Backpacking In Kazakhstan🇰🇿: Staying At The Hostel Bro, Astana

“Stand in the place where you are” – Rapid Eye Movement.

My first ever night in Kazakhstan was a cold and memorable one way back in December 2015. Life was pretty good then and I knew what I wanted. I was on a journey through the Stans (I’ve now visited them all) and on that spin of my wheel, I backpacked hardcore through the snow to end up at the Silk Road Hostel / Almaty Backpackers. On that trip, I toured Almaty and Ile Alatau National Park , before slipping into magnetic Kyrgyzstan, to Bishkek (Frunze, Bishy, Kekky) and the magic that unfolded.

In 2016, I made a second visit to Kazakhstan, this time borderlanding from Tashkent in Uzbekistan to Jibek Joli before backpacking in Shymkent and Turkistan. That time, I slept at the Orbita Boutique Hotel which was wonderful. Times moved on.

Here, in 2023, some seven years later and I had been on a long long journey by now, swallowing every Stan that I recognised, Pakistan becoming the final straw in the roof of that mind.

Now, I was in Astana, which capitals Kazakhstan.

I found solace in the newly opened Hostel Bro in Astana. On this occasion, I was here in Kazakhstan to tour Astana and support Northern Ireland in our European Championships qualifier with Kazakhstan. I stayed 3 nights, 4 days in the end and backpacked Astana. I enjoyed the Hostel Bro. Staff were welcoming, the Wi-Fi was fast and my bed was number 103 and very cosy. There was also a clean kitchen, a nice reception area, good showers and bathrooms. It also felt like I was backpacking again as this was not in the city centre.

Instead, each day I would get the number 56 bus (for 80 Tenge) into the city centre. In fact, I’d take the bus 48 then change onto the 56.

The staff are helpful and the Wi-Fi works fast but there is no printer here, so don’t worry – next door is a Wi-Fi work zone and they can print for you as I needed a brace of Boarding Passes printed.

It was also nice that the tourist here were mostly from Kazakhstan and Russia and there were no other GAWA. Sometimes I need peace and quiet away from the Northern Ireland fans when backpacking. Also, I was sober on this trip and in fact as I write this, I am 33 days sober now. From here, at the Hostel Bro in Astana, I not only watched Northern Ireland lose 1-0 for the second time to Kazakhstan, but I backpacked the city.

Here are the details for booking a bed or room at the Hostel Bro, Astana:

Here are some videos I made while staying at Hostel Bro, Astana, Kazakhstan: