Need some info about Kazakhstan
 

I am planning to go to Kazakhstan this June/July. The plan is to enter Kaz from Astrachan, Russia, and then to spend up to 20 days there, as I am limited by a 30 day Russian visa, before I leave Russia back to Ukraine. So I have 30 days from Ukraine and back to Ukraine at most. Kaz is a huge country, so I don't know how much of it can I cover within the available two and a half, maybe three weeks. The most interesting part, south-east, seems to me out of reach. Is it better to enter from the north, Mamylutka-Petropavlovsk for instance, I expect roads to be better there. Maybe then I can go to Astana, Balkash lake, Almaty, Sharyn NP, maybe Turkistan? Baykonur nad Aral sea would also be nice. Can it be done in such a short time, and still see something? The info available on the net is not enough. The bike is BMW R1200R with two people. I have over 30 years riding experience. We'we been in every European country, North Africa and Turkey, but I have my doubts about Kaz. Should we leave Kaz for the next life, and just stay in Russia? I do not enjoy riding off road. I can live with a bad road for a reasonable distance, but not for thousands of kilometers. By bad I mean bad, sticky, dusty, muddy first-second gear kind of road. Anything over 60 km/h is good. How about distances between fuel pumps? Can I expect to find a place to sleep every night. Not necessarily a hotel, but a bed with a roof? We are too old to camp. Stopped doing that fifteen years ago. A lot of questions. Every answer is appreciated.

Thanks

We did much of this last year in August exiting russia from Volgograd, covering about 2500km in Kaz in 4 days. Uralsk, Aralsk, down to Tashkent in Uzbekistan (100 km SW is the border for vehicles). Its definitely not a cakewalk. they are doing a lot of road building so at that time it was a mix of new road, really bad old road and lots of off road. The stretches of off road would be 50+km at a time, dirt, rocks, and lots of sand to make you fall over. It was hellishly hot and there were many trucks creating constant dust cloud. one stretch in the very middle between Aktobe & Aralsk has NO petrol for 420km. There is a whole lot of nothing in this vast land. not much food, gas or place to stay but its truly awesome. roaming camels, eagles, salt ponds, dry dry earth. No mud because there is no rain. I think the east is very different if you get that far...not sure what the projected completion date is for the road but its a massive project. as far as places to stay, there are very few towns of any size. they all have at least 1 place to stay & eat thought you might be having camel meatballs. there are some dusty truck stop eateries but not many. always carry food & water there imho, especially water. you can buy stuff at petrol stations. sorry this sounds like an endurance test but it kinda was. but i'm really glad we did it. what an experience.

Thanks for the info. Your experience confirms what I have read about Kaz. If we decide to go, we will probably change our itinerary and enter Kaz from the north. I am trying to get in touch with some of the local truck drivers that travel there regularly. I know that truckers have a different perspective than motorcyclists, but their info is also valuable. What worries me most is the lack of places to sleep.
It also amazes me that you travelled 2500 km in four days on those roads. You must have been riding all day long. That kind of riding is not exactly what we do. We usually average 300-500 km/day. That way we can enjoy the sights, stay in interesting places for a day or two, then next day cover 1000 kms if necessary, but on a good road, of course.

Kazakhstan is beautiful country :)
I did western part from north to south last fall and just loved these small roadside restaurants where simple soup tasted excellent.
Also, camping in the middle of the desert is unforgettable experience. Just carry enough and a bit more water (you might meet some cyclists over there who can be short of water).

Kazakhstan is full of interesting places, history, and has some stunning mountains, but it requires some effort.

Have a flick through these pictures for a few ideas (two months in the country):

https://picasaweb.google.com/1136194...e?noredirect=1

I am not sure what you want to see in Kazakhstan with so little time, and not going off-road.

I love Kazakhstan, but with only one month from Ukraine to Ukraine, I would spend my time in Russia. You can see vast, open steppes on the road from Makhachkala to Elista, and the North Caucasus is a fascinating and welcoming region to travel in.

If you really are determined to go to Kazakhstan, then you have to prepare for some discomfort - heat, dust, bad roads etc.

The Western end of Kazkhstan is pretty empty, with the exception of Mangystau region which has some very intesting grave sites and shrines. BUT the area will be oven hot, waterless, and asphalt free.

If you had more time, I might suggest an itinerary from Petropavl to Astana via the lakes / forest at Borovoye, then to Karaghanda, Balkash, down through the Karatau mountains to Turkestan, then up past Baikonur and the Aral Sea to Qarabutaq, then into Russia by whichever way you wish.

But the distances are huge - you are well out of Europe, and remember that Paris to Moscow only just halfway across Europe.

Only you know how far you can get per day etc, but I would try to scale down and spend more time enjoying western / southern Russia and the Caucasus. You could pass through Georgia too, which is a lovely place to visit.

Daniel

Daniel, thank you for answering.

It seems that Kaz is a bit out of reach for this time. No matter how I look at it, I need at least 7-10 days to go thru Russia, which obviously leaves very little time for Kaz. Do you have recent info about Russian-Georgian border, can a foreign tourist cross it without problems? I know that some time ago a single border crossing was open, but is that really a possibility? We do not need a visa for Georgia, and I hope that Russians will give us a double entry visa as we have requested.

First reaction from the truck driver that travels to Kaz was sort of "are you crazy, why do you want to go there, and by motorcycle??? There is nothing to see, the roads are horrible, blablabla, etc...." As I said before, a truckers' perspective is a "bit" different than a motorcyclists'.... He also said "go to Iran, that is a gentleman's country".. I did not want to tell him that I actually might go to Iran this May:),... but that is another story.

And no, I have not given up on Kazakhstan, not yet.

The Russia / Georgia border at Verkhniy Lars / Kazbegi is currently open to everyone, but it is a volatile region... But it is closer than Kazakhstan, and you will immediately see stuff, not have to drive 1000s of kms to do it.

If you just wanted go stand n Kazakhstan to tick it off the list,you could go to Atyrau, but the area is totally uninteresting, and the city is not always very safe or friendly for foreigners. The only thing to see there is the delta of the Ural river, which is full of birds and friendly fishermen, but it woul be kind of crazy to do this when you could go to Georgia and see soooo much more, drink great wine, eat nice food, see mountain watchtowers, etc etc

Yes, Iran is a fantastic country, one could spend years there, as there is so much to see! But, you need a carnet really.

Daniel

Well, just a short report. We just came back from our ex-CCCP tour. Uzhgorod, Odessa, Yalta, Rostov, Volgograd, Uralsk, Atyrau, Astrachan, Elista, Vladikavkaz, a few days in Georgia, Armenia, failed to enter Azerbaijan because of the cash deposit required for the bike that we did not know about. Back through Turkey, Bulgaria and Serbia. If anyone needs some info I'll be glad to share.

Oh good you got to Georgia & Armenia. Hope you enjoyed your ride!