Shymkent
Welcome to Shymkent
The insider's travel guide to ShymkentThis busy town in the south of Kazakhstan, is one of the country’s ancient settlements. Destroyed by Genghis Khan, it recovered to become a major centre along the Silk Road, and in the 20th century developed as one of the country’s main trade and industrial hubs. It has a number of historic sights, but the main attractions are outside the city. The region is famous for its rare tulips that in spring blanket the meadows of the mountains that form a stunning backdrop to the town.
Shymkent is the third most populated city in Kazakhstan and is now a major cultural and industrial hub. It has rail links with surrounding cities including Almaty, Nur-Sultan and Turkistan making it easy for tourists to access.
Popular sights in Shymkent include the Museum of Local History, the mausoleums of Arystan Bab and Khoja Ahmed Yasawi and Akmeshit Cave, located north of the city.
The nearby national parks of Sairam-Ugam and Aksu-Zhabagly Reserve protect the region's famous tulip fields, are sanctuaries for bears and snow leopards, and are wonderful to explore on horseback or on a hike: The sight of wild horses roaming through the tulip fields will stay with you forever.
The region's old oasis towns will give you an unbeatable insight into what life must have been like for the Silk Road traders, and for accommodation try a homestay to sample a genuine Kazakh welcome and the local cuisine which developed out of the traditional nomadic lifestyle. Homestays offer a great opportunity to engage with locals and sample the traditional cuisine.
The Shymkent atlas
2 picks Places & Experiences You Won't Find Elsewhere-
Aksu-Zhabagly Nature Reserve, in the mountains south of Shymkent, has excellent guides and a pioneering homestay programme that will see you overwhelmed with well-intentioned Kazakh cooking. The amazing fauna and flora is, however, the real reason to visit and you should try to time your trip to coincide with the blossoming of tulips. It is nothing short of a dream to see wild horses roam across the rainbow fields during April and May.
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Hiding in plain sight, Kazakhstan’s vast territory holds a lot of interest for the amateur archaeologist and the flower fanatic, but also for the architect, the armchair politician and the Cold War history hound. You can enjoy the vast expanses of nature, and the unshackled feeling you get from traversing such a shoreless place. People, as of yet unaccustomed to tourism, will welcome you in, surprised, happy and puzzled. Why did you come to Kazakhstan? Only the road can provide that answer.Kazakhstan is such a big place, one can only hope to explore a little bit of it at a time. Far-flung jewels like the western Mangystau desert and the magic Altai mountains are stunning in their own right, but due to their remoteness, they require a dedicated trip. Luckily, you can get a taste of each in the Almaty region, where this itinerary starts.Starting in the Almaty region, visit Altyn Emel and Charyn Canyon, spot roaming bears and explore the lakes in Ili-Alatau National Park and explore the city itself. From Almaty, an overnight train or short flight brings you to Shymkent. Those who elect to do the whole itinerary by car can stop over at the mausoleum of Aisha Bibi in Taraz.After spending a few days exploring Shymkent, head to Astana where you will take a few days to explore the numerous monuments, spend an evening at the opera and visit the local shops and restaurants. For a different view of Kazakhstan, take a day trip to Karaganda. This working-class town is dominated by mines and smoke-belching chimneys, so it initially comes as a surprise Karaganda has 4 theatre companies serving an obviously cultured city populace.You can also visit the Korgalzhyn Nature Reserve which has the world’s most northerly flock of flamingos.
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Wander through fields of tulips in Aksu-Zhabagly
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The Kazakhstan Loop
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