KAZAKHSTAN, KYRGYZSTAN
Almaty, Kazakhstan, will be a stop for anyone travelling by train along the Silk Route connecting with China. Almaty is connected to Moscow by a direct train, and is not far by bus or car from the capital of Kyrgystan, Bishkek.
Almaty, the capital of Kazakhstan until 1998, is Central Asia's most cosmopolitan city with shops, restaurants, hotels and casinos that would make the place unrecognizable to anyone who had been away since 1990. The Tien Shan Mountains rise like a wall along Almaty's southern fringe and form a superb backdrop, and the city is interspersed with lots of parks, space and greenery.
Mountains cover about 70% of Kyrgyzstan, a country that in practice was prohibited to Western tourists during Soviet times. Bishkek, the capital, is a modern city with vast squares, crowded bazaars, and impres-sive administrative centers. Five hours by car from Bishkek is Lake Issyk-Kul, a glacier-fed mountainous lake known for its warm, therapeutic waters.
The Tien Shan Mountains near Almaty, a resort area offering skiing, a world-class skating rink (candidate for a future winter Olympic games). Horseback riding possible (see below), alpine climbing.
Lake Issyk-Kul, Kyrgyzstan, the second-largest lake at high elevation. Lakeshore is a resort area, once reserved only for high Communist officials during Soviet times. It is possible to arrange a mountain trek crossing the Tien Shan Mountains from Almaty into Lake Issyk-Kul.
Yurts, portable, circular dwellings used by the nomads of Central Asia for centuries, still occasionally in use in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan.
SERVICES
Horseback Riding, Tien Shan Mountains, Big Almaty Lake: $20/hour per horse (6-7 hours).
Transfer, Almaty - Big Almaty Lake - Almaty, $160 first person + $20/additional person (6 hours)
Almaty:
Transfer from train station, $20
Transfer from airport, $35
Bishkek:
Transfer from train station, $25
Transfer from airport, $40
Visa support, Kazakhstan or Kyrgyzstan: $40/person
