Koryo Tours started trips to Kazakhstan in 2017.

In many ways, Kazakhstan is one of the more conventional countries in Central Asia.

No visa is needed for most Western visitors. There are recognisable brands and chains in big cities. The financial system is not closed off like some other places we visit. And lines of communication are reliable, efficient, and cheap too.

No need to be offline for days on end in this place! 

However, there are still plenty of ways in which it fits the Koryo Tours mandate of being a bit unusual.

Those places offer more to those willing to dig a bit deeper, and contain a fascinating range of different places to experience and see with your own eyes.

Here's what we love about visiting Kazakhstan. And where you should visit on your trip to Kazakhstan.

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Major Cities in Kazakhstan

Astana, Kazakhstan

The biggest settlements in Kazakhstan are Astana (the capital), and Almaty (former capital).

In many ways, they could not be more different.

Astana is largely a new city, with monumental architecture abounding. As if someone collected one item of every style and popped it down on the steppe in a half-curated, half-random way.

It is growing in scale and population every year and yet the central areas do remain navigable and somewhat human in scale.

With iconic structures such as the Bayterek Tower, the Khan-Shatyr Shopping Centre, and two mosques. Both have claimed the title of Central Asia’s largest among its repertoire of buildings.

We always make time for a mix of monumentalism and humanity here with religious buildings, museums, and family visits all included as an intro to the capital and the country.

Almaty, Kazakhstan

We finish our tours in Almaty.

Whilst we start our Kazakhstan trips in Astana, we usually finish the tours in Almaty. 

Almaty is arguably the most pleasant city in the whole region.

Nestled against the stunning Tian Shan mountains and blessed with tree-lined streets, a lively café scene, cool shops, street art from various periods, and so much more.

An amazing place to simply wander around, and if you want to find the chocolate factory then just follow your nose. One of the most olfactorily pleasant places one could be!

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Other Urban Areas in Kazakhstan

Focusing only on the big cities is one way to see a place, but it does skew things a bit, as we all know that the major population centres are not fully representative of what a country is like.

So, we spend time in other urban spots too. Most notably the fascinating city of Karaganda.

Karaganda, Kazakhstan

This is a much more rough-and-ready place than Astana or Almaty.

But Karaganda has a lot of charms. Such as a massive park in the centre of the city full of entertainment options, some fantastic restaurants and bars, a wonderful set of monuments from the soviet era (to coal miners, to Yuri Gagarin, to heroic fighter pilots, and more).

Here we stay in a hotel used by soviet cosmonauts while preparing to head to space.

An incredible building with a unique history.

Semey (formerly Semipalatinsk), Kazakhstan

Semey (formerly Semipalatinsk) is another regional city, a smaller one, and a former Russian frontier fort.

Deep in the steppe and sleepier but also more chill than the other cities we go to, this place was also the former home of literary titan Dostoyevsky (his home is part of his museum now).

Here, there are some amazing examples of buildings from different eras and a lively street scene.

 We also make time to visit and support a local charity project teaching English to disadvantaged kids. One of the absolute highlights of our trips to Kazakhstan. As you can see from these videos.

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Further Into Kazakhstan

Kazakhstan is a vast country. And not defined by its cities. 

With a thinly spread population in an enormous land mass, we traverse it by bus, plane, and by train, as well as making an epic journey into a very complicated part of the country by car and small vans.

Outside of the big cities, we explore some of the darker parts of Kazakhstan’s history with trips to former gulag sites and the massive former nuclear weapons testing area, known as the Polygon.

Polygon, Kazakhstan

In the Polygon, we visit all kinds of different sites.

We uncover more of the various structures and sites built for weapons testing during the soviet era and, in the case of looters, then tend to destroy them while taking any metals left there.

This oddly makes the Polygon, long abandoned for the most part, into a somewhat organic area to visit due to the ever-changing nature of what can be seen there.

During the testing program, many structures were built. Bridges, bases, a fake subway station, fake ICBM launch sites, so much more, all to see how they would stand up to atomic weapons.

While the epicentre of the first soviet atomic bomb is now off-limits (sadly), there is much more to see in this vast area for the interested explorer.

Atomic Lake, Kazakhstan

The Atomic Lake is a highlight site for sure.

A huge and immensely deep crater was created by an underground blast with the aim of irrigating the land.

It is stark and moving, as well as somewhat scary. Its origin story is explained.

Kurchatov, Kazakhstan

In addition to all this exploring, we also spend time in the Town of Kurchatov. This was the place bult for the scientists, technicians, and workers engaged in this deeply secret work.

Semi-abandoned now, but with some fun nightspots still, this town is unlike any other you will have been to before.

And an excellent base for exploring Kazakhstan’s nuclear legacy as well as meeting some people with fascinating stories to tell.

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Kazakhstan With Koryo Tours

That’s not even all though.

On our visits to Kazakhstan we also spent time at an abandoned airbase and town. Make local connections with some families and interesting characters. Try local delicacies and special foods. Seek out the best souvenirs and shopping opportunities. Sample nightlife.

Learn about history, culture.

And what place does Kazakhstan have in the world today.

Koryo Partners

We always work with the very best local partners, with whom we have developed relationships over the years, and we always make sure our tours are a cut above.

We had visited a few times previously (including to watch Kazakhstan play England in a World Cup qualifier back in 2008) to explore the best routes, develop local connections, and curate the best possible trip. So, this was the culmination of some years of work.

And something we remain very proud of.

Anyone who has travelled anywhere with us knows what care and effort we put into the curation of the itinerary, the extra things we add on the spot, and the passion we have for the destinations we choose.

And in Kazakhstan, it is no different.

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Further Reading on Visiting Kazakhstan

• Some utterly amazing photos of the Semipalatinsk Nuclear Polygon, its structures, its people, and more from longtime friend of Koryo Tours Eddo Hartmann can be found here in this transfixing photographic project.
• Our blog on how to travel in Kazakhstan in 2024 (still relevant!)
• Kazakhstan’s flag is a quirky one – learn more!
• Looking for a Korean connection to Kazakhstan? You could check out the film work of Soviet rock icon Viktor Tsoi, as well as spotting kimchi sellers in any green market across the country.

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Koryo Tours
Kazakhstan Tours