The world's largest landlocked country, spanning Tien Shan and Altai mountains, red-rock canyons, steppe and the Caspian shore. Charyn Canyon and the Kolsai lakes, Almaty ski touring, Mangystau's Bozjyra badlands, Altai trekking and vast steppe journeys headline its adventures.
Kazakhstan is the ninth-largest country on earth and the biggest landlocked one — effectively a whole continent of adventure compressed inside a single border. Snow-loaded Tien Shan and Altai mountains, red-rock canyons, chalk-white deserts, turquoise lakes and steppe that runs unbroken to the horizon all sit within it, wrapped in a proud nomadic culture of horsemen, eagle hunters and yurt hospitality. It is vast, varied and still wildly underrated — and Almaty, in the shadow of the mountains, is the natural place to begin.
The southeast is the heartland. Hiking reaches the impossibly blue Kolsai and drowned-forest Kaindy lakes and the sculpted walls of Charyn Canyon, while skiing and ski touring run on the Tuyuk-Su glaciers and the pistes of Shymbulak right above Almaty. There is serious mountaineering and trail running in Almaty Region, and wilder valleys east in the Dzhungarian Alatau of Jetisu.
Far east, the forested Kazakh Altai around Ridder and Katon-Karagai offers backcountry skiing, trekking beneath Mount Belukha and river rafting. In the far west, Mangystau's Bozjyra badlands and the Ustyurt plateau are otherworldly 4x4 expedition country on the Caspian.
The south brings the Aksu-Zhabagly reserve, spring tulip hills and the pilgrimage city of Turkistan; the central steppe hides granite oases like Karkaraly and endless horse country; and around the capital, northern Kazakhstan holds the granite lakes of Burabay and the flamingo wetlands of Korgalzhyn.
Almaty and the Tien Shan for lakes, canyons and skiing; the Altai for alpine trekking and rivers; Mangystau and the Caspian west for desert expeditions; and the north and central steppe for lakes, wildlife and nomadic culture.
Almaty is the launchpad for the mountains, with the best transport links and guides; May to October suits trekking (July and August peak in the high country), December to March suits skiing, and the deserts are best in spring and autumn. Most trips are beginner-friendly with kit provided, and you can filter for advanced routes when you want more. Open the Book here tab for live dates, prices and exactly where you will be heading.
No activities match your filters
Try adjusting your filters or
