2 Travel adventures Kazakhstan

From Amsterdam to Tokyo

1 mei 2016 - 8 augustus 2016 (100 days)

From the village of Saty, it’s another twelve kilometers on a dirt road to Lake Kaindy. The road is barely more than a cart track. We can pass oncoming cars via the road’s shoulders. Suddenly, we come to a river. Other drivers tell us it’s better to cross further downstream. The water here is too deep. We drive a stretch through the riverbed. For the motorcycles, it’s a challenge. Fortunately, they make it across without trouble. Not much later, the road is easier again. The bridge across the river is partially washed away. Motorcycles can cross it, but it’s too narrow for our Land Rover. We have to cross the river again. The front of the car goes underwater, but “Brutus” (our car) climbs out on the other side without issue. Around 7 PM, we approach the entrance to the national park. There, we pay the entrance fee, and the final few kilometers to Lake Kaindy follow.

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Kazakhstan

Kaindy Lake

Tree trunks stand upright in Kaindy Lake

Sand Dune

Climbing the sand dune in Altyn Emel NP

Group photo Kazakhs

A photo with Kazakh friends at the campsite

Nuclear Monument

The somber thirtymeterhigh monument in Semey for the victims of nuclear tests

In the Footsteps of Marco Polo

28 april - 1 juli 2012 (65 days)

As soon as we leave the village, the road becomes rough. The driver often has to switch to low gear. I’m jolting around in the backseat. The landscape is beautiful—rolling green hills. At the park entrance, the gate is closed. I see the manager mounting his horse in the distance. At a trot, he brings the key. Where else do you still see something like that? At the top of the gorge, I get out. I have a stunning view of the canyon and the Aksu River below. Aksu means "white river." I see the strikingly white water flowing through the valley. Lammert explains that the stream carries many minerals from the mountains, which gives the water its white color. Lammert takes the mountain path down. I follow him. The Aksu River lies about three hundred meters below.

Photos Video Travelogue Route

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