Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan
— a grandeur of mountain peaks, sparkling glaciers, quiet forest twilight, mystery deserts, huge rocky canyons, emerald lakes, fast running rivers, poetry sunlight, and unique flora and fauna. It is a country of ancient civilization of the Eurasian continent, the home of the nomadic tribes, a solid piece of the Great Silk Road.
video from the site Kazakhstan Travel
The country has tremendous tourism potential. Kazakhstan has 9th the largest territory in the world and was ranked the TOP-5 must-visit destinations for eco-tourism. Ethnic, entertainment and event tourism are actively developing here. Kazakhstan's natural wonders have been compared to the Grand Canyon, the Sahara, the Alps, New Zealand and Switzerland. There are 13 national parks, 10 nature reserves, 50 wildlife reserves and 79 natural monuments.
Connoisseurs of beaches strive for the Caspian coastline and for the purest lakes among mountains and forests. History fans choose Great Silk Road tours with ancient cities. Those wishing to improve the body visit the country's medical resorts. And active adventurers enjoy horse riding, rafting, jeep safari, windsurfing, paragliding.
LOCATION
Kazakhstan is located in the center of the Eurasian landmass, in two parts of the world - in Asia (85% of the territory) and in Eastern Europe (15% of the land). In the east it borders with China, in the south and southwest - with Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, in the north and west - with Russia (border length is 7,548,1 km). It has water borders with Azerbaijan and Iran.
Kazakhstan stretched from the Caspian in the west to the Altai Mountains in the east and from the foothills of the Tien Shan in the south to the West Siberian lowland in the north.
The country is washed by the waters of the intra-continental Caspian and Aral Seas. There are 8,500 rivers, 48,000 large and small lakes, including the largest - Balkhash, Zaisan and Alakol with healing water. In a large part of the country there are deserts - 44% and semi-deserts - 14%. Steppes occupy 26% of the territory, forests - 5.5%.
LANGUAGE
The official language of Kazakhstan is Kazakh, one of the most widely-spoken languages of the Turkic language family. It is similar to Turkish and Azerbaijanian, with loanwords from Arabic and Persian. 80-90% of the population is fluent in Russian, which is also used in state organizations and local governments, along with Kazakh. The staff, as a rule, speaks Russian and English fluently in hotels, shops and restaurants of large cities.
In remote areas, foreign travelers should enlist the help of a phrasebook with everyday Kazakh phrases. You can use Google Translate and other online translation services.
CURRENCY
The national currency is tenge (KZT). You won't be able to pay dollars or euros in the store, so you should take care of their exchange in advance. The work schedule of banks is different. Most of them don't work on Sunday.
The opening hours of banks on weekdays are usually: from 09:00 a.m. to 18:00 p.m. with a break for lunch.
ENTERTAINMENTS
Pristine fascinating nature is one of the main tourist magnets of Kazakhstan. Many entertainment is well interacted with the amazing beauty of preserved lakes and snowy mountains, gorges with waterfalls and alpine meadows, canyons that are millions of years old, and their inhabitants. The list of eco-tourism destinations is endless.
You can go birdwatching - along with professional ornithologists to watch curly pelicans or pink flamingos. Animal lovers will get acquainted with a steppe antelope with an unusual proboscis - a Saiga antelope, a snow leopard and a Przewalski's horse.
For a portion of adrenaline, you can go to river rapids, sea waves, mountain peaks, or even into the sky - give yourself a paraglide flight. Tracking paths of varying lengths and degrees of difficulty will delight hiking enthusiasts.
There are alien valleys for photo hunting, world-class sports complexes and a ski resort with an open-air skating rink on the territory of Kazakhstan. And if you are interested in the history and culture of nomads, then you should go on an expedition along the Great Silk Road or at least a small segment of it, visit medieval cities. Don't miss the chance to visit an ethnic festival and ethnic aul with nomad yurts, try on armor and shoot a bow.
Many annual bright events of a local and international scale are held in Kazakhstan: festivals, holidays, tournaments, bike rides, Mountaineering to the Nursultan peak. You can watch the stylized battles of nomads, take part in sports and master classes, listen to ethno-folkloric groups, try the cuisine of different nationalities, see the show of giants.