Almaty And Tashkent Tour

Why Visit Almaty

Almaty, its biggest city, may have ceded capital status to its flashy young rival, Astana, but it remains the country’s cultural and financial centre, and custodian of the Kazakh soul. Spectacularly set beneath the snow-capped peaks of the imperious Zailysky-Alatau mountains, it’s a relaxed, pleasantly green city of fancy malls and fountains, black-windowed SUVs and broad, busy boulevards. It’s the sophisticated, modern hub of a booming petro-economy for sure, but one with enough surprises to make Almaty a highlight of any visit to Kazakhstan.

1. You can get a taste of life on the Silk Road – There’s no better introduction to Kazakhstan’s multifaceted ethnic patchwork than the bustling Green Bazaar market hall, where traders from across Central Asia and as far afield as Korea gather to hawk their wares. Fresh produce is abundant: the foothills around Almaty lay strong claim to be the ancestral home of the apple (the city’s name literally means “father of the apple”) and the fruit here can grow to giant proportions.

2. The ski slopes are fit for royalty – Barely half an hour’s drive from the city, the ski resort of Shymbulak hit the headlines in 2014 when Prince Harry took then girlfriend Cressida Bonas for a spin on the slopes. The resort is unexpectedly ritzy, and the skiing among the best in Central Asia. Almaty’s chilly, sunny winters guaranteeing cold, crisp snow well into April and invariably good conditions.

At any time of year, it’s well worth escaping the city smog to ride the 4km series of ski lifts, with their fetching leopard-print cabins (in homage to the seldom-seen snow leopards that still roam these mountains), up to the 3180-metre Talgar Pass. Various rocky hiking trails lead up into the surrounding peaks, snow-capped even in summer, and the views are spectacular.

3. You can visit the world’s second tallest wooden building – Flattened by earthquakes more than once, Almaty is not a city awash with historic buildings. Standing proudly defiant in leafy Panfilov Park, one dazzling exception is the Cathedral of the Holy Ascension – a confection of pastel-hued gables, brightly painted tiles and gilded domes – that rises almost 60m and was built without a single nail. A magnificent gilt altarpiece dominates the opulent interior, where (predominantly) women – their heads covered in beautiful scarves – light candles and worship in hushed reverence. It’s a great place to experience Kazakhstan’s refreshingly open attitude to religion: Muslims and Atheists often visit along with their Russian Orthodox friends.

4. There’s some impressive socialist realist art and architecture – A stone’s throw from the Ascension Cathedral, Almaty’s Soviet War Memorial looms dramatically in front of the forbidding bulk of city’s former army headquarters: a powerfully built, jutting-jawed Red Army infantryman leaps, grenade in hand, from a relief of grim-faced soldiers. Oddly this is the city’s prime favoured spot for wedding pictures. For a more nuanced taste of Soviet art, head to the Kasteyev State Arts Museum, undoubtedly the city’s finest. The museum is named after Abilkhan Kasteev, regarded as Kazakhstan’s preeminent painter, and among the vast collection is a fascinating room devoted to his depictions of Soviet life, from epic canvases of the rapidly industrializing landscape to intimate portraits of peasant life.

5. The Russian baths are the finest in Central Asia  –Perhaps Almaty’s one truly unmissable experience, the Arasan Baths complex is the most elaborately styled bathhouse in the region, built in the 1980s as a grand statement of late Soviet ambition. Pick up a towel, slippers and conical felt shapka (hat) and leave your modesty behind in the changing room.

There’s a Finnish sauna and a marble Turkish hammam but they’re invariably empty – you’ll find your fellow bathers in the ferociously hot Russian parilka (steam room), vigorously thrashing each other with vyeniki (bundles of oak or birch leaves), a wince-inducing ritual said to improve circulation.

Why visit Tashkent

• Tashkent city is a fantastic base from which to explore the rest of Uzbekistan.  It’s very easy to take buses or trains from Tashkent to all the other interesting destinations around the country.
• Tashkent is the economic and cultural center of Uzbekistan and one of the wealthiest cities in Central Asia. It used to be the most populated city of ex-Soviet Central Asia and the 4th largest city of the Soviet Union.
• t’s very easy and cheap to get around Tashkent by metro. It only costs $0.15, there are metro stations near all the must-see places to visit in Tashkent and one of the top things to do in Tashkent is riding its metro as the city has some of the most beautiful metro stations in the world!
• Tashkent is also a very clean and green city filled with Soviet, Islamic and modern-day architecture. It’s really not as conservative as you might think and I was even surprised to see young women walking around in cute little dresses.
• The best time to visit Tashkent (and Uzbekistan) is during spring (April – May) and fall (October – November). The weather during those seasons is very pleasant and the temperatures are usually around 20°C (68°F).
• Summers in Tashkent (July-August) are dry and hot with average temperatures of 35°C (95°F). Once the sun has set though, it’s nice to walk around the parks and boulevards as this is the time when the city and its inhabitants come to life.

Package Inclusion

Visa – Tourist VISA

Accommodation – Accommodation in Hotels including breakfast

Transport – SIC (Seat in Coach)

Meals – As per mentioned in itinerary

Tour Guide – English Speaking Tour Guide

Airport Transfer – Return Airport Transfers

Sightseeing – As per mentioned in itinerary

General Terms

• Please note that these packages are customizable, which means that you will be able to make changes to the itinerary/activity if you so desire. The final payment will be calculated as per the itinerary and inclusions reflected on the confirmatory e-mail sent to you.
• Please expect to receive your vouchers 72 hours before your departure date (subject to full payment of your package cost).
• Personal expenses such as laundry, telephone calls, room service, alcoholic beverages, mini bars etc., are not included.
• In case your package needs to be canceled due to any natural calamity, weather conditions etc. Pleasure Holidays shall strive to give you the maximum possible refund subject to the agreement made with our trade partners/vendors.
• The passenger names in the booking form should be exactly as per passports. Pleasure Holidays will not bear any liability for the name change fee, if incorrect names and ages have been added at the time of booking.
• Please note that your package includes baggage as per airlines policy. Any addition in baggage will be charged separately.
• Standard check-in time at the hotel is normally 2:00 pm and check-out is 11:00 am. An early check-in, or a late check-out is solely based on the discretion of the hotel.
• In case the selected hotel is unavailable for booking, an alternate arrangement will be offered to the customer in another hotel of a similar category.
• Certain hotels may ask for a security deposit during check-in, which is refundable at check-out subject to the hotel policy.This amount has to be deposited by the traveler.
• Please note that Day at Leisure essentially implies that no sightseeing activities have been included for that day.
• Kindly be on time for your activities, tours and transfers. Pleasure Holidays will not be liable for missing any activity thus for any refund against it in such cases.
• No refund either in part or in full will be made for any unused part of the services provided in the package.
• The package price doesn’t include special dinner or mandatory charges at times levied by the hotels especially during New Year and Christmas or any special occasions. Pleasure Holidays shall try to communicate the same while booking the package. However Pleasure Holidays may not have this information readily available all the time.
• Our package price does not include GST and TCS. Applicable GST and TCS will be charged over and above the package price.
• For queries regarding cancellations and refunds, please refer to our Cancellation Policy.
• For any paid activity which is non-operational due to any unforeseen reason, we will process the refund & should reach the guest within 30 days refund requisition. Also, for any activity which is complementary and not charged to Pleasure Holidays & guests, no refund will be processed.
• Our package prices are on twin sharing accommodation basis thus published prices are applicable for minimum two persons and multiple of two thereon.
• As per RBI guideline every foreign traveler has to provide us his PAN details. The Dollar component of package price will be taken out of your BTQ (Basic Travel Quota).
• The tour cost does not include any Overseas Insurance Premium, but we strongly recommend buying Overseas Insurance Policy. The same after issuance is non refundable.
• These terms are general terms for our tour packages.Any term mentioned in proposal shall be considered part of it and in case of discrepancy term mentioned in proposal shall prevail.
• Disputes, if any, shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts in New Delhi.

Payment Policy

• Payment schedule depends on destination, time of booking, inclusions, airline and hotel payment policy etc thus it is specific to your package bookining.
• Payment schedule will be part of our proposal to you for the package.
• If payment is not made as per the schedule provided in the first booking confirmation e-mail, Pleasure Holidays  reserves the right to cancel the booking after attempting to get in touch with you. Refunds would be as per the package cancellation policy.

Cancellation Policy

• Once Booking received : INR 5000 (Per PAX) + actual Ticket cancellation + Hotel cancellation as per hotel policy+Visa fee if visa is applied.
• 60 – 45 Days prior to departure : 25 % of land cost + INR 5000 (Per PAX) + actual Ticket cancellation+Visa fee if visa is applied.
• 45 – 30 days prior to departure: 50% of land cost + INR 5000 (Per PAX) + actual Ticket cancellation+Visa fee if visa is applied.
• 30 – 10 days prior to departure: 75% of land cost + INR 5000 (Per PAX) + actual Ticket cancellation+Visa fee if visa is applied.
• Within 10 days: Full.