Kazakhstan-Krygyzstan-Kazakhstan on a tourist KAZ visa
 

Hi everyone!

I'll be riding through the south of KAZ this summer and while planning the route I noticed that there seem to be two roads from Shymkent to Almaty: The A2, which takes you along the border and enters Kyrgyzstan for a few miles at two different points, and the M39, which cuts straight across the north of Kyrgyzstan, through Bishkek and then back into KAZ and to Almaty.

I have seen that as a Spanish citizen I do not need a visa to enter the country, but since I would be leaving KAZ, I wonder if I might have trouble getting back in on the way to Almaty on a single-entry tourist visa. Is there any kind of special agreement between their governments that will allow me to travel through that region without having to apply for a double-entry visa to KAZ? Or should I just play it safe and ride north to Shu and then back south to Almaty?

Thanks very much!

Don't worry. You will not cross to Kyrgyzstan using A2 from Shymkent.
You can see it in sattellite view in google maps.

But riding from Bishkek to Issyk you cross Kazakh territory for 200 meters. But there are no checkpoint there...