A detailed report on how to get from Bishkek to Almaty by bus and shared taxi, the best way to cross the Kyrgyzstan – Kazakhstan border at Korday, including tips, prices, and places to stay in Almaty.
It’s very easy and straightforward to get from Bishkek to Almaty (from Kyrgyzstan to Kazakhstan). The journey takes about 4 to 6 hours, depending on traffic, weather conditions, and the number of people when you want to cross the border.
I made this journey quite often whenever I wanted to renew my Kyrgyz visa, so I became quite the expert on the subject!
Tip: See my Kazakhstan Travel Page and my Kyrgyzstan Travel Page for a complete overview of all my travel guides and blog posts about both countries!
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Plan your trip to Almaty
Where to stay
- Best budget pick: Evergreen Hostel
- Best guesthouse choice: Guest House on Sadovaya
- Top high-end hotel: Kazzhol Park Hotel
Top experiences in and near Almaty
Plan your trip to Kazakhstan
How to get from Bishkek To Almaty
1. From Bishkek to the border in Korday (Kyrgyzstan)
There are several borders in the region around Bishkek. The nearest border is Korday, located about 21km from the city center (see map below).
You have 3 options to go from the city center of Bishkek to the border:
- Take a taxi for 500 som. If you’re having a hard time bargaining with the taxi drivers, use the Yandex Go app. This app works similarly to Uber and the taxis have a fixed rate.
- Take city mashrutka #333 or #285. You can catch either one at the bus stop near the Tsum Shopping Center (see map below) for 50 som and they both stop right at the border.
- Take the busthat goes directly from Bishkek to Almaty. They leave daily from the New Bus Station in Bishkek at 8:00, 10:00, 12:00, 14:00, 16:00 and 18:00 on platform 11. Tickets can be bought at one of the ticket offices at the station for 600 som.
- Tip 1: Avoid traveling from Bishkek to Almaty on snowy days. The road conditions are pretty bad (and dangerous) when it snows. I did it once and my driver lost control of his vehicle on the slippery road. Nobody got hurt but it was a scary moment!
- Tip 2: The best time to cross the border is early in the morning or late in the evening. During these times there shouldn’t be many people crossing the border and you’ll avoid being pushed and shoved around by the crowd.
The best time would be to leave Bishkek at 8 or 9 am, so you’ll arrive 30 minutes later at the border. This is a good and rather quiet time to cross the border.
2. Crossing the Kyrgyzstan – Kazakhstan border at Korday
Whether you travel by taxi, city mashrutka, or long-distance bus; once you arrive at the border, you’ll have to get out of your vehicle and take all your luggage with you.
The time it takes you to cross the border depends on how many people there are.
If there are many people, you’ll see long and disorganized queues and you might experience a lot of pushing and shoving. Many people will try to cut in front of you, so don’t be afraid to stick out those elbows and stand your ground!
If there aren’t many people, you should be on the other side of the border within 20 minutes.
Kazakhstan visa requirements
Citizens from the European Union, Canada, USA, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Israel, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Korea, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, Russia, Armenia, Georgia, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, and Mongolia don’t need to apply for a visa to enter Kazakhstan as they’re eligible for a free tourist visa upon arrival.
Citizens from non-visa-exempt countries must apply for an e-Visa – even though you’re only transiting through Kazakhstan – or a transit visa.
First, you’ll have to show your passport at the migration booth on the Kyrgyz side. Once the official stamps your passport, you move on towards the Kazakh migration booths.
Show your passport (and visa if you had to apply for one) to the official in the booth. They might inquire about your itinerary but normally they shouldn’t ask you any questions.
Once you’ve got your passport back, head towards the exit of the building. You might have to put your luggage through a scanner there, but this normally shouldn’t take very long. And that’s it.
Welcome to Kazakhstan!
3. How to get from the Kyrgyzstan-Kazakhstan border to Almaty
If you travel to the Kyrgyz side of the border by mashrutka or taxi, you’ll have to take another (shared) taxi on the Kazak side of the border to Almaty.
You won’t have to search for a taxi because the taxi drivers will be waiting for you as soon as you exit the border gate.
Don’t let them overwhelm you, and most importantly, don’t let them rip you off! A shared taxi usually fits 7 passengers and each passenger pays 5000 tenge. If the driver wants to charge you more, walk away and search for another taxi driver that asks for a fair price.
The taxi leaves once it is full. If you don’t want to share the taxi, be prepared to pay the full price, which is usually around 20.000 tenge. Shared taxis will usually drop you off at the Sayran bus station in Almaty.
This journey takes about 3 to 4 hours. The driver usually takes a 10-minute break halfway through the journey at “Cafe Eurasia” where you can go to the toilet (50KZT or 5 KGS) and buy some snacks.
If you take the long-distance bus from the bus station in Bishkek to Almaty, this bus should be waiting for you on the Kazakh side of the border (that’s why you have to take note of the license plate).
Don’t panic if you can’t find it immediately. Sometimes it takes a while before it can cross the border.
Keep an eye out for fellow passengers. Once everyone is back on the bus, it will take you all the way to the Sayran bus station in Almaty.
- If you have updates different from my info above, let me and other travelers know in the comments below! This way I can keep sharing accurate and updated info!
Changing money at the border
A small money exchange booth on both sides of the border has a decent conversion rate.
However, exchange just enough Kyrgyz som/euros/dollars to Kazakh tenge to get you to Almaty. You’ll find many exchange offices and ATMs with a much better conversion rate there!
From surreal desert landscapes to high mountain lakes and life in a yurt camp, this 10-day Best of Kazakhstan Kyrgyzstan journey takes you straight into the heart of Central Asia!
4. Arriving in Almaty
Whether you travel by bus or taxi, both vehicles will drop you off at the Sayran Bus Station. The bus station is located 7km west of the city center so you’ll have to take a city bus or a taxi to get to your hostel or guesthouse.
I recommend staying at the budget-friendly ART hostel. This hostel is located near Abai Ave, in the center of Almaty.
You can get there by bus #19 from the bus station to Abai Ave. The bus ride takes about 40 minutes and costs 150 tenge depending on the traffic.
Ask the bus driver or ticket officer to tell you when the bus arrives at Baikonur Subway Station. From there it only takes a 5-minute walk to the hostel.
You can also opt to take a taxi. Just wave any car down (many drivers in Almaty work as unofficial taxis) and tell the driver you want to go to Dostyk Plaza (or any other destination in Almaty). The ride costs around 2000 tenge if you’re going to ART Hostel.
You can also request a taxi through the Yandex taxi app, which works similarly to Uber. The price should be the same.
To find your way around Almaty, use the following apps:
- Yandex Taxi: This is a taxi service that is similar to Uber and is very straightforward.
- Maps.me or 2GIS: Both apps function like Google Maps but are more accurate in this part of the world. Enter your starting point and destination, and the app will tell you which bus you must take to get there.
Where to stay in Almaty
- Recommended budget hostels in Almaty:
- Recommended mid-range hotels and guesthouses in Almaty:
- Recommend high-end hotels in Almaty:
I hope this post was very useful to you and I wish you a great and safe journey to Almaty! Let me know in the comments if you have any more questions and/or how your journey went!
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Hello, thanks for your info! I have an update: Western bus station is undergoing some renovations so the bus to Almaty leaves from Bishkek bus station, in the north (Алма-Атинская, 1/1, с. Ленинское, Аламудун с.)
Thanks for the update Chiara!
Hello! I’ll be travelling from Almaty to Bishkek to and fro in about 2 weeks and just wondering if you happen to know if we can buy the tickets in advance or we can only buy the ticket for the next available bus?
Other than that, this post was extremely useful during my research for my trip. Thankyou so much!
2024 update. Took the coach today from Bishkek to Almaty.
It was very easy. At Bishkek Western bus station go inside the large building and counter 3 were selling tickets to Almaty. I got a ticket about 10minutes prior to departure they just required my passport. It was 600 som.
The bus left from bus stop 11 at the back of the bus station.
We departed just after 10am, the bus was about half full.
At the border everyone got out with their bags and walked across – luckily it wasn’t busy and took about 10mins in total.
On the Kazak side we waited at the petrol station on the right side of the road as you exit immigration and a new bus came to take us to Almaty.
We arrived at Almaty Sayran station at 2.15pm.
All up, it was very easy. The bus despite having the aircon on was really hot (similar to a Marshrutka in the heat) and the place we stopped at for the driver to rest for about 15mins had very limited food options (but they appear to be building some new ones) -best off to take you’re own snacks.
Thanks for your great site!
Thank you for the update Adam!
This is the most helpful post ever. I took the bus today too. Everything was the same as described. I just want to highlight for people that on the Kazakh side, you get on a DIFFERENT bus entirely. Go to the right side of the petrol station, there is a parking lot. Ask if they are going to Almaty. They will have your name on a paper list. That’s the right bus to board. Don’t be like me and chase your old Kyrgyz bus with the license plate you memorized around to an inaccessible area and worry about how the heck you are going to get on it. Be on the lookout for the other passengers you traveled with and a totally new bus.
Hello! I just bought ticket from Bishkek station to Almaty to depart tomorrow at 8.00. All info you posted is accurate except for the price. As of today, the price is 630 Som.
Big hug!
Thank you for the update Ivan!
Hey Ivan, about how long does it take to go by bus from Bishkek to Almaty?
Hello,
I’m planning to go from Bishkek to Almaty. I therefore purchased today from the office inside the Western Station’s main building a ticket (500som + 30som for pre booking) for departure this Sunday morning.
Apparently, it’s a big bus leaving from platform 11. Daily departures are advertised as : 8:00, 10:00, 12:00, 14:00, 16:00 and 18:00.
I followed your advice (thank you very much for all the precious info on this blog !) and picked the earliest departure so that the Kordai border crossing is smoother and faster…
I’ll come back here to post about how will have gone the whole bus trip and the border crossing.
Hi HG, that’s a great update, thank you! I’ll add it to this guide. And yes; please keep us updated about your journey 🙂
Hi,
I crossed the border today (December 20, 2022) and I took the mashrutka to Almaty, it still cost 2500 tenge per person.
I used Yandex from Bishkek to Korday border and paid around 500 tenge.
Thank you for the update Jason!
Just went from Karakol to Almaty yesterday (via Bishkek). Marshrutky #285 and #333 actually start at the circus in Bishkek. Marshrutka at the border to Almaty is only 2500 KZT.
Thanks Max!
Just an update, today on September 16th we got a direct bus from Sayran bus station in Almaty to western bus station in Bishkek. Cost was 2500 tenge and the bus left at 10am.
Hi Keenan, that’s great news! Was this by minibus or by a big bus?
This was a big bus. Left exactly on time despite having only a few people on it.
Thanks Keenan!
How early do taxis and buses leave from Kordai Border to Almaty? Are they available at 5 or 6am?
Hi Pam, yes, there will be taxis this early at the border. Have a great trip!
Today sep 9 2022 i went from almaty to bishkek using saiyan bus station for 2500 tenge.
Thank you for the update!
Went from Bishkek to Almaty on 8.29.22.
Negotiated a taxi on the street for 700 som cash and then a minivan from Kordai to Almaty for 600 som cash (3500 Tenge). There were a bunch of people trying to get to pay 5000 Tenge but I just walked around for thirty seconds and yelled in Russian until they negotiated. If you’re not a Russian speaker you’ll probably have to suck it up for 5000 Tenge.
Thanks for the update David!
Brazilian citizens does not need visa to Kazahkistan or Kyrgyzstan too.
I am , like a foreigner citizen, able to cross the border between the countries now August 2022 ?
Hi Jorge, it looks that Brazilian passportholders don’t need a visa for Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan so you should be able to cross the border without any issues 🙂
I traveled from Bishkek to Almaty on Aug. 3, 2022 and was glad I checked here, as I was originally trying to take a minibus. Once I saw they weren’t running anymore, I double checked with someone at Apple Hostel, who confirmed it is only taxis right now. Therefore I didn’t bother going to Western Bus station, I took a taxi through Yandex directly from my hostel (Kaganat Hostel, which is new and very lovely!): The price for an economy taxi ranged from 470-600 som depending on the time of day (mine was 521 som around 7:50am). I walked across the border and found a shared taxi on the otherside but the prices have gone up – it is 5000/person or 1000 som if you don’t have tenge (which is more than the equivalent, so definitely exchange some money in Bishkek before). I asked around a lot for 3000 and was thoroughly rejected. I even asked a family getting picked up and they confirmed 5000 was correct. I was with two Kazakhs and a Kyrgyz in my taxi and they all paid 5000/person (I actually saw these transactions, not just asking) so it wasn’t the foreigner price. I recommend adding some roaming credits to your Kyrgyz SIM so you can use the Yandex app when you arrive at Sairan station, that way you don’t get ripped off (I added 600 som which amounts to 300mb on my Megacom SIM, I think I only used 30mb for getting the Yandex taxi)
Also, I did not find this migration card so I am a bit worried but at the border I looked around and asked three different times about this card/form and they said I didn’t need it and even asked where I had been told I need this. I did get a little stamped slip of paper that I had to hand to the guard to leave. Can someone let me know if this migration card is still a thing I need to do?
Hi Erika, thank you so much for your thorough updates! I will adjust my guide accordingly. Also, you don’t need a migration slip anymore for Kazakhstan so no worries there!
Happy to help! Another update: I met a couple in Almaty who said there are minibuses from the border to Almaty for 2500 tenge/person and their bus had 15 people total and took around 4-5 hours. However, they said it was hard to find and they only found it because someone they met while crossing the border took them to it, so I am not sure how easy that option is.
Another pair said they took a taxi from Bishkek DIRECTLY to Almaty but had to pay 9000 som and it was private not shared (because they had a bike and lots of luggage they were transporting). But they did say it’s probably faster to do the taxi to border to shared taxi option cause the car took a long time going through the checkpoint and you have to carry everything through anyways.
Thanks for this info Erika!
My friend and I attempted to take the long bus to Almaty from Western bus station and everyone said only taxi. We ended up taking a taxi to the border.
Hi Marvin, when did you try to travel from Bishkek to Almaty? The direct marshrutkas were canceled for a while as Kazakhstan’s borders were closed but they have recently opened so they should run again. Can you let me and other readers know? Updates are always highly appreciated!
I was at the Western Bus station today (July 14th) and everyone told me that the only option to go straight from Bishkek to Almaty is by taxi, so please correct your information because, as of now, it’s wrong.
Hi Javier, thanks for your update. I’m sorry for the inconvenience you had. I always try to update the info as soon as I can.
Hi,
Just saw the correction about the minibus that stop running. So we will land at Manas airport and we want to travel straight to the boarder to reach Almaty. Any new easy way to go there?
Hi Dimitris, you can take a taxi from the airport to the Korday border. Once you’ve crossed the border, you can take a shared taxi to Almaty. I’ve just updated my guide with all the current info!
Thanks for the great article! Can’t wait to visit this summer!
Question:- does the border crossing have specific times? and is this now open to foreigner’s?
Hi Sam, yes, the border is open to foreigners as of April 17th! The border is open 24/7. Have a great trip this summer!
Hi Cynthia, would you say this journey is safe for a solo female? Thinking to do it after your adventure tour, if Kazakhstan is open to tourists by then. Thank you
Hi Brittany, you don’t have to worry about your safety during this journey and while being in Kazakhstan! Let’s hope the country opens up soon!
Your travel tips helped me a great deal!!!!! So detailed! Perfect.
I realized there should be an update regarding the Almaty – Tashkent bus departre times – now there is no bus at 8 PM.
Hi Jan, this is great to hear! And thank you for the update, I’ll adjust it in the article.
thank you! this article is very helpful.
Happy to hear!! Thanks!
A couple of notes:
There is also a bus (not a marshrutka) that leaves 3 times daily, @ 09:30, 11:30, and 12:50 for 400 kgs. Tickets should be purchased in advance at the international ticket office (kassa) inside the main hall of the Western Bus Station, not where you buy the marshrutka tickets. This is nice if you have more or bulkier luggage that won’t fit (take up all of) in the back of a Sprinter sized van. Like skiis or mountain gear.
When crossing the border at Kordai, and any other land border into Kazakhstan, in addition to the immigration card (which you must have stamped and kept with you, as noted), you will need to fill out another small piece of paper about 2cm x 4cm. On this paper, you write your name and document number. This is then stamped and you give it to the soldier guarding the end exit of the border.
Thanks for the extra info Danny! That small piece of paper, is that new? We know that the officials at the passport control gave us such paper but we didn’t have to fill it in. We only had to give it to the soldier upon exiting the border.
Thanks a lot Cynthia. This post is amazing and I’ll use all this information to renew my 30-day stay in Almaty!
Happy I could help you Ilya! Enjoy your stay in Almaty, we love the city!!