Kazakhstan Road Trip – Arriving at the Kazakhstan Border
After taking an overnight train from Urumqi to Huo’erguosi in the Xinjiang province of Western China, I’d finally arrived on the Kazakh side of the border. My long-anticipated Kazakhstan road trip was about to begin!
I had met a fellow Hong Konger, Hannah, in Huo’erguosi and we’d decided to stick together for a while. The next part of our Kazakhstan overland journey would take us from the Chinese border to Almaty, the old Kazakh capital.
This is the first installment of a two-part Kazakhstan travel blog. Read on if you’re looking for answers to the following questions –
* is it easy to travel around Kazakhstan?
* is Kazakhstan safe?
* is Kazakhstan cheap?
SPOILER ALERT: the answer is yes to all three!
Kazakhstan Travel Blog, Part One – Welcome to Kazakhstan!
Things were moving rather slowly at the Kazakh border, even though there were only the 6 people from our bus in the hall.
The lady at the immigration counter was quite nice though. After stamping my passport she said, “Good luck with your travels. Welcome to Kazakhstan.”
From there, I entered another area where I had to show my passport to a young man standing near a gate. The gate lead to the customs area. The man looked at my passport and said, “Welcome to Kazakhstan”.
I then entered the customs area where I had to present my passport to a man sitting at a desk. He just asked if I was travelling by myself and then said, “Welcome to Kazakhstan”.
I’m guessing they want me to feel welcome? Done!
After everyone from the van cleared immigration, we continued our journey from the Kazakhstan border to Almaty. An hour or so later we were dropped off at a small bus station in Жаркент/Zharkent/Jarkent.
Negotiations with Taxi Drivers on a Kazakhstan Road Trip
Before my friend Hannah and I even got out of the van, we were surrounded by taxi drivers. Of course, they were just trying to get us to take their taxis to Almaty.
They even tried to grab our bags from our backs. They had assumed that we were going to go with them before we’d even had a chance to weigh up our options. I guess it’s part of their tactic to get customers.
The drivers wanted to charge us 4000 Tenge (US$10), which is what some locals had told us it would cost. We told them we had to change some currency first and they said we could do that on the way. In truth, we just wanted them out of our faces.
Since that didn’t work, we thought that offering a lower amount, 3000 Tenge (US$7.80), would do the trick. And it did, somewhat. Most of them left us alone at that point, but one of the guys agreed to that price.
He then ushered us to his car. We confirmed at least 5 times on the way to the car that he was accepting 3000 Tenge.
After we’d been sitting in the car for a few minutes, he handed us his phone. On the line was a friend of his who spoke Mandarin. And that friend proceeded to try to convince us that we had to pay 16,000 Tenge or US$40!
Obviously, he thought that because we weren’t locals, he could trick us into paying for the whole car. We reiterated that we were only paying 3000 Tenge each.
With everyone finally on the same page, a mother and daughter with a 7 month old baby jumped in the car. With that, the first leg of our Kazakhstan road trip began.
On the Road – Settlements and Nature in Kazakhstan
We hadn’t driven for long before we came across a small town which consisted of mostly yurts. It reminded me a lot of my travels to Mongolia. Though I didn’t see any yurts once we’d driven past the village.
The rest of the way was dotted with mostly double story houses with A-frame roofs. They look a lot nicer than the flat roofs seen in many other places in Asia.
Along the way, we were treated to spectacular scenery of some of the nature in Kazakhstan. We were driving through a strip of flat land that ran through the middle of two mountain ranges.
Our taxi driver was a little bit crazy and refused to follow the curves of the road. That meant that when we came to bends, he just kept driving straight while weaving through the marked lanes.
That may have been fine when there are no other cars on the road, but he was doing it when other cars were present too. I was starting to doubt that I’d make it to Almaty uninjured.
Kazakhstan Road Trip – When it Rained, it Poured
I was using the scenery of nature in Kazakhstan to take my mind off the fact that my Kazakhstan overland journey might get cut short by an accident. Before long, I noticed some ominous looking clouds up ahead.
Sure enough, within minutes, we entered a torrential downpour. Nature in Kazakhstan is really something! Unfortunately for us, the driver was doing around 120km/h at that point and the rain didn’t make him slow down or stop ignoring traffic rules.
Even more terrifying was the fact that his windscreen wipers barely worked, so visibility was very low.
Luckily the rain didn’t last long and shortly after it stopped, we hit an automated toll plaza. There was one slight problem though, the automated part wasn’t working!
I presume the guy had an automatic toll device in his car, but the gate wasn’t opening and the adjacent gates weren’t opening for other cars either. The driver reversed a little then re-approached the gate several times, to no avail.
Eventually, after waiting at least 5 minutes, an attendant started speaking through the ticket machine in our lane and after a bit of conversation, the gate was opened and our Kazakhstan road trip resumed.
Kazakhstan Road Trip – Hello Almaty… Traffic
We made it to Almaty by 5pm but then got stuck in some crazy traffic. It felt like we had to wait for a ridiculous amount of time at each set of traffic lights. That was because cars could barely move when the lights turned green.
To add to the chaos, no one seemed to be staying in the marked lanes. Weirdly, even though they drive on the right-hand side of the road in Kazakhstan, we spotted many cars that were right-hand drive, amongst the majority of left-hand drive cars.
If you’re planning a Kazakhstan road trip, you might want to time your arrival in Almaty to avoid the rush hours!
We arrived at the Sayran Bus station at about 5:30pm and went to the money changer in the station to convert our money to the local currency.
Strangely, the lady at the money changer window gave us the biggest notes possible and wouldn’t split them into smaller notes so that we could pay the driver.
That wasn’t the first time that night that someone would act funny when it came to giving change, and it wouldn’t be the last!
Kazakhstan Attractions – Affordable Local Food
We found a pub called The House Pub to have some dinner after our long trek from the Kazakhstan border to Almaty. None of the staff spoke English and the menus were in Russian, so it was interesting trying to order.
We eventually ended up ordering some Shishlyk, a local take on BBQ meat on skewers. It only cost 5200 Tenge, or US$6.50 for the whole meal for two people. It was delicious.
When we finished the meal, they gave us the biggest notes possible as change. Then they didn’t want to change them for smaller ones so we could split the bill evenly.
We never did work out why people didn’t like giving change in smaller denominations.
Kazakhstan Attractions – Friendly Locals and Their ‘Treats’
Hannah wanted to get a local SIM, so we went to a nearby phone shop where the staff were very lovely and helpful. Even then, it took some work. We were in the shop for over an hour trying to get it sorted.
At one point, the guys in the shop realised that they had a friend who spoke Mandarin and promptly gave her a call. Less than 2 minutes into the phone conversation, she was asking us about ourselves. After she’d ensured that we all understood what was going on, of course. The guys in the shop then gave us a local salty treat called Qurt.
It didn’t look pretty and tasted kind of intense. I think Hannah was expecting it to be sweet, so you can imagine her surprise at how salty it was.
Qurt is actually a dry cheese created by the nomads of Kazakhstan and other parts of Central Asia a long time ago. It is usually used when travelling long distances as it’s small, protein-packed, and keeps well for a decent amount of time.
Kazakhstan Road Trip Tip – Yandex Taxi-hailing App
After a long day, we were tired and used the Yandex Taxi-hailing app to get a car to our accommodation. Is it easy to travel around Kazakhstan, you may ask. Yes! The answer is yes!
Taxis are easy to find in Almaty. You can hail them with the Yandex app, or just stand on the side of the round with your hand out.
Taxi rides to almost anywhere within the city of Almaty will only cost around 1000 Tenge or US$2.50. That’s probably why they’re one of the most favoured forms of transport locally.
The good thing about using the Yandex app is that you don’t have to worry about struggling with the language barrier. The price is also set before the ride, so you won’t get ripped off.
The driver didn’t want to give us change at the end of the ride though, so instead, we had to underpay him because we didn’t have any change ourselves.
Time to Rest and Reflect on the Kazakhstan Overland Adventure So Far
We finally got into our accommodation, thinking that we’d be able to use the internet for a little bit before we went to sleep.
Things did not go as planned. The WiFi was having issues and didn’t work for us. The woman checking us in was tired and unwilling to answer our questions, so we just gave up and went to sleep.
And that rounds up the first day of our Kazakhstan road trip and part one of the Kazakhstan travel adventure.
Some thoughts after one day in Kazakhstan:
* people are friendly and helpful
* drivers and traffic are crazy
* nature in Kazakhstan is amazing
Is it Easy to Travel Around Kazakhstan?
Yes, absolutely. Just turn up to the transport depot and drivers will be offering you their services in no time!
Don’t worry about language barriers, they can easily be overcome with gestures, friends that speak your language or Google Translate!
Is Kazakhstan Cheap?
It certainly is when it comes to taxis and food.
Data SIMs are also relatively cheap, if you’re one of those people that likes to stay in contact with the outside world when you travel.
Is Kazakhstan Safe?
Given that people are so helpful and friendly, the answer to this question is a resounding yes!
Although roads in Kazakhstan are definitely not the safest, due to some crazy driving habits.
You can find part two of our Kazakhstan Travel Blog here and some interesting facts about Kazakhstan here.
Follow the whole adventure from Hong Kong to Baku, Azerbaijan!
Travelling to Western China
Journey to Kazakhstan via Western China
Kazakhstan Road Trip From the Border to Almaty
Adventures in The Almaty Region Of Kazakhstan
The Quirks of Eastern Kyrgyzstan
Silk Road to Southwestern Kyrgyzstan
Kyrgyzstan to Uzbekistan via the Dostyk Border Crossing
Unbelievable Uzbekistan
Underrated Uzbekistan
Travels in Tajikistan
Turkmenistan – Frontier to Fire
South Turkmenistan – Overly Impressive Capital to Caspian Sea Port
Turkmenbashi to Baku – 3 Days on the Caspian Sea
Beautiful Baku
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22 Replies to “Kazakhstan Road Trip – Adventures from the Kazakhstan Border to Almaty”
Your recount of your experience with the taxi driver made me think of being home in Jamaica. It is common practice to try to hike up the price, especially with foreigners. They will also load multiple different passengers in the same vehicle. Additionally, they’re erratic drivers, who always make me doubt whether I’ll make it to my destination.
I got to experience travel in overloaded cars in West Africa, but it was normal practice there. I’m glad that they only put a normal amount of people in cars in Central Asia.
Jamaica is on my list too! :o)
Quite the adventure to get into a taxi! You get into remote areas and interact a lot with the locals. Love it. The stories of your trips are so interesting and educational. Keep sharing :)
I still have about 60 countries that I’ve been to but haven’t written posts about, because I got into this blogging game very late! So there’s definitely more coming!
I’m glad you like hearing about my trips! :o)
The horses at the bus station…Love it! This was a very detailed and help account for anyone thinking of walking in your footsteps. Customs/border can be scary/intimidating so thank you for shedding light on that also.
They love horses in Kazakhstan! There was actually a guy charging people to havetheir picture taken with those horses!
All the Central Asian borders were pretty cruisy actually. The Chinese side of the China/Kazakh border most definitely wasn’t though! The post preceding this one talks about the drama that unfolded there, if you’re interested.
Your price reports are so helpful for visitors! That meal looks delicious (and only $6.50?!?) and your haggling over ride price story is both hilarious, and so familiar to my own travels overseas…
I kinda like the haggling. It’s a skill I’ve honed during my travels and is often accompanied by cool stories.
What a unique post! I have never considered a trip to Kazakstan but after this I will definitely consider it! Thank you for all of your tips. I am going to read your other post now about your experience.
Kazakhstan is awesome! I’d recommend it everyone.
We really wanted to go to Kazakhstan for some trekkings, but we read it was fairly dangerous in some areas. Do you feel is like that?
Regards
Not at all! Central Asian countries all feel very safe. People are helpful and really accommodating towards foreigners.
This is quite the taxi adventure! Thanks for sharing and giving a glimpse into the local culture :)
Thanks for reading :o)
when is it a good time to visit kazakhstan in the off season? in early autum or late spring?
I think summer is a great time. I was there in June and the weather was rather pleasant and mild.
Great post. I guess all border crossings can get tricky at times. Kazakhstan looks amazing though!
It’s a great country! I’d highly recommend it.
I’ve never been to this region at all. I am going to have to add this to my list! :)
Central Asia is awesome. Everyone I know that has been there has nothing but praise for it. :o)
Hi, thank you for sharing your amazing jornery. Can I ask how to travel to Kolsai Lakes from Almaty ? Thank you for your informations.
Best rgds
Winsome
Hi Winsome. Transport isn’t too good out that way, so the best thing to do would be to hire a car and drive yourself, or hire a car with a driver. The second is the easiest option and can actually be cheaper if you share with other people.