Related Kazakhstan Favorites Tips

Favorite thing: In arranging my trip to Kazakhstan I made extensive uses of the services of David Berghof of Stantours. Unlike many of the other people I tried to contact, David answered every e-mail promptly and accurately and did exactly what he promised to do. He also provided tons of good advice along the way. He can buy train tickets, make reservationsand buy tickets from SCAT, Kazakhstan's low cost airline, book hotels in major cities, arrange for pickup and return to the Almaty airport, arrange local tours in the Almaty area, and who knows what all else. He also offers similar services for the other "stans." His prices are reasonable and his service is simply first class. I travelled on my own and made some of my own arrangement, but my trip to Kazakhstan simply could not have been the enjoyable experience that is was without him. He is a native German, but speaks perfect English and good Russian.

Contact Information: www.stantours.com info@stantours.com

Favorite thing: Almaty's bus shelters are works of art. Built like yurts, they are covered in a mosaic of broken china - salvaged from a local ceramic factory. Look closely and you will see borders and patterns among the plain white, even the odd cup handle or spout of a jug.
Ingenious recycling.

Favorite thing: Should get shots for Hepatitis A and B, serious liver diseases, before visiting Kazakhstan. Check with your doctor. There have been outbreaks of Hepatitis in recent years in Kazakhstan. These outbreaks are not usual for Astana and Almaty.

Typhoid might also be advisable. Check with your doctor.

Favorite thing: there is reductive visa regime in Uzbkistan and any American/EU/Avstralia citizen can get visa at the Airport (the official price is 40$per person, but the customers made my friend to pay 100$)...So i decided to get visa in advance in my home country, cos it´d cost me cheaper (embassy tax 35$ + 12 euro for LOI)...I got my uzbek LOI through uzbekistantrip@yandex.ru contact person is Alik.

Fondest memory: This place is known for its curiable air(it has its own microclimate), water and ofcourse Cumys-national drink. Cumys has very curiable perfomances, it cures tuberculosis. Also these places have very rich historiy and legends. In ancient times this place was the favourite stand of the Huns which conquered multimilliard China's Empire using 70000 cavalry and then ruined Roman Empire. But it was many years ago and now local people are livin in peace:) Firstly this place was showed to the other world by russian scientists in 19th century and curiable possibilitis of this place were used periodically. Here you will see 'the dancing birches' a lot of different lakes , mountains , springs and animals. If you will travel there by car you will see a beautiful perfomance when the endless carpet of steppe becomes beautiful oasis.
Also in these places was born the first in the people,s history monotheistic religion - thengrianity, which has given life to buddism, christianity and islam. The people of modern kazak has about one hundred confederation of hyper etnoses like Massagets, Ishguzes, Saks (or skyphians on greek), The Huns (mostly Arhuns - kings of the huns), Kipchaks (on russian polovtsy), White Mongols, White persians, White Ephtalites, Ancient Tibets, Karluks, Kangles (modern Turkey u know), and all this peoples were forefathers of for example Germans (allemanians, saxes, normannes, turingen and so on) which came to Europe in the 1st century b.c. , spanish peoples (arahuns or aragons, basks, katalons and so on) in 4th century a.c., hungaryians, austrians, persians, ukrainians and russians.

Favorite thing: Now, the Republic of Kazakhstan turns into the powerful type of the world economy, 105 countries of the world recognized Kazakhstan. Diplomatic relations are established with more than 70 countries. Kazakhstan was accepted by United Nations Organization, UNESCO and other big international organizations. Nearly 700 of inter-state and inter-governmental agreements and contracts with more than 100 countries were concluded, all the necessary laws on external economic relations were adopted.

The new independent state with rich mineral resources appeared on the map of the world. This appearance opened big opportunities to the foreign countries for the mutual and beneficial contracts and for the closer cooperation in economic, scientific, cultural and other branches of life. That gives the enormous impulse to the forming and carring out the independent external economic policy and extention of the foreign trade of Kazakhstan with the other countries of the world.

Fondest memory: Now, Kazakhstan trades with 124 countries of the world. The state structure of the foreign trade turnover was considerably changed during the last years. The share of the CIS countries descreased to 60 per cent. Because of the qualitative and cheap resources, Kazakhstan has the initial competitive advantages in export of the hydrocarbon raw materials, ferrous and non-ferrous rare metals, although the competitive potential of some branches, for example, ferrous and non-ferrous metallurgy is going on with decrease because of the equipment amortization, absence of the investments to the new technology and because of some other accompanied reasons.

In 1995, the foreign trade turnover of Kazakhstan was more than 8,7 milliard US dollars, including export it was nearly 5 milliard US dollars.

Favorite thing: Close to 3,000 years ago these steppe region were dominated by the prosperous Scynthian civilization. During the subsequent centuries, the Kazakhstan steppes became home to the powerful realm of the Huns. Their leader, Attila, helped cause the downfall of the Great Roman Empire and introduced the prototype of men's trousers to Europeans. Turkic tribes forced the Huns out whose khanates extended form the Yellow to the Black Sea. At that time, cities and caravansaries began to emerge within the oases of Central Asia, forming the Silk Road that linked Byzantium and China. Another link - the "sable route" - was established via the Central Kazakhstan and Altai into the southwestern regions of Siberia for the purpose of transporting expensive furs to markets in Europe and in the Middle East.

Favorite thing:
President - Nursultan Abishevich Nazarbayev

Elected in April, 1990.

On December 1, 1991 elected as President by nation-wide ballot.

Term of office has been extended by virtue of a nation-wide referendum held on April 29, 1995.