Semey

Semey is a city in eastern Kazakhstan. Semey is infamous for a Soviet nuclear test site, the "Polygon" (formerly known as Semipalatinsk) located not far from the city.

Hitchhiking out

South towards Taldy-Kurgan, Almaty (M38)

There is a large roundabout connecting two bridges on the left bank of the river. Walk south along the 6-lane road. From the bus stop, take bus #41 to Myasokombinat. Then, cross the road and wait for bus #13 to the stop Kolonka. The bus will turn left and you should follow the 4-lane road. Right after the bus stop, there is a place where locals try to get a lift. Walk a bit along the road and start hitching.

North towards Barnaul, Russia (A322)

From Semey you can take bus 9, 12 35, 37 or 39 they all go to the exit of the city on the North-East part. You can stop here: 50.4630887,80.2891722 before the bus turn right. You will be at the entrance of "highway", there is a petrol station before the bridge. People stop here before going in Russia. I wait 2 minutes for a car who directly bring me to Novossibirsk.

Places to Avoid

The Semey Polygon is highly contaminated with radiation. Stick to established routes.