I had planned and even booked trips to Kazakhstan a few times before. Those trips never happened for many different reasons – visa was a pain in the a**, flights got canceled due to Pakistan airspace closure, etc. This time the stars aligned a lot better. The flights are operating normally and new flights are starting on the route. The complicated visa process has been eliminated – now its a visa-free entry. To make matters better, the timing in May was perfect and some friends were keen to visit too. Once the dates were agreed on and a hotel decided, there was really nothing to be done. There was just one daily direct flight, no visa paperwork and just nothing else to be done. We did book a 1 night glamping trip in the middle, but again, none of this was complex. A week before the trip I was stressed because I had nothing to stress about.

This trip was in discussion for a while and one day everyone seemed to agree on a set of dates in late May and it was just on. At the time there was just one flight between Delhi and Almaty from Air Astana (now there are several). The flight has really good timing on the way out but quite sucky ones on the return journey, but that was our only choice. We chose to spend 6 nights there, including 1 night at an adventurous lakeside glamping site. We looked for hotels in the downtown Almaty area and found the Renion Park hotel to be really good value for money. A friend found this local travel coordinator who helped planned the glamping and we were all set. First night in Almaty followed by 2 days and 1 night of hiking and glamping. Four more nights in Almaty on the way back.

Almaty is a beautiful city – vibrant and happening at the same time. Snow-covered mountains are visible in close proximity, even in May, The city is not very tall, so gives the impression of a more laid-back vacation destination. The roads are excellent and you can cover large distances comfortably. It is tough to hail a cab on the street, though, especially if you don’t know the language. Some cab-hailing apps work, but only if you have a local SIM card. The best option usually was to book a tour, though we managed a few times by asking a restaurant or the hotel to call a cab for us. Once you have a ride, transportation is cheap, quick and comfortable. We didn’t take a local SIM and in hindsight, I should have taken one.

Most of the food is Turkish and Russian, though we found several European restaurants too. Vegetarian food has very limited options as the locals do not believe that the fancy curries they make should be deprived of the best meats. If you are open to all meats, you will be treated to some delicious grills and some succulent kebabs. It is also one of the few countries in the world where you can enjoy some horse meat, besides beef and chicken.

Most of what is good to see around Almaty is lakes, canyons, and a ski slope. The Kazakhs love to hike and there is an abundance of options of varying difficulty to choose from. Most will take you to a lake or some fabulous scenery. Charyn Canyon is 2 hours drive away and you can take a 3 km (one-way) hike to a river through the canyon from the starting point. Kolsai and Kaindy lakes are in the same direction but require longer drives. The Big Almaty lake is stunningly beautiful and also is a couple of hours drive away. There are some restrictions on the number of cars that are allowed inside, but travel agents have found a way around it. Medeu ski ring and the Shimbulak ski slopes are less than an hour away and offer some stunning sights and skiing. In the shoulder season you can find snow at the top. Kok-tobe hill is in the city and has an amusement park at the top.

Besides these are is a cathedral, large parks and some amazing nightlight that the city offers. The main city area is walkable and offers a lot of food and some shopping. Almaty is famous for its bathhouses too, and you can find several good ones around the city.