Kazakhstan is one of the largest landlocked countries in the world, sharing its borders with Russia, China, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan. It is also one of the most ethnically and religiously diverse countries, and yet continuing to maintain peace and harmony. While Kazakhstan is named after the ethnic Kazakhs, the word is derived from the Turkish word qaz, meaning wander. Thus, the word Kazakhstan literally means Land of the Wanderers. Besides the Kazakhs, other major ethnic groups in the country include Russians, Uzbeks, Ukrainians, Uighurs, and even Germans.

Various tribes, including Turkic-speaking and Mongol tribes, ruled vast regions of present-day Kazakhstan. Around the 19th century, Russia controlled the Kazakh tribes, deposing the ruling Khans. The Russian Tsars continued to rule Kazakhstan until the 20th century, when the Bolsheviks took over Russia, integrating the country into the USSR. Over the years, the Soviet Union moved Koreans, Russians, Crimean Tartars, and other ethnicities to Kazakhstan, dropping the ethnic Kazakhs to less than 30%.

This continued until 1991, when the USSR disintegrated and the country declared independence, with President Nursultan Nazarbayev winning the elections. He continued to rule Kazakhstan until 2019, when he resigned.

The vast stretches of empty lands often strike tourists, probably owing to its nomadic culture and interesting topography. It’s also a country of contrasts, with cities like Almaty and Astana with grand architecture, fancy malls, European-style boulevards, and eccentric buildings designed by even more eccentric architects. On the other end of the spectrum are vast and desolate steppes, alpine mountains, and deserts. Kazakhstan is a great place to experience the nomadic lifestyle of the ancient nomads, along with their food, festivals, and culture.

If you’d like to explore this Central Asian country, check out our Kazakhstan tour packages.

India was among the first countries to recognise Kazakhstan’s independence, establishing trade and diplomatic relationships. In fact, during its early days of independence, when the country was underdeveloped, Indian companies like Arcelor Mittal set up schools, sports complexes and hotels as part of the CSR initiative for their companies. Locals are familiar with Bollywood music and movies and are fans of Indian superstars like Shahrukh Khan and Salman Khan.

• Kazakhstan has the longest continual border in the world, spanning over 7,500 km.
• It is the 9th largest country and the largest landlocked country in the world.
• Lake Balkhash is the largest in Asia, with fresh water in the west and saltwater in the east.
• Kazakhstan has the 2nd largest uranium reserves in the world.
• The GRES-2 Power Station is home to the largest chimney in the world at 419.7 metres.
• Its capital, Astana, is the coldest city in the world.

• Kazakhstan offers Indians visa-free stay for up to 14 days.
• Solo travelling can be tricky since people speak Kazakh and Russian. English is barely spoken.
• Book a tour guide if you are keen on solo travel.
• Check with your tour manager about the climate when packing for the country. The country has extreme weather.
• Kazakhstan is not a vegetarian or vegan-friendly. Make sure you pack enough snacks or ready-to-eat snacks.
• If you do not eat beef, make sure you check with the restaurant & ask for a lamb or horse-meat option. Most restaurants do not specify the meat type on their dishes.
• Pre-book airport transfers, preferably through the hotel, as private taxi operators often scam people.
• Credit cards are widely accepted in urban areas. However, in rural areas and street markets carry enough local currency.
• Don’t carry too much local currency; converting the tenge (local currency) back to another currency can be a pain.
• Exchange your currency in the city centre and not at airports.

If your idea of a vacation includes visiting Alpine lakes, beautiful mountain landscapes, and grand canyons, you must visit Kazakhstan. Here’s why you must choose our Kazakhstan tour packages.

Touring Kazakhstan is probably cheaper than travelling within India during peak tourist season. For one, it is visa-free for Indians for up to 14 days. Even if you choose to stay longer, the 30-day tourist visa costs less than INR 7,000. Return tickets to Almaty cost less than INR 30,000, even without promotional offers. FlyArystan frequently announces promo offers where you can buy two-way tickets for less than INR 5,000. The local canteens serve delicious food for around INR 700. Restaurants would be slightly expensive – around INR 1,000 for a meal. Staying at a 3-star hotel in Almaty or Astana will cost around INR 3,000 per night, while luxury hotels like Radisson and Hilton will cost only around INR 20,000.

Almaty was the erstwhile capital of Kazakhstan until 1998, when the government decided to move its capital to Astana for security reasons. It is the country’s largest city and well connected to its neighbouring countries, including Russia, China, and Uzbekistan. The city gives you a European vibe with its beautiful boulevards, fancy restaurants, cafes, and extensive avenues.

Besides the Green Market, other attractions in the city include the Zenkov Cathedral, the second tallest wooden building in the world, the Medeu Stadium, believed to be the highest ice rink in the world, and Chimbaluk, the largest ski resort in Central Asia. The Kok-Tobe Hill is another attraction that offers a panoramic view of the city. Don’t miss the Big Almaty Lake, a scenic lake surrounded by the Tien Shan Mountains and giant fir trees.

Kazakhstan is a beautiful country untouched by mass tourism. While there are vast Eurasian steppes, the country also has dramatic alpine beauty. Its main city, Almaty, is built at the foothills of the massive Trans-lli-Alatau Mountains, part of the Tien Shan mountain range. To the northeast are the Altai Mountains, famous for its pristine valleys, towering peaks, and crystal clear rivers. The Charyn Canyon in Southeast Kazakhstan is stunning and nicknamed Kazakhstan’s Grand Canyon, where you can spend the night in the vast desert.

Of the six UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Kazakhstan, three are natural sites: the steppes of Saryarka, famous for their Siberian white cranes, Dalmatian pelicans, Pallas’ fish eagles, and Saiga antelopes; the Western Tien Shan Mountains; and the cold desserts of Turan.

The Kolsai Lake on Northern Tien Shan is equally picturesque and famous for its unique ecosystem and unspoiled nature. Another equally beautiful water body is Lake Kaindy, formed by an earthquake and contains a partially submerged forest of spruce trees.

The Great Silk Route, which traverses 6,500 km from China to Europe, passes through several cities of the Great Kazakh steppes, including Sayram, Yassy, Otrar, and Taraz. Governers from these regions provided safety to traders in exchange for cash or goods. They even hosted them in their many caravanserais, with many settlements turning into multicultural cities. A Silk Road tour of Kazakhstan will include revisiting some of the relics of the era, including the mausoleum of Khoja Ahmed Yasawi in Turkestan, the ancient ruins of Otrar, and the 10th-century fortress, Sauran.

If you want to learn or practice skiing, you must book a Kazakhstan tour package right away. Shymbulak, or Chimbulak, is the largest ski resort in Central Asia and home to the world’s largest ice rink, Medeu. A full-day ice skating on the rink costs around INR350 for adults. It’s much less for young adults and children. Ice skates are available for rent at around INR 200.

The steppes in Katon-Karagay National Park are a great place to learn or practice horseback riding. Ush-Konyr, a popular place 30 km from Almaty, is famous for paragliding. It costs around INR 2700 to paraglide with an instructor. The Chilik and Turgen Rivers are perfect for river rafting.

Kazakhstan experiences four distinct seasons: spring, summer, autumn, and winter. Like other Central Asian countries, Kazakhstan is a land of extremes. While summers are dry and hot, winters are extreme, dropping to -12°C. At night, the temperatures could even drop to -40°C. The best times to book Kazakhstan tour packages are spring and autumn when the temperatures are pleasant and warm and there is little to no rain.

Kazakhstan experiences spring for only a month. The average temperature during this time ranges from 8°C to 19°C. While the climate is pleasant, it could also change rapidly—warm and sunny at one moment while cold at another. It doesn’t rain much, except for a day or two between April and May.

Kazakhs celebrate spring with Nowruz, the Persian New Year. This three day festivity includes concerts, exhibitions, sports competitions, and folk festivals. Nowruz Kozhe is a festive dish served during Nowruz, consisting of seven elements: milk, meat, butter, millet, rice, and corn.

Summer temperatures can soar up to 40°C in the central steppes. However, Kazakhstan is a vast country, and the weather varies from region to region. For instance, the southern areas of Kazakhstan, like Almaty and Turkestan, have moderate temperatures.

While Shymbulak can be warm in summer, the resort could experience rainfall around this time. The lush landscape is the perfect place for hiking, trekking, and horseback riding, and it’s also the perfect time to enjoy the Kokmaisa Festival.

Autumn temperatures range from 20°C to -3°C with little or no rain. This is the perfect time to visit the country, with beautiful golden landscapes when the leaves turn yellow and orange. It’s also harvest season and the perfect hunting time. But we suggest you visit the country by mid-November, as the temperatures drop drastically by the end of November.

Kazakhstan’s winters are pretty harsh, with temperatures ranging from -20°C to -50°C. They can be dry, frosty, and long. We suggest visiting Kazakhstan during winter only if you enjoy skiing. Even then, skiing could be stopped on the higher slopes. During harsh weather, some tourist attractions could be closed. It’s also not a good time to visit the alpine lakes if it is on your agenda – the lakes could be frozen.

But if you insist on visiting Kazakhstan during winter, make sure you carry plenty of warm clothes – not your regular woollens but proper winter clothes, including waterproof jackets, thermal wear, fleece lined winter boots, and thick woollen socks to keep you warm all through the day. We suggest proper winter clothes, even if you visit the country (especially the mountain regions) during autumn.

The Kazakhs are traditionally a nomadic tribe and, hence, very much dependent on meat and dairy. However, the cuisine also features small amounts of flour products, fresh fruits and vegetables, and legumes. In fact, you’ll find traditional Kazakh food only includes meat and without any side dish. Food is cooked in copious amounts of fat to help people survive the harsh temperatures. Horse meat is common in Kazakhstan and is the key ingredient in Beshbarmak – boiled animal meat served on a platter of rectangular shaped pasta.

Sheep is another common meat. In fact, during a celebration, it is a tradition to have an entire lamp and serve the sheep’s head to the guest or the oldest person in the gathering. The elderly then give away different parts of the sheep’s head to the other guests in the meeting. Most importantly, no part of the animal goes to waste. Even the skin is used to make leather. Serving guests is a tremendous honour, and they are often served the best portions.

With so much importance placed on meat, one would think that Kazakhs do not care for their animals. In fact, the opposite is true. Kazakhs respect their animals and offer them to God before eating them. Kazakhs, being prominently Muslims, do not eat pork.

Another unique food on the Kazakh menu is Korean salad. The dish is a legacy of the Stalinist era when thousands of Koreans were forced to settle in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. You’ll find vendors selling multi-coloured varieties of salad, the most popular being carrot salad.

While people may encourage you to try kumys, we suggest you exercise caution. Made from mare’s milk, this fermented drink is an acquired taste due to its pungent taste and distinct aroma. It tastes sour and even burns as you drink it.

Some of the typical dishes you’ll find include:

• Besbarmak: The national dish of Kazakhstan consists of boiled meat served with broth and rectangular pasta. It is a communal dish, with everyone taking their share from the communal plate.
• Manti: This is a Kazakh-style dumpling stuffed with minced meat flavoured with onions and spices. It is served with sour cream or tomato sauce.
• Sorpo: This is a common Kazakh soup made with lamb meat. The lamb is cooked in water, and the broth is poured into a bowl, where the chopped meat is added later.

• Do not discuss politics or the country’s President. This is especially true when interacting with taxi drivers, tour guides, and locals.
• Do not make jokes about Borat. Kazakhs hate the movie, and it was even banned for some time.
• Do not make jokes or comments about horse meat. It is an integral part of their diet. Decline politely if you do not like the taste or prefer not to eat unconventional meat.
• People here work at their own pace. You need to be patient, especially in crowded areas. It can be understandably frustrating when things proceed slowly in public places.
• Do not visit tourist places without a local tour guide. English is very rarely spoken, especially in areas outside Almaty and Astana.
• PFA, especially among homosexuals is rare and not appreciated, especially outside cities.

Almaty is a shopper’s paradise with plenty of hidden markets and extravagant malls. Almaty has over 10 malls selling the best international and local brands, including Zara, H&M, and Mango. But if you’d like to avoid high end malls, head to the Green Bazaar market. Some stalls along the Green Market sell everything from everyday clothes to winter wear, including jackets, fleece gloves, sandals, scarves, handbags, fridge magnets, trinkets, and souvenirs at the best prices. The best thing about these markets is that you bargain to your heart’s content.

• Felt products: Felt toys, carpets, clothes, etc. are durable. The felt is usually made using sheep wool or sometimes wool from the Bactrian camels.
• Kazakh Jewellery: Look for inexpensive earrings, rings, hairpins, and other small jewellery as souvenirs.
• Wood Products: Juniper, birch, and cedar wood items are popular. Some everyday items you can buy include bowls, kitchen utensils, and traditional figurines.
• Carpets: Handmade carpets in vibrant colours, intricate patterns, and traditional motifs are popular souvenirs.
• Kazakh Chocolate: Rakhat chocolates are popular souvenirs available across the country’s supermarkets.
• Kurt: This high-calorie dairy product is made from sour milk and has a unique salty taste.

Almaty was originally the capital of Kazakhstan until 1997, when Astana was chosen as the new capital city. The beautiful town is significant because of its stunning landscapes, fascinating architecture, and vibrant culture. Some of the attractions in Almaty include:

Also called Ascension Cathedral, this beautiful monument was built in 1907. It is the world’s tallest wooden building and the tallest wooden Orthodox Church. A striking feature of this church is that the walls are not nailed but put together with several bolts. The church is also famous for its painted murals and stained glass windows.

The Shymbulak Ski Resort is located in the Zailiuskiy Alwatau Mountains and is a famous ski resort. It is an hour away from Almaty and home to some of the best FIS-certified ski slopes in the world. While the resort is small, there’s very little crowd even during peak season. While the main slopes aren’t for novices, plenty of pistes have varying difficulty levels. And if you never skied or snowboarded, there are plenty of snow schools with experienced instructors to teach you different ski styles.

The Green Bazaar, or Zelyony Bazaar, is located in the centre of Almaty town and is the country’s most famous market. It was inaugurated in 1875 and is popular for selling fresh fruits and vegetables, dried fruits and nuts, spices and herbs, handmade crafts, and souvenirs like Kazakh hats and felt products.

The Big Almaty Lake is a scenic water body surrounded by the Tien Shan Mountains and giant fir trees. This glacial lake was formed thousands of years ago and has a unique cirque shape thanks to the movement of the glaciers. The waters are exceptionally clear and pure, and turquoise because of the high mineral content in the glacial waters. You can enjoy skiing around the lake, going hiking, or visiting the Tien Shan Astronomical Observatory. The Lle-Alatau National Park surrounds the lake and is home to some unique flora and fauna.

The Kolsai Lake is called the Pearl of the Tien Shan and is sometimes referred to as the Switzerland of Kazakhstan. It is surrounded by beautiful fir trees and steep mountain slopes. The lake cascades from different heights, with the lower lake at 1800 metres altitude, the middle at 2250 metres altitude, and the highest at 2800 metres altitude.

This is another alpine lake formed after an earthquake triggered an enormous landslide that formed a natural dam in the gorge and caused the alpine trees to submerge in the water. Thanks to the pole like remnants of the submerged spruce trees, it is often referred to as an underwater forest.

The Charyn Canyon lies to the Southeast of Kazakhstan and is around 300 km from Almaty. It is part of the Charyn Canyon National Park and stretches along one of the country’s deepest rivers in the Northern Tien Shan Mountains. The multi-coloured and multi-layered rocks are caused by sediment deposits for over 12 million years.

This futuristic city is still under construction and will likely be completed by 2030. With an impressive skyline and eclectic buildings designed by eccentric architects, this city is a delight for modernist travellers. Some of the attractions in Astana include

• The Nur-Astana Mosque – The largest in Central Asia.
• The Astana Waterfront – The best way to soak in the city’s impressive skyline at night.
• Bayterek Tower – A 105-metre monument representing a mythical tree of life and a golden egg atop the tower.
• The Palace of Peace and Reconciliation – A unique pyramid shaped building with a museum, library, and opera house that can seat around 1500 people.
• The Presidential Palace – The official residence of the Kazakhstan President on the banks of the Ishim River.
• The Khan Shatyr – A giant tent that covers over 140,000 square metres with attractions like shops, restaurants, cinema halls, and even an indoor beach.

Turkestan is connected to the ancient Silk Road and was once the capital of the Turkic world. The city is a living museum that preserves medieval Central Asia’s cultural and spiritual essence. Some of the best artefacts of the era include the Mausoleum of Khoja Ahmed Yasawi, the Azret Sultan Museum, the Kultobe Settlement, the ruins of Sauran, and the Mausoleum of Rabigi Sultan Begim. The Oriental Bathhouse in Turkestan is equally impressive. Don’t miss the Yasaui Mausoleum, a semi-underground mosque built during the 12th century.

Shymkent is one of Kazakhstan’s oldest cities, and its history is related to the Silk Road. It was founded as a caravanserai to protect traders traversing along the Silk Road town of Sayram. This is Kazakhstan’s third largest city and home to several ancient ruins, including the citadel that spans over 5 hectares and features landmarks such as the Stairway of Hope, the Tower of Love, and the Tower of Alchemists. Some of the other interesting places in the town include the Domalak-Ana-Mausoleum, the underground Akmeshit Mosque, and the many bustling bazaars selling dried fruits and nuts, spices, and sweets.

Pavlodar lies northeast of Kazakhstan. It was founded in 1720 as an imperial outpost of the Russian Empire. It is one of the oldest cities in the country, founded along the Irtysh River and its extensive tram network. Some things to see in the city include the Mashhur Zhusup Mosque, the Chekov Drama Theatre, the Irtysh River Bank, and the Naum Shafer’s Soviet Vinyl Museum.

Art and culture in Kazakhstan generally reflect the country’s nomadic lifestyle. The art is usually reflected through its handmade carpets, wall hangings, clothing, etc. The ethnic Kazaks are fond of music and are excellent dancers. The dancing styles often imitate the lifestyle of the nomads, depicting hunting scenes, animal movements, and even shamanic dances. Some dances are influenced by games. And some depict the lives of the Kazakh people. For instance, Khara Zhogra literally means Black Horse. The dance describes how people live in a typical Kazakh village, with children playing, horses running down a hill, and people manoeuvring sheep