Getting from Urumqi to Almaty can be considered the “northern” route for getting out of China and into Kazakhstan. We have also traveled the southern route from Kashgar in China to Kyrgyzstan via the Torugart Pass. The advantage of the northern route is that it avoids the detour of going to Kashgar, so it is more direct if you just want to go to Kazakhstan and northern Kyrgyzstan.
There are three options for getting from Urumqi to Almaty:
1. Direct international train: 2 times per week, 30 hours
Read more about the direct international train on Seat61 here.
2. Direct international bus: daily, about 24 hours.
The bus leaves in the evening and you will need to book your ticket at the international bus station in Urumqi.
3. Chinese train to Khorgos followed by a bus to Almaty: trains and buses run daily, total journey about 24 hours.
Even though this third option requires a few more connections and moving parts, it offers the advantages of a shorter bus ride. In addition, since the trains and buses go every day, the scheduling is as advantageous as option 2 with the comfort level of option 1. This route takes about the same amount of time as the bus, but is overall more flexible and comfortable.
For more information about option 3, read on…
Trains from Urumqi to Khorgos (Huoerguosi)
Khorgos (Huoerguosi in pinyin/chinese) is the border town between China and Kazakhstan. Two trains a day go direct from Urumqi main station to Huoerguosi. There are also a few more indirect options.
This train trip will take about 12 hours and cost about 340 RMB for a bed in soft sleeper class. Train ticket pickup at Urumqi can be a bit of a pain (it is a busy station with lots of security), so if you are making a journey from Beijing (or anywhere else in China), pick up all your train tickets in one go at your first train station.
If you took the sleeper train from Beijing, arriving in Urumqi around 17:00, you can catch the evening train from Urumqi to Huoerguosi a few hours later. Urumqi station has an underground shopping and restaurant area where you can stock up on supplies during your layover. Just exit the station, go down one level and follow the signs for the shopping mall.
Khorgas Bus Station
When you first get off the train in Khorgas, it will probably seem like you are being dropped off in the middle of nowhere. After a few minutes some taxi drivers will appear. Tell them you want to go to “Almaty” and they will take you to the international bus station. There are only a couple of drivers, and they seem to understand pretty quickly where you want to go – Khorgas is not a big place. If no drivers appear, turn right and walk about 200m to the parking lot where there are a few more taxis. A ride to the bus station costs 20 RMB and you can pay with WeChat.
The Khorgas bus station is a small building with the usual security installations out front. There are also people offering to sell Kazakh Tenge. I did not investigate the currency exchange, but it seemed legit enough for changing a small amount of money. Once inside the station, go straight ahead to the ticket window.
The first thing the ticket clerk will ask for is your passport, so it might be a good idea to lead with that and say you want to go to Almaty. Tickets are 70 RMB (WeChat pay accepted), and the ticket will include the license plate number of the “bus”. The buses leave from a parking lot in the back of the station. In my case this was a typical minibus, although there were also large busses leaving less regularly from the station.
Border Bureaucracy
The Chinese border is a 15 minute drive from the bus station. Now, this is the part you signed up for. Once you are dropped off, bring all your luggage with you and walk towards the small entrance building, where you will pass through a security check. You will see the lines for the security check to get into the immigration building. There are two lines, one for foreigners and one for Chinese.
Past this initial hut it is a bit of a walk to get to the main immigration hall, which on the inside looks like every other Chinese immigration area. Go through the formalities, featuring many bag scans and a slow passport stamping line. There will likely be a low tech phone check involving an agent scrolling through your photos. Once you are done you will wait for everyone in your van to be done. Then you will wait some more. And more. Everyone will get back in the vans and there will be more waiting. One more passport check at the exit. And that’s it – you are out of China. Expect this process to take about 4 hours.
Entering Kazakhstan
Your bus will then drive you to the Kazakh immigration. Grab a migration card from a desk just inside the entrance and wait in line. The lines are managed by an agent whose challenging job it seems to be to make everyone stand in line. The border agents do not ask too many questions – they will mostly want to know how long you will stay. Basic English is spoken. A quick stamp and bag scan and you are done! Find your van and be on your way. Entering Kazakhstan takes about an hour.
The big busses might continue to the main bus station in Almaty, but the minibus will drop you off at a small town taxi stand just over the border. There are not too many people so you should decide quickly to make sure you get in a shared taxi to Almaty as it fills up. Chinese and Kazakh seem to be the main spoken languages, with very basic English.
A shared taxi to the main station in Almaty costs 100 RMB and should take about 2 hours. The shared taxi drivers from this town take RMB as payment. At the main station in Almaty, there are minibuses to other places, taxis, as well as money changing facilities.
Congratulations! You’ve made it! Read on for a few suggestions of things to do in Almaty.
