About Kazakhstan
ENTRY REQUIREMENTS for foreign citizens:
1. Passport validity of at least 3 months after the supposed date of departure;
2. Tickets and documents for departure and further travel;
3. Visa;
4. Medical injections are not required.

Documents needed to get a visa to Kazakhstan for foreign citizens:
1. Valid passport;
2. Visa application;
3. Two passport size photos;
4. Letter from employer, specifying the purpose of the trip and guaranteeing financial support
during the trip;
5. Official invitation from authorized tourist agency of Kazakhstan.

Agency should be registered in Kazakhstan. Name, date and place of visit should be indicated
in a letter of invitation. Agency should also have the approval with your name sent by Ministry
for Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan for Kazakh embassy. Read more....
Kazakhstan GSM-Network Providers, Send SMS for free
ASTANA(TSE) INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

International Airport Astana was founded in 1931 as not large airport for small aircraft Handling
nowadays, after 80 years, it’s one of the most modern airports on the Eurasian continent. There
are about 40 flights every day to CIS and non-CIS states regions...read more

Almaty (ALA) International Airport was founded in 1935. It has an

advantageous geographical location on the route from South-Eastern Asia to Europe and back.
Many leading foreign air companies have chosen our airport for implementing regular flights
and technical landings: Lufthansa, Korean Air, KLM, British Airways, Turkish Airlines, China
Xinjiang Airlines, Iran Air, Transaero, Volga – Dnepr, Air France, EL AL Israel Airlines, and Air
Freighting Express LTD.
Galleries of Kazakhstan Main cities
The City of Almaty                    The City of Astana
Kazakhstan Fast Facts
Population   15,079,000        Capital  Astana; 332,000
Area
2,717,300 square kilometers
(1,049,155 square miles)
Language    Kazakh (Qazaq), Russian
Religion       Muslim, Russian Orthodox

Currency   Tenge      Life Expectancy 66
GDP per Capita            U.S. $7,200
Literacy Percent         98

HOW TO SURVIVE IN KAZAKHSTAN?
Get few directions and advise from local tour operator

By plane

Air Kazakhstan stopped flying at the end of March 2004. The most important carrier is now Air Astana which flies to Almaty, Astana, Aktau, Aktobe, Atyrau, Uralsk, Dubai, Moscow,Delhi, Beijing, Istanbul,Bangkok, Hannover, London, Amsterdam , Frankfurt and Seoul. Lufthansa has also seven days flights to Almaty, the best city in
Kazakhstan, from where you can go anywhere via local carrier SKAT, which flies to most cities in Kazakhstan. British Airways and KLM now fly several times a week to
Heathrow/Schiphol. Turkish airlines is good passenger carrier, with flights to Istanbul (ask a travel agent about the student fares, which can be a great deal). There are
twice a week flights from Seoul to Almaty, one is Asiana Air Line and the other is Astana.

By train

Popular routes include Almaty to/from Moscow (77 hours), Novosibirsk(35 hours) and Ürümqi, China. You can get Petropavlovskto/from Moscow(48 hours), Novosibirsk(12 hours), Omsk(4 hours), and Astana (9 hours).The trains are a great way to meet people. A lot has been written about the pitfalls of being included in a vodka drinking party on a train, but for the most
part fellow travelers are friendly, and keen to find out about you ("why aren't you married?" and if you are "why don't you have children?" and if you do "why don't they have children?"!). Most
travelers take food for the journey as restaurant car provision is sporadic (and they expect you to share yours too!). If you don't have enough to last the distance, the trains generally stop for 15-20
minutes at each station and there are always people on the platform selling food and drink, at any time of day or night.
Popular routes include Almaty to/from Moscow (48-56h), Novosibirsk(35 hours) and Ürümqi, China. You can get Petropavlovskto/from Moscow(48 hours), Novosibirsk(12 hours), Omsk(4 hours),
and Astana (9 hours).The trains are a great way to meet people. A lot has been written about the pitfalls of being included in a vodka drinking party on a train, but for the most part fellow travelers
are friendly, and keen to find out about you ("why aren't you married?" and if you are "why don't you have children?" and if you do "why don't they have children?"!). Most travelers take food for the
journey as restaurant car provision is sporadic (and they expect you to share yours too!). If you don't have enough to last the distance, the trains generally stop for 15-20 minutes at each station and
there are always people on the platform selling food and drink, at any time of day or night.



Getting around

Public transportation in big cities is rather popular. You can use buses, trolleys, trams and minibuses. One big minus of all of them is that they never come on schedule and very crowded on peak time. I would suggest you to use taxis as they are very cheap (1-4 Euro within City). You don't have to use official taxis, basically you can stop almost any car on the street by
raising your hand. Official taxis cost 3-5 times more. You can travel within country using taxis, buses, trains and planes; it depends on your pocket and demands. Renting a car is rather costly
comparing to other means of transport. In Petropavlovsk (Petropapvl) a large bus cost 30 tenge, common taxi fare was 200 tenge (at the time, April of 2009, USD1 was approximately 150 tenge). A
note of warning, getting to the Almaty airport can be expensive, I had the relatives of Kazakh guide to help, but they said a Taxi to the Airport costs USD50.

THE best way to get good taxi service is to consult your tour operator in Kazakhstan. e.g in Petropavlovsk the best taxi service you can get by calling (+77152) 311-000

Taxis to the airport vary greatly in price. Any foreigner will be quoted a fantastic rate but usually cabs will come down once they see they aren't going to be able to get that much. USD 50 is
outlandish. It should be less than USD10, although it can NEVER be guaranteed that a foreigner will get that price. A better option is the minibuses and buses that go to the airport. The word
"airport" is very similar in Russian and English. In general any taxi will quote a foreigner a fantastic rate. If you ever take the first price, you're getting overcharged. A common way to get around is
by unofficial taxis. Any time of day, just wave your hand and someone will stop. Locals do this all the time. Negotiate the price and destination before you agree to go. About $2-$4 is fair for a ride
within the center of Almaty. To be safe though, do not get in a car if more than one person is driving. Also, do not take these kinds of taxis for long distances or anywhere that goes through remote
areas, as there are frequent robberies- especially of foreigners. A fun and cheap way to get around is by taking a marshrutka. These are the dilapidated vans that cruise around town. They usually
have a sign (in Russian) listing the destination and the driver will usually call out where they are going.  

Talk

The Kazakh language is very difficult to understand and to pronounce, though it is notably easier than some other regional languages like Kyrgyz. Actually, travelers proficient in Turkish might be able to get by. If you speak and/or understand the Russian language, then you should be fine. But still Russian is considered to be tougher to learn (grammatically
speaking). At the very least, become familiar with the Cyrillic alphabet (it's easy) and learn a few phrases. Note that despite the president's campaign to stamp out the Russian language, Almaty and
much of the north are still predominantly Russian speaking. Many people under age 20 will know some English. Most customs officials and airport people know English. It is difficult to get around
the country without some Russian or Kazakh language skills. Within the city it is easier. Have your place of residence written on a card and get a cab if you get lost (you might be somewhat
overcharged by the cab, but it is better than being lost).

Local food, traditions and habits

Meat, potatoes, rice and pasta. And lots of it. If you're vegetarian be wary, because if it doesn't have meat in it, it was almost certainly cooked on meat stock. Some recommend dishes:

  • Laghman - a thick noodle dish, usually served as a soup
  • Manty - large steamed dumplings full of meat and onions
  • Plov - wonderful dish of fried rice, meat, carrots, and sometimes other bits such as raisins or tomatoes
  • Beshbarmak - wide, flat noodles, with boiled horseflesh on top - the traditional meal of Kazakhs
  • Shashlyk - skewered, roasted chunks of meat, served with some sort of flat bread (usually lavash) and onions

If you're a vegetarian, you're probably thinking there's nothing for you in Kazakhstan . And you're right - so long as  you eat out. But if you're cooking your own food, you'll
be more than satisfied. Kazakhstanhas some excellent produce available at little markets everywhere. For a treat in Almaty, try Govinda's, a delicious vegetarian Hare
Krishna restaurant. Malls have food courts with some vegetarian options too. Even some small Kazakh eateries will prepare vegetarian meals for you if you make it very
clear to them (e.g. "byez myasa" (without meat), "ya vegeterianetz" (I [male] am a vegetarian), "ya vegetarianka" (I [female] am a vegetarian) in Russian). At some places
(e.g. smak) you can even find vegetarian manty made with pumpkin. On the other hand, in Kazakhstan you can find any dishes you want, but Chinese and Japanese dishes
are very expensive. The most delicious is caviar, which is very cheap, you can buy 1 kilo of caviar for less than USD300 in Almaty Zyeloniy Bazaar, but you can't export or
take it with you home, you will be stopped at airport and pay high fines...

Drink

You can find any sort of drink you want, some of the traditional beverages include:

You can find any sort of drink you want, some of the traditional beverages include:

  • Kumiss - fermented mare's milk.
  • Kumyran (Shubat)- fermented camel's milk
  • Kvas - described as similar to root beer it can be bought in a bottle in a store, or by the cup from people with giant yellowish tanks of it on the street
  • Cheap alcoholic drinks can be found at every little corner shop (called the astanovka). These places are open 24/7, just knock on their door if the shopkeeper is asleep.
Kazakhstan 's specialty is cognac, though stores still sell vodka cheaper than bottled water at times.

Sleep, Place to stay for a night

There are numerous hotels, from very cheap ones (10 euro per night) to the luxurious ones. You wouldn't find the cheapest ones on the web, the only way to book them is to call directly, but in that case you'll have to speak Russian at  least. The best and the shortest way is to apply to Kazakhstan-Reisen office. We support in all situations as our
valuable customer.

Work

Not impossible to find. English teaching schools are sprouting up all over. The English department at KIMEP might be a good place to start, depending on credentials and experience of course.

Stay safe

The general rules of safety in Kazakhstan are the same as in any other civilized country of the world. Besides the normal risk of pick-pockets etc. Try to avoid being taken to the police station. But in general this is a very friendly country where foreigners are respected as the hospitality is one of the Kazakh main traditions.

Fire brigade: dial 01 (land line phones), dial 101 from any mobile Police: dial 02 (land line phones), dial 102 from any mobile Ambulance: dial 03 (land line phones), dial 103 from any mobile

Or just dial 112 from any mobile for Ambulance, Police, Fire
Holidays in Kazakhstan

01.01.2010 New year

07.01.2010 Orthodox Christmas

10.01.2010 Holiday of sacrifice

16.03.2010 Day of republican guards

22-23.03.2010 Nauryz Meyramy

01.05.2010 Day of unity of people

07.05.2010 Fatherland defenders day

06.07.2010 Birthday of the President

13.07.2010 Day of Committee of national
security

30.08.2010 The constitution day

22.09.2010 Day of languages of people

01.10.2010 The international day of elderly
people

01.10.2010 Kazakhstan Teachers Day
25.10.2010 Republic Day

23.11.2010 Day of a traffic police
16.12.2010 The independence Day
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USEFUL ADDRESSES AND CONTACTS IN KAZAKHSTAN:
Kazakhstan-Reisen tour operator
ul. Parkovaya 132, Petropavlovsk
150000 Kazakhstan
ph: +7152 428010, +7152 428009
International:
USA,Washington D.C. +1 240 6961899
UK , London +44 2032390729   
WEB: www.northkazakhstan.com
E-mail: alex@northkazakhstan.com
EMBASSY OF UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
Astana, Ak Bulak 4; 22-23 Str., Bld. 3
tel.: 70-21-00; fax: 34-08-90
Consular section: tel.: 70-21-00; fax: 70-22-80
е-mail: info@usembassy.kz
Office in Almaty “Samal” 2b, Zholdasbekov
Str., 97
tel.: 250-48-02; fax: 250-48-84
Consular section: 250-49-00 fax: 250-48-84
Mr. Richard E. HOAGLAND
Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador
USAID
Almaty, Kazybek bi Str., 41
tel.: 250-76-12; fax: 250-76-36
PEACE CORPS
Almaty, Kablukov Str., 257
tel.: 258-45-00; fax: 258-23-15
CANADA
Almaty, Karasay Batyr Str.,34
tel.: 250-11-51; fax: 258-24-93
e-mail: almat@international.gc.ca
Office in Astana: Saryarka Str., 6
tel.: 79-30-64; fax: 79-30-69
Mr. Stephen MILLAR   
Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
Ambassador
UNITED KINGDOM OF GREAT
BRITAIN AND NOTHERN
IRELAND (ENGLAND, SCOTLAND,
WALES, N. IRELAND)
Astana, Kosmonavtov Str., 62, 6th
floor
tel.: 55-62-00/19; fax: 55-62-12
web site: www.ukinkz.fco.gov.uk;
e-mail:
BritishEmbassy@mail.online.kz
Office in Almaty:
Almaty, Samal-2 microdistrict,
Zholdasbekov Str., 97, building 2A
tel.: 250-61-91/92  fax: 250-71-12
e-mail:
AlmatyVizaGeneral@fco.gov.uk
Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
Ambassador
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