Former Soviet Forced Labor Camp Tour

ALZHIR, the Akmola Camp for Wives of Traitors to the Motherland, was a Gulag labor camp where women were transported from various regions across the USSR.

  • Starting Point: Hotel Pickup (Astana)
  • Available: Year-round, daily (except Monday)
  • Tour Duration: 3 Hours
  • Private Tour
Highly qualified staff
We invest over 300 hours each year in training our staff and guides to ensure top-notch service.
Charity
Our company contributes up to 1% of your service cost to support charitable causes and create a positive impact.
Guarantee
We guarantee the quality of our services. If we do not meet your expectations, we will refund your money.
Experience
With over 26,000 satisfied guests from 67 countries and 10,000+ tours completed, our experience speaks for itself.

Cost Estimate and Online Booking

prices and reservations
tour information
act_select_error_adults
act_select_error_children
Cost per 1 person
for a group of 2 people:
$ 97
  • Tour Date:
  • Departure Time:
  • Adults:
  • Children (aged 4-11):
Total:
Visa MasterCard Mir Union Pay Apple Pay pay_pal
Key Details
Included Features
Booking Procedure
Tariffs and service levels
Purchase Instructions
Why Choose Us?
Cancellation Policy

3 Hours

Distance

76 km

75 km

1 km
Former Soviet Forced Labor Camp Tour
Starting Point: Hotel Pickup (Astana)
Tour Duration: 3 Hours
Available: Year-round, daily (except Monday)
Private Tour
Children aged 0-3 years old go for free, provided they do not occupy a separate seat. For children aged 4-11 years, a 20% discount applies

What's Included in the Price?

  • Hotel pickup and drop-off; private transportation in a comfortable air-conditioned vehicle
  • Services of a professional English-speaking guide
  • Environmental and entry fees
  • A bottle of drinking water per person

Not Included:

  • Personal expenses of tour participants
  • Any additional transfers
  • Visa services and registration in Kazakhstan (if required)
  • Additional services not specified in the itinerary

Booking Procedure

  • Select the tour you want to book.
  • On the tour page, use the calendar to choose your desired date and the number of participants. Fill in your personal information and click the Buy Online button.
  • To secure your booking, you need to pay the full cost of the tour. For details on the online payment process, refer to the Purchase Instructions tab.
  • After payment, save your voucher and the electronic receipt containing your order details and payment information.

Alternative booking options:

You can also book a tour by contacting our managers and paying in cash or via bank transfer. To reach our managers, click the round button in the lower right corner of the screen or message us on WhatsApp at +7 (700) 348-00-00 (responses available in English).

Alternatively, you can call us at:

+7 (727) 326-96-16, +7 (702) 006-57-87 (Almaty)

+7 (7172) 76-00-56 (Astana)

Tour Pricing Options

The prices for this tour are based on the Standard tariff, which includes reliable tourist transport in good condition, the services of an experienced guide and driver, and meals.

In addition to the Standard tariff, we offer the following options:

  • Economy: We provide lower-class vehicles for transfers, and accommodations consist of more budget-friendly hotels and guesthouses. This option is ideal for tourists looking to minimize costs.

Note: Be cautious of companies that misrepresent their Economy tariff as Standard. These companies may offer lower-priced tours with poor service quality, such as outdated vehicles and inexperienced guides. They might also operate illegally and neglect essential safety standards.

  • Comfort: This option features high-comfort vehicles in excellent condition, with the most experienced guides accompanying tourists. Tourists stay in high-class hotels.
  • VIP: Luxury transport is provided, and guests stay in upscale hotels. Premium services are offered throughout the entire trip.

If you wish to adjust your tariff, please inform your manager before booking the tour.

For more information about our rates and transport options, refer to this section.

Purchase Instructions

  • Choose your desired date and fill in all required information. The total order amount will be displayed based on your selections.
  • Click the Buy Online button to be redirected to a secure payment page. Here, enter your bank card details to complete your payment.

We accept payments via Visa, MasterCard, and other electronic payment systems. The total amount will be charged in the national currency of Kazakhstan – tenge. The conversion to Kazakhstani tenge will occur at the official exchange rate set by the National Bank of Kazakhstan on the day of payment. You can view the current exchange rates for the Kazakhstani tenge against other currencies on this page.

  • Once your payment is successful, an electronic receipt with your order details and payment information will be sent to the email address you provided. Additionally, you can download and print a voucher for the paid service during your browser session. Please ensure you save this voucher.

For details about the payment service and the security measures for electronic transactions, refer to this page.

Why Choose Us?

Highly Qualified Staff
We invest over 300 hours each year in training our staff and guides to ensure top-notch service.

Charity
Our company contributes up to 1% of your service cost to support charitable causes and create a positive impact. 

Guarantee
We guarantee the quality of our services. If we do not meet your expectations, we will refund your money.

Experience
With over 26,000 satisfied guests from 67 countries and 10,000+ tours completed, our experience speaks for itself. 

Cancellation Policy:

  • If you cancel the tour less than 24 hours* before its start, 50% of the total cost will be retained.
  • If you cancel less than 12 hours* before the tour or do not show up, 100% of the total cost will be retained.

*Please note that if a cancellation notice is received outside of our working hours (evening, night, or weekends) and our managers have not confirmed receipt of your cancellation or change request in writing, the company reserves the right to consider the request when business hours resume. Therefore, we encourage you to notify us of any changes or cancellations as early as possible.

During non-working hours, you can try to reach us through our duty phone, corporate email, or corporate messengers. Duty managers monitor these channels and can respond promptly. If you have the contact information for your guide, driver, or other responsible parties (often listed in your voucher), we recommend reaching out to them directly as well.

Excursion Schedule

Itinerary

Upon meeting your guide at your hotel, you will embark on a journey to ALZhIR, a former Soviet forced labor camp turned museum. This tour requires a certain emotional readiness, as the experience will undoubtedly leave a lasting impact. The museum entrance features the Arch of Sorrow, leading to two compositions – Despair and Powerlessness, and Fight and Hope – commemorating families forever separated by the Soviet regime. Then, you will walk through a tunnel and see depictions of tragic partings, unjust trials, prison cells, and punishment cells. Visitors will also see everyday items, watchtowers, barbed wire fences, barracks, and even a replica of the "Stalin carriage" used for transporting women to the camp. The tour concludes with a 20-minute documentary film.

Copy
Itinerary

Upon meeting your guide at your hotel, you will embark on a journey to ALZhIR, a former Soviet forced labor camp turned museum. This tour requires a certain emotional readiness, as the experience will undoubtedly leave a lasting impact. The museum entrance features the Arch of Sorrow, leading to two compositions – Despair and Powerlessness, and Fight and Hope – commemorating families forever separated by the Soviet regime. Then, you will walk through a tunnel and see depictions of tragic partings, unjust trials, prison cells, and punishment cells. Visitors will also see everyday items, watchtowers, barbed wire fences, barracks, and even a replica of the "Stalin carriage" used for transporting women to the camp. The tour concludes with a 20-minute documentary film.

ALZhIR Memorial Complex
ALZhIR Memorial Complex

ALZhIR stands for Akmola Camp of Wives of Traitors to the Motherland, where over 18 thousand women were imprisoned at various times. These women, solely guilty of being wives to arrested "enemies of the people," included spouses of well-known state, political, and public figures whose names resonate across post-Soviet countries. Women from all corners of the USSR, including Georgia, Azerbaijan, Ukraine, Belarus, Moscow, Leningrad, and beyond, were exiled to ALZhIR. The camp ceased operations in 1950.

Have questions?

Chat directly with our manager on WhatsApp!

Similar tours

View all offers

transportation services

Here you can choose transportation services. Use the filter to specify the type of transport, desired comfort level, capacity, and travel direction. Explore over 100 available options.

Almaty
Astana

Reserve your transportation:

  • Explore a diverse range of directions and transport types
  • Easily select by category and capacity
  • Enjoy special discounts for off-peak season car bookings
  • Rest assured with our guarantee of high-quality transport services
Go to the transport selection

Book a transport

  • The largest selection of directions and types of transport
  • The most convenient selection by category and capacity of transport
  • Special discounts for booking cars in low season
  • Guarantee of high-quality provision of transport services
Go to the transport selection

Hotels

We cooperate with the best hotels in Kazakhstan and abroad
to make your stay as comfortable and convenient as possible

Choose a hotel

A wide range of hotels

A large selection of hotels in different cities of Kazakhstan and abroad for a comfortable stay

the best prices

The cost is lower than on most booking services

Convenience and reliability

An easy and user-friendly booking process. We ensure the security and reliability of all transactions

Exclusive offers

Unique offers and promotions available only to those who book a hotel through our website

Our guides

You can select a guide based on feedback from previous program participants or share your experience by leaving a review after completing the tour.

Almaty
Astana
Go to the guides section

Reviews

Each review is from an actual tourist, submitted on our website or through feedback forms following their tour experience.


Share your impressions of the tour Former Soviet Forced Labor Camp Tour

Your email address will not be published
Please Rate 1-10
arrow
Back to the program

Jeff Whittall
29 october 2022, 18:45

7

The guide Madina was very friendly and worked hard but struggled a bit with English as well as coordinating the timing of various tours. I greatly appreciate her personal insights into her future.
Nice and clean vehicle but the driver was not very helpful loading and unloading

Will Jennings
22 june 2022, 11:49

10

A clearly emotional tour. Very well done. More people should learn the powerful lessons of ALZHIR.
Excellent driver

Dawn+Doug Patterson
09 may 2022, 16:31

10

Olessya met us at our hotel , was very friendly. We were put at ease with her kind manner, she was very knowledgable + she was great at answering our questions. Our driver was great and patient with the conditions. We always felt safe. The car was very clean and well maintained. Nice smooth ride.

Севара Файзиева
25 august 2019, 17:28

10

Very good service!

Марина
21 may 2019, 16:03

10

Спасибо гиду Камиле, за очень интересный тур по городу Нур-Султан и АЛЖИР. Остались только положительные эмоции от города, за день успели посмотреть много интересных мест. Желаем процветания г. Нур-Султан!

Волохова Л.А.
29 march 2019, 19:59

10

Очень хорошо, отличный гид, много интересного.

Justin
20 march 2019, 20:57

10

informative, interesting.

    Thank you for the request!

    Request for:

    After submitting the request, our manager will contact you to clarify the details of the order

    After selecting the date and entering the data, you will see the total amount of the order. When you click the "Buy Online" button, you will be redirected to a secure payment service page where you need to enter your bank card details to make a payment. Payment is possible using Visa, MasterCard and other electronic payment systems. According to the requirements of the legislation, the final payment amount will be made in the national currency of Kazakhstan - Tenge (TENGE - KZT). The conversion into Tenge is made at the official exchange rate of the National Bank of the Republic of Kazakhstan, on the day of payment. You can get acquainted with the exchange rate of the national currency of Kazakhstan, in relation to other currencies, on the page

    After successful payment, an electronic receipt with information about the order and data on the payment made will be sent to the e-mail you specified. Also, during the session of your browser on the site, you will have access to download and print a voucher for the paid service. Save it. Information about the payment service and guarantees of the security of electronic payments can be found on this page