Visas, flights and borders
Getting there
Who needs a visa, why to ask for a separate entry slip, Iradiya charters, and the three road crossings from Kazakhstan.
Everything to sort out before you go
Plan your trip
How to get in, how to get around, what to pack for the season, how to pay and what to say. Start here, and write to us if something isn't covered.
State Route 1, climbing toward the Fergana Gateway.
Irad has no scheduled international flights and its neighbours don't recognise its entry stamps, so a little planning goes a long way. Once you're here, things are simpler than they look: buses run on time, guesthouses look after you, and someone will always walk you to the right marshrutka.
Getting in and getting about
Buses, taxis, the train and driving
Getting around
Marshrutkas from Talas Central Bus Station, Tulpar taxis, the daily train to Nurzhan, the flight to Tash-Kömür and the mountain road.
Hotels, guesthouses and yurts
Where to stay
Central-avenue hotels, family guesthouses, pilgrim hostels and herders' yurts, and how to ask our members for a room.
Before you pack
Seasons and festivals
When to go
Season by season, the festivals worth planning around, and the months when the passes close.
Forecasts and pass closures
Weather
Temperatures and rain month by month for Talas and Iyık Janyl, pass closures, smog and what to pack.
Money, manners and safety
Practical matters
The som and the dollar, cards and cash, phones, health, where not to take photographs, and the tribal regions.
Quick answers
Questions visitors ask
Visas, stamps, budgets, safety, language, time, phones, dress and food rules in a few lines each.
A few words go a long way
Phrasebook
Everyday words, words on signs, food and church words, and how to read Iradi spelling.
For the diaspora
Tracing your roots
Write down the sanjyra, ask the State Archives, and find the village your family came from.
Still stuck? Write to hello@visitirad.com. Our members answer questions like yours every day.