Kazakhstan – travel guide
Can I enter Kazakhstan without visa?
Here is the answer to one of the most popular questions, can we enter to Kazakhstan without a visa
Kazakhstan – The main reason for traveling to this country was that Indians get a free visa for 14 days. I am traveling from Baku, Azerbaijan to Almaty, Kazakhstan.
First of all, let’s get acquainted with some of the peculiarities of this country
- It is the largest landlocked country in the world.
Areas surrounded only by land, without sea, are thus addressed. - Kazakhstan is the ninth largest country in the world.
- Kazakhstan is a transcontinental country.
Countries situated between more than one continent are thus addressed.
Kazakhstan is located in Europe and Asia. - Kazakhstan was a part of the former Soviet Union. This country became independent in 1991.
- Nursultan Nazarbayev was the president of this country from 1991 to 2019.
The current capital, Astana, was named after him until some time ago. It was named Nursultan -Now it changed to Astana - Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan, is the second coldest country capital in the world, followed by Ulaanbaatar, the capital of Mongolia.
- The previous generations here were nomads.
The word Kazakh means to wander. - Russian and Kazakh are the main languages here.
Most people don’t have an English side.
Trip planning guide
The main cities of this country are Astana and Almaty. There are two main ways to reach here from the country.
1. PLAN A
- Air Astana has service from New Delhi to these two cities.
- Kochi/Kozhikode -New Delhi-Almaty/Astana
2.PLAN B
- You can fly Air Arabia from the country via UAE.
- Kochi/kozhikode-sharjah-almaty
There is no need to take a UAE visa because of a single PNR.
Check online sites (Goibibo/Skyscanner) for current fares. Tickets can be booked accordingly.
Visa
Currently, Indians have a free visa here. The validity of this visa is 14 days. The only thing I was asked at immigration was how many days I would be here. Return flight ticket, hotel booking voucher, show money (for meeting expenses in the stay) – it is better to keep all these in hand.
Stay options.
I was only in this country for two days. I lived in the city of Almaty. Chose Dostyk hostel through booking.com. Rooms can also be selected through Air BnB.
Places to see.
1. Almaty
Shymbulak. This is a ski resort. During the winter season, many people come here for skating. The view of the snow-capped mountain ranges is beautiful. It is located a little away from Almaty city. The bus is available from the city. Also, there is a cable car service here.
2.Koktobe
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- It is a hill located within the city of Almaty itself. There is a cable car service to go here. Through it you can enjoy the beauty of Almaty city.
3. Green Bazar
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- This bazaar is a must-visit place if you are a traveler. Because this is where the common people of this city come to trade and buy materials. It is the heart of Almaty city.
4. Central State Museum of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
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- If we visit here, we will get a lot of knowledge about the country called Kazakhstan.
5.Lake Issyk
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- A beautiful canvas of nature. That is the beauty of this place.
6. Zenkov’s Cathedral
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- It is a mosque located in the city of Almaty itself.
7. Almaty metro
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- I haven’t been able to travel on it, but I’ve heard it’s beautiful.
Is Kazakhstan safe for tourists? | Safety while traveling in Kazakhstan
It is a very safe country to travel. Therefore, there is no need to complain about security threats during travel in this country.
Food
Plov, Beshbarmak, different Breads. All of the above are the main resources of Kazakhstan. Of these, I mainly ate Beshbarmak. It is a dish made of horse meat.
And this is their national dish.
Is it cheap to travel in Kazakhstan?
Of course,if you plan to travel across Kazakhstan it will be affordable travel for sure
Currency exchange rates
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- 1 INR=5.5 Kazakh Tenge.
It is preferable to exchange currency from India to US Dollars and then exchange it to their currency on arrival in Kazakhstan.
People
Very helpful people here in my experience. There are many ethnic groups such as Russian, Uyghur, Kazakh, and Tajik. In general, there are people who do not have English skills, so google Translate will be very useful.
Kazakhstan – Land of wanderers (Travelogue)
The first few moments in the city of Almaty are at 3:30 in the morning. The flight departed from Baku, Azerbaijan, and arrived in Almaty. Apparently, it was a very small airport. Immigration is over very quickly. 14 days free visa for Indians here. All I was asked was how long I would be here.
When I left the airport, I went to the Kanda exchange and exchanged some currency. 1 US DOLLAR is about 460 kazaki Tenge. 1 Indian Rupee = 5.5 Kazaki tenge but Indian rupees are not accepted here. Therefore, it is preferable to convert it to the US dollar from the country and then convert it to this currency here. Booked a room in a hostel called hotel Dostyk through Booking.com. When I asked a taxi driver who I met when he came out, he said that it was a decent amount.
So we quickly got into it and went back to the room but after asking what was the problem here, there was another hotel with the same name. Also, the driver has no English, but after a bit of driving around, we reached the hostel where we were supposed to stay. But then another problem is that there is a big gate outside which is locked with a lock. We had to stay there for a while. After standing in that cold for a while, my whole body was getting tired.
There are only two days in this country. That’s why I want to see as many sights as possible. That’s all I want. He quickly went to the dormitory and slept. At 9 o’clock in the morning when he was about to go out, a man came and met him. He is Russian. Can’t remember the name right now. Let’s call him Oleg for now. When he heard about our travel plan, he wanted to come with us. So the three of us went out. Even though it is early winter, the leaves are still on all the trees and they are just starting to fall.
In terms of size, the position of Kazakhstan is ninth. Almaty is one of the most beautiful cities out there. But the population here is very less. Therefore, there is no human behavior anywhere. Meanwhile, I handed Oleg a 20 rupee note of our country and he also gave me a ruble (Russian currency). This is something I usually do on all my trips. I keep a few Indian rupees in my hand and give them to friends I know and sometimes they give me back their country’s currency. By this, I mean a friendly move between two countries.
Because I believe when traveling abroad, I represent my country. So whatever good and bad deeds I do there affect my country’s reputation. So I am taking that on the positive side by sharing currencies and spreading friendship across borders.
Eat something small first. Later as an effort for that. Until then, let’s learn a little about Almaty. Almaty is the largest city in Kazakhstan. The old name was Alma-Ata. Until recently, it was the capital of Kazakhstan. Now the capital is Astana. However, the commercial capital of Kazakhstan is Almaty (like Mumbai in our country) and this city is located near the border of Kyrgyzstan.
A mountain range called ‘Ie Alata’u among the ‘Tian Shan’ mountain range is located near this city. Many Russians must have come and joined here because of war-like conditions in Russia now. However, many countries that were part of the former Soviet Union do not require visas for Russians. Oleg, who is with us, came here looking for work. When I went a little further, I saw a cafe. By the time we got there thinking we could have a coffee, Oleg got to know some of the young women there and while talking, one of them told me that she had come to Kerala and that she liked Kathakali very much. They said if they are still interested in coming to Kerala. Time is running out. Started walking again. It ended in front of Hotel Kazakhstan. It is a hotel built during the Soviet era. It can be said that this is a hallmark of the city of Almaty. Such a magnificent building. Changed some currency from there. No more time to waste on that. A mountain called Koktobe is located near it. There is also a cable car to go there. The views of the city from the cable car are spectacular.
As mentioned earlier, during the autumn season, all the leaves of the trees looked very beautiful. From the cable car, the city looked like a forest. Koktobe stands at an altitude of over 1000 meters. The first thing he did when he got there was to order a donor. This is a dish similar to our Shawarma. If you want, you can say it’s shawarma. It tasted good. There is an opportunity to take pictures wearing traditional kazaki clothes. They will also keep a hawk in their hands.
The word Kazak itself means to wander. They were nomads long ago. Almost the same tradition is in neighboring countries like Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan. He didn’t stay there for long. There are still many sights to see. Almaty city sights are waiting for us.
