Charyn Canyon and Kolsai Lakes, a great day trip from Almaty
If you are a regular reader of this site, you may have figured out already that I have a soft spot for Kazakhstan, a country which I have covered multiple times.
Yet, most of what I have seen so far (aside from a short outing to Shymbulak ski resort next to Almaty) was its urban landscape (see my posts about what to do in Astana and Almaty, btw!). It was about time I explored a bit of the countryside, as well.
Fortunately, while Kazakhstan is huge (if overlaid over the map of Europe, it would stretch all the way from the west coast of Ireland to the Russo-Ukrainian border!), many of its top natural wonders are located within driving distance of Almaty.
What’s more, these offer to the visitor a stunning diversity of landscapes and ecosystems, from the Alpine environment and peaks of Kolsai Lakes National Park to the sandstone cliffs of Charyn Canyon, often called “the Kazakh Grand Canyon”, and the broad steppes in between!
Covered in this piece:
Is it possible to visit the Kolsai Lakes and Charyn Canyon in one day?
Visiting Lower Kolsai Lake
Infrastructure at Lower Kolsai Lake
Where to eat at Lower Kolsai Lake
Charyn Canyon National Park
Infrastucture at Charyn Canyon
Trails to visit Charyn Canyon
This post may contain affiliate links. If you book or buy something through them, I earn a small commission, at no extra cost to you. It's one of the ways I keep Places of Charm going. Thank you for your support!
This post was made possible thanks to the support of Almaty Tourism Bureau and Air Astana. All opinions are my own.
Kolsai Lake and Charyn Canyon in one day? Long but doable
The itinerary of this excursion was as follows: leave downtown Almaty early in the morning, head straight for Lower Kolsai Lake (the only one of the three Kolsai Lakes that is easily accessible by car), retrace the road back towards Almaty and stop at Charyn Canyon National Park on the way. Finally, head back to Almaty in the evening.
If you look at the map, you will see that all these spots look relatively close to Almaty. And *relatively” is the key word, because this itinerary, while doable, is still a rather long drive for European (and even for US) standards!
The good news is that the roads are pretty good in general, including several stretches of multi-lane motorway, so you can complete this whole itinerary on a regular car.
For reference: we left Almaty at around 6.15am. The drive to Lower Kolsai Lake took us around four hours. Charyn Canyon is located roughly along the same route (it just required a detour of a few kilometers on the way back to Almaty).
From Kolsai Lake to Charyn Canyon it was around 1h 30 min. We arrived at Charyn Canyon at around 15.00 and left for Almaty at 16.30. So, it was a rather lightning visit, but enough to see the main highlights.
If you have the luxury of time, it wouldn’t hurt to look for a hotel in the area (as we shall soon see, there are quite a few unconventional accommodation options in the area, including yurts (the traditional Kazakh nomadic tent) and “capsule” bungalows) and visit these places as a more leisurely pace. For example, by accessing the upper Kolsai lakes or walking Charyn Canyon’s lower trail.
Another plus of this itinerary is the chance to take in the sheer scale of the Kazakh steppe, which meets the Tian Shan mountains here.
From this point, the arid plain stretches northwest for thousands of kilometres. In this region, though, it is far from featureless: ravines cut across it, and rocky outcrops rise from the grass. You may also spot Kazakh horsemen driving herds of cattle across it, a scene that would have been familiar to the nomadic peoples who have roamed this land for millennia.
After several hours heading east, the road turns south toward the foothills of the Tian Shan. The landscape change is abrupt. One moment you could be in the Arizona desert, the next, you may well think you are in Switzerland.
Visiting Lower Kolsai Lake
The Kolsai Lakes National Park has a three-lake system, with the Lower, Middle and Upper Kolsai Lakes.
The only one that is (almost) accessible by private car is the Lower Kolsai Lake. The middle one, which is famous for its underwater forest, can be accessed through a service of mini-vans (the sturdy, Soviet-designed “Bukhankas”) and the upper lake requires some serious hiking.
By the way, there is an access fee to enter the National Park, which is paid at the entrance (I can’t provide an exact fee indication since the fee is indexed to something called “Kazakhstan’s monthly calculation index”, which sets the exact amount, but I would say shouldn’t be more than $10/€10).
I only cover the Lower Kolsai Lake here, since it was necessary to prioritize in order to be able to also see Charyn Canyon on the same day.
Infrastructure at Lower Kolsai Lake
The road ends around 1 km from the Lower Kolsai Lake. It is here, a this terminus located at an altitude of 1,800m, where you find most of the infrastructure to service the visitors who come to visit the lakes.
There are a number of bars, cafés, restaurants and (paid) toilets, as well as the typical souvenir shops, as well as some companies that offer horse rides and other experiences, such as the drive in a special vehicle to the Middle Kolsai Lake. There is also plenty of parking space.
I didn’t get the impression that there is a lot of hospitality infrastructure at the moment (Oct.’26), but this is an industry that seems to be developing fast. In fact, when driving to the lakes you can see quite a few camping/hotel sites and the “/” is intentional, because I am not sure to which category of accommodation they belong since they tend to be either yurts (although I guess a modern reinterpretation of the traditional concept) as well as capsule-like bungalows.
I guess “glamping” is the best way to define these modalities of accommodation that appear to be popular in the vicinity of Kolsai Lakes National Park. Maybe something to find out next time!
From the road terminus and services base it’s a 15 min walk to the Lower Kolsai Lake. It is a rather pleasant walk with no particular technical difficulty. The trail is perfectly demarcated and maintained.
At the end of the trail you find a little dock and a water sports base where it is possible to rent rowing and pedal boats.
Top place to eat at Lower Kolsai Lake
Tary Café (by Sandyk Group)
Also at the edge of the lake, but some 100 meters uphill is the most upmarket establishment in the area: the Tary Café and restaurant, which has also a panoramic terrace and a souvenir shop.
This place is part of the Sandyk Group, which runs also a Kazakh cuisine restaurant which I featured in my Astana story, and has a partnership with Air Astana to supply the airline’s business class inflight meals.
The walk up to Tary Café is well worth it, since it is an ideal spot to rest a bit after the long drive from Almaty and replenish energies by tasting some Kazakh specialities, all while enjoying some privileged views of the lake.
The place is tastefully decorated, arranging traditional Kazakh motifs in a rather subtle minimalist way, and, at the same time, underlining the beauty of the surrounding landscape.
Charyn Canyon National Park
We shall soon see what’s in Charyn Canyon, one of the great natural attractions of Kazakhstan, but first I would like to highlight that Charyn is not the only canyon in this part of the world.
When driving between the Kolsai Lakes and Charyn, you pass by the “Black Canyon”, which is slightly smaller than Charyn and made of darker rocks (hence its name). Interestingly, a glass bridge is being built over the Black Canyon!
I didn’t stop due to time constraints, but even the drive by provided some really stunning views, which you can see in the picture below.
Arriving at Charyn Canyon - Infrastructure
Charyn Canyon is located in a totally different environment from Kolsai Lake. Here the landscape is desert as far as the eye can see, which is the Tian Shan range, on the border with China.
Access to the canyon is through a branch of the main road, which takes you to the visitors’ center car park, itself barely a couple of hundred meters from the edge of the canyon. By the way, just like at Kolsai Lake, there is also an entrance fee to access the national park.
The visitors’ center is quite a modern building (it opened in 2023) which blends quite well with the landscape. There is a small exhibit area, an ever smaller souvenir shop, toilets and a branch of Tary Café (the same that we have already seen at Kolsai Lake!).
Next to the visitors’ center there are also a number of structures painted in earthy colours. That is the Pana Unique Charyn, a glamping resort, also of recent construction.
Trails to visit Charyn Canyon
The section of the canyon that most visitors see, called “Valley of the Castles” is only a small part, a couple of kilometres long, of a whole geological system that stretches for over 150 km).
There are two main ways to visit it: through the upper or the lower part. Since there was time for one, opted for the easiest and fastest: the upper one. This upper trail has also the benefit of offering broad panoramic views.
The title of “little brother of the Grand Canyon of Colorado” is well deserved. Charyn Canyon is much smaller than its US counterpart but the overall setup is quite reminiscent of it and also very impressive, reaching a depth of 300m at some points (although the depth is closer to 150m along the most commonly visited area).
It was formed as the Charyn river (from which it takes its name) made its way from the nearby Tian Shan mountains, where it has its source, through sandstone and other soft rocks. In the picture below you can see the start of the upper trails, which follows the edge of the cliffs along the Valley of Castles.
The upper trail presents no technical difficulty, since it is rather flat. Every few meters there are salients that, like a terrace, offer a closer view of the valley below (through which the lower trail passes).
Wildlife at Charyn Canyon
While walking along the canyon you will come across large numbers of great gerbils. These little rodents are a constant presence during your walk as they constantly pop in and out of their little burrows and you can see them quarreling with each other or carrying materials for their “homes”.
I added the next couple of pictures to give you a sense of the scale of the scenery here. Zoom in and you will see a few people standing on rocky ledges along the rim of the canyon!
With these views, and little time to spare, this intense one-day excursion from Almaty came to an end. More than three hours of driving lay ahead, though fortunately much of it on motorways.
However, and before you go, let me recommend the following pieces, which you may find of interest if you are planning a trip to Kazakhstan in the near future:
24 hours in Almaty, Kazakhstan, what to do and what to see (updated 2026)
Almaty is Kazakhstan’s largest city and it was also its political capital until 1997, when the government moved to more centrally-located Astana (I did visit Astana in the same trip and a post with my impressions is coming up soon, btw!).
Kazakhstan is the size of whole of Western Europe and Almaty is literally at one of its corners, right on the foothills of the Tian Shan mountain range, which limits with Kyrgyzstan and China. The view of the Tian Shan’s snowy peaks is, actually, the first sight greeting visitors arriving at Almaty’s international airport (you can find also my review of Air Astana’s flight from Europe here).
These mountains play, actually, an important role in the life of Almaty’s residents and I had a chance to get a taster of them, but, since we have only 24 hours in the city, let’s go on a quick city tour first!
Covered in this post:
A walking tour of central Almaty
The Almaty metro
The city baths
Panfilov Park and the Orthodox Cathedral
The Green Bazar
Evening in Almaty
Shymbulak ski resort
Where to stay in Almaty
Where to eat out in Almaty
This post may contain affiliate links. If you book or buy something through them, I earn a small commission, at no extra cost to you. It's one of the ways I keep Places of Charm going. Thank you for your support.
A walking tour of central Almaty
If you have ever been to any of the capitals of the former Soviet republics, some parts of Almaty will look familiar to you. Although Almaty has been settled for many centuries, it was during the Soviet period that the city grew to become one of Central Asia’s largest cities and that it got most of the landmarks I visited during this tour.
What is interesting about Almaty’s architecture, though, is that, interspersed with the classical Soviet-era styles (like the Opera palace depicted above), there are many elements that draw from local Kazakh culture.
As an example, these intricate motifs (right side picture), inspired in traditional Kazakh art, which decorate the facade of quite a few buildings in central Almaty. Judging by the type of construction, I’d say these are from around the 1970s.
Also remarkable is that most of central Almaty is laid out in a grid-like pattern, with rather wide streets intersecting at right angles. There is also quite a lot of greenery, since the city is not very densely built and there is ample space between buildings.
Our tour took place on a rainy Autumn day, which made for a nice walk in the cool (but not too cold!) air. I hope these pictures capture a little bit of the city atmosphere, like here below, at the head of Panfilov Street, one of the main pedestrianised avenues in Almaty.
A ride in the Almaty metro
Let’s start by saying that the metro (subway) in Almaty is rather limited, in fact it is not, properly speaking, a transport network, because, as of 2024, it has just one line.
What’s interesting here is that, while it was inaugurated in 2011 and part of it has been built even later, the style is unmistakably Soviet. This is not because its engineers suffered from some sort of nostalgia, but because the design and construction of the Almaty metro project actually started in the 1980s.
Apparently, every Soviet city qualified to get a metro system from the moment it reached a population of 1M. Almaty got to that magical figure (after some gerrymandering with the city limits, we were told during the excursion) only as the Soviet Union was starting to crumble. Plans were laid out, but the Soviet collapse and the chaotic years that ensued meant that the project was put on a very slow track, until it was restarted in the early 2000s. So, when it was time to get back to work on the metro, the same blueprints were used (why not?).
It is well worth taking a ride on the Almaty metro just to have a peek at the different mosaics and decor elements you find at several points.
But let’s first have a look at the metro map to get an idea of the extension of the system and, one thing of note: see the line of mountains on a blue background at the top of the map? This shows the Tian Shan mountain range, which Almaty citizens use always as a reference point when navigating their city. The mountains here help with orientation, the same way that the sea or rivers play in other cities as an geographical anchor element.
The other interesting element are the mosaics and mural art that you find all over the metro. These depict mostly Kazakh themes. Here above you can see a glass mural dedicated to Aport apple, which is a local apple variety which has become a source of local pride and a sort of symbol of Almaty.
But what I found most interesting are the many mosaics throughout the metro system that allude to local Kazakh culture (again those tile patterns!) as well as the history of Central Asia and the Silk Road.
See for example these depictions of ancient cities at Zhibek Zholy (Жібек Жолы) station. How many monuments and places are you able to recongize in this map of the Silk Road?
The city baths
Bath houses play an important role in Turkic culture (Kazakhs are a people of Turkic origin), so it’s not a surprise that another building of reference in Almaty is the Arasan public bath (today known as the “Arasan Wellness & SPA”).
It was built in the 1980s in response to Tashkent, in neighbouring Uzbekistan (and a rival for urban primacy in Central Asia) having built earlier its own bath complex.
It’s a rather modern interpretation of the traditional public bath concept with plenty of interesting decorative details built in.
Panfilov Park, Ascension Cathedral and Memorial of Glory
This is sort of Almaty’s “central park”. Although it is not huge, it has several of the city’s landmarks in it, such as the Orthodox cathedral of the Ascension, which was built in wood and using a rather innovative (for the time) earthquake-resistant approach that has allowed to survive undamaged several episodes of seismic activity.
The park is named after Panfilov’s “28 Guardsmen”, a mostly-Kazakh unit in the Soviet army that suffered very high losses while defending Moscow in 1941.
Like every city in the former Soviet Union, Almaty has here, as well, its WW2 memorial with its eternal flame. There is also a military history museum next to the park, although there was no time to visit it.
The Green Bazaar
The Green Bazaar is located less than five minutes walk away from Panfilov Park and it is one of the must-see places in Almaty, if only to relish in the broad diversity of flavours and smells here. It is also a good spot to taste and buy traditional Kazakh produce, such as the famous Aport apples or Irimshik, a sort of brownish soft cheese.
The bazaar is very well organized by product category (dried fruit, pickled food, dairy, meat…) and by ethnicity. So, it seems that every national group specializes in one type of produce. For example, we were told dried food vendors are mostly Uzbek, while the dairy section is mostly taken care of by Turkish women.
There is also a Korean section (see below). Many ethnic Koreans were deported to Kazakhstan from the Far Eastern territories of Russia on Stalin’s orders around the time of WW2 and they are now a sizeable minority in Kazakhstan. Because of the lack of the original ingredients in their new homeland, Koreans adapted some of their dishes to the local produce and tastes.
Aport apples
Irimshik cheese
An evening walk through Almaty
Days are short in Autumn, so part of the walking tour took place in the evening, which is something that has its own appeal.
Here is a view of two landmarks of 1970s brutalist architecture in Kazakhstan. On the right is the building that used to house the Ministry of Geology, a pretty important institution in a country that derives much of its wealth from natural resources!
The building with the crown-like top to the left is the Kazakhstan Hotel. Arguably the top hotel in town for many years and, still today, one of the city’s main hospitality establishments.
At just over 100m high, the Kazakhstan Hotel was also, at the time of its construction, the tallest building in the country. It was also built with seismic activity in mind and its structure is said to be able to stand earthquakes of up to 9.0 in the Richter scale. In fact, the structure was successfully tested during its construction with a special machine that shook it up simulating a strong earthquake, with the chief architect and engineers on top (skin in the game!).
During our walk we were also able to see several of the statues scattered around central Almaty, with very different themes. For example, here on top you can see a fountain that represents the Kazakh horoscope (similar to the Chinese one) and, below, a statue dedicated to Soviet-era rock star Victor Tsoi.
Another iconic hotel in town is the Almaty Hotel, which was has a surprisingly modern-looking design despite having been built in the 1960s (the interior has been renovated but the structure remains the same).
Curious historical fact: the first director of the hotel, Rakhimzhan Koshkarbayev, was the Soviet soldier that hoisted the red flag over the Reichstag during the Battle of Berlin, in 1945 (the iconic photo was a later reenactment, though).
The entrance of the Almaty Hotel is also decorated with these beautiful mosaic depicting scenes from Kazakh traditional tales.
More street art, here in an underground passage. Note, again, the Aport apple theme!
And, here, with this picture of the Kazakh Academy of Sciences, that we conclude our tour of the city centre. Before turning to the outdoor experience in the mountains, though, a word about the excellent tour guide, provided by Walking Almaty.
Shymbulak ski resort
Almaty is surrounded by great outdoors, including some world-class natural parks. You don’t even need to go as far as Altyn-Emel or Charyn Canyon (two truly unique national parks which are within driving range of Almaty, but which are, perhaps, best visited with an overnight stay), truly Alpine nature is a short taxi and cable-car ride away from the city center!
Shymbulak, is a suburban ski resort. The base station of the Shymbulak cable car is barely a 15min drive from Almaty city center (provided there is no traffic!).
The cable car will take you in a few minutes to a height of more than 2,200 meters of altitude. In Winter this is where the skiing area starts, but you can visit year round for the mountain sights, trekking (it was rainy and cloudy when we visited though) or to enjoy the restaurants and services (more on this in the food section further down).
These mountains are very popular with Almaty residents, who come here for a bit of outdoors sports and to breathe the fresh mountain air.
It is in this valley, half way up the mountain, that you find the Medeu skating ring, the highest in the world of its type. This sports facility became famous during Soviet times, because local conditions of altitude and prevailing low winds enabled many ice skating world records to be set here!
We arrived just in time to experience the first snow of the season!
Where to stay in Almaty
Intercontinental Almaty by IHG
This is a nice, modern hotel located in a high rise building.
Its rooms are modern, perhaps not up to the very latest contemporary design trends, but solidly comfortable, clean and big.
The members of staff were also very friendly and helpful throughout.
By the way, on the culinary front, I enjoyed room service, which offers an eclectic mix of international and Asian food options.
Breakfast and lunch buffet are also worth mentioning, since they include a broad variety of sweet and salty foods as well as international and Kazakh specialities, including different types of local cheese as well as camel and horse milk and dairy. Local Kazakh specialities are presented in a cute yurt-like arrangement!
Where to eat in Almaty
Here are some nice options to eat out in Almaty and Shymbulak. It is mostly international cuisine (Italian and Turkish mostly), so don’t expect super typical Kazakh dishes here (you will have to wait to my upcoming post about Astana for this!), but all of them were pretty good and you can’t go wrong with them.
Monte Bambini, Shymbulak
This is a cozy mountain restaurant next to the base station of the Shymbulak cable car. Here you can find a mix of European and Central Asian specialities.
Big Chefs, Shymbulak
Big Chefs is also in Shymbulak but at the other end of the cable car, up in the mountain.
Turkish cuisine is the main focus here. The mezze, for example, were really good and the portions quite generous. There is also a nice dessert selection.
Aurora Café, Almaty
This is an upmarket Italian restaurant in central Almaty (with a nice aeronautical touch by the entrance!).
It’s got a pretty good selection of dishes, which include also some Central Asian shashlik, of course, besides more international fare.
And last, but not least, big thanks to the team at Air Astana, the main airline of Kazakhstan, which worked hard to make sure we experienced the best of Almaty during our short but intense stay!
Café Karlygash (“Кафе Карлыгаш”)
Karlygash, which means “swallow” in Kazakh language, is an iconic place in central Almaty with a history dating back to the Soviet era.
It opened in 1967 as an ice-cream shop and, in 2025, it was relaunched as a high-end restaurant.
The new owners preserved the outside of the building and totally refurbished the interior to reflect this new market positioning with a decor that looks modern and refreshed, but with a touch of classical elegance throughout.
On the culinary front, Karlygash offers a broad range of local and international specialities, from pizza to Beshbarmak, the traditional Kazakh dish which consist of horse meat round slices served over sheets of boiled dough accompanied of onion broth (see below).
24 hours in Astana, what to do and what to see (updated 2026)
This is the second instalment of my Kazakhstan series: after a couple of intense days in Almaty, the country’s largest city and former capital, I flew to the northern steppes to visit Astana, the city, which since 1997 has been Kazakhstan’s capital.
Astana was a really interesting place to visit, because while it is not an entirely new settlement, it has been fully transformed since its designation as a capital, with most of it having been built pretty much from scratch as a planned city.
In fact, Astana is still pretty much a work in progress and, was it not for the freezing temperatures, you would be forgiven for thinking you are at some of the fast-growing cities on the shores of the Persian Gulf.
Upon arrival at the airport you get a first taste of the type of architecture that you find throughout the city: essentially newly built structures, but often with a touch of tradition in them, which give them singularity.
Also at the airport, this mural which depicts some of the main landmarks that I visited during my 48 hiours in Astana and that we will soon see as we move further down this post.
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Thank you for your support.
Covered in this piece:
Astana’s changing names
Moving around Astana
Key sights and landmarks
The Baiterek
The National Museum of Kazakhstan
Astana’s Palace of Peace and Reconciliation
Where to eat in Astana
Where to stay in Astana
Did you know that Astana has changed names thrice in as many decades?
The city was called Akmola in Soviet times. Then in 1997 it changed its name to Astana, which means “capital” in Kazakh languages. Then, again, in 2019 its name was changed to Nur-Sultan, in hounour to the then president Nursultan Nazarbayev. This latest change was shortlived, though, since following a wave of political protests in 2021, the name reverted to Astana once more!
Moving around Astana
Let’s start by saying that Astana is not really a walkable city.
It is not just the fact that it can get really hot in summer and freezing cold (like really, really cold, on the order of -40 C) in winter, but also that the urban design is not designed for pedestrians: there are large, broad avenues and big distances between the different landmarks, even within the city center.
In this regard, it has more in common with Dubai, Riyadh or certain American cities than with Almaty. If you like contemporary architecture and urban planning, though, it can be a really interesting city to visit.
Astana’s new light rail metro
The good news is that Astana’s light rail system (LRT) opened in May 2026!
The network is not super extensive (just one line at the time of writing these lines), but it covers several different key landmarks in the city center and it is also possible to travel this way between the airport and downtown.
Astana’s light rail system (LRT) is fully automated and runs on elevated platforms (which makes it also a practical way to get views of the city).
The alternative is to use the ride hailing app Yandex Taxi (this is the Russian tech company that in 2018 acquired Uber’s operations in Russia, Kazakhstan and some other neighbouring countries). I didn’t use it on this occasion, but my understanding is that prices are usually quite reasonable.
Key sights and landmarks in Astana
Let’s see what is there to do and to see, where to eat and where to stay in Astana if your schedule is limited to a couple of days only.
Here you can see some sights from the restaurant Vechnoy Nebo (reviewed further below), which is located at the so-called “Moscow Tower”, one of the tallest buildings in downtown Astana.
Astana will soon have the tallest building in Central Asia, the 320m, 78 storey-high Abu Dhabi Plaza (below), the construction of which has been funded by the eponymous UAE Emirate.
When I visited Astana, the city had just held the Nomadic Games, which, as the name implies, is a sort of Olympics, but of sports and other physical activities that were (some still are!) practiced by nomadic peoples, of which Kazakhs used to be one. Think different styles of horse riding, archery and different modalities of fighting, among others.
Astana is also home to the largest mosque in Central Asia, and one of the largest in the world for that matter. Astana’s Grand Mosque is, in fact, so big that it is able to host up to 235,000 people inside! Here you can see it at dusk.
Another iconic building in Astana is the Khan Shatyr mall, which is shaped like a yurt, the traditional tent of Kazakhs and other nomadic peoples of Cental Asia. Inside it is just a normal mall, but it is quite an interesting building to see from outside, particularly in the evening, when it changes colours every few minutes.
Astana is full of contemporary monumental architecture, with long, broad avenues designed to create impressive perspectives.
The Baiterek monument
This egg-shaped 105m-tall structure is, perhaps, the most iconic sights in Astana. It was built to mark the transfer of the capital from Almaty to Astana, in 1997.
It is possible to get to the top of the egg, from where there are 360º views of Astana.
The National Museum of Kazakhstan
This museum covers the whole history of the lands that are now Kazakhstan, from the ancient times all the way to the present.
It is built on a grand, monumental scale and it is way more than an architectural shell, it does have some truly interesting collections inside.
As someone interested in ancient history, I found totally fascinating the rooms dedicated to the Scythians and other ancient nomadic peoples that once roamed the steppes of Kazakhstan and greater Central Asia.
These are cultures that are not very well known in the West despite having been quite influential in shaping settled empires from Europe to China. The clothing, jewellery and other arctifacts they produced were also absolutely stunning!
The museum offers also a glimpse into the life of the traditional way of life of the Kazakh people, which carried on pretty much undisturbed until the relatively late arrival of Russian and later Soviet rule.
And, while Nursultan Nazarbayev, last president of the Kazakh SSR and first president of independent Kazakhstan, fell somehow from grace in 2022 (when he was stripped of many of the official roles he held after resigning as president in 2019), he still has its place of honour at the museum.
Btw, did you notice this pyramid in the background? This is the next Astana landmarks, which we will visit!
Astana’s Palace of Peace and Reconciliation
This pyramid-shaped building is one of the most unique in Astana and definitely a must. Designed by the studio of renowned British architect Norman Foster, the Palace of Peace and Reconciliation is meant to be a sort of ecumenical center that brings together all religions and faiths of Kazakhstan (and, by extension, the whole world)
Like many other contemporary buildings in Astana, the pyramid is full of symbolic elements. Besides its architectural value, the Palace of Peace and Reconciliation is also a conference and event venue. Featuring an auditorium and several spaces designed to hold high level meetings.
It is possible to get to the very top level of the pyramid through a rather unique elevator that follows the outer contour of the building at roughly a 45º angle. At the lower floors you find be able to enjoy, yet, more views of the city (through the painted that highlight the overall peace theme of the building) as well as some rather interesting spaces that have an almost James-bondesque feel.
Where to eat in Astana
Sandyq
Sarayshyq St 34/3, Astana 010000
This restaurant, specializing in Kazakh cuisine is named after the wooden box (“sandyq”) in which nomadic Kazakh people used to keep their belongings when moving around the steppe.
It occupies several floors of a modern building in the center of Astana and it is decorated throughout to provide a proper “Kazakh” experience.
Sandyq is a great place to taste a mix of Kazakh specialities, such as the different varieties of cheese (which can be quite pungent and salty), soup (which is mixed also with cheese).
…and, of course, the quintessential Kazakh meat dish: horse meat!
There are also a number of rooms for group meals and, I must highlight that, while Sandiq’s set up and menu will certainly appeal to tourists, there were plenty of locals eating there too, including some birthday parties that at some point started singing Kazakh songs!
This was in addition to the repertoire of Kazakh music courtesy of the restaurant.
Restaurant Vechnoye Nebo
This is a restaurant specializing in the cuisine of the Turkic peoples, as represented by traditional female dresses, from all over Central Asia and all the way to the edges of Europe.
But besides the food and the ambience, one of the highlights of this restaurant (and perhaps its name, which in Russian means “eternal sky (heaven?)” is the 360º views it has over downtown Astana.
This is because it is located on one of the top floors of “Moscow Tower” one of the tallest buildings in Astana.
Restaurant Vechnoye Nebo (“Вечное небо”)
18, Dostyk Street BC “Moscow”, Floor 25, Astana
http://www.vechnoenebo-dostyq.kz
Here you will find a broad array of specialities from the Turkic culinary traditions (together with some international ones as well).
Restaurant Marcello
Turkistan Street 28, Astana 020000
https://www.instagram.com/marcello.restaurant
This is an Italian-style restaurant managed by a local restaurateur offering a cozy atmosphere in downtown Astana.
Besides the large and tasty pizzas it also offers a broad array of other dishes, including some touches of local Kazakh and Central Asian cuisine.
La Crème
Dostyq St 1А, Astana 020000
This is a network of modern, upmarket bakeries-cafés-restaurants (three in one). The one is reference here is the most central one.
The first thing that greets you when you come in is the exuberant display of super-sized croissants in all sorts of flavours, but La Crème has actually an upper floor which is a restaurant serving mostly international cuisine dishes.
Since I visited as part of a group and we sampled several items on the menu, I show here some of the things we got. As you can see it is quite an eclectic mix, ranging from Asian to Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cuisine. Rations were generous and quality pretty good, in my opinion.
If there is one thing that La Crème stands out for, though, is its dessert selection, which has some really cool items such as this sweet, round bunny!
Koktem Café Astana
Dinmukhamed Qonayev St 12/1, Astana 020000
This is a very central place, located right opposite the Baiterek. It has a youthful, causal atmosphere which aims to evoke a street food court.
It offers a very broad selection of culinary specialities, both local and international, but the Indian food section stands out in particular. Portions are big and tasty!
Where to stay in Astana
Sheraton Astana Hotel
Abu Dhabi Plaza Adreça: Syganak St 60/1
Astana 010000
This is a modern hotel operated by the famous international chain. It is located within the grounds of Abu Dhabi Plaza, which includes, adjacent, the aforementioned tallest skyscraper in Astana.
The rooms are rather spacious and the bed is comfortably, although I would suggest caution when opening the cupboard doors: one of the compartments next to where the coffee machine is located opens upwards rather than sideways and activated with a mechanism that makes it bounce unexpectedly, so you can get easily hit in the face if too close to it (don’t ask me how I found about it!).
Tasting Kazakh cheese in Astana
Breakfast at the Sheraton Astana is a good opportunity to try different Kazakh specialities, particularly the cheeses, such as the ubiqutuous “kurt” (the tiny balls of salty cheese) and zhent (which has the look and texture of a sponge). If you like them, there is a supermarket right next to the hote, where you will find many of these traditional cheese types, well packed in an easy to transport way and at a good price!
Last but not least, a word of thanks to Air Astana, Kazakhstan’s national airline, which made this trip to Astana possible.
You can also check my flight reviews of Air Astana’s Economy and Business Class.