A reminder for those who want to go to Borovoe. Family travel to borovoe, kazakhstan with children

Borovoye is picturesque mountain scenery, blue lakes, coniferous forests and deciduous groves. Burabay resort for its picturesqueness, abundance blue lakes, rivers, flora and fauna has an artistic name - "Pearl of the Kazakh country". Borovoye is one of the best places for rest and entertainment, self-contemplation and walks. There is a Kazakh legend, which says that when God created the world, he gave the Kazakhs only the steppes of Saryarka. The people were disappointed and asked God to grant them beautiful nature. God, in answer to their prayers, gave them a beautiful oasis called Burabay. On the site of the modern resort of Borovoe in ancient times there was an ancient sea. By the end ice age as a result of tectonic processes, the sea disappeared and erosion from the action of the sun, winds and rains created beautiful landscapes of giant plates, numerous beautiful lakes on the depressions.The Burabay resort is also known under the names "Kazakhstan Switzerland, Blue Lakes Kazakhstan". Borovoe is sunny Beach, famous far beyond the borders of Kazakhstan, is known for hospitals that practice healing and improving health with the help of koumiss. Resort Borovoe (Burabay - Kaz.) modern resort located on the territories of the State National natural park"Burabai". The resort is one of the most unique natural landscapes Kazakhstan and is characterized by low-mountain relief, coniferous forests and numerous lakes with majestic landscapes and clean air. In 1920, the territory of today's Borovoe was nationalized and became the very first recognized state-level resort in Kazakhstan. In 2000, Burabay was given the status of a national natural park. To date, the territory national park covers 129,565 hectares.

How to get to Borovoye resort?

The Borovoe resort can be reached by plane, train or bus. The nearest airports to the resort are the airport of Kokshetau (94 km.) and international Airport Astana (250 km.)Domestic flights from the cities of Kazakhstan are carried out from all regional centers in Astana. International direct flights to Astana are operated from 28 cities of the world by Kazakhstani and international airlines. The nearest airport is Kokshetau, two airlines operate a direct flight here. Air tickets from Almaty to Kokshetau can be purchased only from SCAT airline, which operates direct flights to Monday , Tuesday , Thursday And Saturday . Flights from Moscow to Kokshetau from Domodedovo Airport are also operated by S7 Airlines. you can visit our website.From Astana airport you need to get to the city railway station by bus or taxi. Train Station and the bus station of the city are located nearby and you can choose the most suitable transport for you to your destination. If you have chosen to travel by train, you can look at the timetable of trains from Astana to the resort of Borovoe, Shchuchinsk. You can buy train tickets on the official website railways Kazakhstanor in the buildings of the railway station in Astana.

If you want to save time, we recommend that you go to the resort by minibuses, or by taxi, which offers its services in front of the railway station. The approximate price will cost you within 2500-3000 tenge.Travel time approximately three hours. Well, if you want to save money, then we suggest getting to the resort by train or by bus from the bus station. You can also get there by your own or rented car, for this you need to go from Astana to the Astana-Schuchinsk highway. 1 km = 1 tenge, that is, you will need to pay 200 tenge for the autobahn.

Places of accommodation in Burabay resort

All the sanatorium and hotels, hotels, recreation centers, houses of the Borovoe resort are available on the site. For the convenience of choosing accommodation, use the search on. The resort has the following accommodation options:

5 star hotels:

Three star hotels: ABOUT un

Recreation centers:

Resort Hotels:

The climate of the resort Borovoe

The resort has a sharply continental climate with hot summers and very cold and snowy winters, ideal for skiers and for beach holiday on the lakes.

Where to go in Borovoe and what to see?

One of the main reasons why people like Burabay is that it is always clean and Fresh air and a constant feeling of peace.Borovoe is a year-round resort. In summer you can practice various sports on the water and on land, as well as mountaineering. Can you busy yourselfexcursions and cultural and leisure activities. if you love leisure, we recommend renting a bicycle or quad bike to explore the natural attractions.In the resort of Borovoye a large number of cafes and restaurants. Children can visit the zoo, museum, which are open all year round and are located in the center of the resort.

Winter the season also offers different kinds rest, although inferior in number summer season. In the Burabay resort winter time you can visit the local Lapland. This is the so-called Kazakh version of the house of Santa Claus - Ayaz ata. This base close to five star resort hotel Rixos-Burabay. In the residence of Lapland, you can ride on a sleigh with husky and deer, which will give you an incredible feeling. There are many entertainments for children.

Sights of the resort Borovoe

At the foot of Mount Kokshe is located sacred place for the Kazakhs, the natural rocky throne of Abylai Khan, the park and museum named after Abylai Khan. In the resort of Borovoye you will discover a unique and delightful picturesque monument of wildlife: rocky mountains, trees sprouted through these stones, the world of flora with medicinal properties. And see the fairy rockZhumbaktas located in the middle of the lake, it represents the head of the Sphinx or a frozen young man, the image in the Zhumbaktas rock changes depending on the imagination and fantasy of the person looking at it. Also, Mount Okzhetpes will open to your eyes. The height of this rock reaches 300 meters, the rock is decorated with lake Auliekol.

Where to relax in Borovoye:Cafes and restaurants

Borovoe - resort town, for this reason, most catering here is designed for tourists, prices depend on the level of restaurants.Practically in every corner there are cafes and restaurants, here they serve delicious dishes of national Kazakh cuisine, as well as European and Oriental cuisine, rich in their assortment. In restaurants you can taste delicious beshbarmak, kuyrdak, plov, sorpa and kebabs from different types and much more. From European cuisine you will be served pizza, juicy steaks, pasta and other types of dishes for different tastes and preferences. In a small and inexpensive restaurant or cafe you can dine at about 2500-3500 tenge.

10 things to do in Borovoye

1. Take a deep breath of clean air, saturated with the smell of pine and birch forests.

2. On the shores of lakes, sit on benches, admiring the flying birds and swimming goose, throw off the burden of worries from the soul and enjoy the picturesque nature.

3. Climb Mount Kokshe, Zheke-Batyr and rock Okzhetpes.

4. Swim to Zhumbaktas and take a photo.

5. Take a break from the lake and nature for a few hours, and visit the center of the Borovoy village, visit the Central Market and the Asia club.

6. To the south of Borovoye visit the Rixos-Burabay hotel and play in the casino.

7. Visit the zoo "Museum of Nature".

8. Visit and take a family photo on the field "Abylay Khan Alany" against the backdrop of Mount Kokshe.

9. Learn more about Kazakh history and tradition by visiting the Abylai Khan Museum north of Borovoye.

10. Be sure to ride bicycles and quads.

Burabay from A to Z: map, hotels, attractions, restaurants, entertainment. Shopping, shops. Photos, videos and reviews about Burabay.

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The resort zone of Burabay (Borovoe settlement) with its transparent lakes and coniferous forests seems to cut like a bright wedge into the boundless steppes of Northern Kazakhstan. In summer, people come here to breathe in the aromas of steppe herbs and pine needles, to heal healing mud And mineral waters, to be like mountain paths and swim in the refreshing waters blue bay. In winter - go skiing along the tracks of Ak-Jelken.

Burabay, like climatic resort, quite popular with residents of Kazakhstan and neighboring countries. Local sanatoriums, hotels and recreation centers accept tourists at a decent level, surprising them with an impressive range of services. The infrastructure is also on top: restaurants, beaches, shops, a casino and the entertainment center "Kazakh Lapland" - you will not get bored during your vacation for a minute.

How to get to Burabay

There is no air service between the nearest air hub to Burabay, Kokeshtau, and Moscow. You will have to fly to Astana, from where it is another 250 km to the place. From the railway station of the capital of Kazakhstan on the street. Wolfgang Goethe, 1 trains run to Borovoye (3-4 hours on the way). bus or fixed-route taxi in about 4-6 hours it takes you to the city of Schuchinsk, located just 20 km from Burabay. You can also take a taxi at Astana airport for 38,000 KZT. As an alternative - a train from Kazansky railway station to Karaganda, stopping at the Shchuchinsk station "Borovoye Resort". The train departs every 2-3 days and spends about 50 hours on the road. Prices on the page are for July 2018.

Autotourists leaving Moscow should follow the route Yaroslavl - Kirov - Perm - Yekaterinburg - Kokeshtau - Borovoye. This road is the fastest in time.

Search for flights to Astana city (nearest airport to Burabay)

Transport

The only city bus runs along the route Schuchinsk - Burabay - Zeleny Bor village every 40 minutes. In Shchuchinsk there are several taxi services operating at a fixed rate (the price of one trip is 500-600 KZT). Some tourists catch rides at their own risk, but locals it is not recommended to do so. The main way of transportation is on foot or by transport ordered specifically for excursions.

Active travelers rent bicycles for 800 KZT/hour and quad bikes for 6,000-10,000 KZT/hour. Basically, rental stations are located at hotels and recreation centers.

Burabay Hotels

The choice of housing in Burabay will please: luxurious 5 * complexes, worthy of "four" and "three", health centers, sanatoriums, guesthouses. Large companies rent a cottage or apartment. Camp sites in Borovoye offer different types accommodation - from summer houses without amenities to fully equipped rooms. Well, the most economical locals rent rooms. The option, of course, is not for everyone, but the plus is significant savings and a story from the owners about useful life hacks.

The price of a standard double room in a hotel with an average service starts from 6000 KZT (the amount often includes breakfast). A cozy wooden house for 4 with a bathroom, shower and a private terrace costs approximately 76,000 KZT. At the recreation centers they settle for 3200 KZT per person without food.

Cuisine and restaurants

The restaurants, cafes and canteens of Burabay serve national Kazakh cuisine and do not forget about European cuisine to satisfy the tastes of foreign guests. Many establishments offer set meals and takeaways. You can spend a pleasant evening on the summer veranda to the accompaniment of live music in "Asia", where visitors will find a nice interior, friendly service and a varied menu. For a quick bite to eat, go to the bistro at the Zhumbaktas hotel, the Kokeshtau burger restaurant or the Mix Pizza pizzeria.

A standard check for two in a restaurant is 8,000-10,000 KZT. This price includes a 2-3 course meal, drinks and anything alcoholic within reason. In a simpler cafe, you can eat for 2000-5000 KZT. In establishments at hotels, set meals cost from 2000-2500 KZT.

For lunch - a traditional Kazakh plov with dried apricots, for dinner - a plate of rich "kuyrdak" from offal, for dessert - "baursak" donuts sprinkled with powdered sugar. A few days of such a feast and farewell figure. But if you do not forget to drink all this with koumiss, then there will be only good for health.

Sights of Burabay

Burabai has always been known among the Kazakhs as a land of mysterious shamans and a place of power. There are no architectural monuments to be found there, but the mighty nature has forever imprinted its beauty on this land. The serene appearance of the lakes of Borovoye, Shchuchye and Swan is worthy of the artist's brush. The local mountains are not high, but picturesque and covered with interesting legends.

At the top of Kokshe (by the way, the highest in Northern Kazakhstan) is the sacred glade of Abylai Khan ( GPS coordinates: 53.083847, 70.235000), on which a granite stele is installed. It is believed that after a walk in this place, well-being improves. In the depths of the Blue Bay on the lake. Borovoe rises mysterious rock Zhumbaktas. Depending on which side you look at her from, she changes forms - she will pretend to be a frozen sphinx, then she will turn into an unprecedented beast or turn into a girl with long hair.

Beginners and experienced climbers storm the slopes of Mount Okzhetpes, located on the shore of the lake. Borovoye, and for hikers and cyclists around the reservoir there is a trail. On it you can get to the "dancing grove", where birches grow with intricately curved trunks.

The local Museum of Nature (Kennessary St., 38) has a collection of representatives of the flora and fauna of the Burabay National Park. There is also a small zoo with a lake. Also an interesting exposition is offered by the local history museum on central square Shchuchinsk.

Theme park "Kazakhstan Lapland" on the lake. Shchuchye (next to the Rixos Borovoe hotel) - winter fairy tale for adults and children. They ride reindeer and dog sledding, visit the shaman village and go on excursions to the residence of Santa Claus.

Arriving in Borovoe, we got caught in the rain. Moreover, throughout the entire road from the border of Kazakhstan, the sky was overcast and we were already upset that our beach leisure was “covered with a copper basin”.

Check-in to the cottages at the recreation center Kolibri starts at 14.00. But, since the check-out is before 12.00, many houses were already free and cleaned, the administrator settled us immediately upon arrival. Therefore, advice, do not wander around Borovoe with children with bags, immediately go to a hotel or a recreation center. Even if you are not settled, for sure, you can leave your luggage under the supervision of the administrator until you check in.

On the "good advice" of the tourist manager, we went to the Zhumbaktas hotel to exchange money. We went to the road ring and saw the Zhumbaktas hotel. We tried to find an exchange office there, it turned out that this was not the right hotel. There is Zhumbaktas (on the ring) and Hotel Zhumbaktas in the center of the village. Wet, with tired and sleepy children, we stomped to the center of the village. On the way we saw a market where we bought raincoats and exchanged money. I really did not want to go far in the downpour. By the way, having returned to the base, we learned that money can be exchanged directly from the administrator. And then they checked that the course is the same throughout the resort. Therefore, one more piece of advice, do not go looking for the best course in exchange offices, change money in the nearest. A few meters from the Hummingbird base there is grocery store"Arman". Prices, translated into rubles, are not significantly lower than in Omsk.

Map of Borovoye "How to get to the beach from the Hummingbird"

To our joyful surprise, there was not a cloud in the sky by lunchtime! And we went to the beach. Landscapes in Borovoe are wonderful. Leaving the territory of the Hummingbird base opens great view to the mountains of Kokshetau. Huge, covered with a rich coniferous forest, they delight with their grandeur. To get to the beach, you need to go to the transport ring, cross the road at pedestrian crossings, go to the road going towards Shchuchinsk. A few meters from the ring to the right there is a path into the forest. Opens after 100 meters beautiful view to the lake. The pine scent is in the air. Sand - with the smallest pebbles, pleasant and comfortable. Children use it as building material for castles. Women like natural peeling.

The water in Lake Borovoye is clean, transparent, flocks of fry swim. At an air temperature of +25, the water in the lake was cool, but everyone swam with pleasure. Strong wind, so we advise you to take changeable things, towels to the beach in order to immediately wrap the child. Seagulls fly the size of a chicken, well-fed, not afraid of people.

If you are going to Borovoye on July 6, 7, 8, expect a large influx of vacationers on the beach. These days, Kazakhstan is celebrating the Day of the Capital and "the whole of Astana" is going to rest in Burabay.

All 5 days, while we were resting on Borovoye, it was cloudy in the morning and it was raining, in the afternoon it was clear and warm. In order not to waste time sitting in houses, the next morning we went to the market in Shchuchinsk. After all, as we were told, there “for a penny” you can dress yourself and your child.

Market in Shchuchinsk and Museum of Nature in Borovoye

On the map you can see where the "stop" in the city of Shchuchinsk is located. In fact, there is no stationary stop there, but the bus turning from Borovoye to Shchuchinsk stops at this place (opposite the black iron gate) and picks up passengers. The fare is 210 tenge per person. You need to get off at the stop "TTG". Travel time 25 minutes. Get out and move to the right (if you stand along the bus) towards the alley with large portraits. Ask people there. The Kazakhs seemed to us good-natured, open people. It takes about 10 minutes to walk from the bus stop to the market. We were satisfied with the purchases and prices. When compared with the prices of Omsk, the cost is 30% -40% lower. With full bags we went home by taxi. They stand right at the bus stop, pick up passengers to Borovoye for 300 tenge per person.

The next day in the morning we went to the Museum of Nature. On the first floor there is a large model of Shchuchinsko-Borovoi resort area. As well as a map of Kazakhstan indicating national parks and reserves.

The museum itself is located on the second floor. Stuffed animals and birds are collected here. Mushroom patterns. Minerals Burabay. And items of peaceful life and military exhibits representing the history of the Shchuchinsko-Borovoye resort area. Entrance 800 tenge per person. The price includes admission to the Natural History Museum and the Zoo.

A zoo is located on site. Spacious enclosures where you can see: wild boars, golden eagles, eagles, wolves, bears, lions, arctic foxes, huskies, reindeer, ostriches, yaks, peacocks, porcupines, pheasants, ponies and hinnies, spotted deer, argali and fallow deer, swans and cranes in a specially equipped pit.

Exhibition of exotic animals on the 1st floor of the Museum of Nature. The ticket price for an adult is 500 tenge, a child under 5 years old will visit the exhibition for 300 tenge, kids are admitted free of charge. Here: crocodiles, pythons, monitor lizards, turtles, spiders, scorpions, monkeys and other inhabitants of the tropics. The exhibition is open from 11.00 to 20.00. Here, on the first floor of the Museum of Nature, there are always some interesting exhibitions, for example, in the summer of 2017 - an exhibition of wax figures.

At the entrance to the zoo there is a "Jack Sparrow's ship" where children climb with pleasure and stand at the helm. On the territory there is a place to relax. There are benches, interesting trees with artificial flowers and light bulbs. In the center stands the “tree of happiness” (this is how we understood this installation). On it are golden metal leaves, chains and cages, birds, light bulbs. Ice cream is sold everywhere (namely, ice cream with different dyes, not ice cream).

Accommodation at the recreation center "Kolibri" in Borovoye with children

Accommodation at this base a good option For budget tourist. Separate houses, with beds, a table, hangers and shelves. Toilets, showers hot water in the territory. Although there are many houses on the base and they stand almost close to each other, we did not feel any discomfort. Everywhere there are many recreation areas: benches, gazebos, hammocks, verandas. Lots of greenery, fountains that create a natural fence. Nobody bothers anyone. No queue for toilet or shower.

For cooking there is a kitchen with utensils, two refrigerators, TV. There are 2 stoves and 3 tables with benches. People even managed to have breakfast without interfering with each other. Cleaned quickly, toilets are clean. The receptionist on the veranda has a microwave, skewers, toilet paper(if you suddenly run out in the toilet, you can take it).

For children playground with swings and sports equipment. As well as a large outdoor summer pool. The kids are generally happy to run around the base, arranging all kinds of games, hide and seek.

Sorry for not writing for a long time, I was busy resting at home

To make the rest not in vain, my friend and I decided to go to Kazakhstan to the local resort town of Borovoe, which is known for its clean lakes and Mount Kokshetau, at the foot of which it is located. We decided to go by car, as the distance to Borovoye is not very long, and traveling by car gives a certain freedom. The whole road from Tobolsk to Borovoe, taking into account the passage of the border, took 12 hours, the distance traveled was about 750 km.

We left on August 7 at about 2 am and at the border (Kazanka) with Kazakhstan were already at 6:30 am. By this time there was already a small queue, in which we got up. You can immediately take the documents (for the car and the passports of all passengers) for registration to the booth at the barrier, so as not to delay the queue later. After the barrier, you need to go through customs inspection, confidently say no, to questions about prohibited items and go to passport control. Registration of import and export of the car is no longer necessary, after the entry of Russia and Kazakhstan into Customs Union. At passport control, they ask standard questions about the purpose of the visit to (answer - tourism), sign a piece of paper and let go. By the way, to enter Kazakhstan, it is enough to have a valid Russian passport, a foreign passport is not needed.

After passing 1 kilometer through the "no man's" territory, we get to the Kazakh border. It is not as easy to pass as the Russian one. The main problem is the strong desire of Kazakh border guards to get money from Russian tourists. They are trying to “fine” for every little thing: they got up in the wrong place, drove the wrong way, drove without permission, and so on. Do everything as correctly as possible and only according to the instructions of the border guards, do not succumb to provocations.

We can say we were lucky, we didn’t find fault with it, didn’t dig in the trunk, asked standard questions and said that we could go. 2-3 hours to the border and now we are driving through the territory of Kazakhstan. Do not forget to buy insurance immediately at the exit from the Kazakh border and a RUS sticker if you do not have it. Insurance is inexpensive (less than a rub for a week, but it will allow you to avoid unnecessary problems when checking documents (we were stopped more than 5 times for one week).

The road on the Kazakh side is just terrible, the asphalt is full of holes and bumps, but somehow we managed to drive at a speed of almost 100 km/h.

After 6 hours of hard but successful struggle with sleep, at 14:30 we finally arrived in Borovoe. Don't be surprised if you don't see the name Borovoye anywhere, because in Kazakh this town is called Burabay, so don't miss the sign.

On the first day, we no longer had enough for anything but to eat and sleep.

On the second day, waking up early, we went to explore the surroundings. The nature in this place is of course excellent, the mountain landscapes are especially impressive when there is a flat steppe around and nothing more. First of all, we climbed to inspect local mountains(At the top of a small mountain, a couple was prevented from doing a "very important thing").

View of Mount Kokshetau (947 meters) and the local "sphinx"
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On the same day we decided to swim. Lake Borovoe was not as clean as it seemed at the beginning, but it is still better than most rivers in Russia. The water was certainly not hot, but it was quite suitable for swimming, especially for August.

One of the main occupations on the train was gluttony. We went to restaurants and tried various dishes that are hard to find in other places. We managed to try a lot, but unfortunately not all: beshparmak, langam, manti, lamb shish kebab, bread cakes and much more, the names are hard to remember. One of the main impressions was koumiss, I wanted to try it for a long time. Koumiss is a sour-milk drink made from mare's milk, with a taste somewhat similar to Tang. The taste for me turned out to be so specific that I had to add it to the dispute “through I don’t want to”.

Food in local restaurants is relatively inexpensive, a normal dinner or lunch from meat dishes will cost 300-400 rubles. Only once in one of the restaurants we "hit" with tea, which was not on the menu, and we found out the price only by looking at the bill, it turned out that it cost 1,500 tenge (about 300 rubles) for a teapot (usually it costs 300 tenge).

In general, for lovers of good food (especially lamb dishes) in Kazakhstan there will be expanse

The next day we decided to go to Astana to look at modern capital Kazakhstan, there was nothing to go there - 250 km.

The road from Shchuchinsk (a city adjacent to Borovoye) to Astana is a 6-lane motorway with a speed limit of 120 km/h. The road is asphalt-concrete and has an excellent surface.

3) Road to Astana

It turned out to be a simple task to get to the stop along such a road, but getting into the city was already more difficult. We got confused in the signs and had to make our way into the city through the industrial zone.

The new part of Astana (former Akmolinsk), which is located across the river, is a modern and polished city. The design of buildings is striking in its ingenuity, and the main symbol is Baiterek - a monument built as a symbol of the transfer of the capital.

4) Baiterek is a symbol of modern Kazakhstan

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Baiterek can be climbed up observation deck, it is inexpensive, and the view opens up interesting.

7) And pretty Kazakh women keep order in the dome of Baiterek :)

8) Main mosque of Astana

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10) Pedestrian Avenue in Astana

11) Modern architecture Astana

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Then we went into local restaurant in the form of a yurt, where they ordered lamb shish kebab and koumiss, which I tried for the first time. It was interesting to try such a famous drink, but I could not finish it, the taste is disgusting. If someone likes the sour-milk drink "Tan", then you may also like koumiss, but my body did not accept it.

Astana makes an interesting impression, but the difference between the old quarters and the new polished Astana is too striking. The modern part of Astana looks like a museum, where even locals come to see the sights. There is only one conclusion: Astana is a city of contrasts.

Girls in Astana themselves take the initiative when meeting, and the girls are ordinary :))

I was very surprised that even in Astana, in my opinion, more than 80% of the population speak Russian. I mean, not that they can speak, but that they really speak among themselves in Russian. Moreover, these are Kazakhs by nationality. Especially the younger generation. Russian speech and writing are visible everywhere.

The next day we wanted to climb Kokshetau, but high mountains and the ascents were closed due to many forest fires. Too bad, as that was one of the purpose of the trip. I just had to hang out at the foot of the mountain and see local sights in the form of the throne of one of the most famous Kazakh khans (I unfortunately forgot the name). The throne by the way looks like just a big stone.

You can also take pictures with steppe eagles in your arms. They are large, weighing under 5 kilograms, it is very difficult to hold in one hand.

13) Steppe Eagle

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The rest of the days were spent in lazy resort life, lying on the bed, swimming, going to restaurants and exploring the few local attractions.

There is a casino in Borovoye (it's a Kazakh gambling zone), I was thinking of trying my luck at poker, but after I found out what their minimum blinds are ($10/$20) I decided that maybe next time

Before leaving, we also decided to climb the local stone slides, climbing some of which turned out to be very non-trivial and unsafe. I had to apply acrobatic stunts to climb to the top. But the view from the top pays for all the dangers and difficulties of the ascent.

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Seven days of vacation ended and again at night we set off on our way back to our homeland. Another 12 hours of travel, customs and morning in a warm bed.

It is difficult to write something new about the country, especially about its northern part. Not much differs from Russia, only even more sloppiness and worse than the road. Portraits of Nursultan Nazarbayev hang along all the roads, with collective farmers, workers, athletes, etc., well, in general, everything is as good with them as with us, and maybe even more better Country is developing rapidly, the notorious GDP is growing at a rate no lower than in Russia, but judging by the condition of roads and other infrastructure, they still have a long way to go. Unfortunately, we have not been able to visit southern regions countries and in old capital Alma-Ata, there would probably be completely different impressions. In general, if you go to Kazakhstan to see the country, you have to go south. Mostly Russians travel to the north of Kazakhstan, who live in neighboring regions or have relatives in Kazakhstan, otherwise there is nothing to do there.

The first thing that impressed and remembered is that everyone understands Russian and more than 80% (according to the locals, about 60%) speak Russian in everyday life, even the Kazakhs themselves. I talked to girls in Astana (by the way, a very friendly city in this regard), they say that many young Kazakhs do not understand Kazakh at all and prefer to speak Russian. It seemed strange to me, what language do they teach in schools? In general, people in Kazakhstan are friendly, however, as in all of Asia. They even try to breed or deceive with a smile :)

Transport

Since we were on our own transport, so we did not use the local one. The roads for the most part are terrible and obviously have not been repaired since Soviet times, but what is new is, of course, done in good faith. The Shchuchinks-Astana asphalt-concrete highway with a length of 250 km was certainly impressive. Nice wide road. Those who travel to Kazakhstan by car should especially pay attention to compliance with all formalities with documents and it is better to cut off the tinting in advance :) They like to find fault with this. They stop often and for no apparent reason, but if everything is in order, they let go without question.

The currency of Kazakhstan is tenge, the approximate exchange rate for today is 1 ruble = 4.7 tenge.

It seemed to us that everything is cheap in Kazakhstan, especially since we were in resort town where prices are higher than elsewhere. Food costs a little less than ours, and clothes are much cheaper. Housing in Borovoe can be found from 300 rubles and more per night, but it is difficult to count on something decent for that kind of money. Local sanatoriums ask from 1500 rubles and more. In general, the country did not seem dear to us, even for tourists.

Attractions

There are not so many attractions in the north of the country. Borovoe (Burabai) - very interesting place with good nature. Around pine forests, mountains and lakes. It is good to rest on the lake for a few days. If someone goes to the lakes (in Russia they are called "Blue Lakes"), then I recommend stopping in Borovoye, and not in Shchuchinsk, since it is "live". It is certainly worth a trip to the capital of Kazakhstan - Astana, but one day is enough to see the main places. The most interesting there is the modern part of the city with its symbol Baiterek. For the rest of the sights of Kazakhstan, it is worth going south and to Alma-Ata.

As a big meat lover, I really liked Kazakh cuisine. Most dishes contain meat in one form or another, most often of course lamb. A traditional Kazakh dish is beshbarmak - meat with noodles (very wide). You should definitely try the traditional drink Kumys at least once - a fermented milk product made from horse milk. Not everyone will like it, but visiting Kazakhstan and not trying koumiss is unacceptable :) It is also easy to find Uzbek and Uighur cuisines in Kazakhstan.

To be honest, there is absolutely nothing to do in the north of Kazakhstan. But people from the border regions (just like us) go there to swim and relax. This is quite understandable, since the nature there is really interesting, and the price will be about the same (if not cheaper) than in a sanatorium near Tyumen. If you want to visit Kazakhstan to get acquainted with the country and its culture, then I would recommend going to the south of the country (although I have not personally been there yet).

Good luck with your travels.

PS: If you have long wanted to travel on your own without overpaying travel agencies, but did not know where to start, I strongly recommend reading the article "

The second evening of our vacation at Lake Shchuchye was devoted to exploring the surroundings of the lake. We were especially interested in the Borovoye resort area. It is here that the accumulation of the remains of mountains of bizarre shapes is located. Here is located unique monument wildlife, which is characterized by a special microclimate. According to local scientists, there is a special activity of sunshine, an abundance of biologically active ultraviolet rays, under the influence of which the human body "rejuvenates". An ordinary glade bears the name of Abylai Khan in honor of the most famous Khan, who was distinguished by his courage in battle. He is also known as a master of diplomacy, maintaining peaceful and mutually beneficial relations with his neighbors.