This travel guide will show you how to visit Aksu Zhabagly independently on a budget and give you a perfect tip on yurts, from where you have the nature reserve just in front of you, without paying a steep entry fee. In addition, all information are as new as possible, as we visited the place after the pandemic, in June 2022. 

Aksu Zhabagly Nature Reserve is a protected piece of land, home to rare snow leopards, brown bears, wolves, mountain sheep and many different kinds of birds. To visit the nature reserve, you must pay a steep entry fee and the ranger accompanying you. The basic hike takes around three hours. But you can also make longer trips to see waterfalls, jeep safari to Aksu canyon or horse riding tour. Luckily, there is a way to enjoy nature without spending hundreds of dollars. Learn how below.

How to have the best experience in Aksu Zhabagly

Visiting Aksu Zhabagly is very easy; if you come from Shymkent, you find yourself surrounded by mountains and amazing nature in less than two hours. We decided to stay in the mountains, rather than Zhabagly village, which was the best decision we could have made. 

We chose Ruslans guesthouse, which is located right at the doorstep of Aksu Zhabagly Nature Reserve. You can stay in Yurts a hundred metres away from the reserve. Actually, the entrance is on Ruslan’s land! 

On one side, Aksu Zhabagly nature reserve; on the other snow-capped mountains with horses and sheep running freely around. It can’t get any more idyllic than this. We came for one night but ended up staying three nights. Just chilling on the swing, walking around and enjoying the silence and the fresh air. 

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Staying in Ruslan’s place allows you to see the area around the nature reserve for free, and you can do a hike along the borders of the park, that in our opinion, is enough to give you an idea of how unique the this place is. If you want, you can still pay the entry fee and the ranger and go to the actual nature reserve, but in our opinion, it is a bit overpriced, and the guides don’t speak English. You get to see enough natural beauty around Ruslan’s house, and for free! 

We visited Aksu Zhabagly in the middle of June 2022, and it was the perfect weather for having a great time in the mountains with pleasant temperatures both during the day and night. From the camping ground, follow the field path that leads up to the mountains until you reach the fence. Ruslan permitted us to go past the gate, from where the hike continues. The trail is not marked, but it is pretty obvious where to go, and you can go all the way up from where you get an amazing view. 

If you feel like, on the right side, there is a big horse and sheep farm behind the gate. Check it out! We have been lucky enough to see horses with babies and farmers collecting sheep, and watching the sunset from up there is magical. 

If you come in spring, April-May, you will see wild tulips that are originally from Kazakhstan; who knew this? 

Read more: Epic hike to Kolsai Lakes, Kazakhstan

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Where to stay in Aksu Zhabagly

You basically have two options. Stay in Zhabagly village from where you can make the trip to the nature reserve. Or stay 100 m before the border with Aksu Zhabagly Nature Reserve, like we did. After the pandemic, accommodations are no longer available for online booking. Therefore you need to get in touch with them directly. We recommend you do that in advance to avoid the hassle. We contacted them just 2 days before our arrival, and it was quite a hassle to get a reply and plan everything in such a short time.

Ruslan’s Guesthouse

The best place in a whole Kazakhstan, you can’t miss Ruslan’s guesthouse. He used to run two guesthouses, but the one in the village is currently closed, and he is now entirely focused on his other place, up in the mountains, that is right on the borders with Aksu Zhabagly Nature Reserve. 

Facilities: Kitchen, showers, toilets (all of these are newly built and very comfortable for guests), camping ground, swing and the view. The View. 

He has rooms, yurts or you can be camping. The price is KZT 8000 ($16) per person for accommodation without food. KZT 6500 ($13) for two people camping in their own tent. We spend one night in Yurt and two nights camping in our tent. 

The easiest and fastest way to get in touch with Ruslan is through WhatsApp: +7 701 189 5283. 

He also comes and picks you up/drops you off in Zhabagly for KZT 1000 ($2) as it is an additional 7 km from the village to his house. 

Zhenya & Ludia

We got in touch with Zhenya & Ludia as we planned where to stay. They have a lovely house in Zhabagly village. They offer a room with 3 meals per day for KZT 40 000 ($83) per person. Without food, the price is KZT 20 000 ($41). The address is Tyulkubassky district, Zhabagly village, 36 Abaya street.

Svetlana

We found multiple articles about Svetlana, who hosts couchsurfers, and she also has a guesthouse and works as a tour guide to the National Park. However, we tried to contact her and search for any information about the guesthouse, and it seems that her accommodation is no longer an option. At least we didn’t find it and got no response from her until today. 

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Where to eat in AKsu zhabagly

There are no restaurants in Aksu Zhabagly, and you either will be eating in your accommodation (you can agree beforehand if you want to include 3 home-cooked meals per day) or you have to bring your own food. 

Zhabagly village has a small store next to the shared taxi station. To our surprise, they have a good selection of food – rice, different kinds of beans, snacks, milk products etc. But the prices are higher than in Shymkent, so it is better if you stock up on food there. This is the last option to buy something before you get to Ruslan, as his house is in the middle of nowhere. 

In Ruslans guesthouse, there is a fully equipped kitchen for guests, so we brought a lot of food that we cooked during our three-day stay. Water is very clean in the guesthouse, so if you have a filter, bring it with you, so you don’t have to worry about carrying any water with you. 

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How to get to Aksu Zhabagly from Shymkent 

The easiest and most common way is to travel from Shymkent. We crossed the borders from Uzbekistan to Shymkent, and the following day we made our way to Zhabagly. 

First, you must go to Zhabagly, the nearest village to Aksu Zhabagly Nature Reserve. To get there, go to Aina bus station in Shymkent (you can get there by either Yandex or public bus number 26) and find marshrutka’s going to Tulkibas. The ride takes one hour. 

Note: Marshrutkas in Kazakhstan are basically minibuses, not small cars like in Uzbekistan. 

The marshrutkas leave once they are full and frequently run throughout the day. We took a bus to Tulkibas and didn’t wait longer than 10 minutes for the bus to fill up. (KZT 500, $1).

The bus drop you off at the station from where shared taxis (KZT 500, $1) leave to Zhabagly – again, we wait around 10 minutes for the shared taxi to fill up. It is only a 10-minute drive to Zhabagly. 

You can also arrange your transport with your accommodation either from Tulkibas or Tararkent. But the price, of course, would change. 

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TRAVEL Insurance 

Make sure you are well covered when travelling and doing some adventurous activities, horse riding, hiking, and climbing the mountains. We use the services of IATI insurance, which covers all of the activities mentioned with excellent coverage. The website is also easy to navigate, and you get amazing and fast customer support. In addition, readers of Broken Navigation get an exclusive 5% discount. 

Get your 5% discount with IATI Insurance here.

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How to go back from Zhabagly to Shymkent

Basically, you can do the same process, just in the opposite order. But you never know what time the bus will arrive. Therefore, it is better to go for the second option, which is to take a shared taxi from Zhabagly to Tararkent (also called Turner Ruskylov or Vanovka, KZT 400/$1). Plenty of drivers are waiting in Zhabagly. Don’t forget to ask the driver to take you to the shared taxi station in Shymkent. 

Shared taxis are waiting at the Tararkent station the whole day; once they are full, they go. In our experience, there were enough people immediately, so we didn’t wait. The price is KZT 1000 ($2). Apparently, there are no more minibuses (marshrutkas) between Tararkent and Shymkent after the pandemic. The only option is a shared taxi. 

There is also a train station in Tulkibas, we didn’t try that personally, but it is also an option. However, the journey will take much longer if you go to/from Shymkent. The trains from Astana (Nur-Sultan) and Almaty stop in Tulkibas too. 

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Where to stay in Shymkent 

Budget I Art House Sweet Home – We wanted to stay here, but it was unfortunately full. Cool, quiet little hostel with a friendly owner. They serve breakfast and have a cute garden to chill in. 

Budget I Bereke Hostel – ugly hostel from the outside, but surprisingly ok inside if you get a double room with a window, that costs $12 per night. There is a bus stop in front of the hostel with frequent buses going to the city centre. There is fast internet and a kitchen to be used. We stayed two nights and enjoyed the fastest internet we had in a long time. 

Mid – Range I City Hostel Shymkent – the first night we spend here. It’s a cool hostel with dorms only and breakfast included. The location couldn’t be better. It’s right in the city centre with a bus stop in front of it. 

I hope you find our travel guide to Aksu Zhabagly Nature Reserve helpful. If you need more information, don’t hesitate to drop a comment in the comments section below.

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