Kazakhstan - Central Asia - page 62

REGISTRATION
Migration Police ( % 261 19 22; Karasay Batyr
109A; h 9am-1pm & 3-6pm mon-Fri, 9am-1pm
Sat) If you need to register with the migration
police and you choose to do it in person, this is
where you must come. The entrance is actually
from Baytursynuly: the building is set back
between Baytursynuly 61 and 63. At the time of
writing processing is free and normally takes
15 to 30 minutes, but you should arrive close to
morning opening time in case of any delays.
See p127 for information on what documents
to take. A notary's oice outside the entrance
can help you ill in the application form for 100T,
and makes photocopies.
TOURIST INFORMATION
Almaty Info Centre ( % 272 39 60; www.
almaty-info.net; Tolebaev 174; h 9am-1pm &
2-6pm mon-Fri) Run by the Kazakhstan Tour-
ism Association ( % 272 40 30; www.kaztour-
association.com), this centre and its website
offer masses of information about Almaty and
Kazakhstan, some of it useful to expats and
businesses as well as tourists. Sharing the
premises is the Ecotourism Information Re-
source Centre (p68).
Tourist Information Center ( % 390 88 86;
www.visitalmaty.kz) Run by the Almaty City
Tourism Department, these centres have a map
and a booklet to give out and are very willing
to help and answer questions. The airport
( h 24hr) booth, on the arrivals level, is good on
city transport and other practical details. There
is also a branch in the city (Kurmangazy 33;
h 9am-6pm mon-Fri).
TRAVEL, TOUR & ADVENTURE AGENCIES
There are a number of general travel agencies
useful for travel tickets, hotel bookings, visa
support, outings from the city and longer tours.
Stantours is particularly well geared up for inde-
pendent travellers.
Kan Tengri, Tour Asia, Trekking Club and Kar-
lygash makatova specialise in active trips.
A13 ( % 333 52 13; www.a13.travel; Zheltoksan
87; h 10am-7pm mon-Fri, 10am-2pm Sat) This
agency can arrange treks, rafting and other
active trips in southeast Kazakhstan at reason-
able prices. give them at least a week to make
arrangements.
Arnai Tours ( % 267 40 77; www.arnaitours.kz;
Abay 59; h 10am-6pm mon-Fri) This experi-
enced, English- and german-speaking agency
offers varied group and individual trips includ-
ing Baykonur Cosmodrome launch trips and
national park and nature reserve tours.
Ecotourism Information Resource Centre
(EIRC; % 272 53 63; www.eco-tourism.kz;
Tolebaev 174; h 9am-1pm & 2-6pm mon-Fri)
The helpful, English-speaking information
centre for community ecotourism programs

can help with bookings and travel arrange-
ments to ecotourism villages - but note that
some destinations listed on its website were no
longer available at research time. Also offers
car excursions with English-speaking guides
(around 25,000T per day), weekend bus trips
with Russian-speaking guides to places of
interest around southeast Kazakhstan (one-
day trips cost 2800T to 4000T per person),
and rafting on the Chilik or Ili rivers (8000T to
9000T per person).
Jibek Joly ( % 250 04 45; www.jibekjoly.kz;
Room 131, Hotel Zhetisu, Abylay Khan 55;
h 9am-6pm mon-Fri) This efficient agency
runs cottage accommodation at Kolsay Lakes
and elsewhere in southeast Kazakhstan, offers
tours to Altyn-Emel National Park, Aksu-
Zhabagyly Nature Reserve and other southern
destinations, provides visa support and can
help with border-zone permits.
Kan Tengri ( % 291 02 00; www.kantengri.kz;
Kasteev 10; h office 9am-6pm mon-Fri) Kaza-
khstan's top adventure-travel company, highly
respected in mountain tourism, Kan Tengri
focuses on climbs, trekking and mountain
biking in the central Tian Shan (including mt
Khan Tengri) and Zailiysky Alatau. Also offers
horse treks, bird-watching and botanical tours.
most trips last between one and three weeks:
a two-week trek typically costs around €2000
per person.
minimum group size is usually six. The com-
pany's director is Kazbek Valiev, the irst Kazakh
to scale mt Everest.
Karlygash (Karla) Makatova ( % 701-755 2086;
[e-mail]) Independent one-
woman operator who has long organised trips
for the expat community and travellers - day
hikes, treks, climbs, drives, kayaking, helicop-
ter flights and more. Her trips are spirited, not
too expensive, and a good way to meet locals
and expats.
Silk Road Adventures ( % 268 27 43; www.
silkroadadventures.info; Anosov 133-30;
h 9am-6pm mon-Fri, 9am-2pm Sat) Long-
established, highly experienced operator
offering all kinds of long and short, individual
and group trips throughout Kazakhstan and
Central Asia, including hiking in the mountains
near Almaty and the Altay, mangistau 4WD
tours, and Baykonur Cosmodrome visits.
Stantours ( % 247 61 29, 705-118 4619; www.
stantours.com) Expert operation with excellent
personal service, and is a specialist in visas for
all Central Asia. Also provides air and train tick-
ets, and can book accommodation and tours
throughout Central Asia, including Turkmeni-
stan tours and active tours to offbeat locations.
Prices are reasonable. Contact Stantours by
email or phone.
Tour Asia ( % 376 57 13; www.tourasia.kz;
Baikadamov 30-1) Long-established company