Kazakhstan · 1 day for Turkestan; 3 to 5 days for Almaty and the lakes
Kazakhstan
Turkestan's great mausoleum is three hours from Tashkent; Almaty, the Charyn Canyon and the Kolsai lakes are an overnight train or a short flight away.
Why go
Why Kazakhstan
Two parts of Kazakhstan fit a Central Asia trip. The mausoleum of Khoja Ahmed Yasawi at Turkestan, Timur's largest surviving building, is a long day trip from Tashkent. Almaty, in the south-east, is a green city under the mountains with canyons and alpine lakes within reach.
See and do
What to see
- Turkestan
- The mausoleum of Khoja Ahmed Yasawi, built by Timur and never quite finished.
- Almaty
- The Green Bazaar, the wooden Zenkov Cathedral and the cable car to Kok-Tobe.
- Charyn Canyon
- A red canyon three hours from Almaty.
- Kolsai and Kaindy lakes
- Alpine lakes, one with a drowned forest standing in it.
- Medeu and Shymbulak
- The ice rink and the ski resort, half an hour above the city.
Practical
When and how
- How long
- 1 day for Turkestan; 3 to 5 days for Almaty and the lakes
- Best time
- May to June and September for Almaty and the lakes. Turkestan is best in spring and autumn.
- Getting there
- Turkestan is reached by road through the Chernyaevka border north of Tashkent, or by train. Almaty is an overnight train or a ninety-minute flight from Tashkent.
Tours
Trips to Kazakhstan
We plan this as an extension to any Uzbekistan trip. Tell us how long you have.
Plan a trip
Tell us your dates and we build a trip around Kazakhstan, with a firm price, within a working day.
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