Central Asia is a fascinating part of the world and is picking up fast in terms of tourism. My first exposure to this part of the world was in school geography where we learnt about the Steppes – vast empty grasslands that spread across the continent. I had also learnt that the USSR used to occupy most of this region until it collapsed – giving way to new countries. There was a mystery associated with these new countries – the “Stans”. The largest of them is Kazakhstan.

Kazakhstan is the ninth largest country in the world. As we went about planning our Central Asia itinerary, we knew it would be tough to cover the entirety of Kazakhstan – most of the country was covered by desert or steppes. Which meant a lot of travel between places. So, we did our research and picked the Almaty region – a region that is often compared to Switzerland in terms of its natural beauty.

You can find some of the most striking landscapes imaginable, really amazing hiking options and even skiing in the winters!

Kazakhstan has borders with Russia, China, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan. It is the largest landlocked country in the world (poor Caspian Sea is not considered a “real sea”).

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Best Time to Visit

July and August are the peak season months in the mountain regions as everyone heads out here to avoid the heat. November to March plunges the temperature to sub-zero (Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan is the second coldest capital in the world after Ulaanbaatar in Mongolia). So, the perfect time to travel is….