What budget to travel Kazakhstan? Money and currency

What budget for activities and outings Kazakhstan?

Reminiscent of practices dating back to the former USSR, Kazakhstan applies a double entrance fee to major monuments and museums, with tourists paying much more than locals. This is a common practice in Central Asia. Despite this, the cost of visits remains very affordable compared with France, but beware: you'll often have to pay a supplement to take photos (except with a smartphone), another to film, and yet another to take advantage of a guided tour or audio-guide.

As far as your budget is concerned, bear in mind that Kazakhstan can't pull down prices by taking advantage of high tourist numbers. Tourism in Kazakhstan is still often carried out by individuals on the move, or by groups of hikers or mountaineers who are only making a one-off visit to a specific area. Prices are affected by this, and the services of an agency, a guide or the rental of a 4x4 will certainly be the most important items of your stay, at least if you want to get off the beaten track and benefit from local services. If you do it all yourself, accept to spend as much time as necessary and limit yourself to local transport, activities in Kazakhstan won't cost you much.

As tourism is not really massive in Kazakhstan, craft production remains limited. In Almaty, Turkestan and Aktau, however, you'll find silk and felt production, etc. Carpets are all imported (from Turkmenistan or Iran at best, often from India or China as well). In terms of handicrafts, Kazakhstan has a long tradition of nomadism, and most everyday objects catered to the needs of this lifestyle: wool weaving, leather tanning, bone carving, the manufacture of small objects or wooden furniture and jewelry making. The best way to be sure of finding quality objects is to visit the workshops themselves. Souvenir stores are often limited to magnets, mugs and trinkets made in China.

What budget to eat Kazakhstan?

You can eat for next to nothing in small neighborhood tchaikhanas, but the menus will always be more or less the same: soup, tomato-onion salad, chachlyks, laghmans or plov washed down with tea, and always for the equivalent of a handful of euros. You'll find more choice in bazaar canteens, with the advantage of being assured of fresh produce. But these usually only operate at lunchtime. In the big cities, the bill can rise a little faster in the shops reserved for the intelligentsia or expats. Astana and Almaty have a wide choice of top-of-the-range restaurants to indulge in. There are also some very good mid-range restaurants offering fine local specialties at very reasonable prices. As for variety, the choice is equally concentrated in Almaty and Astana, with Japanese, Georgian and Italian restaurants as well as English and Irish pubs. Only restaurants and pubs catering to Western customers or to Kazakhstan's golden youth accept international cards (Visa, Mastercard...). For smaller establishments, bring local currency.

Bars catering to expat customers in Almaty or Astana are obviously more expensive than others. Imported beers, Western-style burgers and snacks are charged at full price. Elsewhere, a Kazakh or Russian beer with local nibbles will only cost you a handful of euros.

What is the budget for accommodation Kazakhstan?

Kazakhstan's hotel offer is growing year on year, especially in the big cities, where you can now find the full range of good-quality hotels. It's often staff training that lags behind, due to the lack of truly specialized hotel schools. The range of bed and breakfasts and guest houses has yet to be created, although there have been attempts in the past, notably in collaboration with CBT(Community based tourism), which has worked particularly well in Kyrgyzstan. In Kazakhstan, the number of tourists arriving each year is still too small to see the development of such a network. There are a few hotels in the country that have survived from the Soviet era and offer budget accommodation, but don't expect luxury or comfort.

As far as rates are concerned, you'll certainly find them higher than elsewhere in Central Asia, as hotels are tailored more to Chinese, Turkish or Western businessmen, depending on the location, than to tourists. In the mid-range, you'll sleep very well for a budget of €40 or more. If you're looking for top-of-the-range accommodation, try to book through an agency, which may be able to negotiate better rates than the rack rates available at reception.

Travel budget Kazakhstan and cost of living

As for hotels, Astana and Almaty, and to a lesser extent Aktau, are the most expensive cities in the country. Your accommodation budget will hardly fall below 10,000 KZT per person (approx. €18), and that's only if you choose hotels close to train stations. Mid-range hotels charge around 25,000 KZT for a standard double room, but this can rise rapidly in high season or if the city is hosting a special event. For luxury, expect to pay in excess of 60,000 KZT. Most Kazakh hotels can now be found on www.booking.fr, where you're sure to find a good deal.

Dining out in these two cities is also more expensive than elsewhere, especially if you indulge in the upscale pubs and restaurants offering Western cuisine, where prices start from 8 or 9,000 KZT per person (excluding drinks). On the other hand, it's always possible to find smaller, more popular restaurants or gargotes, where prices start at around 5,000 KZT.

In the rest of the country, accommodation will remain your main expense. Even the old Soviet hotels, long the lifeline of budget travellers in Central Asia, are beginning to charge higher rates as they are renovated. Bear in mind that Kazakhstan has, as a rule, more rooms than tourists, so negotiate as much as possible and visit the rooms before committing yourself.

Don't forget to budget for transportation. Trains and buses are still relatively inexpensive ways of getting around, but for a country where distances are long, you'll need to make sure you take enough time if you don't want to discover Kazakhstan through the carriage windows! To speed things up, internal flights or shared cabs are good solutions, but obviously more expensive. In short, the shorter your trip, the higher the transport budget you'll need, unless you only want to visit a particular part of the country. The transportation budget also means getting off the beaten track. If you want to see remote parts of the country, you'll often need a 4x4, which will cost you between €100 and €120 per day, depending on the vehicle, agency, mileage and length of rental.

To cover longer distances for less, spend your nights on the trains. You'll save on hotel nights, while coming into direct contact with the local population. Of course, you'll have to sacrifice comfort..