K A Z A K H S T A N
Because of all the changes in our schedule around the “stans,” we didn’t have too much time to spend in Kazakhstan. One thing I wanted to do was visit Big Almaty Lake, which actually isn’t too far from the capital.
When to Go
Depending on the time of year, the lake will radiate different shades of blue. If you go in May (that’s when I went), you’ll see more of milky blue, but if you go in September you’ll see more of an iridescent turquoise.
How to get there
If you don’t have a rental car, it’s actually quite easy to get there from the capital with a taxi or rideshare app like Yandex.
Type in “Big Almaty Lake” in the "where-to” box
Tap the “+” symbol
Add your next destination after Big Almaty Lake (or where you want to be dropped back off in Almaty)
Select class of car
Click order and wait for the taxi / Yandex to arrive
At the time I went (May 2022), the total price was 11,500 KZT or $26 USD total. It took 3 hours total: one hour there, one hour for the taxi to wait while we ran around and explored, and one hour back to Almaty. $26 for three hours isn’t bad!
