The reader (right) with some of his family members at Lake Kaindy, and an eagle. — Photos: Dr MOHD FAIZAL SIKKANDAR
When my better half suggested we go on a family trip to Kazakhstan and its neighbouring country, Kyrgyzstan, my initial thoughts were ... why?
I have not heard of stories about the countries, even from friends who have been to either destination. I couldn’t recall seeing any posts on social media either. My two boys on the other hand were excited about the trip.
We booked an eight-hour direct flight from Kuala Lumpur to Almaty, the largest city in Kazakhstan. (I will just be sharing about our time in this country; perhaps I will write about Kyrgyzstan another day.)
A beautiful crisp morning welcomed us on our first day at Almaty. My wife had booked a tour package of Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan with SUV Travels, a company that specialises in 4WD tours. We were picked up from the hotel in two 4WDs by our trustworthy tour guides, Sulthan and Dorsh, who stayed with us throughout the whole tour.
Our first destination was Basshi Village, which took over an hour’s drive to get to. My extended family of seven, which included my parents and brother-in-law, were awed by what we saw as we travelled along the highways.
The village has accommodations for visitors who wish to spend more time exploring the nearby Altyn-Emel National Park. Our first stop was Aktau Mountains, located within the park. The word “aktau” in the local dialect translates to “white mountains”, which best describes the place. The journey to this mountain was terraneous, and only SUV vehicles handled by skilled drivers could withstand the hairpin bends and turns leading to the mountain foot.
From the mountain foot, we hiked on foot to one of several peaks of Aktau. The view from here was just spectacular.
The Katutau Mountains is located within the Altyn-Emel National Park.
Our next stop was Katutau Mountains, a molten boulder (more of a small hill, really) which was formed due to the volcanic lava that came in contact with the ocean hundreds of years ago. This is a protected heritage site.
The following day, we travelled to The Singing Dunes. It’s a sandy white mountainous area which actually produces a vibrating sound as we slide down the sides. The climb up the dunes was scary, but the slide downhill afterwards was super fun!
We ended the day in Chunja Hot Springs at a local resort. A soak in the natural hot water bath revived our weary bodies.
Our guides took us to Charyn National Park the next day. This park stretched along the Charyn River, which runs beneath the magnificent Charyn Canyon. The bright red rock canyon is said to resemble the Grand Canyon in the United States, albeit a smaller version.
After spending a few good hours here, we drove to other nearby canyons – the Temerlik, Bestamak and Moon Canyons – to take pictures for our social media (and for our keepsake, of course).
The views in these places were just out of this world.
The reader’s wife and youngest son at the picturesque Kolsai Lake.
We spent the night in a guesthouse in a local village, the Saty Village. After a good night’s rest, we left for Kaindy Lake in the morning. Located within the Kolsay Lakes National Park, this is a popular tourist spot, famous for its greenish-blue water as a result of limestone deposits.
Here, we took a 20-minute guided horse ride down a creek through a forest to reach the lake.
We decided to take pictures with an eagle – the national animal of Kazakhstan – while donning traditional local robes.
Along our journey, I told Dorsh that Kazakhstan is truly blessed for having a variety of geographical beauties. There are the deserts, mountains, lush greeneries and beautiful lakes, all naturally located in a single country. We both agreed that more should be done for these natural wonders to be discovered and enjoyed by tourists from all around the world.
Our Kazakhstan trip ended well after four spectacular days, kicking off our next escapade to its neighbouring country Kyrgyzstan, with more wonderful surprises in store.
The views expressed are entirely the reader’s own.
