ASTANA – The Visit Burabay community group offers Astana residents the opportunity to visit Kazakhstan’s tourism attractions and natural beauty.
“Our project was initiated by my friend, Ulan Alimbek. For the first time, we set out on a journey October 31, 2015 and at that time, there were 15 people not acquainted with each other. Our main idea was to explore the nature as we were looking for adventure,” said Visit Burabay leader Abdusamat Mukhammed.
The community hopes to nurture a love of Kazakh nature and help develop tourism.
“Usually we go on one-day trips, setting out on a journey early in the morning. We take food with ourselves so that we can have a snack later while walking around and climbing mountains. Sometimes we travel for a couple of days sleeping in tents. We also prefer discovering the world around us by ourselves so we do not use guides. We organise trips all year round and manage to enjoy nature in its full beauty,” he added.
The community goes on regular trips to Burabay, however, it does not limit itself to one destination and has also visited Zerendy, Imantau, Bayanaul, Karkaraly and places around Almaty.
“Our trips are always fun since each of them is different from the previous ones. Moreover, company is the most important aspect; you can make new friends while travelling. For example, I met the love of my life during one such trip, we are now married and raising a daughter,” said community member Assan Toleu.
Since the establishment, almost 500 people have gone on the community’s trips and the group now has approximately 121 active members. The average age of members is 25.
“People learn about Visit Burabay mostly from their friends and relatives. Our Instagram account also attracts new members. We have certain team members, who are active all the times; still, new members join us almost every week,” added Mukhammed.
The community does not only go on trips, Visit Burabay members also meet in Astana and attend social, cultural and sporting events.
“Boys usually gather to play bowling or football, and girls read and discuss books together,” added Toleu.
“This year we plan to expand, attract more members and discover new places to visit,” said Mukhammed.
The community plans to go to Burabay June 2 and travel to Bayanaul July 6-8. A schedule of the community’s trips and announcements are posted on its @visitburabay Instagram account.
