Info as of July 2017

I admit, this marshrutka picture was taken in St. Petersburg, Russia

Following Kazakhstan, my plan was to head to it's smaller, mountainous neighbor to the south, Kyrgyzstan. While flying is possible, it is significantly cheaper to travel over land and if you're going from Almaty, as I did, the whole trip only takes about 5 hours. Here I'll give the details of how to do it and what to expect.

There is no train going from Almaty to Bishkek (Kyrgyzstan's capital) so the only way to go by land is by shared taxi or (significantly more affordable) by a mini-bus type of vehicle called a marshrutka. Marshrutkas run continually all day from Almaty's bus station to Bishkek, and they usually leave whenever they fill up, so there is no concrete schedule. However, this is not really much of a problem at all since it usually takes just 30-45 maximum to get enough people.

Occasionally, the drivers will try to overcharge you, seeing that you are a foreigner, so if they do, refuse to pay unless they give you a fair price. This should be 2000-2500 tenge ($6-$8). If they say any more than that, the driver is trying to rip you off. Haggle them down, which will work 95% of the time, or just wait half an hour for the next ride. If you know a bit of Russian (or for some reason Kazakh), this can help a lot.

Once you head off, it is usually 3-4 hours from Almaty to the border (sometimes as short as 2 if the driver has a heavy foot). While it might be tempting to doze off or zone out listening to music, I urge to resist these distractions and take in the amazing views of the open steppe. From there, the border crossing is pretty easy, taking me and two friends just 20 minutes total. Keep in mind though, none of us needed visas for either country, which is the case if you're from North America and Europe, but if you do, the crossing may be a little more difficult.

Sometimes, as was the case with me, the marshrutka didn't cross the border (make sure to find this out before you initially get in). If this happens to you, you'll have to take a taxi from the Kyrgyzstan side, and if so, do not pay more than 500 som total, not each (about $7) to get to Bishkek. There will be tons of taxi drivers that will swarm you instantly, desperate for a passenger, so make sure 500 is agreed upon before you get into any cab. From there, it is pretty much an hour drive to Bishkek on semi-paved roads.