Garden city
Almaty
Peering out of the window as you fly into Almaty, Khazakhstan, is like sampling a delicious appetiser. From above, a lush, green, ridged baize of hills and fields surrounds the city. To the west, the forbidding, snow-topped Tian Shan mountain range rises up and peers down upon it like a family of disapproving aunts. It is a remarkable canvas, but how does the city compare?
Little may have changed in rural Khazakhstan since the days of Ghengis Khan driving his Mongol hoards across its borders, but following the fall of communism in 1991, Almaty has blossomed. Oil money is the driving force, and around its edges, huge metallic boards hide the dirtier sides of progress: the building sites.
There isn’t really a city centre, just a maze of streets bursting with foliage. The hotels are well developed, with the InterContinental Almaty amongst the plushest and most modern. The bars, cafés and shops are all sunken into the sidewalks. Yes, there are malls, but to sample the real Kazakh spirit check out the markets. The Zelyoni Bazaar (or Green Market) is a typically bustling example, lying just down the road from Panfilov Park, but for the truly hardcore, there’s the enormous Barakholka. ‘Watch your pockets,’ our taxi driver mimed in his Chaplin-esque best; but any good flea market has a hint of danger, and a chance to sample a glass of shubat (fermented camel’s milk) should not be passed up.
Panfilov Park is a must, with its colourful, wooden Zenkov Cathedral and fearsome war memorial commemorating the Panfilov heroes, 28 soldiers from an Almaty infantry who died in Moscow fighting off Nazi tanks. And if you’re excited by the thought of the Museum of Kazakh Instruments (surely only second to the Museum of Repression), then that is nearby too. However, museum hounds should bear in mind that most of the exhibits in the city’s cultural centres are explained in Russian, with little English translation.
But the best way to appreciate Almaty is to get above it. Cable cars run from Dostik Street up into the heights of Kök-Töbe, where there are some incredible views to be had. But the tourist germ has spread here, and as we peer out across the city, a DJ begins spinning some head-thumping house, and our only escape is to duck into the tourist tat shops.
A far better bet is Chimbaluk. At 2,300 ft, it formed the springboard for the city’s winning bid to host the Asian Games in 2011 and, when in season (October-April), its snowy peaks are a popular haunt for skiers. However, on sunnier days, a taxi ride to the top followed by the walk back down to the Medeu ice skating stadium (currently being refurbished for the games) is a good second best.
Along the way, there are plenty of opportunities to go ‘off-piste’, and picnic spots abound amid the streams, the cows and the curious locals. The best of these is a sprawling valley half-way up, where visitors have engaged in the most eco-friendly of vandalism: spelling out hundreds of messages in stones across its barren canvas.
Away from the city, the surrounding area proves its worth. Companies like Eco Tourism (www.eco-tourism.kz) offer day trips into the Kazakhstan countryside, where it might as well be 1809 for all the locals care. But in essence, Almaty is a tourist destination still finding its feet. It has few compromises for the non-Russian speaker, but that’s what makes it exciting. Rarely have we seen such a green city, but our advice is to head into the wild – you won’t regret it.
Don’t leave without…
Riding the Kök-Töbe cable car
At KZT800 (around Dhs20), it’s not particularly cheap, nor does it last long, but the views are incredible.
Visit the market
Seemingly endless, the Zelyoni Bazaar and Barrakholka stretch on forever and contain enough fakes and tat to put even the UAE to shame. Just watch your wallet.
Leave the city behind
Whether walking the roads encircling Mount Chimbaluk (watch out for cars), or exploring Lake Almaty and Charyn Canyon, get away from the urban sprawl.
Flights between Abu Dhabi and Almaty take around four hours 15 minutes with Etihad, from Dhs2,525 (economy) and Dhs6,645 (business class), all taxes and surcharges included. VISAs must be obtained before travel from the kazakhstan consulate in MUSHRIF (02 447 6623).
