Almaty – quick travel guide

by

Big green city set in a forest in the mountains. (I call it the Mexico City of Kazahkstan.)

Almaty is absolutely the vibe in Kazahkstan. It has everything. Many Kazahks will tell you this is the best place to go. Why? Because the city life is there…all the bars, restaurants, clubs, shopping, activities. But also…the nature is here as well. The whole city is covered in green trees, bushes, and shrubbery everywhere. Feels like you’re walking in a giant park. Yes, the city is hotter temperature than Astana, but you could walk 30km outside all under tree shade if you wanted. A park-like setting is always just outside your door. All the famous lakes (Kolsay, Kaindy, etc), Charyn Canyon, all the nature tours…is also by Almaty.

So whatever you do. Come to Almaty. You can get a good sense of it in 3-5 days. But you also could spend a whole 2 weeks here and not get bored.

Where to stay:

  • Zenkov Cathedral – this is the green parks and party area. Lots of young people out and about having fun.
  • Samal 2 – commercial shopping area. The big Dostyak mall is here.
  • Koktem 2 – a nice chill area by the river. Many people walking around, sitting and watching, enjoying the water setting. This area isn’t boring by any means. It’s just less touristy, but it’s also nice.

For a first time visitor, I’d recommend any area from around Zenkov Cathedral down to Samal 2. Those 2 areas are walkable from each other and would cover many interesting tourist points. You can find anything between those 2.

In all honesty, you can find many things to do from any part of Almaty. And also easily access other areas from any part of Almaty. As much as people try to recommend you where to stay, it’s not a big deal IMO. Taxi/rideshare is cheap and fast (good streets) and public transportation is available. The city is also very walkable.

Hostels:

  • ALMATY ASSEM HOSTEL Dostyk – nice reviews but far location.
  • Evergreen Hostel (botanical garden) – top ratings, seems really nice, highest priced.
  • Dostyk Hostel – OK location, lots of rules/fines, limited bathrooms, but pleasant experience.
  • Wanderlust hostel – 2nd most popular (2nd most reviews), great location and social vibe. It seemed to be mostly guys when I went. Super chill vibe (cozy community spaces), reliable WIFI, bathrooms run out when it’s full. The guy’s dorm seems much bigger space than the females dorm. Nice relaxing outdoor terrace. I hear it’s way too hot/uncomfortable during the hot days. Also that there was no hot water for 24 hrs during one period.
  • Wanderlust boutique hostel – OK location, a good option if you can look past the small rooms, poor cleaning, limited bathrooms.
  • My Hostel Almaty – newly renovated, weak WIFI, great location, most reviews (probably because of location), super noisy due to club/party area.
  • Хостел 689CapsuleHotel&Coffee – bad reviews.
  • Hostel #Winehub – seems new and well-rated, but not many reviews. Location is OK, may feel “far”.
  • Like Home Hostel&Apartments (botanical garden) – ok rating. Nice options for dorm or private rooms. Some people complain about bed comfort and wifi/mobile connection.

Neighborhoods & Walking areas:

  • Walking street – I don’t know the name. Use the Ogonek Restaurant or Almaly Station as the marker, and you’ll find a nice walking street with many restaurants, shops, street vendors/performers, etc.
  • Zenkov Cathedral down to Samal 2
  • Koktem 2 along the river.

Activities to do:

  • Walking street –
  • Buildings & architecture – Zenkov Cathedral, government buildings, regular houses
  • Parks, gardens, green spaces –
  • Beaches, bridges, water-points –
  • Arts & museums:
    • Central State Museum – I heard this one sucked; not much to see, not organized well, very little translated to English. Anyway, I enjoyed taking photos of the interesting architecture from the outside, but I didn’t go inside.
  • Sunset views –
  • Mountain trips:
    • Kok Tobe (gondola) – this is the super easy one, and I’ll explain the confusion for you. Kok Tobe is more like a hill than a mountain. From there, you have panoramic views of Almaty below and also something like a little commercial area and amusement park (free entry). There are rides and games, small “zoo” (caged farm animals and exotic birds), lots of photo ops. Restaurants with view. How you get up there is by taking the cable car from the “gondola” station. Takes 3 minutes and you’re up there. Once up there, you can spend an hour or 2 and then come back down when you feel like.
    • Medeu – this is the REAL mountain trip and is many people’s favorite nature place in Almaty. It takes about 30-40 mins drive from Almaty, and you should expect to spend about a half day overall. From there you can hike, enjoy picturesque views, eat something, see the sports center and world’s highest ice-skating rink.
  • Tours (see below)

Nature tours:

  • 1-day lakes & canyon – the most popular. 15,000 KZT and a 50-person bus takes you to Kolsay Lake, Kaindy Lake, and Charyn Canyon. It’s the cheapest option and the guide speaks mostly Russian and if you’re lucky, some English. I suggest introducing yourself to other folks before the bus picks you up and sitting next to the ones that can speak English. I recommend this tour because it’s cheap and low commitment. Other tours are very expensive requiring 2-day stay and IMO the lakes and canyons are not as beautiful as what you see elsewhere.
  • 1-day Charyn Canyon tour – this is THE tour I recommend first. I think it’s more unique and pretty and more fun compared to the lakes. The lakes perhaps might photograph better since you’re able to get up close to it, but the canyon was more interesting for me.
  • Multi-day tour – this probably makes the most sense. You go out to the canyon and one lake, have food and sleep over somewhere. Then next day, you go to another canyon. Maybe they add a waterfall or jeep ride or whatever other extra activity. You have more time and don’t feel rushed or sitting in a cramped van/bus all day long.

Kolsay and Kaindy lakes remind me a lot of Switzerland nature (but a smaller version), or perhaps Vancouver nature (again a smaller version). Indeed Kaindy is unique because it was formed by an earthquake (and ensuing landslide) which blocked the flow of the river and flooded the forest. So now there’s bare tree trunks sticking out of the water, creating a unique landscape. But overall, the scenery was really not so special to me compared to what I’ve seen in other countries already (Switzerland, Canada, America, Peru, Mexico).

Charyn Canyon is Almaty’s most popular tourist destination and considered a “mini-Grand Canyon” featuring several canyons and many beautiful colors. The only problem is on the 1-day tour, you visit it at the very end of the day when people are usually tired and it’s not great lighting when the sun is going down. You also don’t have much time to enjoy it if people were late to the bus and delaying everyone. We only stopped there for 15 minutes and blew too much on the lakes and eating.

Which tour option should you do? The big bus has many people and is cheap but leaves very early in the morning and gets back late. Often delayed because of people taking longer than expected (to use bathroom, market stop, take photos, return to meeting points).

Should you get the food option or no? The best option (if you don’t want to get ripped off) is to bring your own lunch. This way you get exactly what you want at a good price. Don’t worry, the bus will stop at some markets along the way if you didn’t have time to buy in the morning.

Restaurants & Cafes:

  • Nedelka – great chain (good coffee & food). We liked the one on Abay Ave 19. Good place to eat before doing the Walking Street or going up to Kok Tobe.
  • Shevlego Georgian Restaurant – super amazing delicious Georgian food with awesome decor. You should sit inside to see what I mean. It’s very picturesque.
  • Thai food:
    • Bangkok – legit place. Small but nice decor, good service. Cozy and good.
    • Pattaya FOOD – far off in the mountains but good.
    • TomYumBar – only good for Tom Yum soup.
  • Masisso – great Korean food and service.
  • Beefeater – classy steak restaurant with a nice bar menu.

There are many great restaurants. Search on Google Maps and explore.

Bars & Clubs:

  • Barland – right by Zenkov park. Seems like a fun club place with lots of people around. The reviews online don’t look so good but for sure the area is popular with young folks all around at night.
  • Kumano – a nice hipster bar that is pleasantly chill on quiet days, and overly crowded on busy nights. You should use this as a marker and come here anyway as there are many other nice bars just nearby. You choose which one you prefer.
  • Barmaglot – fancy dress-up bar. Everybody is dressed up. Don’t come here looking like a backpacker in flip-flops, because they won’t let you in. Bla Bla Bar is also here. This area is all fancy bars with people dressed up sexy to be seen. I’d guess the older classier crowd goes here. Whereas the younger rowdy crowd is by the Zenkov park area.
  • Victory Mexican and Wild – noisy bar with authentic Mexican food and fun vibes.

Miscellaneous tips:

  • General travel tips for Kazahkstan.
  • Massage places: everyone recommends Imbir Thai Spa, but that was full. So we tried Atlant and absolutely loved it. Great price, and 5-star grade massage.

Nearby towns:

  • Bishkek (Kyrgyzstan) –

Unfiltered notes:

Leave a Comment