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Kazakhstan: the Bradt Travel Guide
Kazakhstan is vast – the ninth-largest country in the world – yet there is relatively little information available in English about the attractions of this remarkable country. With the Kazakh government seeking to promote the development of tourism, publication of the Bradt guide is timely.
Located between Russia and China, the state of Kazakhstan possesses an incredible diversity of natural beauty; this guide includes arrangements for visiting natural parks and reserves and special features such as singing sand dunes and the Sharyn Canyon - Asia’s equivalent of the Grand Canyon.
Key historical and archaeological sites are also given due prominence, Kazakhstan having been inhabited since the Stone Age.
Located between Russia and China, the state of Kazakhstan possesses an incredible diversity of natural beauty; this guide includes arrangements for visiting natural parks and reserves and special features such as singing sand dunes and the Sharyn Canyon - Asia’s equivalent of the Grand Canyon.
Key historical and archaeological sites are also given due prominence, Kazakhstan having been inhabited since the Stone Age.
- GenresTravel
408 pages, Paperback
First published August 1, 2008
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
April 19, 2012
My review applies to the second edition (November 2011). Paul Brummell has served as the British ambassador to Kazakhstan since 2005, and he must have spent a great deal of time touring the country with his own transportation, because this travel guide he wrote for Bradt is extensive. Sure, he doesn't cover *every* little crossroads, but he gives a much better idea of what Kazakhstan has to offer than the Lonely Planet Central Asia guide, which is a joke in comparison. You get your city maps and hotel and restaurant listings, but there's much more. From archaeological remains in the middle of nowhere to the compounds of post-Soviet New Age movements, Brummell seems to delight in how much there is to see in Kazakhstan.
The downside of this guide is that Brummell might have been travelling too much in air-conditioned comfort. Missing is detailed coverage of trekking options and the sort of nature one can encounter, which is a shame since Kazakhstan offers so many easy hikes. Also, backpackers can profitably use this guide, but Brummell seems to assume a budget of somewhere around US$30/day minimum. If you plan on hitchhiking and camping a lot, then Anton Krotov's Russian-language guide Средняя Азия published by the Academy of Free Travel (Академия вольных путешествий) can guide you through this part of the world without spending hardly any money. Still, the Bradt guide is the most detailed option in the English-speaking world, and ought to be part of your research for visiting this lovely and vast country.
The downside of this guide is that Brummell might have been travelling too much in air-conditioned comfort. Missing is detailed coverage of trekking options and the sort of nature one can encounter, which is a shame since Kazakhstan offers so many easy hikes. Also, backpackers can profitably use this guide, but Brummell seems to assume a budget of somewhere around US$30/day minimum. If you plan on hitchhiking and camping a lot, then Anton Krotov's Russian-language guide Средняя Азия published by the Academy of Free Travel (Академия вольных путешествий) can guide you through this part of the world without spending hardly any money. Still, the Bradt guide is the most detailed option in the English-speaking world, and ought to be part of your research for visiting this lovely and vast country.
February 13, 2020
Книга чересчур подробная. Во многих местах достопримечательности настолько незначительны, что кажутся высосанными из пальца. Еще очень не понравилось, что большинство указаний о том, как добраться, даны для автолюбителей. А с учетом размеров страны, сомневаюсь, что большая часть туристов передвигается за рулем на машинах. Очень плохо написан раздел об истории и культуре страны. После его прочтения пришлось идти на википедию за пояснениями.
January 21, 2018
The guide book was Written by a diplomat that lived there for a long time and is very rich in details. I was able to organize a perfect travel tô Kazakhstan.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews