The safest tourist destination in the world? Kazakhstan! No, it’s not a joke… this little-known nation, nestled between enormous authoritarian powers such as Russia and China, has based its entire policy on the ancient wisdom of its nomadic peoples. That is, on diplomacy. It’s not easy to remain neutral in that geographical area, but Kazakhstan manages it very well, and this leads to precious economic prosperity. It seems incredible that tourism hasn’t discovered it yet! This is why we invite you to visit five particularly interesting places in this wonderful “forgotten land”.
Getting there, getting around
In order to reach – and to explore – this huge nation, flying is the best option. But once there, private transportation with a driver will help you avoid getting lost and enjoy every stop on your itinerary. The main airport is Astana (NQZ), from which national connections depart towards regional airports like Turkistan and Aktau. Always rely on local guides, such as dedicated chauffeurs, who will tell you about the country’s beauties during your transfers.
Astana
Astana, also known as Nur-Sultan, is the capital of Kazakhstan. A city with a thousand-year history, it was one of the first permanent stops for the nomadic tribes that once roamed the entire country. Today, highly developed and forward-looking, it is a clean, tidy and artistically enhanced metropolis that harmoniously blends ancient and modern. Do not miss Astana’s main attractions: the futuristic Presidential Palace, the Peace Palace, the Nur-Sultan Mosque, the Hazrat Mosque, the Singing Fountain, and the National Museum. Despite being a city with Islamic roots, Astana offers plenty of Western-style restaurants, shops and entertainment. Do respect the Kazakh culture, which is tolerant but also reluctant to indulge in excess. Experiencing the city at night is as magical as experiencing it during the day!
Kazakhstan’s mountain lakes
About a thirteen-hour drive from Astana (an hour and a half by plane, landing in Almaty), the second must-see destination in Kazakhstan is its stunning mountain lakes. This is a whole national park that protects several bodies of water located on the heights of the Tien Shan Mountains. The most famous are the three Kolsai Lakes, located between 1,800 and 2,300 meters above sea level and nestled like gems between the rocky walls of these towering peaks.
A winding road connects these lakes to Lake Kaindy – less than one-hour drive. Kaindy is perhaps even more evocative because it houses an entire forest with submerged roots! The trees emerge like tall, white ghosts from its turquoise waters, a reminder that there was once a valley there, later flooded by an earthquake and a landslide that permanently blocked the course of a river.
Turkistan
A two-hour flight from Astana, in southern Kazakhstan, lies the thousand-year-old city of Turkistan. Coming here, in the heart of an arid region that bears little resemblance to the Alpine wonders of its lakes, is worth the effort to admire the majestic Mausoleum of Khawaja Ahmed Yasawi. Built in the 14th century on the ruins of the tomb of a famous 12th-century Sufi poet, this spectacular, incomplete building showcases the full beauty of Timurid architecture: painted ceramic domes, mosaics, gold, towers dominate a park of vast, cured lawns. The presence of this place of worship, so precious to Asian Islam, has made Turkistan a “second little Mecca” and thus a destination for religious pilgrimages for centuries. Western tourism has only recently discovered it, and it’s certainly worth the trip!
The Aralsk boat graveyard
You have to go to Aralsk, in western Kazakhstan, to see something unusual… fascinating on the one hand and terribly dramatic on the other. Aralsk, in fact, was born as a port city and operated a fishing fleet on the Aral Sea, once one of the largest lakes in the world. After the reckless exploitation of its water to feed the Russian and Chinese agricultural industries in the 1960s, the Aral lake had almost completely disappeared and shrunk so much that today Aralsk is… an inland city! An everlasting reminder of this tragedy is the vast graveyard of rusting fishing boats, still wasting away under the sun of a land now deserted.
Aktau on the Aral Lake
What remains of the Aral Sea is still considerable in size, but it is only a sad 10% of what this “inland sea” of Asia used to be. Currently, efforts are underway to divert the rivers to replenish the waters, but this will take a long time. Among the few towns that still enjoy the water of the Aral is the city of Aqtau (or Aktau). Equipped with a fishing port, it is also a popular seaside resort. Its sandy beaches lie at the foot of white cliffs, formed by flat, smooth rocks that create a unique landscape. The city boasts beautiful sites to see: the Soldiers’ Memorial, the Christopher Columbus Monument, the Historical Museum, and the Melovoy Lighthouse—built atop an eleven-story building! Aktau is a two-and-a-half-hour flight from Astana.
