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On summer weekends, stand-up paddleboards have become an increasingly familiar sight on the Yessil River and waterways beyond the capital. Some people come for an easy evening paddle, while others plan 20-kilometer routes, weekend excursions and trips in search of new places to explore. 

Members of Astana’s SUP community pose with their paddleboards before an outing. Photo credit: SUP community’s Instagram account

More people are also moving beyond occasional rentals and buying boards of their own, helping a local community take shape around an activity that still feels somewhat unexpected in a landlocked capital. 

I joined that community last summer. Until then, I associated paddleboards mostly with seaside holidays and resort towns, despite living in a city built around a river. A season on the water made me realize how much recreational space had been sitting in plain sight. 

Finding a community on the water 

Bekzat Tilepbergen paddles during a SUP outing near Astana. Photo credit: Tilepbergen’s personal archive

Stand-up paddleboarding, commonly known as SUP, involves standing or kneeling on a large board and moving through the water with a single-bladed paddle. The International Canoe Federation recognizes both recreational and competitive forms of the sport, which can be practiced on rivers, lakes, canals and other bodies of water.

Its accessibility has helped it gain a following in Astana. A beginner can spend an hour close to shore, while more experienced paddlers can cover substantial distances or organize trips outside the city.

For Bekzat Tilepbergen, building a local SUP community began after seeing a well-established paddling culture abroad. 

A paddleboard on a route outside Astana. Photo credit: Nagima Abuova’s personal archive

“We saw how SUP culture was developing there, got inspired and bought our first paddleboard. That was when we had a dream that one day hundreds of people would paddle along the Yessil at the same time and Astana would host bright SUP festivals bringing city residents together. Every season, there were more people. Today, our community continues to grow, and we can see that the dream is gradually becoming a reality,” Tilepbergen told The Astana Times. 

His team continued organizing outings even when participation was modest. It now runs paddles on the Yessil and trips from recreation areas around the region, including events for people with no previous experience. 

Having joined some of those trips myself, I have also seen how the group has developed its own character over time. A yellow van has become one of its recognizable fixtures, while Barsik, a cat the team found during one of its outings, has become an unlikely regular companion. 

Barsik, the SUP community’s companion, joins a paddler on the water. Photo credit: Bekzat Tilepbergen’s personal archive

“We found Barsik during one of our outings, and he has been with us ever since. He is now a permanent member of the team and even joins us on the water,” said Tilepbergen.

For many paddlers, those first group outings are also a starting point for exploring more independently. A separate community for board owners now has more than 100 members who exchange advice, organize their own trips and share routes across Kazakhstan. 

I followed much the same path. After initially joining organized paddles, I bought my own SUP and now occasionally join the group on trips around Astana. Having my own board has made it easier to explore independently, while still being part of a community that shares routes, checks conditions and organizes outings beyond the usual city spots. 

That independence comes with more responsibility on the water. According to Tilepbergen, newcomers receive basic safety instructions before organized outings, including guidance on life jackets and essential equipment. On longer routes, paddling as a group also means participants can keep an eye on one another and step in if someone becomes tired or struggles with the conditions. 

The pull of longer routes, at your own pace 

For me, the season begins once the weather is warm enough to spend several hours comfortably on and around the water. More experienced paddlers stretch it much further, starting after the spring thaw when conditions permit and continuing until waterways begin freezing again in autumn. 

The Astana Times reporter Nagima Abuova paddles on her own board during a group outing near Astana. Photo credit: Nagima Abuova’s personal archive

A typical outing can be as simple as a few relaxed hours with friends. Longer trips require a different mindset. 

Our group sometimes covers around 20 kilometers, paddling about 10 kilometers from camp before returning along the same route. We stop to swim, take photographs, talk, play games or try challenges circulating on social media. Sometimes the best part is doing very little at all – lying on the board for a few minutes with no traffic, buildings or usual city routine demanding attention.

Longer routes also bring out the social side of SUP. Paddlers naturally move at different speeds, so the group adjusts along the way, waiting for anyone who falls behind and helping when fatigue or difficult conditions set in. Around Astana, wind can quickly change the pace of a trip: a light breeze barely noticeable from shore becomes far more significant on an exposed board, particularly when it turns an easy outward paddle into a demanding return.

SUP community’s signature yellow van with paddleboards. Photo credit: Bekzat Tilepbergen’s personal archive

Trips beyond the capital are especially rewarding because they open up stretches of rivers and lakes that are difficult to appreciate from the road or reach on foot. Rather than simply traveling to a destination, we spend the day moving through the landscape itself, discovering familiar surroundings from a perspective that we might otherwise miss.

At the same time, SUP does not have to involve long distances or demanding routes, which makes it approachable for people with very different levels of experience and fitness. My parents tried SUP boarding with me and initially assumed the activity would be too physically demanding. 

“At first, I thought it was mainly for young people who are into sports, but once you get on the board, you realize that you can go at your own pace. You do not need to race or do anything extreme. You can simply paddle, enjoy the water and take in the scenery. I have always loved our river, and experiences like this remind you how valuable the water we have around us really is,” my father told me.

“I guess it gives people another way to spend time on the river, appreciate it and form a stronger connection with a place that is such an important part of our city,” he added.