Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Soviet-era establishment is a bit cosier and
more accustomed to foreigners than compa-
rable hotels, though reception staff seem to
suffer from deep depression. Rooms are all
renovated, and fitted out in shades of brown.
Hotel¨Ust-Kamenogorsk¨
HOTEL $$
(
%
26 18 01; www.hotel-oskemen.kz; Kabanbay Ba-
tyr 158; s 4000-20,000T, d 6000-22,000T, all incl
breakfast;
aW
)
A large Soviet-era hotel with
renovated rooms in decent condition. All
have bathrooms, carpets and thick leopard-
spot or tiger-stripe blankets. The wi-fi signal
is erratic.
Shiny¨River¨Hotel¨
HOTEL $$$
(
%
76 65 25; www.shinyriverhotel.kz; Astana 8/1;
s 12,000-31,000T, d 15,000-35,000T, all incl break-
fast;
paiW
)
This excellent modern hotel
overlooking the Ulba has sober but taste-
ful and very comfy rooms, with shiny silk
cushions and bedspreads, plus two bars, two
classy restaurants and an in-house travel
agency.
5
¨Eating
o
Pitstsa¨Blyuz¨
PIZZERIA, RUSSIAN $
(Pizza Blues; pizzas 500-620T;
h
9am-11pm)
High-
ly popular local chain in several locations
including
Gorky
(
%
24 81 67; gorky 56;
W
)
,
Tauelsizdik
(
%
76 51 01; Tauelsizdik 1)
and
Ka-
zakhstan
(
%
25 23 66; Kazakhstan 64)
serving
pretty good pizzas and salads, and great ice
cream and
bliny,
in clean, bright surround-
ings. Also at the Gorky location is the slightly
more expensive
Kofe¨ Blyuz
(Coffee Blues;
%
26 47 04; dishes 340-1440T;
h
9am-11pm;
W
)
,
with great coffee and desserts, burgers, burr-
itos, breakfasts, fresh juices and cocktails.
Teplitsa¨
CAFETERIA $
(
%
20 89 59; Auezov 43; mains 350-800T;
h
9am-
11pm)
Teplitsa (Greenhouse) is a stylish
update on the old
stolovaya
(cafeteria)
concept. There's plenty of freshly prepared
food to choose from, and it's hard to beat
the tasty sausages grilled to order in front of
OUT¨&¨ABOUT¨FROM¨UST-KAMENOGORSK
Even if you have left it too late to get the border-zone permit needed to visit the Altay
Mountains proper or other areas near the Chinese border, there's till plenty of good
country within reach of Ut-Kamenogorsk that's good for hiking, horse or bike riding,
rafting or jut exploring. Public transport around the region is limited; it's easier if you
organise trips through a good Ut-Kamenogorsk agency such as Altai Expeditions (p115)
or Imperia Turizma (p115).
The mining town of
Ridder
(formerly Leninogorsk), 110km northeat of Ut-Kame-
nogorsk, is the gateway to beautiful mountain country abutting the Russian border,
including the
Zapadno-Altaysky¨(Western¨Altay)¨Nature¨Reserve
. There are sev-
eral campgrounds with cabins along the road heading eat through the nature reserve
from Ridder to the border, and good, not-too-demanding hiking and trekking in the
Ivanovsky¨Khrebet
hills south of the road. (Note: foreigners are not allowed to cross
into Russia by this road.) Altai Expeditions charges around €75 per person per day
for Ivanovsky Khrebet trips with English-speaking guides. Imperia Turizma ofers two/
three-day treks in the Ridder area for 9000/13,000T per person including transport and
meals, or a day's rafting for 20,000T per person not including transport or meals. Eleven
buses a day run to Ridder (900T, three hours) from Ut-Kamenogorsk bus tation.
Within easy day-trip ditance south of Ut-Kamenogorsk is the intriguing
Akbaur
Bronze Age atronomical and petroglyph complex (Altai Expeditions charges 7000T per
car for a half-day trip), and the ruined medieval Buddhit monatery
Ablainskit
.
About 200km eat of Ut-Kamenogorsk,
Maymyr
village is a good base for hikes and
rides around the broad Naryn valley and the high mountains to the south. Altai Expedi-
tions ofers comfy cottage or yurttays here, and good horse riding. Further south and
southeat the highly varied terrain ranges from deserts and dramatic rock formations
on the north side of Lake Zaysan to the pritine, 35km-long, 1400m-high
Lake¨Marka-
kol
, accessible in summer by a hairy mountain-pass 4WD track from Katon-Karagay,
the 'Autrian Road'. Altai Expeditions' wide-ranging 10-day 'Nomad' 4WD tour (around
€1900/1500 per person for two-/four-person groups) encompasses this area. You do
need a border-zone permit for Markakol, however.
