Kazakhstan in 10 days: Almaty, Charyn, the Silk Road cities and Astana

Highlights

• Almaty, the wooden Ascension Cathedral and Kok-Tobe hill
• Issyk gorge and the kurgans of the Saka “Golden Man”
• Charyn Canyon and Kaindy Lake’s sunken spruce forest
• Night train to Taraz and the terracotta Aisha-Bibi mausoleum
• Shymkent, Otrar and the mausoleum of Arystan-Bab
• Turkestan and the mausoleum of Khoja Ahmed Yasawi (UNESCO)
• Futuristic Astana, Bayterek and the Palace of Peace and Reconciliation

By airBy trainBy road

1. 1 AlmatyDays 1–2, 4–5 By air → Charyn Canyon
2. 2 Charyn CanyonDay 4 By train → Kaindy Lake
3. 3 Kaindy LakeDay 5 By road → Shymkent
4. 4 ShymkentDays 6–8
5. 5 Turkistan By air → Astana
6. 6 AstanaDays 8–10

Positions are exact; lines show the order of the route, not the road.

1. 1
2. 2
3. 3
4. 4
5. 5
6. 6
7. 7
8. 8
9. 9
10. 10

1. Day 1Flight to Almaty

   International flight to Almaty. Meet our team and transfer to the hotel to settle in and rest.

2. Day 2Almaty

   Astana is the political capital, but Almaty is still the financial and cultural heart of Kazakhstan and the liveliest city in Central Asia.

   City tour: the Ascension Cathedral, the second-tallest wooden building in the world; the square of the 28 Panfilov heroes; the Museum of Musical Instruments; the central square and the Green Bazaar. End on Kok-Tobe hill for the view over the city.

3. Day 3Issyk gorge and lake

   Drive to the Issyk gorge, one of the most beautiful in the Trans-Ili Alatau, once on the caravan route to Kuldja, and climb to 1,756 m for the view over Lake Issyk. Visit the Issyk history and culture reserve, with some 80 kurgans of the Saka-Scythian peoples, where the famous “Golden Man”, a Saka warrior prince and one of the symbols of Kazakhstan, was found. Back to Almaty.

4. Day 4Almaty – Charyn Canyon – Saty320 km

   Drive to the Valley of Castles in Charyn Canyon and walk among canyons carved over 12 million years, so like the Grand Canyon of North America that they are called its “brother”. Continue to the village of Saty for the night.

5. Day 5Saty – Kaindy Lake – Almaty – night train285 km, then the night train

   Into the Kaindy gorge to Kaindy Lake, at 2,000 m. It was born when the great earthquake of 1911 set off a landslide that dammed the river and flooded the valley; the water is so cold that the needles of the drowned spruces are still visible through the clear surface, while their dry trunks rise out of the lake.

   Return to Almaty and board the Talgo night train to Taraz.

6. Day 6Taraz – Shymkent

   Arrive in Taraz in the early morning and have breakfast in a local restaurant. With more than 2,000 years of history, Taraz was the largest trading and administrative centre on the Silk Road between the 7th and 9th centuries, destroyed by the Mongols in the 13th and slowly reborn; more than 70 monuments survive in and around the city.

   See the Aisha-Bibi mausoleum (UNESCO), the only building in Central Asia decorated entirely in terracotta, and the 11th-century Karakhan mausoleum, built for the founder of the Karakhanid dynasty. After lunch, the Tekturmas complex, the Kali Yunus baths and the Babaji-Khatun mausoleum. Drive on to Shymkent.

7. Day 7Shymkent – Otrar – Turkestan

   Discover Shymkent, the lively city of the south, with its central park, the regional history museum and the busy bazaar for local produce, spices and souvenirs. After lunch, drive towards Turkestan, exploring the archaeological site of Otrar on the way. Dinner in a local restaurant.

8. Day 8Turkestan – Otrar – Shymkent – AstanaDomestic flight in the evening

   Guided tour of Turkestan: the Hazrat-i Sultan complex and the mausoleum of Khoja Ahmed Yasawi, the ancient necropolis, the oriental baths and the underground mosques. Then the mausoleum of Arystan-Bab, Yasawi’s teacher and spiritual mentor, near Otrar. Evening flight from Shymkent to Astana.

9. Day 9Astana

   Guided tour of Astana, the new capital, and its futuristic skyline: the Museum of Future Energy, the Bayterek monument, symbol of Kazakhstan’s renewal, Norman Foster’s Palace of Peace and Reconciliation and the Atameken ethnographic park. Dinner in a traditional restaurant.

10. Day 10Departure from Astana

    Transfer to the airport for your international flight.

Hotels, transport & meals

Gallery

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