Route: Nur-Sultan - Almaty (Kazakhstan)
Tour Dates: July 27 - August 2, 2020
DAY BY DAY ITINERARY
Day 1. Nur-Sultan, Arrival
This day of your arrival to Nur-Sultan, the capital of Kazakhstan. After the meeting with the guide at Nur-Sultan International airport or railway station, you will be taken to the hotel for accommodation. Please note, that standard hotel check-in time is 14:00. If you need earlier check-in, surcharge is applicable.
Day 2. Nur-Sultan
After breakfast, you will be transferred to Astana-Baiterek Monument, from where group sightseeing tour departs at 10:00. At the monument you will be met by the guide to start a walk through the Millennium Axis, where you will see the buildings and skyscrapers, overwhelming with their non-standard shapes. After acquaintance with the buildings on the Water Green Boulevard, you will visit Khan Shatyr - the largest tent structure building in the world, and continue the tour with a walk along the embankment of the Yesil River, where the history of the city was started in the 19th century. The circle route will be completed by the observation of the architectural ensemble of Tauelsizdik Square, where your guide will reveal the symbolism of the grandiose structure - the mosque of Khazret Sultan, and you will be told about the peculiarities of the unique creation of the British architect Norman Foster - the Palace of Peace and Accord. Having returned to the starting point of the route, you will go up with the guide to the observation platform of the "tree of life" - the Astana-Baiterek monument.
The tour ends at 13:00 and afterwards you will have lunch in a local café and transfer to the hotel. In the afternoon you will have free time in Nur-Sultan to explore the city by yourself, but you can also book additional sightseeing tours (for surcharge):
Day 3. Nur-Sultan - Borovoe - Nur-Sultan, Departure to Almaty
This day of your departure from Nur-Sultan, during which you will also visit one of natural attraction of Kazakhstan. After breakfast and hotel check-out, you will be transferred to Astana-Baiterek Monument, from where group sightseeing tour departs at 09:00. At the monument you will be met by the guide, and you will start your journey to the lake country of Borovoye, located in 270 km from Nur-Sultan.
Burabai National park (Borovoye) occupies 85000 hectares of northeastern part of Kokshetau elevation. There are 14 lakes in the park, each having surface area of more than 1 sq.km, and a large number of small lakes. There are no monuments of material heritage in Borovoye. But the nature itself has created the unique natural landscapes of extraordinary beauty with combination of majestic mountain scenery, blue mirror lakes, coniferous and deciduous groves.
On arrival you will visit the Khan’s pass and see Burabai and Zheke-Batyr mountains. On Abylaykhan Valley you will feast your eyes upon Ush-kyz, Ok-Zhetpes rocks and Kokshetau mountain, each having the surprising legends reflecting history and identity of the Kazakh people. During the tour you will have about one hour of free time to walk in the wood or along the coast of the lake, where you can have a snack and further you will have an easy hiking on Bolektau mountain, on the top of which the tremendous view of the Borovoye lake and its surroundings opens, as well as of Zhumbaktas rock.
Excursion to Borovoye allows to remove not only physical, but also psychological fatigue, and also to enjoy marvelous views of an unusual oasis in the middle of the Kazakhstan steppe, where the century pine woods hide a set of secrets and riddles, attracting by its beauty and greatness.
The approximate time of arrival to Astana-Baiterek Monument is between 19:00 and 20:00, from where you will be transferred to railway station to evening train to Almaty. Overnight in the train.
Day 4. Almaty, Arrival
Arrival to Almaty in the morning. The guide will meet you at the railway station, and you will be taken to the hotel for accommodation. At 14:00 you will have sightseeing group tour of Almaty.
After meeting of your guide, your will start the tour with a visit to Almaty Museum. Equipped with multimedia tools, the museum will captivate you with its rich collections, a variety of ancient exhibits and will allow to study in a short time the history of the region since the Great Silk Road.
After the museum, you will have a short stop for the detailed acquaintance with architecture and history of Abai Opera and Ballet Theatre. And further, you will visit the oldest Almaty park - Park of 28 Panfilov Guardsmen, where one of the most beautiful wooden building in the world - Zenkov Cathedral is located. In the park you will see the Memorial of Glory and Eternal Flame, listen to the stories of the guide and admire the beauty of the building of the Museum of Musical Instruments. A leisurely walk under the crowns of old trees will take about 40 minutes.
And the last point of interest is a popular place for townspeople - the Green Bazaar, where it is impossible to refrain from shopping. It is the great chance to experience an atmosphere of the real eastern market, its colors, smells and crowds. There you can obtain famous oriental sweets, dried fruits, buy local products and souvenirs, but don't forget to bargain. In the market they accept cash in tenge (local currency), so it would be good to have some with you or there is an exchange point just nearby to the market area.
After the tour you will be dropped-off at your hotel.
Day 5. Almaty
This is the next amazing day to explore Almaty, and today, after the breakfast, you will have group tour to mountain surroundings of the city!
After meeting of your guide, your will start the tour with a ride to the Medeo Gorge (1690 meters above sea level) well known due to the highest mountain skating rink in the world and the dam, protecting the city from dangerous mudflow. Brief walk around with a chance to take your mountain-view pictures and breath the fresh pine-tree air, then you will take a cable car to Shymbulak ski resort area.
Having ridden about 20-25 minutes above magnificent fur-trees up to the altitude of 2260 meters above sea level, you will get to the 1st level of ski resort, occupied by fancy restaurants, ski & snowboarding school and mountain hotel. The resort is very popular for its mild climate, large quantity of sunny days and snow through the winter, and remarkable scenery of mountain ranges. You will have a quick chance to walk there and take pictures with breathtaking mountain peaks around. Then you will go down the same way by cable car and drive to the city. Meanwhile you will be told an interesting story why Almaty is actually called «the Apple city».
Further your mountain adventure continues at the top of Kok-Tobe hill, where the tallest TV tower in the world is located (if to count from the sea level) and where you will get by the picturesque winding mountain road on the park eco-cars. In Kok-Tobe Park you can stroll along the winding paths of the park, admire the magnificent panorama of the city from the special observation deck, throw a coin in the "apple" fountain and visit the shop of national souvenirs.
The tour ends at 13:00 at your hotel, and in the afternoon you will have free time to explore the city by yourself. You can also book additional sightseeing tours on this day (for surcharge):
Day 6. Almaty
The third day of your stay in Almaty will be completely free to get to know the city on your own. But you can also book additional sightseeing tours (for surcharge) and, for example, visit the unique natural attractions in the vicinity of the city:
Day 7. Almaty, Departure
This day of your departure from Almaty. You have to check-out from the hotel until 12:00 noon. If you want to check-out later, surcharge is applicable. During free time you can also book additional sightseeing tour (for surcharge). Then you will be transferred to Almaty International airport or railway station for your departure home or to another Kazakhstan city you wish to explore.
