Train travel in Kazakhstan

During your time on board there’s a great opportunity to enjoy interactions with the local Kazakh passengers. Discover your next destination`s must-see sights and restaurants, share your food and in return receive some delicious local delicacies whilst passing through scenic landscapes.

Most trains have a restaurant car that serves food and drinks customary to the region. Water dispensers with both cold and boiling water are provided; and some people bring snacks, soups and noodles on board. Sharing food with the local means you get to try delicious local delicacies in return. Drinking alcohol on the train in Kazakhstan is officially no longer allowed. We`ll leave it up to you if that is a good or a bad thing.

If you have an overnight journey, the train attendants who check your passport and train ticket when boarding, will give you sheets, a pillow and a blanket. The toilet can be found at the end of each carriage. Hygiene conditions vary per train but generally we would recommend you to use the toilets early, as they get more dirty as the journey progresses. We suggest to bring toilet paper and wet wipes. Luggage storage is provided underneath the bottom bunks.

Most Sundowners Overland clients, and especially railway enthusiasts, name the Mongolian/Chinese and Kazakh/Chinese border crossing as one of the highlights of their journey. Here the bogies, or carriage wheels, are changed as the track gauge changes. It is a fascinating process to witness from your carriage that is lifted about 3 metres into the air by huge cranes! 

There are slow and fast trains in Kazakhstan. The older, blue Soviet trains move slow at speeds of 100 kph but provide great opportunities to chat to your neighbors for hours. The faster Talgo-brand trains designed by a Spanish company - which also operate in Uzbekistan - reach speeds up to 150 kph and have a restaurant a bar carriage.

Both domestic and international trains can be slow or fast. Most Sundowners Overland journeys use a domestic train between the capital Nur-Sultan (Astana) and Almaty. From here, we venture into golden Uzbekistan by taking a direct Talgo-train between Almaty and Tashkent, a 16 hour journey; into China following the Almaty - Ürümqi - Xian - Beijing route; or into Russia for a visit to the Heritage listed Lake Baikal. The famous Uzbekistan train from Tashkent to Moscow also traverses the Kazakh steppe. A Kazak restaurant runs from Almaty to the border, and a Chinese one from the border to Ürümqi.