Öskemen: Riverside and City History

Öskemen: Riverside, City History and Culture

When looking for a hotel in Öskemen, you can plan your trip around the interests that matter most locally: the river landscape, history or a cultural attraction. A walking path runs along the Irtysh on the Slavyansky Embankment towards Strelka, where the Irtysh and Ulba meet. The riverside path offers a tangible connection to the city’s river landscape and an opportunity to combine your stay with a walk.

Strelka is also connected with the city’s history: in 1720, Major Likharev’s ship arrived there as the Ust-Kamenogorsk fortress was being founded. This makes the confluence both a geographical landmark and a point of historical interest. For travellers interested in the city’s origins, this episode is a useful point of reference.

The Khalifa Altai Mosque is an attraction in Öskemen and is considered Kazakhstan’s third-largest mosque. It offers another specific sightseeing option during a stay in the city. Check the visitor access rules before visiting in person.

East Kazakhstan: distinct cultural and natural attractions

Other places and landscapes in the wider destination of East Kazakhstan offer a broader view of the region. An open-air museum has been established at the Berel burial mounds. The Berel burial ground comprises more than 100 burials, as well as burial and memorial structures. The Berel State Historical and Cultural Museum-Reserve is a cultural and educational, scientific and tourist centre.

The Oralkhan Bokei House Museum in Chingistai displays the writer’s personal belongings, manuscripts, photographs and books. Chingistai is his native village: he was born there and spent his childhood there. Another archaeological highlight is the Ak-Baur complex, with numerous petroglyphs, megaliths and burial mounds dating from the Bronze Age and the Saka period. The “Literary East” tourist route passes through sacred sites in East Kazakhstan; if you plan to take this route, check in advance whether it is currently operating.

East Kazakhstan’s landscapes also offer a range of attractions. Mount Belukha draws mountaineers, tourists and mountain trekking enthusiasts. Kokkol Waterfall is about 80 metres high and lies near tourist routes to Mount Belukha. Lake Yazevoye is a high-altitude freshwater lake of glacial origin and is popular with tourists, mountaineers and trekking enthusiasts.

The West Altai Nature Reserve near Ridder was established to protect mountain taiga ecosystems. Cedar, fir and spruce forests grow there, along with rare plant and animal species listed in the Red Book. According to preliminary figures, more than 1,000 species of higher vascular plants grow in Katon-Karagay National Park, including 30 species listed in the Red Book of Kazakhstan.

The Old Austrian Road is a regional landmark for reaching Lake Markakol. It is about 60 kilometres long and reaches the lake from Katon-Karagay or Kurchum. Road conditions can change, so check them before setting out.

For the broader travel overview: East Kazakhstan.