A Guide to Backpacking in Almaty, Kazakhstan

If you’re a backpacker on a budget looking for natural beauty in Kazakhstan, then it’s Almaty that you need to visit.

The former capital and to this day the most culturally rich city in Kazakhstan, Almaty is vibrant, eclectic, and has a little bit of everything for everybody.

This guide is especially suitable for those with little time – you’ll get to see the best of the city as well as two exciting day trips to see stunning alpine lakes and the Grand Canyon of Kazakhstan.

Which these are and how to organize your backpacking adventures in the Almaty region – all in this guide!

What to do in Almaty City

As the biggest and most metropolitan city in post-Soviet Kazakhstan, Almaty retains a bit of its former communist past and slowly develops into a modern city with intriguing new attractions, restaurants, and sights.

Here’s a good mix of these for a day in Almaty.

Central State Museum of Kazakhstan

Learn about the country’s history and culture through exhibits showcasing Kazakh art, crafts, and traditional costumes.

Entrance is only 500 KZT / 1 EUR and is totally worth it.

Park of 28 Panfilov Guardsmen

Visit this picturesque park and see the iconic WWII Memorial and the beautiful Zenkov Cathedral (also known as Ascension Cathedral), a wooden church over 100 years old.

Fun fact: It was built without using any nails.

Arbat Street

Arbat Street is one of the liveliest in Almaty. A popular hang-out spot for locals and visitors alike.

Stroll down the street to enjoy the local street performers and vendors selling everything from souvenirs to street food.

Admire the brutalist architecture

Almaty is home to some striking examples of brutalist architecture (sometimes called Communist architecture. Albeit connected, they are not strictly the same).

Brutalism is known for its bold geometric shapes, raw concrete finishes, and minimalist aesthetic. You can find examples in most post-Soviet countries. My own country – Bulgaria – has plenty too!

Some of the most notable examples in Almaty include:

• Central State Museum (pictured above)
• Kazakh State Academic Opera and Ballet Theater
• Palace of the Republic

While some may find this style to be harsh, uninviting, or outright boring, I think there is a particular appeal to it, especially history-wise.

The style symbolizes power and stability. These buildings were designed to withstand the Cold War after all. It’s all about standing strong for the next 1000+ years.

Although ugly, the buildings are awe-inspiring. And that’s the idea – Brutalism is not about gentle beauty, the romanticism of the West. It’s about the brute endurance of the working class (well, at least ideologically; we all know how it was in practice)

Green Bazaar

The official name of the bazaar is Kök Bazaar and it’s located between Zenkov and Jibek Joly streets. Visit this bustling marketplace to find everything from fresh produce to handmade crafts.

The area around the bazaar is the cheapest place to get some street food in Almaty. I am particularly fond of the doner kebabs served nearby.

Kok-Tobe Hill

To reach the hill, you can catch a cable car from Dostyk Avenue, close to Abay Subway Station. A one-way ticket costs 1000 KZT / 2 EUR while a return ticket is simply double (no discount).

Alternatively, you can get to the top of Kok-Tobe Hill by public bus and save some money. The cable car is not that exciting anyway (not that it’s massively expensive either).

Bus #99 brings you to the southern (lower) entrance of the park. From there, you’re a short hike away from the top for the views.

Outside Almaty: Kolsai Lakes and Charyn Canyon Tour

You can’t go to Almaty and not leave the city. It’s close to the mountains and in the middle of one of the most picturesque regions of Kazakhstan.

You must visit these two:

• Kolsai Lakes: a series of three crystal-clear lakes surrounded by lush forests and stunning mountain peaks.
• Charyn Canyon: a natural wonder, often compared to the Grand Canyon. You can either hike through the canyon down below or and marvel at the unique rock formations and stunning views from above.

Organized Tour or Alone?

If you’re anything like me – an avid backpacker who prefers to organize a trip by himself, then you’ve come to the right place.

I would’ve loved to go to Charyn Canyon independently, perhaps even find a way to reach the Kolsai Lakes too…

BUT!

Public transportation outside of Almaty and especially towards the Kolsai Lakes and Charyn Canyon is virtually non-existent.

Trust me when I tell you that you’ll have a miserable time trying to do it with public transportation.

Hitchhiking is also quite hard in this region and to add to it, the landscape is just endless steppes – you might find yourself in the middle of nowhere without accommodation, food, or any reliable transport.

That’s why I chose to do it with an organized tour and I’ll give you a handy piece of advice on how to save money!

Top tip: Do not book an English tour.

It’s usually double the price and realistically, how much information about a lake and some rocks can you get? It’s all about being there and experiencing their majesty. It’s not a cultural site where you need local insights.

Price of Tours

For example, if you’re staying in Wanderlust Hostel (a very good hostel by the way, cozy and central, I recommend), you’ll see many tours offered, but with quite high prices.

The 3 Canyons + Kolsai Lake one-day tour costs 18.000 KZT / 35.50 EUR. Quite pricey, especially for Kazakh standards.

But go to Instagram and search for “Almaty Tours” and you’ll see plenty of options. Message them on IG or WhatsApp and they’ll share their tours. Yeah, they’re in Russian and will communicate with you in Russian, but it’s nothing that Google Translate cannot manage.

I used the services of Almatytour.kz and the same 3 Canyons + Kolsai tour was 10.000 KZT / 19.8 EUR. Almost half the price!

Don’t worry if you don’t speak Kazakh/Russian. Most of it is quite straightforward anyway – turn up at the meeting spot on time and go with it. The guides speak basic English, so you won’t be completely in the dark.

How to pay?

You will have to pay with cash using a Kaspi Gold terminal. I was quite confused at first, but it’s actually very easy to do.

The tour agency will give you their code and you just deposit cash in a Kaspi Gold Terminal in any of the convenience stores around Almaty.

Then you send them the confirmation. Done and dusted.

Kaspi is one of the most common financial services providers in Kazakhstan. If you want to learn more, read about money in Kazakhstan as a tourist.

Kolsai Lakes

There are three Kolsai Lakes. Most tours bring you to Kolsai Lake 1. To reach the other two, you will need to hike 1 or 2, maybe 3 days, depending on the weather.

But Kolsai Lake 1 is pretty impressive in its own right!

There you’ll have the option to go on a boat for an hour, ride a horse, or walk around the lake. The scenery is stunning and you might want to just sit back on one of the benches and admire.

Charyn Canyon

You might’ve noticed that the tours advertise 3 canyons. These are the Moon Canyon, the Black Canyon, and the Charyn Canyon.

Of the three, the Charyn Canyon is the most magnificent. You have a choice between going down inside the canyon or going on the paths above and looking down and the impressive shapes.

Usually, tours allow around 2 hours at the Charyn Canyon which I felt was adequate.

If you’re a fast walker, you can walk on top first, then take one of the pathways down and return through the paths inside the canyon.

With two exciting day trips that can be combined for those short on time, you can experience the best of the region.

Transportation in Almaty

For everywhere in Central Asia, Kazakhstan included, download the application 2GIS. It’s the ex-Soviet countries’ equivalent of Google Maps. It works offline and unlike Google, it finds routes using public transportation even offline!

For taxis use YandexGo, the Russian equivalent of Uber.

For public transport in Almaty, you technically need an Almaty Card, which you tap as you enter the buses. It costs 80 KZT / 0.16 EUR. Reportedly, you can pay cash (150 KZT / 0.3 EUR) to the driver if you don’t have it. I tried but the driver just waved me off. I tried again and the same happened again.

I didn’t pay at all for transportation inside Almaty – there are virtually no inspectors and you won’t be the only person going gratis anyway.

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Where to next? Do you need to travel to Tashkent from Almaty? Or maybe you’re going to Kyrgyzstan and want to get to Bishkek?