Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
You can rent a rowing¨boat (per 30/60
min 1000/2000T) at Goluboy Zaliv to paddle
out to Zhumbaktas. Continue 1.75km further
round the lake to reach Polyana¨Abylay¨
Khana (Abylay Khan's Clearing), where the
warrior hero reputedly once assembled his
forces during his Zhungar campaigns. A tall,
eagle-topped monument, with good old Ab
astride a snow leopard, stands in the clear-
ing. A path from the back of the clearing
leads up 947m Mt¨Kokshetau , the highest
peak in the park (about 1½ hours to the top).
A shorter, gentler climb, with good views
of both Lake Burabay and Lake Bolshoe
Chebachie to its north, is Mt¨Bolektau . This
takes about half an hour by the track head-
ing up to the right just before the Km 4 post
heading west from Burabay town.
Local agencies offer a variety of group
trips in the park with Russian-speaking
guides. Gentle gradients make for good
cycling : to rent a bike look for ' Prokat
Velosipedov' signs along the main road in
Burabay.
4 ¨Sleeping
The choice of hotels in and near Burabay
town is wide and good. It's also fairly easy
to rent rooms, cabins, apartments or even
yurts for 1000T to 2500T per person: look
for signs saying ' sdam komnati/domiki/
kvartiry/yurty' along the main street,
Kenesary.
Baza¨Otdykha¨¨
Akmolaturist¨No¨1¨ TURBAZA $
( % 7 15 11; www.akmolatourist.kz/borovoe; Kene-
sary 55, Burabay; per person 2250-2750T) By the
roundabout at the entrance to Burabay from
Shchuchinsk, this little place provides cosy
rooms for two to six people, with a shared
kitchen and clean shared bathrooms. You can
book through Akmolaturist (p107) in Astana.
Kokshebel¨Lake¨Resort¨ HOTEL $$
( % 7 11 97; sales-kokshebel@mail.ru; Kenesary 2A;
cabins 15,000-20,000T, r 25,000-35,000T, incl
breakfast; pnaWs ) Kokshebel is a well-
built, well-run hotel with attractive pine-
wooded grounds stretching down to the
lakeshore (with private beach) at the west
end of town. The rooms are comfortable
and well equipped. The cosy wooden cab-
ins, holding up to four people, are under the
pines close to the lake. Guests can amuse
themselves with billiards, darts, table tennis
or a sauna.
Hotel¨Nursat¨ HOTEL $$
( % 7 13 01; www.bereke-burabai.com; Kenesary 26,
Burabay; r incl breakfast 7000-16,000T; pW ) This
red-brick hotel, one of a few almost opposite
the Nature Museum, has large, bright and
comfy if plain rooms.
5 ¨Eating
Kafe¨Taranchi¨ CENTRAL ASIAN $$
(Kenesary; mains 800-1200T; h 10am-2am Jun-
Aug) The Taranchi has an unmissable pink,
castlelike exterior, a short walk west of the
main bus stop in Burabay. Good Uyghur
laghman, plov and tosh-kan (a spicy meat,
onion and noodles dish), and some Russian
dishes, are served in an interior that con-
jures up an old caravanserai.
Kafe¨Alina¨ CENTRAL ASIAN $$
( % 7 20 20; Kenesary 21; dishes 250-2400T;
h 9am-5am; n ) Just east of the Burabay bus
stop, Alina is done out in pinks and purples
and turns out respectable versions of every-
thing from bliny to kuksi (Korean noodle,
meat and vegetable soup) to shashlyk to
salmon with red caviar. It has a nice sum-
mer terrace.
8 Getting¨There¨&¨Around
minibuses (1500T to 1800T, three hours) and
shared taxis (2500T) to Burabay leave from
outside Astana's bus station when full. Daytime
departures are plentiful in summer and at week-
ends. more plentiful transport (at least 19 buses
or minibuses) runs from Astana to Shchuchinsk,
on the Astana-Kokshetau road 15km south of
the lake. From Shchuchinsk small white buses
(150T, 30 minutes) run every 40 minutes (7am
to 7pm) to Burabay, or there are shared/charter
taxis for 250/1000T. In Burabay the bus and
taxi stop is just of the main street, Kenesary,
towards the west end of town.
Karaganda
(Karagandy) КАРАГАНДА
( ҚАРАГАНДЫ )
% 7212 / POP 459,000 / ELEV 550M
Smack in the steppe heartland, 220km
southeast of Astana, Karaganda is most fa-
mous for two things: coal and labour camps.
The two are intimately connected, as the
vast 'KarLag' network of Stalin-era camps
around Karaganda was set up to provide
food and labour for the mines. Prison labour
also built much of Karaganda itself.
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