Btw, really awesome trip report. Kudos to you. I have a few questions.

1) I suppose it was mostly cash base transaction there? How did you juggle the money side?

2) so if you redo you trip, what I am understanding is, less time in Astana and Kazakhstan. Also less time in Uzbekistan, more time in Kyrgyzstan?

3) which hotel booking website you rely on for this trip?

4) of the 4 countries, which one feels the most memorable?

Want to trip make a trip report of my 9 days trip to Almaty and surrounding

Date of the trip: 2nd half of October 2025
Length of trip: 9 days
Pacing: Very chill
Number of pax: 2
Flight: On AirAsia X direct to Almaty. KUL-ALA --> Advanced normal seat selection paid. ALA-KUL --> Flat Bed

Total cost per person including transport to KLIA and back, and insurance: RM8,700 per pax
Hotel stayed in Almaty:
1) Holiday Inn Express (hotel is newer, good breakfast)
2) Hotel Uyut (hotel is slightly older, good breakfast, location is better, i think this is better than holiday inn express for the $ i paid for)

I paid for a private tour with a local link --> TripAdvisor page

I think it is easy to plan for a trip in Kazakhstan. You can do a faster pace trip, doing a 4D or 5D trip with a private guide, driving around the key sights like Kolsai Lake, Kaindy Lake, Charyn Canyon, Altyn Emel National Park, Issyk Lake, Assy Plateau. Thereafter, you can do a 2D 1N trip to Turkistan. I didnt go to Turkistan.

There's nothing too interesting inside Almaty city to be honest. What you see online is mainly taking picture next to the yellow building church. What i did like was Almaty had alot of different cuisine, I tried georgian food, russian food, Kazakh food, really enjoyed it.

Some Q&A

Question: Do you need to pay for private tour?
Answer: No. Not really. I paid 1700 for 2 person for my itinerary, which yours could be different. There are places that require a 4WD drive to get there hence the private tour comes in useful. I remember when i was in Altyn Emel National Park, there's no pave road and i am pretty sure Waze not working there, hence the importance of hiring the tour guide. But i did see other people driving a normal car there but HIGHLY NOT RECOMMENDED to do that. it's foolish.

You can drive a normal car to visit Kolsai Lake and Charyn Canyon. All paved road. Kaindy Lake is about 15km from the Saty village, where most likely you will stay there. That 15km is unpaved road. You can get a ride from Saty village but i dont know how, you need to google this.

Question: What is the more interesting place to visit?
Answer: I didnt go to Issyk Lake, Assy Plateau. to me, Charyn Canyon and Altyn Emel NP was abit more interesting. Desert like but not really. The ride in/around the Altyn Emel was interesting, it's really the steppe that makes it looks different. Granted the Lakes were scenic, and beautiful, but just feel like the lush and green can be obtained in Malaysia. Maybe if you visited in winter, there could be a different vibe.

This post has been edited by adele123: Dec 7 2025, 05:05 PM