit like a low-scale version of Dubai.
If passing through, its worth a half day to check out, but little reason to travel here purely for Astana
