About Almaty: Erstwhile, named as 'Almatau' in Kazakh which translates as the Apple Mountain. Almaty is beautiful and the largest city in Kazakhstan, located in the mountainous area bordering Kyrgyzstan to the west and China in the east. Almaty has a picturesque location with snow capped mountains visible from almost all parts of the city.
Travel Agent: Make my trip (MMT). With a customized package, I think we cracked a good deal for 5 days. The arrangements by MMT were spot on as tourists we were relaxed travelling in another country.
Flight Bookings: Air Astana is economical and good; I used Yatra for booking the flight tickets as there were good discounts on select cards (always look out for offers online).
Almaty Tour Contact: Erlan +7 747 569 6900. One of the best local contacts in Almaty and he is superb.
Experience:
Our visit to Almaty was Phenomenal. Almaty by far, exceeded our expectations. .
I would term the Almaty trip as 'Best Autumn Destination' I have ever visited till date.
Every location offers you something unique; the Almaty - Saty Village road drive will mesmerize you with the scenic landscapes as you pass by the route.
Well, not many people are not aware about Almaty; personally our families were quite were surprised when we informed them about our holiday plans to Almaty. However, their opinions about the place changed entirely looking at our Almaty pictures.
I would like to share my experience about Almaty along with answering some questions mainly to our Indian audience:
Q. Is it safe to travel to Almaty?
A. Yes, It absolutely is. Locals are very welcoming, helpful and the city is peaceful. Almaty is very safe even if you are travelling alone. Locals do like Indian tourists.
Q. Is travelling to Kazakhstan visa free for Indians?
A. Yes, Kazakhstan offers a visa-free entry regime for Indian citizens. This allows Indians to stay in Kazakhstan for up to 14 continuous days without a visa.
Q. Do people talk English in Almaty?
A. No. You need to use Google translator while conversing with locals. Kazakh and Russian are widely spoken in Kazakhstan.
Q. What all places can we cover in Almaty?
A. It depends on your travel itinerary; mostly a 5 days visit to Almaty should be:
1. Kaindy Lake, Kolsai Lake; Charyn Canyon (2 days with over night stay at Saty village if you wish to cover all 3 locations).
2. Shymbulak Ski Resort with Gondola Ride.
3. Kok Tobe & Almaty City Tour (covering Panfilov park and Green bazar).
Q. Best time to visit Almaty?
A. It depends actually. We loved Autumn in Almaty (i.e. End of October); but if people love snow December to February is the best time as Shymbulak ski resort will be in full swing.
Q. Recommendations for stay in Almaty?
A. Dostyk Avenue area is one of the good locations in Almaty; hotels around that area can be recommended with a lot of restaurants, super markets located within the vicinity.
Q. Can we view the Snow capped mountains by flight from New Delhi to Almaty?
A. Yes, you should opt for 32/33 J (Window seats) for the best view of the snow capped Pamir mountains.
Below is the day-wise itinerary:
Mumbai --> Delhi (Flight). Delhi --> Almaty (3 hours 30 minutes)
Hotel was really good; centrally located and we had the road and mountain facing view.
Tips: Do exchange Tenge at Almaty airport upon arrival, for shopping any stuff within the city, US Dollars are not acceptable in the local super markets.
Hotel (Almaty) --> Saty Village --> Kaindy Lake --> Charyn Canyon --> Almaty
Our day started off early morning @ 8:00 am; this was an adventourous day of our trip covering around 600 km that day with some amount of hiking @Kaindy lake.
Formed after an earthquake in 1911; Kaindy lake is beautiful with a backdrop of Tian Shan mountain range it makes the lake even more special.
The interesting part is visiting the lake; from Saty village the roads are bad; only mini bus / jeep can be the options to reach the spot. Post that 15 minutes of hiking is required to reach the lake.
Tips: Hiking or sport shoes is a must while travelling to Kaindy lake; otherwise hiking can be difficult.
After lunch at Saty village, we headed to Charyn Canyon.
There are multiple ways to visit the Charyn Canyon: 1. Hiking -Free - It can take around 30 mins to 1 hour. 2. Electric Car with a Guide - 9,000 Tenge for Couple.
We opted for the latter keeping time in mind.
The visit to the Charyn Canyon was worth it.
Hotel --> Shymbulak Ski Resort --> Almaty City Tour --> Kok Tobe
One of the best day of our Almaty trip. Shymbulak was not part of our itinerary however Mr. Erlan (our guide) made it a point to cover it for us for free. That was a great gesture. Visiting Shymbulak was just superb.
Co-incidentally that day was the Republic day in Kazakhstan; there was huge gathering at Medeu with some fun filled events.
The Cable Car was closed for maintenance; however the snow capped mountain views were superb. Shymbulak Mountain should be added to the itinerary when visiting Almaty.
Almaty city tour covers History of Almaty; the popular Panfilov street; Ascension Cathedral; Green Bazaar.
Green Bazaar is an excellent local shopping outlet the Dry fruits and fruits there are at its best.
A recreation area featuring amusement park attractions and restaurants. A good place to visit and enjoy.
Hotel --> Panfilov Park --> Green Bazaar --> Arbat street
Our day at leisure and we enjoyed the taste of Autumn at Panfilov park an amazing place where you can sit and observe the leaves falling. It is such a sight to watch; so mesmerizing.
Arbat Street: Arbat street is filled with high end shops and restaurants. The evenings here are good.
We returned back to the hotel and had to leave the night for our flight to Delhi.
Our trip to Almaty was short (as most of my trips are) but was incredible; just loved the place something that was a surprise to us. The facilities; infrastructure; services looked like it is so ahead in terms of development. It looked so close to Europe. The locals were were welcoming; although they did not know English they were always ready to help.
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