The number of people who lead an active lifestyle in Kazakhstan is increasing from year to year. Here are the five most common and affordable areas of active tourism in our country: mountain tourism and hiking, horseback riding tours, biking and mountain biking.
Mountains
The variety of offers from travel agencies and single guides in the organization of mountain hikes can be found in the Almaty region. Therein half an hour, you can get from the metropolis to the beginning of the route, to the foot of the mountain. Therefore, experienced climbers and lovers of mountain hikes even from abroad come there. For many residents of Almaty, a walk in the mountains is like a trip to the village, a natural need to communicate with nature. People go in the mountains of Trans-Ili Alatau with families, friends and organize team building. Mountain tourism is divided into sports (with categories and other sports attributes) and amateur. We will talk about the last one.
Mountain tourism is popular in East Kazakhstan and Turkestan regions, even though not on such scale as near Almaty. Tourists from all over the world coming to the East for the mysterious mountain Belukha — the highest peak of Altai and Siberia. There you can make simple, non-categorical hiking or hiking of high complexity with the use of special climbing equipment. Area of Ridder City popular as well. Basically, the top of Three Brothers and Voroshilov Peak are more popular, but once you visit Rudny Altai and you probably will want to explore it. The remoteness of the region prevents the flow of tourists to become more massive. However, over the past few years, several recreation centres have been opened in East Kazakhstan region, which mainly focused on the organization of mountain hikes. In 2017-2018 from a local college of Ridder even graduated certified guides.
Turkestan region offers hiking in the gorge of Sairam-Ugam State National Natural Park. Parties, travel agencies and other organizations engaged offering such services mainly based in Shymkent City. The specialists of the information office of Ontustik Tourism Center can also help to choose the right place to visit.
Hiking trips
Almost every region of the country has specially protected natural areas (hereinafter protected areas), which are more or less according to the status (in the reserve less, in national parks more), providing tourist routes.
If we take into account that today there are 13 State National Parks and 10 State Nature Reserves in Kazakhstan, the choice of where you go hiking is quite large. Of course, other types of tourism are provided in protected areas, but usually hiking tours, because they cause the least damage to the environment and are most acceptable to conduct in the territories under the protection of the state. There are such famous objects as the Singing Dunes, the mountains of Katutau, Aktau (Altyn-Emel National Park in Almaty region); Kolsai lakes, Kaindy lake (National Park Kolsay Lakes, Almaty region); the amazing Charyn Canyon and Ash Grove (Charyn National Park, Almaty region); beautiful low mountain climbing shoes and lakes of the Bayanaul National Park (Pavlodar region); the famous rocks of Zhumbaktas and Okzhetpes, many lakes surrounded by pine forest is a natural heritage of Akmola region — State National Natural Park Burabai, Belukha mountain, numerous waterfalls, the largest National Park of the Republic — Katon-Karagay (EKR), a picturesque gorge of Sairam-Ugam Park, by the way, world heritage site (Turkestan region). The State Nature Reserves such objects as Lake Markakol (Markakol Reserve, East Kazakhstan region), a Stone Fairy-tale in the West Altai reserve (East Kazakhstan region), the gorge of the Aksu-Zhabaglin reserve is also a world heritage site.
In all the above-mentioned protected areas has several (five to ten) developed tourist routes. Finding contacts of national parks and reserves wouldn't be difficult, because almost all of them have their own websites.
By the way, in the park and the reserve you will be provided with a guide, with whom the trip will be not only fun but safe as well. If you go on a trip to other territories, do not forget to take a variety of phones from communication, even satellite phone because in remote regions of the country you will really find yourself outside of civilization, without infrastructure and cellular communication!
Horseback riding
Horseback riding tours are widespread in specially protected natural areas. In addition, it is relevant to talk about a new direction in Kazakhstan tourism, such as agro or village tourism. The first guest houses in the villages appeared in Kazakhstan 15 years ago, but in recent years this direction is rapidly developing. There are not only new guest houses in Almaty, Turkestan, Zhambyl, East Kazakhstan regions, but also expanded the list of services offered by the hospitable owners of these houses. Of course, what the countryside without a horse? Right? Horseback riding tours are one of the natural delights of agrotourism.
In addition, various travel companies offer the organization of horseback riding routes. Very popular horseback riding tours in the picturesque steppes of Zhetysu in Almaty region. There are options for walking very close to the city, for example, on the Ushkonyr plateau, as well as in Kaskelen, Aksai gorges. Or you can go away for 200-300 km from Almaty, to the beginning of the horse route by car and then transfer to the horse to enjoy the beautiful views steppes on the Assy plateau or in Chalcodes valley.
Biking trips
Bicycle becomes more and more popular in Kazakhstan as a mode of transport including for travel. There are local communities, clubs of cyclists in any region of the country. However, many of them are limited by biking only within or near the city. However, you can join them if you want to. There are also sports cyclists with all the necessary equipment for life support on their backs. But neither the first nor the second are not focused on organizing tours with a guide, with car support, receiving full service for payment. Unfortunately, there is a lack of capable companies in the country. One of them is «The cycling adventures club». They based in Almaty, but organize tours throughout whole Kazakhstan, and more.
Mountain biking
The theme of biking is huge and immense, especially one of the directions — mountain biking. The surest way to be in the saddle of an iron horse and go to the mountains is not to search for travel agencies but for the community of the same bike lovers in your region and join them on friendly basis! For example, the public organization «Extreme athletics» (Almaty) regularly holds amateur competitions, including mountain biking. However, such starts are already related to event tourism not just to outdoor activities, but it's still great. Such events remain in memory for a long time, become a real holiday and another starting point for discoveries.
