Kazakhstan sightseeing. Travel guide - attractions, sights, nature and touristic places

A country of great steeps, Kazakhstan never ceases to amaze its guests with numerous wonders of nature, fascinating places and unique culture. When describing the most interesting places in Kazakhstan, the city of Almaty should be mentioned first. The city is widely known for its spectacular architecture, spacious parks and modern entertainment centres. Panfilov Park is a favourite place of rest for both citizens and guests of Almaty. The park is also the location of an architectural landmark – Zenkov Cathedral. Almost all buildings of the Russian Empire period were destroyed by a devastating earthquake that happened in 1911. The cathedral was one of a few surviving buildings and it’s a true miracle given that the fragile building is made of wood. The Central State Museum is considered the largest cultural centre in the country. The museum exhibits collections of archaeological and historical findings.

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The modern capital of the country, Astana, is no less beautiful. The city is home to several important landmarks, such as one of the oldest universities in Kazakhstan, which was named after L. Gumilev. The university is surrounded by a big park, two theatres and several museums.

The ancient city of Turkistan is an important tourist destination because of one prominent landmark. This is Mausoleum of Khwaja Ahmad Yasavi, which is famous far beyond the borders of the country. There are several important sights in the piedmont region of the country, such as Tanbaly famous for the ancient art on the rocks. The drawings made during the prehistoric era feature animals, hunting scenes and newer drawings depict Buddhist symbols. Tanbaly is also famous for its picturesque fairs, where tourists can buy various goods, from national pastries to souvenirs. Copyright www.orangesmile.com

National cuisine of Kazakhstan - specialties, recipes and restaurants

Meat has an important role in the national cuisine of Kazakhstan. It is the main ingredient in such iconic local dishes as Beshbarmak and Kazakh meat. …
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Fans of nature landmarks should consider visiting Trans-Ili Alatau. This is a unique national park with magnificent mountains, giant glaciers, beautiful valleys and lakes. Popular excursion routes were made on mountain slopes, across fast streams and flower fields. Alpinists will be pleased to conquer Khan Tengri Peak that was named one of the most beautiful mountains in the world. Khan Tengri was chosen the location of an annual sports festival that gathers extreme sports masters from all over the world. Kolsay Lakes feature a truly breath-taking view. These three crystal clear lakes are filled with water from glaciers. The lakes are surrounded by dense forest and can be reached by foot. Travellers can also see the lakes from the bird’s eye view and make an excursion in a helicopter.

History and Entertainment

Kazakhstan is a country with a rich and multifaceted history. The first large settlements were formed here in the 8th century BC. In the ancient times, there were several independent countries formed by the Hun, Kanl and Celtuce tribes in the territory of the present country. Some old countries had survived until the 5th century AD but them they saw multiple wars of conquest. Consequently, several countries were unified into the Turkic Khaganate. One of the most powerful medieval countries was the Golden Horde.

National traditions and mentality of people in Kazakhstan

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In the second half of the 15th century, the Kazakh Khanate was formed and existed until 1847. This period is one of the most favorable and most productive for the country. In the 16th-19th centuries, science and culture flourished too. At the end of the 17th century, the Kazakh Khanate lost its independence and became a part of the Russian Empire. Even after the Russian Revolution in 1917, Kazakhstan was under Russia. It gained independence only in 1991, after the collapse of the USSR.

Despite the fact that Kazakhstan is not one of the most popular tourist countries in the world, it has the all prospects for offering tourists exciting holidays. The peculiarity of Kazakhstan is eco and ethnic tours. The latter implies that travelers visit the extraordinary natives’ settlements and learn about their way of living. In some settlements of Kazakhstan, the way of living has not been changing for several hundred years. The acquaintance with age-old traditions of the natives promises to be really exciting.

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Eco tours “cover” unique nature regions of the country. Today, the hunting and fishing are officially permitted in some regions. It also should be noted that submontane districts of Kazakhstan are very popular with mountaineers. During the year, a lot of interesting national holidays are celebrated in Kazakhstan. The most interesting one for tourists is Nauryz-meymary, the beginning of the new year in accordance with the Star Almanack. It is celebrated on 21 March and lasts for 2-3 days. Outdoor festive parades and music concerts, a plenty of traditional sweets, interesting sports competitions and games - these are just a small part of all entertainments on this important public holiday.

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Fantastic City Tours and Excursions in Kazakhstan

Famous and uniques places in Kazakhstan from our review series

Abandoned Hangar near Baikonur Cosmodrome

From the series “The most famous buildings of communism”

There are abandoned objects on the territory of the majestic Baikonur cosmodrome. It is the largest in the world. These buildings were built during the time of communism. They turned out to be unnecessary after. Vitaly Raskalov presented to users on the Internet pictures of an abandoned hangar a few years ago. It is located next to the famous cosmodrome. These unique photos spread around the world in a matter of days.

Raskalov's team managed to take pictures of the famous “Buran” (“Snowstorm”) spacecraft in one of the abandoned hangars. It, too, was forgotten and abandoned. Even though the vast territory of the cosmodrome is officially protected, it is incredibly difficult to control such a large area. Therefore, it is not difficult to get into the territory of old mines and … Read all

Semipalatinsk Testing Ground

From the series “Largest and Famous Nuclear Test Sites”

Semipalatinsk Testing Ground is the most known on the territory of ex-USSR. It has received its popularity thanks to negative afterwards of the tests. A great territory of Kazakhstan and Russia were polluted by the numerous explosions. Until now locals suffer from afterwards of the destroying tests. Nowadays the test site is thrown far away and doesn’t have any protection. There were saved several signs that alert about the high level of radiation.

People live here, among large craters and semi-destroyed buildings of the military infrastructure. Even more, they are engaged in farming. The soil, which has a high level of radiation, is used for planting fruit and vegetables. Locals don’t have another way out; their lives were prescribed by the military forces of USSR. Once their native … Read all

Semipalatinsk Test Site

From the series “The Most Radioactive Zones on the Planet”

The Semipalatinsk test site is located in Kazakhstan. It was the first place in the Soviet Union for the nuclear bombs tryout. That significant event happened in August, 1949. Since then, the area of 18 500 square meters was a regular place of the testing nuclear weapons. Today, the landfill is a true champion of the world in the number of nuclear explosions per unit of area. Roughly estimated, numerous tests have affected about 200 000 people.

Various interesting stories are associated with this landfill. During the Soviet era, there was a secret city of Moscow-400, which was later renamed in Kurchatov. Today, this city is closed, but people lived there up to the 90s of the last century. The bulk of the population were soldiers and scientists, who were involved in the development … Read all

All unique sightseeing Kazakhstan