In the morning, at 9:00am meeting with the driver at the hotel lobby in in Nur-Sultan city (Astana) and transfer to Karaganda (c.2-2.5 hours by car). Upon arrival to Karaganda, you will meet with our English-speaking Guide who will be leading you through this 2-day tour. (It is also possible for the guide to accompany you from Nur-Sultan to Karaganda). Our first day will startwith the Palace of Culture of the Miners,which can reasonably be called one of the symbols of Karaganda as it is dedicated to the miners that have basically founded Karaganda. Its roof is decorated with statues of Soviet workers of different nations that used to live in the USSR and symbolizes the friendship of Soviet nations. Soviet -made ‘Monument to the Fallen miners’ speaks of the great importance of coal and its mining to the city. Next stop on the tour is Karaganda Regional History Museum, which is the largest museum in the Karaganda region. This museum is one of the best in Kazakhstan if you want to learn about the Soviet times. There are many halls that are dedicated to the Soviet times, there are many unique Soviet posters like the one “Quiet, Don’t Blab!”. This museum gives a good introductory to the next day of visit to Karlag and also tells sad history of Soviet repressions and about the famine of 1930s during which millions of Kazakhs died After lunch, you will learn about the connection of Karaganda to the Soviet times of exploration of cosmos, our first stop will be hotel “Chaika” and why it has such a historical importance. Next stop is Ecomuseum, probably the most unique museum in the former USSR, on a first glance this museum might seem even boring but with the narrative of our Guide you will understand what do those indefinable object mean, just remember that they can truly be connected to the outer space and Baikonur cosmodrome. During this tour, you will also see the most majority of Soviet monuments like monuments of Lenin and Lenin and M.Gorky, our favorite monument to Soviet hero Nurken Abdirov who was a World War 2 pilot, will find a huge mural of Soviet woman with Sickle Karaganda is also particularly famous for its Soviet and Cosmonauts themed statues. The last stop of the first day will Cathedral of our Lady Fatima, the largest catholic cathedral in Central Asia. Its history is directly linked to the prisoners of the Karlag labour camp.