Off Beat Kazakhstan with Cosmodrome, Semey, and Aralsk

June 12th (Day 2) – Train to Aralsk

After breakfast, we will take the morning train to Aralsk, a 20-hour ride across the vast Kazakh steppe—an unforgettable journey for anyone who enjoys long train travel, and the highlight for many on our last expedition

Trains in Kazakhstan are well-equipped, with a café wagon selling local food and drinks, and they are also a great place to meet and talk with local people.

Overnight on the train.

June 13th (Day 3) – Aralsk and the Aral Sea

In the 1960s, the Soviets aimed to become one of the world’s top cotton exporters. Cotton, however, requires huge amounts of water, and since the steppe was practically a desert, they diverted the two major rivers that fed the Aral Sea.

Poor water pipelines made things worse, with 75% of the water evaporating or being lost along the way, leading to the near disappearance of the Aral Sea. Today, Aralsk is home to a vast, rusty industrial complex, a reminder that it was once a prosperous town.

Our train will arrive in Aralsk around 7 am. We will spend the day visiting the town and driving through the desert where the water once was.

Overnight in Aralsk.

June 14th (Day 4) – Baikonur

Baikonur is home to the Baikonur Cosmodrome, the Russian equivalent of NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. This is the very place from where both the dog Laika and Yuri Gagarin, the first human in space, were launched.

Despite being located in the middle of Kazakhstan, today this is Russian territory, rented for an enormous yearly fee. Russian rules apply here: they use the ruble, and almost everyone is Russian.

Also, a Kazakhstan visa is not valid here, so we’ll need to apply for a special permit.

A Kazakhstan visa is not valid, so we’ll need to apply for a special permit. Upon arrival in Baikonur, we’ll visit the Cosmodrome itself, one of the most legendary space facilities in the world, before exploring the city—a quintessential Soviet town filled with monuments, museums, and stories linked to the space race.

Overnight in Baikonur.

June 15th (Day 5) – Kyzylorda and Karaganda

Day 5 is a travel day. First, we’ll drive to Kyzylorda’s domestic airport, about 3 hours from Baikonur, and take a flight to Astana. From there, we’ll continue with a 3-hour drive to Karaganda.

In the evening, we’ll take a stroll around Karaganda.

Overnight in Karaganda.

June 16th (Day 6) – Karaganda

Karaganda is the fifth largest city in Kazakhstan, and one of the most Soviet and industrialized cities in the country.

We will have a slow morning to recover from the last few hectic days, before heading to Karlag, a museum built in what used to be the largest gulag in Central Asia, today the Museum of Political Soviet Terror.

Next, we’ll do a tour around the city, visiting Soviet-style buildings and monuments. Then, if possible, we’ll go to the house of Karipbek Kuyukov, the world-famous armless painter, known for his works on nuclear and radiation-related themes.

Mr. Kuyukov was born in the Semey area, and he believes his condition is the result of Semipalatinsk radiation.

Please note that Mr. Kuyukov is not always in Karaganda, so we can’t guarantee he’ll be there during our visit.

June 17th (Day 7) – Temirtau and Eagle Hunter’s village

Temirtau is home to one of the largest factories in Kazakhstan, producing 1% of the world’s total steel. It is also a very controversial place, as it is the most polluting factory in the country.

The factory is huge and impressive to see, and we’ll check it out from the outside. We’ll also visit the Soviet monuments in Temirtau before heading on to Astana.

On the way to Astana, we’ll stop at a small village, where we’ll have the chance to meet an actual Eagle Hunter. Kazakhstan is the most modern country in Central Asia, so eagle hunting culture is fast disappearing, with no more than 20 or 30 men still practicing this unique part of Kazakh folklore.

We’ll learn everything about this culture and enjoy beshbarmak (a hearty Kazakh meal) at their house.

Overnight in Astana.

June 18th (Day 8) – Astana

As you may already know, Astana is a city with little soul, built not so long ago just to serve as the capital, meaning everything here is pretty fake – but still interesting to see.

In the morning, we’ll visit the center of Astana and all its particularly weird monuments, including Khan Shatyr, Bayterek Tower, Ak Orda, Central Concert Hall, Nur Astana Mosque, the circus, Palace of Peace and Reconciliation, and many more.

At 6 pm, we’ll catch a night train to Semey.

Overnight on the train.

June 19th (Day 9) – Semipalatinsk Testing Site

For many travelers, this is the highlight of a trip to Kazakhstan.

In 1949, the Soviet Union built a nuclear test site in the middle of the vast and remote Kazakh steppe.

They named it Semipalatinsk-21—popularly known as The Polygon—an area of more than 18,000 km² where 456 nuclear tests were carried out between 1949 and 1989, including the detonation of an atomic bomb.

We’ll put on our anti-radiation gear and visit a crater created by the detonation of a hydrogen bomb, along with many other crumbling Soviet facilities.

In the evening, we’ll drive to Kurchatov.

Overnight in Kurchatov.

June 20th (Day 10) – Kurchatov and Semey

Kurchatov is a town built exclusively to house the people working at Semipalatinsk, including scientists, drivers, and all others connected to the site.

The location of Kurchatov was always kept secret, and the town was even renamed several times to maintain its secrecy.

Today, Kurchatov is partially abandoned, but there are still plenty of sights to see, including the former KGB building, once the largest KGB office in Kazakhstan.

After lunch, we’ll return to Semey and tour the city.

End of the tour. You can choose to either take a night train back to Astana or fly to Almaty the next day.