Kazakhstan

Capital:
Nur-Sultan

Currency
Tenghe

Best time to visit:
from April to November

Vaccines
None

In a word: 
Asalam Akeykum (“peace be with you”)

Essential experiences:
Lose yourself in the markets of Almaty between Chinese, Uzbek and Russian goods; taste the "shubat" (fermented camel milk)

Three days in the beautiful Almaty

A few intense days to discover one of the most lively, cosmopolitan and lively cities in the whole of central Asia. Springboard for our adventure to discover this area of the world that, slowly, faces tourism

For a long time it has been considered just a large empty space in the center of Asia, Kazakhstan, the ninth country in the world by extension, is slowly emerging into the world.

The southernmost part, with the old caravan routes and the Tian Shan crest, has always attracted many travelers, today, thanks to the opening towards tourism and the improvement of means of transport, it is easier to immerse oneself in the rhythm of life of the endless steppes.

Kazakhstan has been the last country to declare independence from the crumbling USSR, even its leader, Nursultan Nazarbaev, had even opposed to the independence.

The capital was moved to Astana in 1997, a provincial town in the central northern area of the country, by virtue of its strategic location and proximity to Russia.

Almaty (KAZAKHSTAN)

The economic prosperity of Kazakhstan is evident above all here, where it seems to be in Europe, given the large number of expensive shops of international chains in the wide streets of clear Soviet style.

The middle class of Almaty can count on elegant residential neighborhoods, ultra-modern malls, western-style cafés, fine restaurants, nightclubs where people dance until morning and no one seems to care that Astana has replaced Almaty as the Kazakh capital.

We stay at the splendid Grand Sapphire Hotel, 4 stars, excellent location, spacious, bright and very comfortable rooms. Ideal for those who, like us, want to discover this city on foot.

For this Kazakh journey, we will try to provide some useful advice on what to do and how to live it if you only have 3 days available in Almaty.

  • Kok-Tobe: this 1100 meter high hill, crowned by a TV tower, clearly visible from afar and reachable by a suggestive cable car, offers a beautiful panorama of the city and the mountains as well as many fun activities on the summit.
  • Panfilov Park: wonderful city park, with the Zenkov Cathedral in the pastel colors in the center. This is one of the few buildings of the Tsarist era that survived the earthquake of 1911, which is why the locals think it was an act wanted by God. It's all made of wood, including nails, even if you wouldn't say it.

Almaty in 2 minutes (Video) coming soon

  • Monument to the fallen: a perpetual flame in memory of the fallen of 1917-20 (victims of the civil war) and of 1941-45 (second world war) burns in front of the majestic black monument that represents the soldiers of all the 15 Russian republics.
  • Zalyony Bazaar or Green Market: the stalls of this huge market are full of dried and fresh fruit, smoked fish, spice jams, fruit jellies as well as oranges and pomegranates to squeeze out and poor quality Chinese clothes.
  • Cathedral of S. Nicholas: not very known. Pale turquoise color, with its golden domes; it is a very suggestive place, a corner of old Russia full of icons, candles, frescoes.
  • Taste the "baursaks": very similar to the "tibetan bread", they are really delicious fried bread pancakes that are served as an aperitif but also as a snack. We love them!
  • Central Mosque: in white marble with blue domes and several minarets, it is the largest in the country.
  • Gorky Park (Central Park): the largest recreational area of Almaty, it includes ponds, rides, a water park and even a zoo, full of animals but not kept in compliance with the rules, in my opinion.

Wandering through the huge streets of Almaty allowed us to taste some of the culture of this first Central Asian country that we visit ... however, we are already ready to continue our adventure towards the neighbor: Kyrgyzstan!

14 Responses

    1. Fantastici!!! Sapete già che vi adoro e seguo con interesse. Dopo che ci sono stata in Uzbekistan,ora mi avete fatto sognare anche Kazakhstan. Seguirvi e davvero un piacere ❤️

      1. Grazie mille come sempre cara Vessy. Questi sono Paesi ancora lontani dal turismo di massa e come tali ricchi di sorprese e interessanti scoperte! Ti invito a leggere anche i nostri reportages su: Tajikistan, Kyrghyzstan e Uzbekistan… inoltre a breve pubblicheremo pure i video!

  1. Siete sempre bellissimi…continuo a seguirvi..
    e leggere tutto di voi….e per il vostro coraggio….siete fantastici….ma x chi ama il viaggio.. è la maniera migliore…buon viaggio raga..

    1. Grazie mille, detto da un grande viaggiatore come te ci inorgoglisce tanto!!!!

  2. grazie davvero di cuore. Le tue parole, come al solito, ci riempiono! Continua a seguirci perchè a breve il viaggio entra nel vivo!

  3. Siete una famiglia stupenda! Vi auguro (e mi auguro) di riprendere presto lo zaino! Complimenti!

  4. Mia figlia Sofia, quindicenne, quando le ho mostrato le vostre foto, entusiasticamente “guarda Sofi che bravi!! Come noi qusndo eri piccina!!” mi risponde :che brutto portare i bimbi piccoli a viaggiare xche non si ricordano niente! È ora che mi devi portare in giro x il mondo!!

    1. quanti anni aveva quando la portavi in giro in viaggio? mi interessa molto la sua esperienza

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