Kazakhstan - Central Asia - page 65

The regular taxi fare between the airport and
the centre is 2000T, although drivers at the air-
port will try for much more. One reliable taxi irm
that you can call to book a cab is Almaty Taxi
( % 255 53 33, 158; http: //almatytaxi.kz;
h 24hr). Freelance cabs charge around 1000T:
you can usually ind them about 50m along the
street outside the airport car-park exit.
BUS, TRAM & TROLLEYBUS
Buses, trolleybuses and trams (all 80T) run
from 6 or 7am to 10 or 11pm. They can get very
crowded, so if you have much baggage or are
short of time, it's easier to take a taxi. All serv-
ices mentioned here follow the same routes in
both directions unless stated.
To/From Sayran Bus Station
Buses 16, 37 and 126 run east along Tole Bi to
the centre. The 16 and 126 eventually turn north
on Konaev then east on gogol, passing Panilov
Park. The 37 turns north on Zheltoksan then
east on Rayymbek to Sayakhat bus station;
going out to Sayran it heads south on Nauryzbay
Batyr instead of Zheltoksan. Bus 65 heads into
the centre along Abay, then goes north down
Dostyk. Bus 45 heads to Respublika alany and
Ramstor on Furmanov.
To/From the Train Stations
From Almaty-II, trolleybuses 5 and 6 head south
on Abylay Khan, then west on Abay.
From Almaty-I, buses 2 and 73 run to the cen-
tre, travelling south on Furmanov to the Central
State museum and beyond.
Other Useful Routes
In the central area, Furmanov is the main artery
for north-south routes, along with Nauryzbay
Batyr (southbound) and Zheltoksan (north-
bound). gogol and Abay are the principal east-
west arteries.
Bus 29 Sayakhat bus station, Zhangeldin,
Kaldayakov, Bogenbay Batyr (Kabanbay Batyr
northbound), Dostyk, Butakovka.
Bus 66 gogol (north side of Panfilov Park),
Kaldayakov, Tole Bi (Kazybek Bi northbound),
Dostyk, Abay, Zhandosov.
Bus 105 Furmanov, Abay, Baytursynuly,
Timiryazev.
Trolleybus 1 gorky Park, gogol, Auezov to
Timiryazev.
Trolleybus 12 gorky Park, gogol, Auezov,
Zhandosov.
METRO
Almaty's shiny new metro, opened in 2011, runs
from Rayymbek station, near Almaty-II train sta-
tion, about 3km south beneath Furmanov as far
as Abay, then 4km west beneath Abay to Alatau
station. There are ive intermediate stations en
route. It's useful for some cross-city trips. Rides
cost 80T and trains run about every 10 minutes,

6.30am to 11.30pm. Carry your passport (not
just a photocopy), as police at stations love
checking ID documents and may not be satisied
with copies.
TAXI
There are some oicial taxis - marked with
chequerboard logos or other obvious signs - but
many private cars also act as freelance taxis.
Stand at the roadside with your arm slightly
raised and you'll rarely have to wait more than
six or eight cars before one stops. Just say
where you're going and how much you're ofer-
ing. If you can't agree a price, let the car go and
wait for another. A ride in the centre of Almaty
should cost 200T to 400T depending on dis-
tance (sometimes a bit more at night).

Around Almaty
There are some great outings to be made
right on Almaty's doorstep, notably into the
Zailiysky Alatau range, a beautiful spur of
the Tian Shan to the south of the city. The
main access routes into the Zailiysky Ala-
tau are the Malaya (Little) Almatinka val-
ley, where the winter sports centres Medeu
and Chimbulak are found, and the Bolshaya
(Big) Almatinka valley, leading up to Ozero
Bolshoe Almatinskoe (Big Almaty Lake).
Note that foreigners are not allowed to walk
into Kyrgyzstan through these mountains,
and permits are officially required on some
routes approaching the border.
Good Russian-language hiking maps
covering the area are sold at Akademkniga
(p67).

Medeu & Chimbulak
Медеу & Чимбулак
These are Almaty's winter-sports play-
grounds in the Malaya Almatinka valley. The
facilities were comprehensively upgraded
for Almaty's hosting of the 2011 Asian Win-
ter Games. Medeu, about 15km southeast
of central Almaty, at an altitude of 1700m,
is a scattering of buildings around the huge
Medeu ice rink. Chimbulak, further up the
valley at 2200m, is Central Asia's top ski-
ing centre. The two are connected by road
and a cable car installed in 2011. Medeu is
always several degrees cooler than Almaty,
and Chimbulak is cooler still. Except in sum-
mer, rain in Almaty means snow and zero
visibility at the higher elevations.
The 10,500-sq-metre Medeu¨ ice¨ rink
( % 727-386 95 33; www.medey.kz; adult/child
1800/400T; h 10am-4pm & 6-11pm Thu-Sun approx