Last updated 2/2/2020 | 2 februari 2020
Kazakhstan is a country I’ve always wished to visit. In fact, I’ve always wished to go to all the “Stans”. It’s the region of the world I most likely want to see the most. After having resided in Kazakhstan for 8 years, Doug fears understands a thing or two about the country as well as exactly how to navigate it. In this guest post, Doug offers some in-depth advice about exactly how to travel around Kazakhstan by train!
Night spilled across the Kazakh steppe. The train’s steel wheels clickety-clacked below, carefully prompting me to point toward a bowl of plastic-wrapped apples. Suddenly, my drunken dining cars and truck buddy began gesticulating wildly while repeating his favorite, as well as perhaps only, English-language phrase, “No problem!” With a shake of the head as well as wave of the hand, this newfound good friend seemed to reject all other apples as second-rate. Apples originated from Kazakhstan, after all, as well as we had just departed the city of Almaty, “the father of apples.” I just had to try one. (Het was heerlijk.)
Taking the train with Kazakhstan, the world’s ninth largest country, provides a altering cultural tapestry every time. envision a vast land, when secretive as well as closed to outsiders, where travelers can now experience an eclectic blend of Silk road culture, offbeat Soviet-era history, as well as wide-open areas spiced with warm Kazakh hospitality.
I’ve shared cabins with young soldiers, border police, language professors as well as martial artists, just to name a few. My preferred memories are the meals as well as card games enjoyed with these folks, even when I didn’t have a typical language.
So fail to remember whatever about the movie Borat, as well as climb aboard as you search ancient bazaars, trip the rails, as well as trip to pristine mountain lakes.
Planning Your Route
I suggest the complying with itinerary: flying into the capital, Nur-Sultan (formerly Astana) (airport code TSE), heading north to close-by Lake Burabay, taking a quick train back south to Karaganda, then an overnight traditional train to Almaty in the southeast, with a possible extension to Turkistan (a city as well as region in the south of the country).
If you want to continue on in central Asia, you can quickly prolong your trip from Almaty to see the gorgeous mountain vistas of close-by Kyrgyzstan or continue by train from Turkistan south to Uzbekistan.
The finest time to go is between may as well as October, as northern Kazakhstan is blanketed in snow from November with April, with typical temps in the minus-20 range. Those wanting to snow ski or experience the enjoyment of new Year’s, the country’s biggest holiday, however, should think about a winter season trip.
Visas are no longer needed for most visitors to Kazakhstan (for 30 days) as well as Kyrgyzstan (for 60 days), though advance visas are needed for Uzbekistan, Russia, as well as China.
Buying Train Tickets
There are three kinds of trains: the quick business-class Talgo, routine long-distance trains, as well as regional electrics. budget plan travelers should opt for routine trains for most trips. regional electrics are generally sluggish as well as will be of restricted use.
On routine trains — extremely suggested for the very best cultural experience — the two primary classes are kupe (a four-person closed compartment with two upper as well as lower bunks) as well as platzkar (an open rolling dormitory holding 54 travelers on two-level bunks). The kupe is quieter as well as more private, however single women may want to select the somewhat safer open platzkar, as they might be in a locked cabin with three guy (no gender distinctions are made when making reservations). likewise recognize that not all trains run daily.
The new Kazakhstan e-ticket website is not simple to use: while there is an English menu, it needs you to go into destination cities utilizing a Russian keyboard! Some foreign bankcards won’t work for payment, as well as even successful ticket purchases are commonly blocked by spam filters. However, there is an choice to chat on the internet with an English-language consultant who can assist you discover as well as purchase tickets.
My tip is to utilize this site as a recommendation to discover train timetables as well as to purchase long-distance train tickets that are more likely to be offered out. You can utilize the practical site genuine Russia for worldwide train ticket purchases (especially for traveling from Moscow to central Asia).
Then go to a train station or train ticket office in the city, as some have kiosk machines that you can try. one more choice is to compose your destination as well as date on a piece of paper as well as present it to a ticket agent at a station or train office for help.
Once you have your ticket, the most important things to understand are the date as well as time of departure, ais goed als wagennummer. Inspecteer de gepubliceerde indicaties in het station om te ontdekken welk platformnummer uw trein is, evenals wandelen naar die wagen – de dirigent inspecteert uw ID, evenals ticket en helpt u aan boord.
KAZAKHSTAN KOSTEN
Reizen per trein is veel veiliger en plezierig dan met de bus, evenals een ongelooflijke waarde voor de lange afstanden afgeleverd. Een gemeenschappelijk overnachtingsticket van Karaganda naar Almaty is ongeveer $ 9 USD voor platzkar en $ 14 voor Kupe. Ter vergelijking, de Business-Class Talgo op precies hetzelfde pad kost $ 25 in een Kupe van Four-Berth, maar het vermindert de reistijd met zes uur (en heeft veel schonere badkamers!). Een nachttrein biedt dubbele waarde, dienen als zowel bed als vervoer; Ze zijn ook koeler en comfortabeler in het SummerTime Travel Seizoen ook!
Lokale stadsbussen zijn goedkoop, ongeveer $ 0,20 per rit, ongeacht de afstand.
Hotelruimtes in de stadscentra van Nur-Sultan en Almaty variëteit van $ 30 tot $ 50 per nacht met ontbijt. Volledige appartementen ($ 25 / nacht) of gedeelde gastenruimten ($ 10 / nacht) kunnen worden geboekt op Airbnb.
Eten is even redelijk geprijsd. Ik stel voor met het ontdekken van een hotel met ontbijt bij Booking.com, en eet picknick-achtige maaltijden in de trein, evenals genieten van een café aan de straatkant voor andere maaltijden (gegrilde shashlik spiesjes, brood, salade, evenals drankjes voor ongeveer $ 4), Hoewel als je het niet kunt pellen of kookt, is het het beste om het niet te onthouden. Zorg ervoor dat je de regionale appels probeert!
Essential Kazachstan Travel Hacks
Reserveer een bovenste stapelder als u van ontspannend aan boord houdt (lagere stapelbedden worden gedurende de dag gedeeld en gebruikt voor gemeenschappelijke maaltijden), maar u vereiste redelijk in vorm om de mini-ladder te beklimmen.
Breng een comfortabele aanpassing aan van kleding om aan boord te dragen (trackpak, shorts, evenals t-shirt). Het is volledig typisch om anderen naar buiten te gaan terwijl je verandert.
Breng extra voedsel mee om te delen (thee / koffie, onmiddellijke noedels, worst, komkommers, brood, koekjes, appels, snoepjes). Opmerking: er is altijd een stomende Samovar van warm water in elke auto’s en vrachtwagen voor het maken van thee of noedels.
Do Pack A Train Set (mok, vork / lepel / mes, toiletpapier, plaat, natte doekjes, plastic sandalen, inklapbare handventilator, dek kaarten, flessen water).
Neem je straatschoenen uit bij het betreden van een treincompartiment.
Plan uw badkamerbezoeken, omdat de toiletten ongeveer 15 minuten eerder zijn vergrendeld en na het station na station (lees het tijdschema dat in elke wagen wordt gepubliceerd).
Neem een paar kleine geschenken van je huisland (magneten, sleutelringen) om te delen.
Koop niet onverkochte stoelen van Touts die rondstations op de loer liggen – ik heb vastgehouden een vier-ligplaats Kupe met zes personen plus een gigantische tv!
Raak niet schold om op een blote matras te liggen, maar betaal echter geen extra voor lakens en handdoeken in Kupe-klasse. Ze zijn nu opgenomen in het Kupe Ticket-tarief, maar wees voorzichtig dat je misschien extreem wakker wordt door de dirigent die ze op de overnachtingstreinen verzamelt!
Wees niet gepest door de levering van autoriteiten of immigratie-functionarissen bij Borders – laat je paspoort evenals ticket zien, evenals niets meer.
Mis je stop niet, word gestrand op het platform dat ijs koopt, of, vooral, nodig om van een rijdende trein te springen!
Beste treinroutes van Kazachstan
Vanwege de moeilijkheden met de website van de ticketing, heb ik de meest praktische treinroutes opgetreden om mee te gaan. Merk op dat al deze dagelijks dalen.
Terwijl Northbound Treinen van Nur-Sultan Stop in Borovoye / Shchuchinsk, kan het gemakkelijker zijn om een gedeelde bus of minibus te nemen voor de korte 2,5-uursreis. Luister of vraag of verzoek “Borovoye” op het treinstation Nur-Sultan-1, waar busjes wachten om te vullen en de hele dag door te laten. Je kunt precies hetzelfde doen als je rechtstreeks naar het zuiden van Nur-Sultan naar Karaganda gaat, omdat een nieuwe tolweg is geopend, de reistijd tussen deze twee grote steden tot twee uur snijdt, hoewel alle Nur-Sultan-To-Almaty Train ook daarheen stoppen . Merk op dat zowel Nur-sultan als Almaty twee treinstations in verschillende delen van de stad hebben – zorg ervoor dat je naar rechts gaat!
Trein # 031 van Almaty naar Semiey in het noordoosten Traces Het historische “Turksib” -pad – van rechts hier kunt u naar het oosten gaan om het Altay-gebergte te bekijken of naar het noorden in Rusland te gaan om te koppelen aan de legendarische Trans-Siberische route.
Route
Train Nee
Vertrekken
Arriveert
Kosten
Nur-Sultan-1-Borovoye (Lake Burabay)
705 Talgo
07:56
10:04
$ 13 (4P Kupe)
Borovoye -Karaganda
706 Talgo
18:40
23:41
$ 14 (4P Kupe)
$ 16 (2p)
Nur-sultan Nurlyzhol -Karaganda
Almaty-1
010
20:10
23: 2214: 40 + 1
$ 7PLATZKAR $ 10KUPE $ 18PLATZKAR $ 28KUPE
Almaty-1-Nur-Sultan Nurlyzhol
009
17:38
12: 34 + 1
$ 18 (platzkar)
$ 28 (Kupe)
Almaty-2-turkistan
071
21:08
10: 47 + 1
$ 18 (Kupe)
Almaty-2 -Semey
031 Talgo
13:25
07: 52 + 1
$ 24 (Kupe)
Opmerking: +1 betekent “het voldoen aan de dag”; p = personen
Wat te zien op de weg
De grote steden van Nur-Sultan, Karaganda, as well as Almaty are all on the primary rail line as well as make both great stopovers as well as bases for checking out the surrounding natural as well as historical sites. other off-the-beaten-track locations, such as the Baykonur rocket base as well as Altay Mountains, need special permission as well as advance planning. Here’s an overview of the major destinations:
Nur-Sultan, formerly Astana) – one of the world’s youngest funding cities, a futuristic Tomorrowland-esqe blend of gleaming buildings, buying centers, as well as sculpted monuments.
Lake Burabay (formerly Borovoye) – a scenic, forested lake resort just 2.5 hours north of Nur-Sultan, featuring a wide variety of accommodations as well as attractions.
Karaganda – Kazakhstan’s “third city,” with its leafy wide boulevards, is a great base for checking out Soviet-era history, especially the museum of political repression at close-by Dolinka, one of the largest labor camps in the Gulag system.
Almaty – central Asia’s most cosmopolitan city. The stunning backdrop of the Tien Shan Mountains frames this hectic business center, a excellent base for making day trips to the close-by mountains, the skate/ski center at Medeu/Chimbulak, as well as the red rock Charyn Canyon.
Turkistan – Kazakhstan’s holiest site, as well as the country’s finest location to see Silk road design as well as tile work.
Baykonur Cosmodrome – the world’s most active introduce site for manned area missions. Rocket lovers will requirement to book well in advance with an company like Nomadic travel Kazakhstan to try as well as see a launch.
The far Northeast – Well off the beaten path, Semey, Ust-Kamenogorsk, as well as the pristine Altay Mountains are in a lovely region worth the additional effort to see. visiting the sensitive border zone or former Polygon nuclear test site will need special permits as well as advance planning.
***
As a kid of the chilly war era, I recall hiding under my desk during drills to the noise of air-raid sirens, as we resided in authentic fear of nuclear war. I never dreamed I would see the huge blank areas on the map identified “USSR,” particularly the Siberian steppe as well as central Asia.
Nowadays, with Web communication as well as open borders, an fantastic chance awaits to roam across these once-forbidden zones, sharing goodwill as well as discovering something too.
And one final tip: make sure to buy apples before you board the train! though I only visited the train’s dining cars and truck once, I did purchase the pack of shiny apples that evening, munching on what I figured was a true regional delicacy. The next morning when unpacking, though, one lazily rolled across the table, exposing a surprise sticker reading “Product of USA”!
Douglas fears has always liked whatever about trains, boats, as well as maps. After running a marathon on every continent as well as working as a computer consultant for 20 years, he transferred to Kazakhstan as well as spent 8 years working in education as well as administration. He currently lives on the Black Sea as well as spends his time reading, mentoring young people, assisting his other half teach English as well as composing funny travel stories for his blog Rails, Whales as well as Tales.
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