My short yet sweet time in Kazakhstan, particularly in Almaty has finally come to an end. Although I didn't want to leave (I also fell in love with Kazakhstan), I had to because the Komsomolets Peak in Kyrgyzstan was waiting for me. Instead of taking a flight or a shared taxi, I took the public bus and crossed the Ak-Zhol Border (in Korday) from Almaty to Bishkek. If you're considering doing the same thing, you've come to the right place!
Buying Bus Tickets
You have two options to buy the bus tickets from Almaty to Bishkek:
Directly at the Bus Station:
- Cash and Card Payments are accepted.
- Tickets sold are only for the same-day departure.
- Seats are allocated but you can try to request your preference.
- Passport is asked by the ticketing agent as your passport details will be entered into your ticket.
Online:
- Book your tickets at Sayran Bus Station Electronic Website
- The website is only in Russian and Kazakh Language so you have to translate it.
- Tickets can be bought in advance (not more than 30 days) and you can select your seat location.
- An extra 280 KZT is charged to each ticket as a service fee.
- Passport details are required to be entered upon selecting your route and seat.
As of July 2024, the bus ticket cost for the route Almaty to Bishkek is 3000 KZT (3280 KZT when purchased online).
Location of Bus Stations
Sayran Bus Station in Almaty:
In Almaty, you have to go to Sayran Bus Station where the public bus heading to Almaty is located.
Inside the Bus Station, there's a ticket counter, a store selling snacks, and even a luggage storage (to store your luggage in case you're coming back to Almaty). I was looking for a money/currency exchange but I didn't find one, maybe I missed it.
Bonus Travel Factsย ๐ก:ย As the main bus station, there are buses that could take you to different places in Kazakhstan such as Astana, Taraz and many more. There are also buses to nearby countries such as Kyrgyzstan (Bishkek), Uzbekistan (Tashkent, Nukus), China (Yining, Khorgos, Urumqi), and even Mongolia (Bayan-Ulgii).
Save the pin location of Sayran Bus Station below for your reference:
Western Bus Station in Bishkek:
In Bishkek, there are two bus stations namely Eastern and Western.
Western Bus Station is the main bus station where you will find buses and marshrutkas for long-distance destinations. This is where you will be dropped off if you're coming from Almaty. The Eastern Bus Station is where you will find marshrutkas heading to the nearby destinations.
Inside the Bus Station, there's also a ticket counter, stores selling snacks, luggage storage, and a money/currency exchange (near the bay of Marshrutkas heading to Karakol).
Bonus Travel Facts ๐ก: As the main bus station, there are buses that could take you to different places in Kyrgyzstan such as Tokmok (where Burana Tower is located but the express marshrutkas are in the Eastern Bus Station), Karakol, Naryn, Osh and many more. There are also buses to nearby countries such as Kazakhstan (Almaty, Shymkent), Uzbekistan (Tashkent), and Russia (Tomsk).
Save the pin location of Western Bus Station below for your reference:
Border Crossing Experience at Ak Zhol Border in Korday
As the main gateway between Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, expect traffic and long queues during weekends or holidays. Fortunately, my experience was not bad since I went on a weekday. Going through both passport controls and waiting for the bus took no more than one hour.
Upon arriving at the border, we went down from the bus and took all our belongings. I followed the crowd and entered the passport control of Kazakhstan (to exit the country).
Once done, I walked outside the building and walked a little bit more to enter the passport control of Kyrgyzstan (to enter the country). As soon as I got through the passport control of Kyrgyzstan, I walked outside and walked further to the designated place to wait for our bus.
REMINDER FOR PHILIPPINE PASSPORT HOLDERS ๐ข: You cannot get a visa on arrival in any land border to enter Kyrgyzstan and it is only available from Manas International Airport. Make sure to apply for an Electronic Visa in advance. If you need guidance on how to apply, read my post HERE.
While waiting for the bus, there were a lot of locals (they're not aggressive don't worry) offering sim cards (same cost in the city for 250 soms), snacks, drinks, and even taxis.
๐ Related Posts with Border Crossing Experiences:
- Israeli-Palestine Border (Checkpoint 300)
- Azerbaijan-Georgian Border on an Overnight Train via Azerbaijan Railways
- Georgian-Yerevan Border (Sadakhlo Border Checkpoint) on an Overnight Train via Georgian Railways
Overall Experience
For over 6 hours of travel time, traveling from Almaty to Bishkek by public bus was an easy, convenient, and affordable way to cross the border. I enjoyed the slow travel of the bus and I got an opportunity to absorb the beauty of rural Kazakhstan for one last time.
If you're in a hurry, you might consider taking shared taxis (you can book them through an app called InDrive) for a higher cost. But if you're not, I suggest going by bus from Almaty to Bishkek and the overall journey takes about 4-6 hours depending on the traffic and road conditions and the situation at the border.
Again before we wrap this post, here are a few things to remember:
- Travel as lightly as possible. You need to take all your belongings through the passport controls on Kazakhstan's side and Kyrgyzstan's side.
- Take note of the bus plate number.
- The left side of the bus has a better view, request/choose if you can!
That's all from me and I wish you a happy trip!
