TRANSPORT

Air
   There are frequent flights from Almaty to Astana, Karaganda, Chimkent (four times a day), Dzhambul, Pavlodar, Kzil-Orda, Semipalatinsk and Ust-Kamenogorsk. Tickets can be bought at the offices of aircompanies, in many other ticket agencies or at the departure terminal of the airport. Tickets can be paid for in national currency or in US Dollars although some credit cards are accepted. Access to the Central Tien-Shan region is via helicopter, which takes climbers up the North Inylchek Valley. Heli ski tours also served by helicopter.

Domestic flight duration from Almaty

Destination	Flight time
Astana
Karaganda
Chimkent
Djambul
Pavlodar
Kyzyl-Orda
Semipalatinsk
Ust-Kamenororsk

Rail
   All major cities of Kazakhstan is served by a reasonable rail network. Passengers should store luggage under the bed or seat there is a special space, and should not leave the compartment unattended. Passengers should bring their own food and drink on any train journey. Tickets can be bought at the train station and also from the board conductor.

Road
  Kazakhstan is served by a reasonable road network, connecting all the towns and regional centres. It has 28,400km (17,400 miles) of roads. Traffic drives on the right. Drive carefully after it gets dark as the roads outside the cities are not lit at all and the locals have some bad habits walking by the roads in night time. Petrol supplies are reasonably reliable in comparison with other Central Asian republics.

Bus
  There are regular bus connections to all parts of Kazakhstan. Buses can be overcrowded but they are currently the cheapest, safest and fairly reliable form of internal travel..

Taxi
  Taxis can be found in all major towns. Travellers must agree a fare in advance, and not to share taxis with strangers. As many of the street names have changed since independence, it is also advisable to ascertain both the old and the new street names when asking directions. It is best to give a landmark that is close to your destination, and when going to restaurants, mentioning the intersection of two streets (like Furmanova-Djandosova) is better than saying "German embassy".

  Official taxis are marked but most people don't have a problem getting in the unofficial ones, which may or may not have a removable taxi sign on the roof. As a rule of thumb 100-300 tenge is a basic price for a short ride from one part of the city to another, but it might cost anywhere from 300 to 500 tenge depending on distance, time of day, venue and your charm. The drivers might be tempted to charge you more money if they figure you've got it. You will definitely have to bargain. Make sure the driver isn't drunk and agree on a price before getting in. Taking official taxis you may not to use the seat belts while using unofficial one you may not be supplied with a seatbelt - and can expect an heart-felt protest if you try to find one.

  Additionally there are a number of more professional, standard priced but more expensive "City Taxi". They are the most reliable way to get somewhere. Order by phone (dial ), tell them your location and destination and they will pick you up in 10-20 minutes. Fares within the city start at 200 tenge at day time and 400 tenge at late evening and night time. If reliability, safety and not haggling is your priority City Taxi is the best option.

  Car hire is available in Almaty, Astana and at the airports. Cars with a driver can be hired in travel agencies by the trip, by the hour or by the day or week. Documentation: Licences for long-stay residents intending to buy or import a car can be obtained from the Protocol Department of the Foreign Ministry. An International Driving Permit and two photos are required.

Urban transport
 All major cities of Kazakhstan are served by taxis, buses and sometimes trolleybuses and trams, Public transport is cheap and generally reliable.

  Almaty is not an easy city to get around it. It is very large capital city, so navigating on foot or by car is not easy. Remember that the mountains to the south are nearly always in view. Public transportation (mini-buses and trolleybuses) usually runs from 5:30 or 6:00 in the morning till 9:00 or 9:30 at night.

Mini-buses - "Marshrutki"
  Marshrutki are vans driving in all different directions with numbered signs. Marshrutki are cheap (30 tenge in Almaty) and go just about anywhere, but the trick is figuring out which one is going where you need to.

  Flag a passing Marshrutka by sticking your arm and hand out parallel to the ground, hop in and pay 30 tenge upon entrance. Marshrutka etiquette is that passengers farther from their stop should move to the back, young men and boys should give their seats to older folks (especially women), and one should take care not to step on or otherwise insult other passengers with their feet. Marshrutki can become very, very crowded and drivers, understandably, are not known for their customer service with confused tourists. Many tourists decide to forego Marshrutki, opting instead for taxis. The following two pieces of advice can be given for new riders:

1. At a bus stop, ask a local person what number Marshrutka is heading where you need to go, hop in, pay the driver, and say "ostanovite pojaluista zdes " when you want to stop.

2. Basically they can be stopped just everythere though braking the traffic rules.

Trolleybuses, Buses and Trams
  Almaty is served by trolleybuses which are the big electric buses, buses and trams. The are cheep and slow. Follow the signs on the body to enter or exit. Pay fare to the conductor.

Foot
Almaty is really large, so it can be very difficult to cover large distances by foot. Some streets can be poorly lit at night and violent crime relating to drunkenness happens as in every large city in the world. Westerners are picked out by locals nearly instantly.

On tours
  Transport on package tours generally provided by travel company and included in the price.