Kazakhstan Journeys
Kazakhstan Ties- Our Flagship Program
July 5-14, 2013
Kazakhstan Ties Lite
July 5-12, 2013
Private or Semi-Private Travel
“The end of all our exploring
will be to arrive where we started
and know the place for the first time.” T.S. Eliot
KAZAKHSTAN TIES AND TIES LITE HIGHLIGHTS
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Kazakhstan Itinerary
- Arrive in Almaty, where Ties staff will meet you and provide transportation to the hotel. Kazakhstan Ties families stay in moderate, clean hotels, where after a day of experiencing many new tastes, smells, sights and sounds, families can relax.
- Gather for an orientation meeting, a chance to connect with the other families, and discuss the journey ahead.
- Tour Almaty, where you will visit Almaty Cathedral, ride a gondola up Koktobe Mountain, shop in bustling local markets, and eat scrumptious Kazakh cuisine!
- Visit an SOS Children’s Village, where you will see children being cared for with dignity. Most SOS children LOVE to play soccer. Game on!
- Enjoy the spectacular scenery in the Tyan Shan Mountains, home to the famous Medeo Skating Rink, the highest skating rink in the world
- Play for an afternoon at a children’s summer camp outside of Almaty. We’ll play Kazakhstan national games, like Sokyrteke (Blind Wild Goat), Khan or Asyk—games still played in villages around Kazakhstan. And maybe a little soccer.
- For most families, Almaty will be the jumping off point for the “Centerpiece of your Adoption Homeland Journey.” Families will visit places like Rudney, Nezabudka, Aktobe, and Ust-Kamenogorsk. If your adoption connections are elsewhere in Kazakhstan, The Ties Program will help with those arrangements too.
- While on adoption visits, families will:
- Travel by airplane, train or car to destination and be met by car, driver and English speaking guide.
- Visit orphanages, hospitals, caregivers, and other special people related to their adoption. Some families will meet birth family.
Kazakhstan Ties Lite families will leave from their province visits to the United States or their country of origin.
Kazakhstan Ties families will rendezvous in the futuristic city of Astana, with time to process adoption visits together.
- In Astana, you will stroll along the Ishim River to see our-of-this-world buildings as well as the symbol of Astana, Bayterek. You can make a wish for good luck as you put your hand in the large, gold handprint of President Nursultan Nazarbayev.
- Astana is a beautiful city, alive with activity, filled with flowers and high technology–amazing in its own right.
- Back together again, the group will take time to process the wonderful experiences Kazakhstan has given us.
KAZAKHSTAN TIES LITE
As we move forward, many of our programs will be offered as traditional Ties Programs, and in some countries (Kazakhstan included), will include a Ties Lite option. It will give you all of the advantages of traveling with a Ties Program, but a shorter stay, lowering your costs. When you request information, both Kazakhstan Ties and Kazakhstan Ties Lite will be sent to you.
PRIVATE OR SEMI-PRIVATE TRAVEL
While we believe strongly in the support a group provides, we know there are times when individual family travel is a better fit. We are happy to work with individual families or small groups of families. Please email us your request.
