Tuzkol is a salty mountain lake in Kazakhstan, located at an altitude of 1,959 m above sea level in Raiymbek District in the south-east of Almaty Oblast, about 310 km from Almaty. Translated from the Kazakh language, “tuzkol” means “salt lake”. The salinity of Lake Tuzkol varies with the seasons and is sometimes almost the same as in the Dead Sea in Israel or the Great Salt Lake in the US.

Raiymbek District is one of the most picturesque districts of Almaty Oblast. You can go there at any time of the year, but if you want to travel further into the mountains, the best time to go is from June to September. Lake Tuzkol on Google Maps. Photos by: Sergey Terekhov.

beautiful landscapes

Tags: Almaty oblast · landscapes

Aktau Mountains (translated as “white mountains”) are chalk mountains of different colors, mostly white, located in the territory of the national park of Altyn-Emel in the central part of Almaty Oblast. It will take you about 5-7 hours to get here from Almaty. Aktau Mountains on Google Maps. Photos by: Sergey Terekhov.

beautiful colorful landscapes

Tags: Almaty oblast

On the territory of Kazakhstan, the Tekes River flows mainly in a wide intermountain valley in Raiymbek District – one of the most beautiful places in Almaty Oblast located in its southeastern part. This area is rarely visited by tourists, which contributed to the preservation of its pristine nature. Photos by: Sergey Terekhov.

beautiful nature views

Tags: Almaty oblast

Aktolagay, a snow-white mountain range almost 50 km long and about 10 km wide, is located in the southwest of the Aktobe region. The unusual, almost unparalleled landscape of the plateau makes it unique and attracts people interested in geotourism and auto-travelers.

In the distant past, it was the seabed. Here you can find fossilized remains of mollusks, bones and teeth of sharks and other living creatures that once inhabited the ancient sea. Aktolagay on Google Maps. Photos by: Natalya Kozlovskaya.

amazing white landscapes

Tags: Aktobe oblast

The Tian Shan is a mountain system located in Central Asia in the territory of five countries: Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, China (Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region), Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. It is one of the highest mountain systems in the world with more than thirty peaks over 6,000 meters high.

Let’s look at the landscapes of the northern part of the Tien Shan located in Kazakhstan, near Almaty. The mountains of the Northern Tian Shan are the most visited in Kazakhstan. Photos by: Grigory Bedenko.

Big Almaty Lake located at an altitude of 2,511 meters above sea level.

fly over the Northern Tian Shan

Tags: Almaty oblast

The Dzungarian Alatau is a mountain range located on the border of the Almaty Region of Kazakhstan and the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region of China, between the Ili River and Lake Alakol.

The mountains are named for the nearby desert. The length of this picturesque range is about 450 km, the width varies from 50 to 90 km, the height – up to 4,622 m (Semenov-Tian-Shansky Peak). The Dzungarian Alatau on Google Maps. Photos by: Grigory Bedenko.

very picturesque mountains

Tags: Almaty oblast

Almaty is the largest city in Kazakhstan with a population of about 1.8 million people. From 1991 to 1997, it was the capital of the country. The city is located in an intermountain depression at the foot of the mountains of Zailiysky Alatau in the extreme south-east of the republic.

The following photos of Almaty were taken at different times of the day and the year from the foothills surrounding the city and Almaty skyscrapers. The author of the photos published on voxpopuli.kz is the famous Kazakhstan photographer Maxim Zolotukhin.

fly over Almaty

Tags: Almaty city

The Dzungarian Alatau is a mountain range located in the northeast of the Almaty region of Kazakhstan, between the Ili River and Lake Alakol. The range extends from the west-southwest to east-northeast along the state border of Kazakhstan and China.

The length of the range is about 450 km, the width – 50-90 km. The main peaks of the Dzungarian Alatau rise above 4,000 m. The Dzungarian Alatau on Google Maps. Photos by: Grigory Bedenko.

beautiful mountain scenery

Tags: Almaty oblast

In May 2018, a new unusual mosque was opened after two years of construction in Saryarka district of Astana. The design is made in the style of Kazakh postmodernism and also features traditional patterns and decorative elements. The mosque named Ryskeldy Kazhy resembles a flower bud or a diamond.

The total area of the mosque is 3,695 square meters; it can accommodate more than 2,000 people. The diameter of the building is 53 meters, the height – 26 meters. Ryskeldy Kazhy Mosque on Google Maps. Photos by: Evgeny Tkachenko.

amazing mosque

Tags: Astana city · mosques

The Arkat Mountains are located in the central part of the East Kazakhstan region, in the area of the settlement of Arkat.

The mountains are very old and almost completely destroyed by erosion except for separately standing rocks. However, despite this, the local landscapes are very picturesque and attract people who prefer active rest. The Arkat Mountains on Google Maps. Photos by: Ilya Afanasyev.

remains of ancient mountains

Tags: East Kazakhstan oblast