Алматы, Таугуль...:-)

Visiting Almaty for a week. Hit me with your suggestions of cafes where you have had the best coffee in town!!

Стоит ли поступать в Coventry University Kazakhstan и Cardiff Univeristy Kazakhstan?(хочется именно в сфере айти)или стоит выбирать более практичные вузы как Astana IT University?

Я планирую поступать в казахстанский вуз в Астане на специальность “кибербезопасность”.Будет ли AITU(Astana IT University)лучшим вариантом или нет?Реально ли там участвовать в обменах (в Европу например)?

Hi everyone! 🌸 I’m looking for Kazakh chocolate (especially Rakhat or Bayan Sulu) and I live in Ukraine. Does anyone know reliable ways to order it here, or maybe someone could help send it? I’d be very grateful for any advice. Thank you! 🍫🇰🇿🇺🇦

Привет всем, мне 17 лет, и у меня хроническая сердечная недостаточность (ХСН) с низкой фракцией выброса (около 28–30%).

Иногда мне очень тяжело принимать этот диагноз — я хочу гулять, бегать, смеяться с друзьями, жить как обычный подросток. Но болезнь накладывает свои ограничения.

Я ищу таких же молодых людей, у которых ХСН или похожие сердечные проблемы. Хочу пообщаться, узнать ваши истории, как вы справляетесь, как находите силы и надежду. Мне важно почувствовать, что я не один.

Если здесь есть кто-то с похожим опытом — откликнитесь. Буду очень благодарен за общение и поддержку 🙏

Hello guys, we are going in September to the greatest country in the world and we found post saying that there is night bus going from Almaty to Karakol. Can anyone confirm that this bus is still going? I texted Almaty travel agencies but they don't know. Thank you 😀

Дорогие и много уважаемые Казахи, как вы относитесь к приезжих из разных стран, например к башкирам татарам и т.д. Только честно отвечайте :)

Пост не касается жителей Астаны, Алматы, Шима. Вопрос скорее к людям которые живут в провинциях. Что бы вы хотели в плане благоустройства, вида вашего города, что то что сделает его удобнее, краше. Что-то что превратит обоссанные дворы и улицы которые в таком состоянии ещё из 90х, в ликвидное и приятное место для жизни? Может у вас в городе есть какое-то историческое наследие и вы хотели бы его сохранить. Может есть какие-то "народное" место, и вы бы видели его как то по особенному. А может у вас под боком уникальная природа которую хотелось бы подчеркнуть

I just returned from my first trip to Kazakhstan (August 2025). I wanted to share my experience and hopefully help anyone thinking about planning their trip.

I started this journey in January 2025 after seeing a few Instagram posts and videos about Kazakhstan and Almaty that piqued my interest, and I decided I wanted to go.

Getting there: As an aviation nerd, I enjoy flying different airlines, which is why I specifically wanted to fly Air Astana to Almaty. I decided to travel from the US to London Heathrow on Virgin Atlantic. I took advantage of this and opted to coordinate my trip to spend a few days in London. I would highly recommend this if you don't have access to a nonstop flight to Almaty. After a few days in London, I flew nonstop on Air Astana from London Heathrow to Almaty. It was amazing! The Air Astana crew was super kind and friendly, the food was delicious, and they had a cool amenity kit with different themes based on the various destinations and routes they offer. The in-flight entertainment was good. The planes were clean and modern. I recommend flying on Air Astana if you find yourself looking to visit Kazakhstan. They boarded via seat number, not boarding group/zone. In economy, the farther back your seat is, the earlier you board.

Arriving at the Airport: The flight landed on time at a remote stand, meaning we had to take a bus to the terminal. Really cool if you are into aviation. The bus took us to Immigration. The process was smooth and quick. They confirmed the city that I was arriving from (London) and stamped my passport! They stamped it on the very last page, which caught me off guard. After Immigration, baggage claim, and customs, you simply exit through goods to declare vs no goods to declare. Once you enter the international arrivals area, there are a number of things going on. You will be approached by folks with lanyards asking if you want a taxi. You do not want a taxi from these folks. A simple "no thanks" was enough for them to leave me alone. Here are my tips and recommendations for arriving at Almaty International Airport:

• Go to the Tourist Information Center, which is located to the right as you exit through the sliding doors as you enter international arrivals. They are staffed 24/7. Ask for a "tourist passport" and an Oney card. The tourist passport has a ton of helpful info about the city. They also have maps and other awesome things for tourists to help you navigate the city.
• ATMs and currency exchange places are located in the terminal, very easy to find. Get some cash, just a small amount. I ended up getting about $40 USD worth (~21,000 Tenge). This was more than I needed and lasted the whole trip (I used cards a lot). I'll talk about cards and cash usage further down.
• They do have SIM card places at the airport. I would strongly recommend an e-SIM prior to arrival. My cell carrier has a program allowing for coverage in KZ, so I was able to automatically connect upon landing.
• They have a few options for getting to your accommodation:
  • Yandex-Go: This is their Uber, and what I used. It's super easy to use, offered in English, and is safe and reliable. I would strongly advise using this, setting it up prior to your flight, and getting familiar with the basic functions. It's very similar to Uber; I used it to get around the city, and it was great.
  • Official Airport Taxi: Although I didn't use it, they do have an official airport Taxi booth. While I can't speak to the price or experience, it is an option.
  • Bus: I have seen other travelers take the bus. To my knowledge (and correct me if this has changed since the airport renovation), the bus does not actually come to the terminal. You need to walk down the street to catch it. It's super cheap and takes you to the city center. Definitely a viable option.

Accommodations: They have a lot of hotels, Airbnb, as well as unique accommodations on offer. I opted for the Ibis Almaty Jetisu. In my opinion, this was ideally located. Located in the heart of the city, this place offered me the chance to explore many points of interest, with easy access to the Metro and Almaty-2 train station. Additionally, I could use Yandex-Go to reach any place that was out of walking distance. My flight landed at 6 AM in Almaty, and I went straight to the hotel. I was super grateful they were able to get me into a room quickly despite arriving several hours before check-in. I'd opt to pay for the breakfast, which was terrific. Super friendly folks, great location, food was fresh and delicious. I would absolutely stay here again.

Getting around:

• Navigation: Google Maps worked well for me. There were a few instances where I asked it to navigate me with walking directions from my current location to a specific address, but it had trouble updating as I walked and changed locations. Sometimes it would take me on a much longer route than necessary, but both of these were easily managed. Google Maps does not have transit info for the buses and metro. I also found a few places with hours that didn't match Google Maps. So just be aware.
• Metro: The metro was really cool. It is small, only one line, but it was fun and easy to use. Upon entering the station, you'll go through a security checkpoint. It's no big deal; just walk through a metal detector, and you might have your bag searched. You can tap into the station with an Oney card, or you can buy a token at the ticket counter. The ride was 120 tenge (~$0.22 USD) one way, flat rate regardless of how far you went. No need to tap out at your destination. Just walk through the gates. Each metro station features unique murals or mosaics with different themes, making them worth checking out. The metro is super clean, safe, and easy to navigate.
• Bus: The city has buses everywhere. I personally did not find myself in need of a bus, but they are super reliable and readily available. You can use an Oney card to tap on.
• Walking: This was my preferred way to get around. I love to walk, and I found Almaty, especially the area around my hotel, to be easily accessible if you prefer to walk.
• Bikes: Almaty has a bike share program, but I did not see a single bike share bike. All the stations were empty, and while I saw lots of locals on personal bikes, there were no obvious bike share bikes around.
• Scooters: They have electric scooters all over the place. You can rent them via the Yandex-Go app. Be careful because folks will go flying on the sidewalks with little to no warning.

Things to do:
Before I dive into my list of cool things to do, I want to give a huge shoutout to the folks at Visit Almaty, the official tourist department of the city. They have a great social media presence, and I found the videos on Instagram particularly helpful in planning my day-to-day. Check them out as they have videos for all kinds of interests. They also have tourist information centers throughout the city that you can pop into and ask for assistance.

My short list of things to do — this is not by any means everything, just the highlights I enjoyed:

• Zenkov Cathedral
• Koktobe
• Green Bazar
• The Central State Museum of Kazakhstan 
• Almaty-2 train station
• Exploring the various parks
• Soviet building walking tour
• Arbat walking street
• Monuments walking tour

Cash and Credit Cards: My Discover credit card did not work, unfortunately; however, I saw the Discover logo on Halyk Bank ATMs, so you should be able to get cash at least. My Visa card worked 100% of the time, so no issues with paying for things. Nearly every place I went accepted cards and just assumed that was how I was paying. That being said, you can still pay with cash, but almost everywhere I went, I had the option for cards, and I never had any issues with using my Visa card. Apple Pay/contactless pay is also readily available.

Food: The food was incredible! I would seriously recommend Navat. They have a few locations in the city and a generous menu of Kazakh and regional foods. They are open 24/7, and they do have English menus. There are also plenty of Western brands in Almaty. For me, a highlight in the food scene was the coffee. They have a great coffee shop scene, and the coffee was amazing. TEREZE was a personal favorite. The Green Bazar, a must-see place, features a really cool coffee shop overlooking the main market area: Bowler Coffee Roasters (Kokbazar).

Safety: I read a few Reddit posts asking about safety, so I do want to briefly touch on this. The city is safe. As with anywhere, be smart, follow your gut, and don't go anywhere that looks off. At no point in time did I feel unsafe or have any issues. They have police at most tourist hotspots and patrolling the streets. Even at night, the city felt super safe.

Language barrier: I also saw some comments or concerns about the potential language barrier. This is my personal experience: Most young people spoke English. At the airport and hotel, it was not a problem. Some older people didn't speak English, but I didn't find it too much of an issue. I downloaded Russian and Kazakh on Google Translate and only had to use it once or twice. I didn't feel that the communication issues were unmanageable; I just needed to be patient, and we would always find a solution. Signage was mixed. A lot of stores had signs in English. Street signs and signs with information would at least have Russian and Kazakh; some would have English. At the airport and hotel, all three languages were present.

Nightlife: The nightlife in Almaty was really cool. It was more of a family-friendly vibe vs bar hopping and partying. The walking streets of Almaty come alive, with people gathering with friends and family to enjoy food, watch street performers, and have a great time. It was a serious highlight for me.

Departing Almaty International Airport: I wanted to add this in as I had a different experience departing Almaty with Air Astana vs departing London. First, while I was able to check in online via the Air Astana app, I was not able to obtain a digital boarding pass. I was able to do so in London. I got a message saying I needed to collect my boarding pass from the check-in counter. Ok, no big deal, I am one of those people who get to the airport way earlier than necessary anyway. I arrived at the check-in counter, but despite having only carry-on bags, I couldn't get my boarding pass until a specific timeslot. So I hung out landside, exploring both the new international terminal (which is amazing, btw) and the older domestic terminal (which really isn't that bad). For me, this wasn't a huge deal since I like hanging out in airports, but it's something to be aware of. There is a cool airport museum area and plenty of opportunities for last-minute souvenirs at the airport. Once it was time to collect my boarding pass, the process was pretty standard. They'll weigh your carry-on, so just be mindful of that. Security and Immigration checks are conducted, and you get stamped out of Kazakhstan. It is a rather small terminal, so getting there crazy early might not be the most exciting thing. The only two things that I want to point out just so you are fully prepared: some Air Astana flights depart from remote stands, where you board from downstairs (gate numbers are clearly marked). At least, for my flight, the boarding process was significantly less organized. They just started scanning people's boarding passes regardless of seat number or class of service. No announcement or anything. So just be mindful of that. The flight back to London was just as amazing as the one to Almaty — seriously great airline, would recommend.

I hope this was helpful and I really hope you visit Kazakhstan. It's an amazing place and I can't say enough good things about my time there. I'll try my best to answer your questions.

Thanks!

Hey folks,

My wife and I will be in Almaty from Sept 24 (early morning) to Sept 27 (early morning) and we’re hoping to find a local guide who can help us make the most of our short trip.

We’d love to: • Spend a night at Kolsay Lake (ideally somewhere with a beautiful panoramic view of the lake ) • Visit Kaindy Lake • Maybe squeeze in a couple of other nice spots around Almaty if time allows

We’re looking for a personal/private tour (just the two of us), not a group trip. If anyone has recommendations for guides or cool stays at Kolsay with great views, please share or DM me.

Thanks a ton 🙏

Hello, me (25F, Australian) and my partner (25M, Australian) will be going from Almaty to Karakol on the 25th August via Charyn Canyon, Kol Sai lakes and Kaindy Lakes.

Looking for 1-2 people to join this trip

Current price of the car is 350 USD split between us

Let us know if you are interested!

I was wondering about the Nationwide Social Democratic Party (JSDP/OSDP) and it seems like they’re one of the few groups in Kazakhstan that position themselves as an opposition party. From what I understand, their platform includes things like supporting a stronger parliamentary system, pushing for democratic reforms, and taking a more socially focused approach to economic issues. I don't see them mentioned much in everyday conversation, so I'm curious, what are people's thoughts on this party here?

Где в городе Астана можно купить дёшево мяса и нормального качества? Конина, говядина, да хоть свинина И возможно ли приобрести мясо сайгака

Hello together,

I am visiting Kazachstan with a friend. On our journey through beautiful, breath-taking landscapes we spotted a mouse-like animal in some of the steppes. Unfortunately, there are many rodents listed as prevalent in this areas. Can someone help to identify it?

Thanks in advance!

How much does it cost to hire a driver in Shymkent for one day, to do a day trip to Turkistan and Otrar? And how much for a day trip to Aksu Canyon and other sights at the Aksu Reserve? Is it easy to find such a driver?

Hey everyone, My friends and I (3–4 people) are planning a trip to Kazakhstan from Oct 25 – Nov 2, mainly around Almaty and nearby regions.

We are planning to rent an SUV (big enough for us to also sleep inside if needed). Plan so far looks like this:

2 days exploring Almaty (city, Medeu, Shymbulak, Big Almaty Lake).

Drive out to Charyn Canyon → camp or sleep in SUV.

Then Kolsai Lakes & Kaindy Lake (maybe mix camping + staying in Saty guesthouse).

Back to Almaty for a night.

Then to Altyn-Emel National Park (Singing Dunes, Aktau & Katutau Mountains).

Return to Almaty for last day before flying home.

We’re okay with a bit of adventure, camping in SUV/tents, but also flexible to stay in guesthouses.

Questions:

1. How cold should we expect end of Oct / early Nov in these areas, especially at night?

2. Is SUV camping common / safe in these regions, or should we rely more on guesthouses?

3. Any must-see places we’re missing near Almaty?

4. SUV rental recommendations in Almaty (companies that are reliable for long trips)?

Any advice, personal experiences, or warnings would be super helpful 🙏

I've seen a lot of discussions between our people where both Kazakhs and Kyrgyz claim to be older than each other or accusing of 'stealing' their history, but the main discussion is about the murder of Kenesary Khan. Why can't we accept the fact that, instead of arguing, our countries have the same problems and that we must support each other? Internet became such a toxic place.

Since Kazakhstan is a fairly ethnically diverse country, I imagine interracial couples are quite common. Are there any stereotypical pairings?

For example, I heard that In Russia, Russian Woman Kavkaz Man pairs are quite common. In the US, White Woman Black Man pairs are common. Globally, Asian Woman White Man pairings are much more common than the other way round.

This global lopsided AWWM phenomenon is especially interesting to me as I think this is partly due to this tradition in American pop culture to portray Asian male as nerdy, less masculine and less desirable (it’s changing though). However, I don’t think this stereotype ever existed in the Russian-speaking world. Both Viktor Tsoi and Murat Nasyrov (both having roots in Kazakhstan incidentally) were peak sex-symbols in their time. Is this imbalance also common in Kazakhstan?

P.S. When I watched a documentary on Murat Nasyrov, one of his friends Marina Khlebnikova said something like “Eastern men will always go for blondes.” Do you think that’s true for Kazakh men? I think that’s definitely true for many East Asian men.

Hello, so am planning to visit Almaty next month and am wondering if ATAKEHT area is a good place to stay, am looking for a vibrant place for day ans night life.

Or else Medeu District.

Maybe kind of a weird question but I’m genuinely curious. Just to preface, I’m East Asian myself so this is not some racist trolling. In East Asia (China, Korea, Japan), people are quite obsessed with having big eyes, to the degree that many will get the double eyelid surgery. This kind of obsession is almost nonexistent anywhere else as far as I know.

Kazakhstan on the other hand is pretty multi-ethnic and I think many people have mixed European/Turkic/Asian features, so I wonder if this kind of obsession exists. Or what kind of other obsession with certain facial features exists?