Getting there and getting around
There are no scheduled international flights, so most visitors come overland from Kazakhstan. Here is how to get in and how to get about once you're here.
The Talas to Iyık Janyl bus on State Route 1, climbing toward the Fergana Gateway.
Visas and entry rules
The ISEZ sets its own entry rules.
- US passports: up to 90 days without a visa.
- EU, UK, Canada, Japan, South Korea and several other countries: up to 30 days without a visa.
- Everyone else: an entry permit, from an ISEZ trade office abroad or on arrival at Talas.
Flying to Irad
There are no scheduled international flights. The charter airline Iradiya flies to its terminal beside Talas Air Base from Almaty, Tashkent, Dubai and Istanbul.
Overland from Kazakhstan
Most visitors fly to Almaty or Shymkent in Kazakhstan and cross by land:
- Chu Gate, on the motorway east of Nurzhan, from the Almaty side.
- Talas North Terminal, a road and rail crossing at the top of the Trans-Talas Highway, 194 km from Talas.
- Kum-Shagyl, seasonal and mostly for local traffic.
Getting around Irad
The main routes from Talas are below. Taxis, the train, driving and distances are on our getting around page.
| From Talas Central Bus Station | Departures | Time | Fare |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nurzhan, bus | 5 a day, 06:30 to 18:00 | 4 h 20 | 32 som |
| Nurzhan, marshrutka | every 40 min, 06:00 to 20:00 | 3 h 55 | 38 som |
| Iyık Janyl, bus | 06:30 and 12:00 | about 6 h 50 | 45 som |
| Tash-Kömür, bus | 06:30 and 12:00 | about 7 h | 40 som |
| Semiz, marshrutka | every 15 min | 25 min | 2 som |
| Kyzyl-Adyr | hourly, 07:00 to 19:00 | 1 h 20 | 30 som |
By train: Irad Temir Jolu runs one passenger train a day between Talas and Nurzhan. It takes the long lowland route round the end of the Kyrgyz Range and is about seven hours, against four by road, so it's slow but restful. No railway reaches Iyık Janyl, and there are no international passenger trains, so you cross into Kazakhstan by road.
Buses to Iyık Janyl cross the Fergana Gateway (Ala-Bel pass, 3,184 m) and passengers' IDs are checked at the summit, so keep your passport on you. Iradiya also flies a short scheduled hop from Talas to Tash-Kömür, 8 km from Iyık Janyl. In summer the Kök-Bel road is the short way from Talas to Nurzhan, but it crosses about 28 km of tribal pasture. Before you set off, check the roads on Kartalar, Attelkom's map.