Kazakhstan – A Land of Mountains, Plains, and Reserves

The country of Kazakhstan is accompanied by the Russian Federation, the Caspian Sea, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, and China. Its extensive plains houses migrants since centuries that even today appear practically vacant. The country’s inhabitants and villages mainly reside in the southeast and east of the Republic.

Located in the beautiful environs of mountains and plains is Almaty that was the former capital of Kazakhstan until recent times. Currently, it is a famous tourist destination that offers contemporary architecture, refreshing fountains, parks and squares, wide lanes, and captivating mountain scenery.

Tourists’ Attractions

• South Kazakhstan:
  Hub of the Central Asian history and culture, this region is the home of several famous testimonials to it. Offering all four seasons in a day, the area is blessed with many natural wonders too. The snowy peaks, lakes, and glaciers of the Tien Shan range, grassland, and desert land spread across thousands of kilometers are attractions here. The main feature of the desert is the Singing Barkhan that is a sand dune of 80 m high and 3 km long, which when shifts, generates a sound of singing.
• Almaty:
  The attractive city features the Panfilov Park holding a tallest wooden building constructed exclusive of a single nail, the Zenkov Cathedral once been a concert and exhibition hall, St. Nicholas Cathedral, New Square hosting national ceremonies and parades overlooked by the City Hall (the president’s official residence), and the Obelisk of Independence.

• Museums of Almaty:
  Many superb museums adorn the city such as the Museum of Kazakh National Instruments, the Central State Museum, and the State Art Museum exhibiting traditional Kazakh rugs, jewelry, and clothing along with other collections.
• Baths in Almaty:
  The Arasan Baths located to the west of Panfilov Park consists of the Eastern, Finnish, and Russian saunas.
• Almaty Ballet Theatre:
  Do watch a ballet or orchestral performance at this newly built theatre.
• Kodja Ahmed Yasavi Mausoleum:
  Built in 14th century in Turkestan under Tamerlane and located at a distance of 160 km from Chimkent, this features the largest dome in Central Asia.
• Dzhambul:
  This is an industrial city holding some replicas of old relics since it was called Taraz, which are kept in the Karakhan and Daudbek Shahmansur Mausoleums.
• Golovachovka:
  This is the village situated nearby Dzhambul that holds genuine remains from Taraz – the 11th century Babadzi-Khatun Mausoleum and the 12th century Mausoleum Aisha Bibi.
• Taldikorgan:
  This is the old historical centre whose much area was passed by the Great Silk Road.
• Central Kazakhstan:
  This region offers many exciting places. The incredible Lake Balkhash is 50 percent saline and 50 percent fresh. Evidences of archaeological and ethnographic sites preserved here are Bronze Age, Early Iron Age, New Stone Age, and Bronze Age sites in the Karkarala Oasis. The Bayan-Aul National Park offers rock pictures, stone carvings, glittering clean lakes, and pines sticking to rocks. Situated at 5 km from the stronghold city of Leninsk and 230 km from Kzil-Orda, the Baikonur Cosmodrome is Central Asian competitor to Cape Canaveral to which tours offer you to view the space launches. This site marks the departure of Yuri Gagarin, the world’s first cosmonaut, in the space and even today, many spaces are launched.
• West Kazakhstan:
  It is in this region that the Europe and Asia meet in the basin of the Caspian Sea. The stunning Karagie Depression at 132 m below sea level is the second lowest tip in the world after the Dead Sea. Further, you can explore several architectural heritage locations here. The most famous among them is the subterranean cross-shaped Shakpak-Ata Mosque built out of rock in 12th to 14th century.
• Astana:
  This is the current capital of Kazakhstan due to its tactical location accessible to the Russian Federation and comparatively less prone to earthquakes than Almaty. Holding foreign task forces and consulates, this city is a small and welcoming place where grain production is of utmost importance.
• East Kazakhstan:
  This is a region of wonderful natural sights of snowy mountain peaks, forested ravines, and scenic cedar forests. Do visit Lake Marakol that is the answer to Lake Baikal of Russia. Next, the city of Semipalatinsk at 30 km from Siberia is famous as a Russian site of exile and the house of the exiled Dostoyevsky as a museum displaying notes for Crime and Punishment and The Idiot. Some more worth visiting museums here are the Abai Kununbaev Museum and the History Museum. You can also visit the Ust-Kamenogorsk town that holds many mines and is the doorway to the Altai Mountains.
• Aksu-Zhabagly:
  This is a UNESCO biosphere reserve in the south that offers 239 bird species, 47 animal species, and 1,400 plant species.
• Almaty:
  Situated in the Tian Shan Mountains, this offers snow leopards, jeirans, gazelles, arkhars, and the unique Tjan-Shan fir tree.
• Barsa Kelmes:
  Literally meaning ‘the land of no return’, this is an island on the Aral Sea coast that houses the most uncommon hoofed animal on Earth – the kulan.
• Kurgaldjino:
  The nature reserve of Kurgaldjino offers spotting the pink flamingo and 300 plant types.

• Naurzum:
  This is the land of salt lakes, forests, the relics of old pines, sand dunes, pine forests emerging from salt-marsh beds, meadows, and rare animals including hisser swans and grave eagles.
• Ustiurt:
  Located in the Karagie Depression, this is the chalk-cliffed reserve – the largest in the nation.
• Spas:
  Offering many sanatoria holiday hotels and medicine sanatoria, the nations features them in areas of tourist attractions such as sports, cultural events, and historical sites. The most famous resorts are Sari Agach (south), Mujaldi (Pavlodar region), Arasan-Kapal (Taldikorgan region), Jani-Kurgan (Kzil-Orda region), Kokshetau and Zerenda (Kokshetau region), and those in Zaili Alatau.
• Winter Sports:
  The high Zaili Alatau Mountains and its winter sports complex of Chimbulak famous for skiing near Almaty offer many adventures throughout the year. Close to Almaty, the Medeu ice-skating rink is the biggest speedy rink in the world proudly holding 120 records of ice-skating and ice hockey. Ice hockey games can be viewed at the rink in Ust-Kamenogorsk.
• Mountain Scenery:
  The Tien Shan Mountains located in the southeast stretch more than 1,500 km for beautiful scenes. The highest peaks – Pobeda Peak (7,439 m) and Khan-Tengri Peak (7,010 m), a snow-white appearing structure are best for sceneries. Do visit the huge Inylchek Glacier whose length is nearly 60 km in length that divides the pinnacles holding the glittering Mertzbakher Lake. Further, the Kolsai Lakes are worth visiting that are three blue mountain lakes entitled as the ‘pearls of the northern Tien-Shan’ located in the Kungei Alatau range.

• Water Sports:
  Sport complexes, swimming pools, and training halls are available in all the regions of the country. Rafting and canoeing can be performed quite without any problems with the help of the local travel agents.