Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Ukraine, and Lithuania with Ukraine International Airlines
Jul 3, 2015, 11:37 pm
#32
Join Date: Feb 1999
Location: Sacramento area, CA USA
Programs: UA Gold Million Miler, HH Gold, Marriott Gold
Posts: 2,858
We nearly crossed paths with you in Ukraine, leaving Moscow through Kiev on May 6. However, we spent a week there and really enjoyed it also. The incredible chocolate shop was a block from our hotel. We were very impressed with all the things to do there. High level hotels are ridiculously expensive but the street was cheap. I seem to remember that the Metro was about 20 cents. Great report. We also flew Ukrainian Air but only on short flights. Took Turkish Air rt from SFO to Kiev by way of Istanbul. I am curious what you paid in air. I found Kayak a great help in nailing flights with various local airlines, like Air Moldova (went there too).
Jul 4, 2015, 1:48 am
#33
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: Miami, FL
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Posts: 6,016
Cool report. I too got to Kiev and Vilnius a few years ago, both lovely cities. Haven't hit Kazakhstan or Kyrgyzstan yet - but now you make me want to go 
Heading back to Kiev in a few weeks - good to see things are somewhat back to normal now.
Heading back to Kiev in a few weeks - good to see things are somewhat back to normal now.
Jul 4, 2015, 12:03 pm
#35
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Location: SFO
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Great trip report enjoy reading it, we were at Liga and Vilnius last May and enjoyed it very much. Looking forward to go to Kiev and Central Asia in the. Future. ^
Jul 6, 2015, 7:56 am
#36
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2014
Location: LAS/SIN
Programs: TK E+, AS Gold
Posts: 67
Paid $848 and credited just over 11,000 miles to Flying Blue. The Kiev stopover added an extra $100, though I have seen JFK-ALA round trips in the $600s.
Jul 6, 2015, 7:58 am
#37
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2014
Location: LAS/SIN
Programs: TK E+, AS Gold
Posts: 67
http://www.astanatimes.com/2015/07/k...o-end-of-2017/
Countries include USA, UK, Australia, Singapore, France, Germany.
Jul 7, 2015, 3:57 am
#39
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: Dubai
Posts: 3,301
Kazakhstan just announced a 2.5 year extension to their visa-free program for citizens of 19 countries:
http://www.astanatimes.com/2015/07/k...o-end-of-2017/
Countries include USA, UK, Australia, Singapore, France, Germany.
http://www.astanatimes.com/2015/07/k...o-end-of-2017/
Countries include USA, UK, Australia, Singapore, France, Germany.
. I'm off to Almaty next month.
Sep 8, 2015, 11:34 am
#40
Join Date: Jul 2015
Location: astana, kaz
Programs: nomad, miles&more
Posts: 3
hi there. great post and thank you for nice words about my homecountry and the region. we kazakhs like when foreigners smile and like it here
check out the promo from air astana, our flag carrier and an awfully under-praised airline
http://airastana.com/global/Plan/Stopover-Holidays
with visa requirements lifted, it is very cheap now to get here, especially given local currency depreciated by 35% just this month.
with all due respect, i wouldnt fly UIA. check out Lufthansa's (daily) and KLM's offers for more comfortable seats and transit (and probably security!); Turkish and Russian carriers are another option. BA will stop flying in mid October
On Kyrgyzstan: it may appear that the country has a lot more to offer. in reality though you just need to do a bit more research on Kaz before arriving (especially if you dont speak Russian). It is a vast country. If youre visiting Almaty, apart from Medeu natural ice rink and Shymbulak ski resort (a beautiful place in winter!), check out Charyn canyon, Turgen gorge. If youre able to visit Shymkent, check out Aksu Zhabagly national park in spring, visit local bazaar, drop by ancient town of Turkestan. If you have visa for Uzbekistan, Shymkent would be an ideal place to start your journey from. It's much more liberal and free in Kaz after all, so you wont have to worry about currency exchange, ATMs, hotels/serices/emergencies etc.
Farther to the west - Baikonur Cosmodrome and the dying Aral Sea. the administration of Kzyl Orda region have been trying hard to encourage tourists flow - they now announce space rocket launches in advance (dont expect 5 star hotels there though lol). just talk to your tour operator or reach out to US embassy in Kaz
lastly you dont have to visit astana, the capital. but Borovoe national park which is 100 km away and a 2hr ride on autobahn might be worth exploring.
welcome. PM me if you need any advice. also be aware, it's very cold in winter here (compared to Europe). lastly, dont ever mention Borat when you are here
check out the promo from air astana, our flag carrier and an awfully under-praised airline
http://airastana.com/global/Plan/Stopover-Holidays
with visa requirements lifted, it is very cheap now to get here, especially given local currency depreciated by 35% just this month.
with all due respect, i wouldnt fly UIA. check out Lufthansa's (daily) and KLM's offers for more comfortable seats and transit (and probably security!); Turkish and Russian carriers are another option. BA will stop flying in mid October
On Kyrgyzstan: it may appear that the country has a lot more to offer. in reality though you just need to do a bit more research on Kaz before arriving (especially if you dont speak Russian). It is a vast country. If youre visiting Almaty, apart from Medeu natural ice rink and Shymbulak ski resort (a beautiful place in winter!), check out Charyn canyon, Turgen gorge. If youre able to visit Shymkent, check out Aksu Zhabagly national park in spring, visit local bazaar, drop by ancient town of Turkestan. If you have visa for Uzbekistan, Shymkent would be an ideal place to start your journey from. It's much more liberal and free in Kaz after all, so you wont have to worry about currency exchange, ATMs, hotels/serices/emergencies etc.
Farther to the west - Baikonur Cosmodrome and the dying Aral Sea. the administration of Kzyl Orda region have been trying hard to encourage tourists flow - they now announce space rocket launches in advance (dont expect 5 star hotels there though lol). just talk to your tour operator or reach out to US embassy in Kaz
lastly you dont have to visit astana, the capital. but Borovoe national park which is 100 km away and a 2hr ride on autobahn might be worth exploring.
welcome. PM me if you need any advice. also be aware, it's very cold in winter here (compared to Europe). lastly, dont ever mention Borat when you are here
Sep 11, 2015, 1:40 am
#43
Suspended
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: En Route
Programs: Many
Posts: 6,798
hi there. great post and thank you for nice words about my homecountry and the region. we kazakhs like when foreigners smile and like it here
check out the promo from air astana, our flag carrier and an awfully under-praised airline
http://airastana.com/global/Plan/Stopover-Holidays
with visa requirements lifted, it is very cheap now to get here, especially given local currency depreciated by 35% just this month.
with all due respect, i wouldnt fly UIA. check out Lufthansa's (daily) and KLM's offers for more comfortable seats and transit (and probably security!); Turkish and Russian carriers are another option. BA will stop flying in mid October
On Kyrgyzstan: it may appear that the country has a lot more to offer. in reality though you just need to do a bit more research on Kaz before arriving (especially if you dont speak Russian). It is a vast country. If youre visiting Almaty, apart from Medeu natural ice rink and Shymbulak ski resort (a beautiful place in winter!), check out Charyn canyon, Turgen gorge. If youre able to visit Shymkent, check out Aksu Zhabagly national park in spring, visit local bazaar, drop by ancient town of Turkestan. If you have visa for Uzbekistan, Shymkent would be an ideal place to start your journey from. It's much more liberal and free in Kaz after all, so you wont have to worry about currency exchange, ATMs, hotels/serices/emergencies etc.
Farther to the west - Baikonur Cosmodrome and the dying Aral Sea. the administration of Kzyl Orda region have been trying hard to encourage tourists flow - they now announce space rocket launches in advance (dont expect 5 star hotels there though lol). just talk to your tour operator or reach out to US embassy in Kaz
lastly you dont have to visit astana, the capital. but Borovoe national park which is 100 km away and a 2hr ride on autobahn might be worth exploring.
welcome. PM me if you need any advice. also be aware, it's very cold in winter here (compared to Europe). lastly, dont ever mention Borat when you are here
check out the promo from air astana, our flag carrier and an awfully under-praised airline
http://airastana.com/global/Plan/Stopover-Holidays
with visa requirements lifted, it is very cheap now to get here, especially given local currency depreciated by 35% just this month.
with all due respect, i wouldnt fly UIA. check out Lufthansa's (daily) and KLM's offers for more comfortable seats and transit (and probably security!); Turkish and Russian carriers are another option. BA will stop flying in mid October
On Kyrgyzstan: it may appear that the country has a lot more to offer. in reality though you just need to do a bit more research on Kaz before arriving (especially if you dont speak Russian). It is a vast country. If youre visiting Almaty, apart from Medeu natural ice rink and Shymbulak ski resort (a beautiful place in winter!), check out Charyn canyon, Turgen gorge. If youre able to visit Shymkent, check out Aksu Zhabagly national park in spring, visit local bazaar, drop by ancient town of Turkestan. If you have visa for Uzbekistan, Shymkent would be an ideal place to start your journey from. It's much more liberal and free in Kaz after all, so you wont have to worry about currency exchange, ATMs, hotels/serices/emergencies etc.
Farther to the west - Baikonur Cosmodrome and the dying Aral Sea. the administration of Kzyl Orda region have been trying hard to encourage tourists flow - they now announce space rocket launches in advance (dont expect 5 star hotels there though lol). just talk to your tour operator or reach out to US embassy in Kaz
lastly you dont have to visit astana, the capital. but Borovoe national park which is 100 km away and a 2hr ride on autobahn might be worth exploring.
welcome. PM me if you need any advice. also be aware, it's very cold in winter here (compared to Europe). lastly, dont ever mention Borat when you are here
Sep 16, 2015, 6:35 am
#44
Suspended
Join Date: May 2009
Location: DFW
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Posts: 2,863
Good report. My only concern is that you did not focus much on the countries visited - a mistake I did a few times as well. Kazakhstan is much more than Almaty, just as Ukraine is much more than only Kyiv and Chernobyl.
It's great to see, though, younger travelers adventuring to off-the-beaten-path areas!
It's great to see, though, younger travelers adventuring to off-the-beaten-path areas!