The Legacy Tour Of The Soviet Union

Season: June - October

The Kazakhstani part of the Soviet legacy is best represented in the central part of the country. This region was home to the notorious correctional camps of the Stalin era — “Karlag” and “Alzhir.”

These lands witnessed nuclear explosions carried out during the Cold War and the "nuclear arms race" period. Moreover, the history of the Civil War that followed the October Revolution is also abundantly reflected here. The development of virgin lands, industrialization, and urbanization… Silent witnesses of all these processes, once part of life in the USSR, can still be seen here, in the very heart of Kazakhstan.

DAY 1: ASTANA, ARRIVAL

Arrival in Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan. Meeting and greeting at Astana International Airport. Transfer to the hotel. Accommodation and breakfast.

Half-day city tour, including sightseeing of Soviet-era landmarks: Memorial of Victims of Political Repression, Congress Hall, Yesil Hotel, Pioneers’ House, National Security Committee building, Oktyabr Cinema (October Cinema), Molodezhniy Palace (Youth Palace), steam locomotive monument, Presidential Center of Culture, and the new administrative center on the left bank of the Ishim River. Lunch. Trip to Akmol (Malinovka) village to visit the museum of the former ALZHIR correctional camp.

"ALZHIR" stands for the Akmola Camp for the Wives of Traitors of the Motherland — one of the largest camps for women in the Soviet Union and one of the three “islands” of the Gulag Archipelago. The camp was opened at the beginning of 1938, when it received its first prisoners — mostly family members of those labeled as traitors. According to incomplete data, the number of repressed exceeded 18,000 convicts.

Return to Astana. Dinner. Overnight in Astana.

DAY 2: ASTANA - AKSU - KURCHATOV

Breakfast at the hotel and check out. Transfer from Astana to Aksu (approximately 6 hours). Lunch and a visit to the public garden, where monuments from the Soviet period are preserved together. Transfer from Aksu to Kurchatov (approximately 2.5 hours).

Accommodation in Kurchatov. Walking tour around the town, formerly the center of the Semipalatinsk test site, including sightseeing at the General Directorate of the National Nuclear Center, National Security Committee building, the house of Lavrentiy Beria, and the abandoned parts of the town.

Situated on the banks of the Irtysh River, the city of Kurchatov is named after Soviet physicist Igor Kurchatov, who lived and worked here and, together with other scientists, “helped build” the Soviet nuclear shield. Kurchatov, the former center of the Semipalatinsk nuclear test site, was closed in 1991. The city is located 45 km from the experimental field where the first atomic and thermonuclear bombs of the USSR were tested.

In Soviet times, the city was closed, with strict access control, surrounded by barbed wire, and marked on maps as the railway station "Ending."

After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the number of troops in the city was sharply reduced, and its population declined. As a result, many houses were abandoned, military camps became empty, and many structures, including those of notable architectural value, were sold and later demolished. Dinner. Overnight in Kurchatov.

DAY 3: KURCHATOV

Breakfast at the hotel. Excursion to the museum of the test site. Lunch. Trip to the “Experimental Field” test site (4 hours), where the first nuclear explosion took place in 1949, with a short stay at the site. Return to Kurchatov. Lunch. Excursion to the ghost town of Shagan, where the long-range aviation airfield was located (approximately 3 hours).

Return to Kurchatov. Dinner. Overnight in Kurchatov.

DAY 4: KURCHATOV - KARKARALINSK

Breakfast at the hotel and check out. Transfer to Karkaralinsk (290 km, approximately 7 hours). The route partially passes through the territory of the former Semipalatinsk test site, along the mountain oases of Yedrey and Ku. Short stops will be made at the most picturesque locations, as well as for lunch in the field.

Arrival in Karkaralinsk. Accommodation and dinner. Overnight in Karkaralinsk.

DAY 5: KARKARALINSK - KARAGANDA

Breakfast at the hotel. Excursion around Karkaralinsk with sightseeing of Civil War-era landmarks: General Kornilov House, Memorial of the 78 Communards, and the People’s Commissariat building. Visit to the history museum and a short trip to the mountains (on request).

Lunch. Transfer from Karkaralinsk to Karaganda (approximately 4 hours).

Accommodation at the hotel. City sightseeing tour: Lenin Monument, Miners’ Palace of Culture, Stanislavskiy Theatre, city administration building, Chaika Hotel, Nurken Abdirov Monument, Circus, industrial district, and the old town. Dinner. Overnight in Karaganda.

DAY 6: KARAGANDA, DEPARTURE

Breakfast at the hotel. A half-day trip to Dolinka village — the former center of the Karlag correctional labor camp, one of the largest labor camps of the Gulag. Excursion to the Karlag Museum, the former Karlag administration building, maternity hospital, Mamochkino Children's Cemetery, and the Spassk Memorial, located at the site of a former prisoner-of-war camp.

Return to Karaganda. Lunch. Visit to the Karaganda Ecological Museum (1 hour).

Free time for purchasing souvenirs. Dinner. Transfer to the airport for departure.

TOUR PRICE: On request.

Tour Price Inclusions:

Double and/or triple accommodation in tourist-class hotels as per the program

Airport transfers and transportation as per the program by a comfortable air-conditioned minivan

English-speaking guide services and sightseeing as per the program

Environmental fees, admission fees, and tickets

Individual safety equipment at the test site (respirators, shoe covers)

Meals as specified in the program

Tour Price Exclusions:

Visa support and registration in Kazakhstan, if required

Additional accommodation in Astana and Karaganda before and/or after the tour

Meals not specified in the program or not included in the tour price

Personal expenses and any other expenses not mentioned in the program

Attention:

Part of the tour passes through the territory of the former Semipalatinsk test site. Short-term stays at key locations included in the itinerary do not pose any health risks, provided basic safety regulations are followed. The accompanying staff is equipped with the necessary knowledge and safety equipment.

The tour is recommended to start on any day except Monday, allowing visits to all museums mentioned in the program.