Uralsk, or Oral in Kazakh is a city close to the border with Russia. Geographically, the city belongs to Europe, but inside it you can physically visit the precise border between Europe and Asia, as river Ural divides the continents.

Ana here 👋 I spent two weeks in Kazakhstan, lived with locals and learned about their culture. I visited three cities: Aktau, Uralsk, and Astana.

Now, I am sharing my experiences first-hand, so follow me on this journey!

Next stop: Uralsk!

Arriving in Uralsk by plane

I travelled from Aktau to Uralsk by plane. Oral Ak Zhol Airport has arrivals from several cities in Kazakhstan, including Aktau, Astana, Almaty, Atyrau, Karaganda, but also from Riga, Latvia, and Frankfurt, Germany.

The one-way ticket from Aktau was around 40 EUR with FlyArystan.

Both airports are small and easy to navigate.

From the airport to the city

Your best option to go from the airport to the city is to book a taxi. It’s affordable and comfortable. The apps you need to navigate the city are:

• Yandex Go for taxis,
• alternatively, inDrive for taxis, where you can bargain on the price,
• 2GIS for maps (download it for your Android or iOS).

Accommodation in Uralsk

Hotels in Uralsk are inexpensive, so you can splurge on a nice hotel:

• Pushkin Hotel, 4-star hotel: around 45 EUR per night for two people
• Chagala Hotel Uralsk, 3-star hotel: around 40 EUR per night for two people
• Yourta, 3-star hotel: around 49 EUR per night for two people

Sightseeings

Some of the places you can visit in Uralsk are:

• House-Museum of E.I. Pugacheva;
• Christ The Savior Cathedral;

The cathedral is also very beautiful inside – rich in gold that came from Russia!

• Cathedral of Archangel Mikhail;
• Regional History State Museum GKKP – an absolute must when in Uralsk;

The Regional History State Museum is a true gem in this city! The guides are very knowledgeable – they show you everything and really teach you about the history of this part of Kazakhstan, as they go back millions of years, all the way to the modern-day history.

• Pushkin Museum – which honors the famous Russian writer, who gathered inspiration for some of his works precisely in Uralsk during his short stay;
• New Mosque;
• Kirov City Park of Culture and Recreation – rent a pedal boat, go to the Ferris wheel, grab a snack and enjoy in the view of the river Shagan – or cross the bridge and rent bicycles and ride on the other side!

Activities

A must-do in Kazakhstan is, obviously, horse riding! We visited an ethno-touristic center “Sayat“, where we learned about archery, differences between European and nomadic styles of holding the arrow and the bow, got a 1-hour archery session, and a 1-hour horse riding. After that, we entered their restaurant for some horse meat and tea.

We were lucky that at the time of our visit, there were horse races being hosted on the city’s periphery! Watching the race was literally like travelling back in time: there were yurts around – round portable tents in which nomadic nations used to live. Inside, locals were selling their handicrafts – jewelry, leather bags and accessories, and much more.

The hippodrome – there was none! Just a plain field and horses running in marked circles, just like in the times when Kazakhs were nomads! What surprised me the most was the fact that on the horses there were no adults, but – kids! However, the prize was a newly built apartment, and I could see the whole family celebrating the victory of their youngest family member.

Must-try dishes

Some of the must try (salty) dishes in Kazakhstan include:

• Beshbarmak – a national specialty,
• In the case of Aktau and other cities on the coast, Fishbarmak is the most unique dish you should not miss,
• Shashlik – skewered and grilled cubes of meat (try lamb or beef – those are the best),
• Qazı – sausage made of horse meat,
• Kuyrdak, which includes usually lamb or horse liver, lungs, heart, and meat.

Some of the most popular pastries in Kazakhstan are:

• Bauyrsaq – fried dough typical for Central Asian cuisine (but also similar to doughnut, Frittella in the Mediterranean countries, or “ushtipci” in Southeast European countries)
• Samsa – savory pastry filled with meat and vegetables,
• Shelpek – Kazakh flatbread.

Desserts we recommend trying in Kazakhstan are:

• Zhent – confection made of cottage cheese,
• Chak-chak – fried sweet dough,
• Kazakhstan chocolate by Rahat (recognizable and a great souvenir),
• Irimshik – sweet, dried curd cheese.

Other things to try:

• Manti –  dumplings filled with meat and soup,
• Qaymaq – sour cream,
• Qurt – hard, salty, dairy-based snack,
• Qymyz – fermented mare‘s milk,
• Shubat – camel’s milk.

Where to eat in Uralsk?

Now, when it comes to food, there are so many options everywhere you go! And the best of all – it is super affordable! You can enjoy a full meal for less than 8 EUR per person!

For a unique experience, we chose a newly opened restaurant called “Aulet” – the place is all about Kazakh traditional eating. It is decorated as a cave and has special tables inside small yurts.

Another great place we visited is called “Конюшня” (konyushnya, which means a “horse barn”) – labelled as a pub, but more of a restaurant in my opinion. Food was amazing there – we ate shashlik and a good old steak – as well as the tea. The restaurant is on the second floor, while on the first floor there is a brewery. They make their own kvass, so make sure to try it!

However, eating with locals at home is an another-level experience! Kazakhs pay a lot of attention to the guest, and their hospitality is unmatched! They have a saying: “Қырықтың бірі Қыдыр”, which translates to “One in forty guests may be a saint.” It explains a lot already!

If you are a guest at a Kazakh home, you will be given a special place and special attention. They have a lot of unique customs for this occasion, such as giving special parts of the animal that is eaten to the guest. Read more about it here and learn how to respect the host.

What’s next?

The next stop on my journey is Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan, 1.940 km away – even greater distance than traveling from Copenhagen to Rome! Read about this amazing city that is one of the most important Central Asian business centres!