Last Updated on 04/01/2024 by kami
I believe Kazakhstan is the most underrated destination in Central Asia. Everyone knows about the amazing Silk Route cities in Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan’s stunning nature, the breathtaking mountains of Tajikistan, or the Door to Hell in Turkmenistan. But Kazakhstan is mostly treated as a getaway to the region and not a destination itself for travelers.
Well, I’m here to prove you otherwise and this collection of Kazakhstan pictures you can see below will show you why you should visit Kazakhstan soon!
Kazakhstan essentials
Planning a trip to Kazakhstan? Here are the services I always use and personally recommend:
- Accommodation: I always book a place to stay on Booking.com
- Tours: when I decide to go on a tour I either use Viator
- Get insured for your trip to Kazakhstan with SafetyWing
My trips to Kazakhstan
I’ve been to Kazakhstan three times by now and had another trip to Kazakhstan planned for 2020 (but we all know what happened). This is one of my favorite countries in the world and I always enjoy returning there and discovering more of the place.
But I must admit, before my first Kazakhstan trip I also didn’t know what to expect from this country and it was supposed to be only a short stopover on my way to Kyrgyzstan. As it quickly turned out, Almaty was amazing and I felt so good there I stayed a bit longer than I planned, and still now Almaty is among my favorite cities. One of the reasons to visit Almaty is the breathtaking nature literally at the city’s foot, no photos of Kazakhstan can show you how incredible it really is!

Mountains near Almaty
Another of my Kazakhstan trips was with the Nikon team – we were trying out their mirrorless camera Nikon Z50 and Kazakhstan turned out to be a perfect place for those tests. We could see how the camera works in various situations and different scenery.
We photographed stunning landscapes, impressive architecture, or cultural events – this variety just proves one more time that Kazakhstan is a perfect destination for all photography fans. Nikon Z50 camera was perfect for these various, sometimes harsh conditions, and the pictures I took then are among my favorite Kazakhstan images.

Winter in Nur-Sultan (Astana)
Why you should visit Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan is huge! And I mean really huge, this is actually the 9th largest country in the world. But the majority of Kazakhstan is a dull steppe so nothing that exciting.
The southern part of the country, however, is another story. That’s where you will find a breathtaking landscape with lakes, canyons, and mountains as high as 7.000 meters above sea level!

Charyn Canyon
In Kazakhstan, you can also find the futuristic, modern capital – Nur-Sultan (formerly known as Astana), remnants of the Silk Road glory, or a lunar landscape. This is also an excellent place to learn more about the nomadic culture of the region and its traditions.
For me Kazakhstan is also the country of the friendliest, hospitable, and most beautiful people I’ve ever met. And that’s already a very solid reason to visit Kazakhstan.
So it doesn’t matter if you are interested in the landscape, architecture, culture, traditions or people – Kazakhstan will not disappoint you, everything is there!
Best photo locations in Kazakhstan
If you are looking for places to take the best Kazakhstan pictures, here are some of the most beautiful and interesting photo locations:
- Almaty with its fine architecture (especially Soviet buildings, metro or the colorful cathedral), wooden houses and leafy streets in the central part of the city, Green Bazaar for people watching, and Kok-Tobe hill for beautiful views of the city and mountains
- Near Almaty – Shymbulak ski resort (especially its upper parts with amazing views of the Tian Shan mountains and city down below), Big Almaty Lake, Lake Issyk
- Hunn Village – the ethno complex when you can learn more about the nomadic traditions and culture
- A bit further from Almaty but still reachable from the city: Charyn Canyon, Kolsai Lakes, Kaindy Lake, Altyn Emel National Park
- Nur-Sultan and its modern, futuristic architecture
- Burabay National Park not far from Nur-Sultan
- Turkestan and the remnants of the Silk Road times
- Remnants of the Aral Sea and rusty boats
- Ustyurt Nature Reserve near the city of Aktau
- Lake Balkhash – one of the largest lakes in the world
I was lucky to visit many of these places but some of them are still on my bucket list and I’m hoping to visit them during my next Kazakhstan trip.

Saty Village in southern Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan pictures
And now let me show you some Kazakhstan pictures so you can see yourself what a stunning and diverse country this is!

Almaty metro station

Almaty Cathedral

Almaty from Kok Tobe Hill

One of the charming streets in Almaty

Soviet Soldiers Memorial in Almaty

Almaty Green Bazaar

Almaty architecture

Almaty architecture

Almaty from Shymbulak Ski Resort

Mountains near Almaty

On the way to Shymbulak

Mountains near Almaty

Big Almaty Lake

Lake Issyk

Eagle hunter in Hunn Village

Hoseback riding in Hunn Village

Charyn Canyon

Charyn Canyon

Charyn Canyon

Charyn Canyon

One of the Kolsai Lakes

Kaindy Lake with sunken forest

Sunken forest in Kaindy Lake

Altyn Emel National Park

Altyn Emel National Park

Altyn Emel National Park

Modern architecture in Nur-Sultan (Astana)

Winter in Nur-Sultan (Astana)

Winter in Nur-Sultan (Astana)

Hazrat Sultan Mosque in Nur-Sultan

Inside Hazrat Sultan Mosque in Nur-Sultan

Inside Khan Shatyr in Nur-Sultan

Inside Expo building in Nur-Sultan

Burabay National Park

Turkestan and Silk Road remnants

Turkestan and Silk Road remnants

What’s left of the Aral Sea…

Ustyurt Nature Reserve

Ustyurt Nature Reserve

Lake Balkhash
Final thoughts on visiting Kazakhstan
As you can see above Kazakhstan really has a lot to offer and can be a great place to visit for all travelers. You can find there some exceptional beauty, interesting architecture and some of the nicest and kindest people you will ever meet.
I can’t wait for my next trip to Kazakhstan. There are still so many places and sights I would like to see there and I really hope this time I will go there in the spring or summer time when everything is green and looks simply unreal!
Travel Resources
You can find the best accommodation options at Booking. They have many discounts and excellent customer service. Click here to look for the place to stay in Kazakhstan
Never travel without travel insurance, you never know what might happen and better safe than sorry. You can check the insurance policy for Kazakhstan here.
I recommend joining organized tours to get to know the place better and to visit more places during your trip. You can find a great selection of tours at Get Your Guide – click here.
Make sure to have the offline map always installed on your phone, they can save you so many troubles. I always use the free app Maps.Me.
For the end I left a few announcements that might interest you:
- Sign up to my newsletter or follow me on Bloglovin to get updates about the new posts
- Join my Facebook group about Eastern Europe, the Balkans and former USSR and connect with fellow travellers and enthusiasts of these regions – just click here!
- I’ve included a few handy links of services and products I personally like and use so you can plan your own trip to Kazakhstan too. They are often affiliate links. This means I will get a small commission if you book/purchase anything through my links, at no extra costs for you. Thank you!
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4 Comments
Raj Bhide
05/01/2021 at 13:19Very Well done. All the best to you for your future adventures. Keep it up.
kami
07/01/2021 at 22:19Thank you!
Emily
06/01/2021 at 13:39Altyn Emel looks incredible! Love these photos Kami – I really want to visit Kazakhstan now!
kami
07/01/2021 at 22:19Thank you, Emily! I really hope you will get there one day, Kazakhstan is amazing and I think you would really enjoy it!