Continuing our journey in Central Asia from Uzbekistan we planned to visit Kazakhstan as well. Till now we explored Uzbekistan and were to start our beautiful journey in the land of Kazakhstan. If you haven’t read about the Uzbekistan blog series, give it a read here which will definitely help you plan your own itinerary.
In case you don’t know who we are……
We call ourselves Travel Freaks……
Table of Contents
1. Why we chose Kazakhstan in Central Asia?
Being one of the visa free countries for Indians, no visa is required for Indians (14 days visa-free), in case you are travelling to Kazakhstan. Only you need to show the hotel bookings, and flight tickets to the Immigration Official.
Also, Kazakhstan shares a land border with Uzbekistan. We crossed the land border through bus and the immigration process was super easy.
Kazakhstan is 9th largest country in the world. Also, it has different weather right from fall to autumn and winters with beautiful landscapes all across the country.
Before we start anything, you might wonder……..
2. What is the best way to reach Kazakhstan?
There are many direct flight options from Delhi to Shymkent or Almaty which is pretty affordable if you plan and book in prior. You can always check for good deals and plan accordingly.
For us, we continued our journey from Tashkent Uzbekistan to Shymkent Kazakhstan through land border crossing via bus. Journey was comfortable and took us approximately 5 hours.
Border immigration in both the countries was simple and smooth which took quite sometime.
Now that we reached it, you might want to know….
3. Is Travel Insurance mandatory while travelling to Kazakhstan?
Though travel insurance is not mandatory to enter Kazakhstan, we strongly recommend getting one as it provides coverage in case of unforeseen circumstances such as medical emergencies, baggage loss, trip cancellation, etc.
There are many online options available to choose from. Most of them are pretty affordable. You can check out various options at Policy Bazaar. We have taken Care Health Insurance, which was sufficient per our requirement.
Next comes…..
4. Things to keep in mind before you book your Stay
We have chosen our stay considering the below points. Also, for budget travellers, these will be helpful.
- Check out the stay options, which provide complimentary breakfast, as it saves you a lot.
- Do not forget to check out the distance of your hotel from the main tourist attractions and the city centre, of course.
- Staying in hostels can save you a penny if you travel solo.
- Look out for the food options nearby. Also, you can explore various street food options.
- Plan for the travel attractions in advance and book the train and activities tickets online as these tend to sell out fast. Also, it will save your time waiting in the queues.
5. What is the best time to visit Kazakhstan?
Typically the best time to visit Uzbekistan is during Spring (April – June) and Autumn (September – October). As the summers can get very hot in these regions while winters can be freezing. We wanted to enjoy the winters hence we chose the month of November and what could be a better way to end the year than visiting the marvellous architectures of this region.
Now, you might want to know….
6. Currency and Sim
The official currency of Kazakhstan is Tenge. We got some currency exchanged after crossing the border at Shymkent. There was a grocery store near to the closest petrol pump to border area of Shymkent. We bought our sim card and got some currency exchanged over there.
The sim was of Tele2 Kazakhstan 5G mobile operator that cost us around 4000 Tenge (approx. 750 INR).
7. Places we visited during the Trip
A. Shymkent & Turkestan
Plan a Perfect Day Trip to Turkestan in 2023 With These Insider Facts
B. Almaty
Plan a Perfect Trip to Almaty in 2023 With These Insider Facts
C. Kolsai & Kaindy Lake
Plan a Perfect Day Trip to Kolsai Lake and Kaindy Lake from Almaty in 2023 With These Insider Facts
8. Budget breakup for the Trip
Stay options:
In Shymkent, Kazakhstan, we stayed near Railway station for best commute options and due to its good connectivity with most of the city attractions. You can get hostels or hotels as low as 800 – 1000 INR per person for double bed.
Food: Average meal cost for local delicacies can cost around 200 – 700 INR per person. For more details on must have in local delicacies , refer to Food Options section above.
Tip: Download the Yandex App while travelling within the Central Asia Region. It’s a helpful app while travelling in and around the major Central Asian Cities. You can also book multiple cabs from a single app.
To & Fro Flight from Delhi/Mumbai India to Shymkent/Almaty Kazakhstan: 7000 – 10000 INR per person.
The Central Asia Trip for Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan cost us around 55000 – 60000/- INR per person for 7 days 6 nights.
Wait! We are not going anywhere without this last question……
9. What kind of help are we going to provide?
Let us inform you that we prepare itineraries not only for anywhere in India but also for Asia. We have been travelling since we were toddlers. So here in our blogs and stories, we will give you a glimpse of our journey and help you plan your trip.
Read about our Uzbekistan blogs.
Read about our Kazakhstan blogs.
Read about our Singapore blogs.
Read about our Vietnam blogs.
Read about our Cambodia blogs.
Read about our Bali blogs.
Read about our Kuala Lumpur blog series.
Read about our Sri Lanka blogs.
Read about our Nepal blogs.
Read about our Char Dham blogs.
Read about our Ladakh blogs.
Read about our day trip to Hyderabad.
Read about our Madhya Pradesh blogs.
Do follow our Instagram handle @mindfulllofvacations and watch for the next destination story of a new place. For any query related to any trip, drop a mail at @mitkau007@gmail.com.
by mitkau
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