KAZAKHSTAN & KYRGYZSTAN

KAZAKHSTAN
&
KYRGYZSTAN

KAZAKHSTAN & KYRGYZSTAN (27th August – 11th September 2024)

Trip Overview

Our local low-cost no-frills airline started a new route from Kuala Lumpur to Almaty, the old capital city of the nation of Kazakhstan, and as with every new route launch, the airline would offer introductory flight ticket prices for a short period. Wifey (Adventure Name: BR:@’s Better Half) and me decided to take advantage of this, and together with the no-visa requirement for citizens of Malaysia to visit Kazakhstan, we booked our tickets and then made plans around our flight dates.

My mother-in-law (Adventure Name: MIL BR:@) and father-in-law (Adventure Name: FIL BR:@) were celebrating their 50^th wedding anniversary this September, and we thought that inviting them for this trip would make it memorable for them. There were plans for family gatherings and such for this momentous occasion, but that would have to wait! FIL in particular, is an avid traveller and photographer (credit FIL for the wonderful photographs in this series), having chalked off Nepal, French Guyana and Mongolia from his “Countries-to-Visit” list, among many others.

In the course of planning for such an exotic location, Wifey and me had looked through many blogs, Facebook posts and listened to some advice from those who have been there. From what was shared, we decided that adding Kyrgyzstan into our itinerary would make a lot of sense. Almaty is located on the southern side of Kazahstan, and just a little further south is Kyrgyzstan, with its own beauty and wonders.

Our plan included staying in Almaty for a few days to acclimatise to the weather, food and language and rid ourselves of jetlag, before venturing out of Almaty. Our round trip would take us to some of Kazakhstan’s best-known places, tourist hotspots and beautiful landscapes at the southeastern part of the country. These include the Aktau Mountains, Singing Dunes, Charyn Canyon and Kolsai Lake and its various National Parks.

Finally, we would reach Kegen on the 7^th day of our trip, a small border town, from which we crossed over into Kyrgyzstan, and arrive in Karakol, a relatively big city in Kyrgyzstan’s northeast. Thereafter, we would travel westward along the southern coast of a huge freshwater lake, Issyk-Kul or Issyk Lake and eventually, arriving at Bishkek on Day 12, the capital city of Kyrgyzstan. Along the westward drive, we got to enjoy the Altyn-Arasan Valley, Fairytale Canyon and Burana Tower, without too much detouring.

On Day 13, we would work our way northwards and cross back into Kazakhstan via the Kordai border crossing, which was infinitely busier than the Kegen crossing. This stretch was the longest one-day driving distance, as we worked our way back into Almaty. From thence, we would spend our final two days of the trip before departing for home. All-in-all, we covered well over 1,800km across all manners of landscapes and driving challenges! You’ll understand more when you read my daily accounts of our trip. So, let’s dive in….