Sunday, August 16, 2026

16-Days Central Asia 2026 Day 16 : Around Almaty

You are at - Jotaro's Blog /AhPek Biker-Footsteps /Central Asia 2026/D16 : Around Almaty     |     Go to D1/D2/D3/D4/D5/D6/D7/D8/D9/D10/D11/D12/D13/D14/D15
                                     AhPek Biker - Riding Adventures                                   
Central Asia 2026
Day 16 : Around Almaty

Central Asia 2026 Day 16: 30th May (Saturday)
Medium-size Group (Non-cycling) Tour of Central Asia (Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan & Kazakhstan):
Day 16 - Around Almaty:

Route recommendations: here are some tips on travelling to and around Kyrgyzstan, Central Asia:
1. Traffic Directions!
    Central Asian countries are left-hand drive, and vehicles drive on the right side of the road. So do bear this in mind when crossing the road OR when sitting at the front passenger seat. I made this mistake several times and boarded the car at the driver's side, with the driver giving me a surprised look 😂.

2. Getting to and from Central Asia.
    Several airlines fly direct to Central Asia from their originating country. We were fortunate that AirAsia X flew direct from Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia) to Almaty, Kazakhstan, and Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
    We flew return via AirAsia X, starting from KLIA Terminal 2 to Tashkent International Airport, and returning from Almaty International Airport to KLIA Terminal 2, buying tickets earlier to get cheaper fares. We also packed light (20kg checked-in luggage for two people plus an additional 7kg of cabin luggage), totaling 41kg of luggage.

3. Getting around Central Asia.
    We were on a private guided tour and had a 15-seater black Weichai Eurise van (Chinese version of the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter), with local guides taking us between the cities/towns.
    In Kyrgyzstan, we took a short Tez Jet flight from Osh to Bishkek to avoid the testing mountainous roads; flight tickets were bought by our guides earlier. 
    Note: Traders in bazaars, markets, and small local shops only accept cash. The "sum" (ISO code: UZS) is the official currency of Uzbekistan. The "som" (ISO code: KGS) is the currency of Kyrgyzstan. The tenge (ten-gay, code: KZT) is the currency of Kazakhstan. It is divided into 100 tiyn.
   Touch 'n Go e-Wallet can be used in Kazakhstan, just make sure the e-wallet is set to Kazakhstan.

4. Immigration & Customs Requirements
    Malaysian passport holders do not need a visa to enter most Central Asian countries for short-term stays and can visit Uzbekistan visa-free for up to 30 days. There is no need to fill in immigration forms.
    Note: Malaysian passport holders can install the MyBorderPass app for fast immigration clearance to get in and out of Malaysia; use the app to generate a QR code just before passing through the 40 dedicated MyBorderPass gates (only at KLIA & KLIA2, 20 gates each), and getting through will be a breeze!

5. Places & Things of Interests
    There were many scenic and interesting places along the route, but one should not miss the following places (Note: click on the GPS coordinates below for a directional map to the respective places):
    - Abai Square (Площадь Абая (Алма-Ата)) (GPS: 43.24312, 76.95819).
    - Statue of Abai (Абай Құнанбайұлы) (GPS: 43.24309, 76.95752) dedicated to the renown poet Abai Qunanbaiuly. 
    - Republic Palace (Республика сарайы (Алматы)) (GPS: 43.24322, 76.95934).
    - Hotel Kazakhstan (Қазақстан (қонақ үй)) (GPS: 43.24493, 76.95766).
    - Central State Museum of Kazakhstan (Қазақстан Республикасының Орталық мемлекеттік мұражайы) (GPS: 43.23594, 76.95074).
    - Park Rezidentsiya (Парк Резиденция) (GPS: 43.23503, 76.94778).
    - Ride on the Almaty Metro from Abay Metro Station (Абай (метро бекеті)) (GPS: 43.24252, 76.95058) to Zhibek Zholy Station (Жібек жолы (метро бекеті)) (GPS: 43.25958, 76.94480).
    - 28 Panfilov Guardsmen Park (28 гвардияшы-панфиловшылар атындағы саябақ) (GPS: 43.25883, 76.95413).
    - Ascension Cathedral (Zenkov Cathedral) (Вознесенск кафедралы шіркеуі (Алматы)) (GPS: 43.25873, 76.95286).
    - WWII Memorial of Glory (Даңқ мемориалы (Алматы)) (GPS: 43.25891, 76.95505).
    - Kazakhstan Military History Museum (Алматыдағы әскери тарих мұражайы) (GPS: 43.25847, 76.95699).
    - Kazakh Museum of Musical Instruments (Қазақтың халық музыка аспаптары мұражайы) (GPS: 43.25942, 76.95677).
    - Green Bazar (Зелёный базар (Алма-Ата)) (GPS: 43.26423, 76.95475).
    - Almaty Museum of Arts (Алматы қаласындағы музей) (GPS: 43.22711, 76.94903).
    - Medeu Cable Car ride from Medeu Station (GPS: 43.16288, 77.05163) up to the Shymbulak Ski Resort (Шымбұлақ) (GPS: 43.1287, 77.07978); two tickets per pax at $21.50 USD.
    - Medeo Chimbulak Ice Skating Rink (Медеу) (GPS: 43.15740, 77.05900).
    - Medeu Dam (Медеу (селезащитная плотина)) (GPS: 43.15056, 77.06261).
    - Shymbulak Ski Resort (Шымбұлақ) (GPS: 43.1287, 77.07978).
    - Arbat Almaty Walking Street (Арбат Алматы) (GPS: 43.26182, 76.94291).
    - Almaty Golden Square (GPS: 43.24569, 76.95102).
    - Almaty International Airport (Халықаралық Алматы әуежайы) (GPS: 43.34664, 77.01176).

6. Food
    a. Breakfast
        Kazakh/Western breakfast at Uyut Hotel Almaty (Алматыдағы Уют қонақ үйі) (GPS: 43.25991, 76.93374):
    b. Lunch
        Kazakh Lunch at Navat-Almaty:
Cucumber Salad, Eggplant-Tomato Salad, Horse Meat or Lamb Beshbarmak, Lamb/Horse Meat Glass Noodles, Lamb Chops.
    c. Dinner
        Meals on Board Air Asia Flight D7 601: Pak Nasser’s Nasi Lemak, Roasted Chicken with Black Pepper Sauce & Bottled Water.
    d. Late Night Drink
        Meals on Board Air Asia Flight D7 601: Pistachio with Santan (coconut milk).

7. Accommodations and Tour Costs
    This was a recce-guided tour that included all ground arrangements, food, entry tickets to parks, and accommodations, but excluded return airfare to and from Central Asia. We booked Air Asia flight tickets online through their website at a return fare of around RM2,000 per pax. Co-travelers who booked later paid more. Our two pax airfare included 20kg of checked-in luggage and an extra 7kg of cabin luggage, giving us a total of 41kg of luggage..
    The ground arrangements included 16-seater van transportation between and around cities; Sharq Express Train fare from Tashkent to Bukhara, and from Samarkhand to Tashkent, and domestic Tez Jet airfare from Osh to Bishkek. The 4x4 Russian truck ride to and from Karakol to the Altyn-Arashan Valley was optional and cost USD40 per pax. So was the 4x4 van ride from Saty to Kaindy Lake and Kolsay Lakes National Park, which cost USD20 per pax.
    Accommodations were in three-star hotels, homestays, and a yurt camp. For those interested in this tour, contact Eddie at +6012-6122600 for more details and ground arrangement costs.
8. Communicating with Each Other
    When travelling in a group, it's important to be able to communicate with each other, especially if someone gets separated from the group.
    I pre-purchased the Maxis 15-day Multi-Country Roaming Pass at MYR99 and had it activated on the first day of our tour. This pass included complimentary Maxis Travel Care insurance for the pass validity period - i.e. MYR50,000 hospitalisation, and MYR2,000 lost baggage; T&C apply.
    Alternatively, an almost similar GOGO physical sim card for 15-day 20gB can be bought from Lazada for MYR120 (excluding delivery).

9. Communicating with Locals
     Our local guides spoke excellent English, and those in the travel industry or bazaar traders spoke passable English. Other locals speak their local language (Uzbek, Kyrgyz, or Kazakh) or Russian (as they were former Soviet republics). Or one can use Google Translate on one's mobile.

10. Weather
      May marks the beginning of summer in Kazakhstan, bringing warm days, lush green landscapes, and long daylight hours. At Almaty, daytime temperatures average 29°C, and nighttime temperatures average 17°C.
      A useful weather forecast site for Almaty is AccuWeather. For more detailed weather, including cloud cover and wind speed, use Weatherspark and Ventusky.

11. Navigation
      Geo-tagging of places of interest was via FaceBook, Google Maps or Yandex Maps and Yandex Navigator.
___________________________________________________________________________
PRELUDE
The day before, we left Saty and headed for Almaty, the capital of Kazakhstan. En route, we visited the Black Canyon and the Charyn Canyon. Today we did a whirlwind tour of Almaty attractions and rode on the metro & cable car! Later in the evening we flew back home.
(P.S.: Please bear with me, this blog is fairly long; we did so much within the day!)
___________________________________________________________________________
DAY 16: AROUND ALMATY

Medium-size Group (Non-cycling) Tour of Central Asia (Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan & Kazakhstan)

Most of the posts below are linked to my Facebook postings during the trip and are embedded here with some comments. (NOTE: Click on the respective posts to link to the FB posts to read more details.) If you can't see the posts, please log out of your Facebook first.)

Kazakh/Western breakfast at Uyut Hotel Almaty
Very good breakfast with a very wide spread of choices. The bacon was very yummy. So was the brown loaf and samsas.


9:00am - Goodbye Uyut Hotel Almaty. Leaving for a day tour of Almaty attractions, led by Aiyer, our local Kazakh guide.


The van dropped us at Abai Square to start our Walking/Metro Train tour of the city. The square features a public garden and several granite-clad fountains. There is a cable station linking to the Kók Tóbe Park.
We started our walking tour with a quick visit to the Statue of Abai, which is dedicated to Abai Qunanbaiuly, a renowned 19th-century Kazakh poet. Abai's main contribution to Kazakh culture and folklore lies in his poetry, which expresses great nationalism and grew out of Kazakh folk culture. Before him, most Kazakh poetry was oral, echoing the nomadic habits of the people of the Kazakh steppes.


At the Palace of the Republic, this building is intended for concerts, festivals, and other cultural events. It was one of the premier sites for the Eurasia Film Festival.
Almaty is the most populous city in Kazakhstan, with more than two million residents. It was the capital of Kazakhstan from 1929 to 1991 (during the Soviet era) and after independence until 1997, when the capital was moved to Akmola (now Astana)


Along Abai Avenue, there are many other universities along this road.


Hotel Kazakhstan, is a famous landmark of the city and serves as a symbol of Almaty. Built in 1977, it is the eighth-tallest building in all of Kazakhstan and can withstand the impact of an earthquake measuring 9.0 on the Richter scale.


Next, the Central State Museum of Kazakhstan is one of the largest museums in Central Asia. When first established in 1931, the museum was located in the Almaty Cathedral and moved to this modern facility in 1985. The museum houses the most significant collection of Kazakh historical, archaeological, and modern cultural and political artifacts.


We continued on with a nice walk in the green gardens of Park Rezidentsiya.


Which led us to the ground-level entry to the Abay Metro Station of the Almaty Metro.


Taking this super long travellator down to the Abay Metro Station, which is the deepest among all the stations in the Almaty Metro system.


From this station we rode the metro train to the Zhibek Zholy Station.


Even though it's a Saturday, the train seems rather packed. The train is modern with very clean coaches.


At the Zhibek Zholy Mdetro Station, it is brightly lit with a simple yet beautiful architecture.


At one end is a large wall mural depicting the Silk Road:
It traces the history and the cities of the Silk Road.


From this station, we exited out to ground level, and we are conveniently at the 28 Panfilov Guardsmen Park.


One section of the park leads to the Ascension Cathedral, this is a Russian Orthodox cathedral, completed in 1907. The cathedral is made out of wood but without nails.
It stands 56 meters tall and is claimed to be the second tallest wooden church in the world. The tallest wooden church building is Săpânța-Peri Monastery church (78 m) in Săpânța, Romania.


Inside, the Ascension Cathedral is beautifully decorated with crafted workmanship. Ladies have to wear veils and cover their legs. Whilst men have to wear long pants and take off their hats/caps.


28 Heroes Statue at 28 Panfilov Guardsmen Park.The park honors the Panfilov's Twenty-Eight Guardsmen, 28 soldiers from an Alma-Ata infantry unit of the Red Army who reportedly died during World War II in the Battle of Moscow. Named after Soviet General Ivan Panfilov, they are remembered for delaying the German advance into the Soviet capital of Moscow during Operation Barbarossa.


The Eternal Flame at the Kazakhstan Military History Museum.
This eternal flame commemorates the fallen soldiers, situated in front of a black monument honouring troops from all 15 Soviet republics.


Met another Ahpek cyclist at the Kazakhstan Military History Museum. He's 66 years old and from Shandong, China.


Near the Kazakhstan Military History Museum is the WWII Memorial of Glory.
This is a memorial installed to commemorate the 30th anniversary of victory in the Great Patriotic War, which is a term used in Russia (and formerly the Soviet Union) and some other post-Soviet states to describe the Eastern Front of World War II, fought primarily between the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany between 22 June 1941 and 9 May 1945.


The Kazakhstan Military History Museum, which we just viewed from outside.


12:00 noon - Our van then scooted us over to the Green Bazar. Since it began operations in 1875, the market has been an important trading hub in Almaty. The market currently sells spices, prepared foods, produce, textiles, furniture, and a wide variety of objects, including antiques.
The above photos show the front & rear entrances to the bazaar.


From the mezzanine floor, there is a good bird's-eye view of the Green Bazaar main hall. The stalls are laid out in several rows, with sections selling different things.


This bazaar is not to be missed; there are lots of good deals on spices, dried fruits, and nuts. Clothing and souvenirs in the other section.


An outer section, away from the main hall, has stalls selling clothing and souvenirs.


12:45pm - Kazakh Lunch at Navat-Almaty:
Cucumber Salad, Eggplant-Tomato Salad, Horse Meat or Lamb Beshbarmak, Lamb/Horse Meat Glass Noodles, Lamb Chops.


Besides its good food, Navat-Almaty is meticulously decorated with beautiful artwork and colourful lamps that reflect the local culture and artistry.


On the way to the Medeu Station, Shymbulak Ski Resort, passed by the Almaty Museum of Arts.
This is a private museum of modern and contemporary art founded by entrepreneur Nurlan Smagulov, and opened to the public in September 2025. The core of the collection derives from Nurlan Smagulov's private holdings, which number over 700 works assembled over thirty years. Around 70% are by Kazakh artists of the Soviet period (1950s–1980s), including Zhanatay Shardenov, Tokbolat Toguzbaev, Salikhitdin Aitbaev, and Aisha Galimbaeva. An international section features works by Anselm Kiefer, Yayoi Kusama, Bill Viola, Richard Serra, Jaume Plensa, Yinka Shonibare, among others.


Further along, we can see the snow-capped mountains ahead.


2:15pm - At the Medeu Station, we got tickets for the Medeu Cable Car ride up to the Shymbulak Ski Resort.
In hindsight, we realised the cable car is in two sections. A lower section and an upper section.
This is the Lower Section, which only has a single stretch: from its lower station (base station) to its upper station. At the upper station, we switch to the Upper Section, which has two stretches. From Upper Base Station to Upper Mid-Station to Upper Top Station. So all in three cable car rides! We were issued two tickets each, one for the Lower Section and one for the Upper Section. The tickets cost per pax is 110,000 Kazakhstani Tenge (KZT) i.e. approximately $21.50 US Dollars. 


Shortly after leaving the Medeu Station, we passed by the Medeo Chimbulak Ice Skating Rink, the highest ice skating rink in the world. It is presently under maintenance. From our cable car, we had a bird's-eye view of the rink.
With a size of 10,500 m2 of ice and sitting 1,691 meters above sea level, it is considered to be the world's largest high-mountain skating rink.


Further up, we spot the Medeu Dam, and ...... presently it holds nothing!
is a dam across the Medeu Valley south-east of Almaty.
 But this dam changed my perspective of what dams do! Most of us think that dams are used to hold water. But now, this one was erected on the mountain face to stop any avalanche from reaching the town. More accurately, it is designed to protect the city from devastating debris flows (or mudflows).
During the 20th century, five catastrophic debris/mudflows happened in the valleys of the Small Almaty or its sister river (further west), the Big Almaty. The most severe of them was the catastrophic mudflow of 1921 in the Small Almaty valley, triggered by heavy rainfall. It killed 500 people out of Almaty's 45,000 population at the time, and destroyed much of the city.


Next, the Cable Car Second Section: Base Station to Mid Station.
Although enjoying the mountain views during the cable car rides, I was a bit worried: we have a flight to catch at 7 pm, and normally should be at the airport at least two hours prior. And it's already 3pm and we are just halfway up the mountain.
Ok.... stop worrying, just enjoy. Our guides know what they are doing.


Cable Car Second Section: Mid Station to Top Station.
Slowly, the mountain greenery turns to that of a snowscape, with snow covering much of the mountain top.


At the top of Shymbulak Ski Resort!
Beautiful views up here, especially for us coming from the tropics. Down at the city level it's hot, but up here snow covers much of the mountain peak, with grey-brown rocky ridges peaking out.
Also from here, there is a ski chair lift to take skiers even further up! But it only operate during winter ski season!


After spending about twenty minutes up at the top, we are on the way down; from Top Section from Top Station to Mid Station.


During our ride at the Top Section, from Top Mid Station to Top Base Station, we met Gabor, a friendly tourist from Hungary. This young man was so excited about being here, and was even more excited to hear of our visit to Budapest during a 2015 Eastern Europe Holiday!


Medeu Cable Car: Lower Section, from Top Station to Bottom Base Station, getting down to earth 😆.


4:30pm - All in van, rushing to Almaty International Airport for our 7pm flight back to Kuala Lumpur. We are running late after having a good time going up and down the Shymbulak Ski Resort mountain. It's a forty to sixty minute drive to the airport!


5:20pm - Made it in time to the Almaty International Airport to check in for our flight home. Fortunately, it's not a very big airport, and check-in procedures were easy. Although passengers are strongly recommended to arrive at the airport at least 3 hours before an international flight, check-in and bag drop typically close 60 minutes before scheduled departure.
Having safely checked in, we can now relax and view the shops in the waiting area. Too bad we didn't have time for a proper goodbye to Aiyer, our local Kazakh guide.


Also at the airport, there's a Quiet Zone for weary travellers.


Almaty International Airport is a busy airport. Many airlines land here.


7:08pm - Boarded Air Asia Flight D7 601 from Almaty to KL. Slightly delayed.


Taken off.
Goodbye Almaty, Goodbye Kazakhstan, Goodbye Central Asia.


8:30pm Kazakh Time - Dinner of pre-booked Meals on Board Air Asia Flight D7 601:
Pak Nasser’s Nasi Lemak, Roasted Chicken with Black Pepper Sauce & Bottled Water.


9:30pm Kazakh time - Late Night Drink of Meals on Board Air Asia Flight D7 601:
Pistachio with Santan (coconut milk).
 Quite creamy and nice. Oddly, they don't accept Big Pay card for payment, even though Big Pay is affiliated with Air Asia! They also don't accept Wise Card.

 
May 31st, 6am: Landed in KLIA2. Welcome Home to Malaysia!


A beautiful sunrise greeting us home. It's early morning, traffic is light and there's no jam on highway.


Good bowls of curry mee waiting for us when we reached home.
DIL bought from Yong Len Kopitiam. May not look great, but it was delicious and a warm meal to welcome us home!
Thanks OYP!


Қош бол, Қазақстан!
(That's "Qoş bol, Qazaqstan!" meaning "Good Kazakhstan!" in Kazakh)
Selamat Pulang ke Tanah Air.
(That's "Welcome Back to the homeland." in Malaysian Malay)

(For more photos of Day 16, Click Here)
(On mobile, for more photos of the day: Go to AhPek Biker Page>Photos and click on the respective album)
This is page 16 of a 16-page blog. Click Here To Go To Title Page.
< D15: Almaty                   |                  Go to Other Days                 |                 D1: Tashkent >
___________________________________________________________________________________
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE:











Gallery - KevinTheBigCity Tattoos, Kuala Lumpur: July 2014
A look at a young man's simple but meaningful tattoos.





March 2025 Foodie Roundup

You are at - Jotaro's Blog /AhPek Biker-Footsteps /Central Asia 2026/D16 : Around Almaty     |     Go to D1/D2/D3/D4/D5/D6/D7/D8/D9/D10/D11/D12/D13/D14/D15
If you like this, view my other blogs at Jotaro's Blog
(comments most welcomed below. If you like this pls share via Facebook or twitter)
Posted by at
Labels: , , , ,

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)