We’ve only traveled to the far west of Kazakhstan, the 9th-largest country in the world by area, with its spectacular Mangystau Peninsula and its vast steppes. This time, we’re entering the far east, not far from the Chinese border, from Kyrgyzstan via a very small border crossing. We love small border crossings and deliberately choose them whenever possible: everything is clear and less chaotic, and the border guards are generally friendlier, more personal, and less stressed.
Coming out of the green mountains of Kyrgyzstan, we quickly lose altitude, and the dry, endless steppe landscape so characteristic of Kazakhstan greets us again. This time, however, it’s spectacularly interrupted by the so-called “Grand Canyon of Asia,” the Sharyn Canyon. We first drive over lonely, dusty tracks (fortunately we cleaned Shujaa thoroughly inside and out a few days ago 😉) to a very remote side valley – the Yellow Canyon. Here, we park for the night in a prime location at a great view point right on the edge of the cliff… the deep Yellow and Sharyn Canyons deep below us. However, we have to change the overnight space later a bit due to extreme winds. We get out the quad and drive down a small track into the canyon; a spectacular ride with great photo opportunities.
We spontaneously decide to drive to Almaty: we don’t want to miss the former capital and the cultural and economic center of the country, according to our motto “if you don’t visit a country’s capital, you have not visited the country.” Besides, we’re just in the mood for a big city after all the nature and solitude of the last few weeks and months. We also desperately need to eat well again. The yurt food wasn’t exactly amazing and having someone cook for you every now and then isn’t a bad idea either. We are not disappointed: the location on the edge of the snow-capped Tian Shan Mountains is impressive, there are many great cafés and restaurants, and – in contrast to the massive construction site in Dushanbe – the city appears to have grown harmoniously. In addition to hypermodern luxury malls and office centers, there are also many appealing “normal” neighborhoods. Furthermore, the city is extremely green.
However, at 35 degrees Celsius, it is very hot again, so we leave Almaty the next day after a big shopping trip. The Altyn-Emel National Park to the north, with its singing sand dunes, is our next destination. The national park reminds us very much of the national parks in Africa, both in terms of its landscape and other aspects (park entrance, ranger posts that check permits, stupid regulations e.g. you are only allowed to stay overnight at designated ranger posts because of the dangerous wolves 😉). Over a sundowner in the evening, we philosophize about what our next travel destination will be. The dune itself is very picturesque, especially in the soft evening light, and it also hums – just as promised!
After that, the sightseeing is over for now, and it’s time to cover some distance… 1,200 km north towards the Russian border. Fortunately, the roads are excellent – in stark contrast to western Kazakhstan – and we make good progress. At first, it becomes almost unbearably hot, further north thunderstorms bring the much-desired cooling, and all of a sudden, the steppe transforms into dense pine forests with a mossy ground… we’ve practically arrived in Siberia!
