Shymkent, the regional center of South Kazakhstan oblast, is the third largest city in Kazakhstan. It is also one of the largest industrial and commercial centers of the country.

The city attracts the attention of travelers and scholars from ancient times. Since Shymkent is the center of the region, it is the start of the majority of travel routes to various parts of the region.

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Tags: Shymkent city · time-lapse

Charуn Canyon stretches for 154 km along the river Charуn in Kazakhstan. It is located 195 km to the east from Almaty, near the border with China. Canyon is the part of Charyn National Park founded in 2004.

The canyon is a monument of nature consisting of sedimentary rocks formed about 12 million years ago. The height of the canyon walls is up to 150-300 meters. The place is also known for the variety of flora and fauna. More than 1500 species of plants grow here. Charyn Canyon on Google Maps. Photos by el-magico

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Tags: Almaty oblast · Charyn canyon

A great time-lapse video about the city of Almaty and the surrounding area shot by Pavel Tenyakov in 2012. Totally, over 55,000 photos have been taken and the best ones are in this video. I recommend to watch this video in full screen in HD quality. Enjoy!

Tags: Almaty city · time-lapse

Ski resort “Shimbulak” (“Chimbulak”) is situated in a picturesque Trans-Ili Alatau valley at a height 2260 meters above sea level, 25 km from the center of Almaty. The average summer temperature is plus 20 C, in winter – minus 7 C. The average snow depth is 150 cm, the number of sunny days per year is about 90%.

The resort is known for a variety of slopes, including slopes for beginners, long slopes for skiers, slopes for downhill skiing, valleys with untouched snow and half-pipe for snowboarders, extreme turns for pros, a special track for mogul.

The main characteristics of the resort: plateau length – 3800 meters, width – from 100 to 600 meters, vertical drop – 943 meters, ski area – 2260-3163 meters, total area – 99 acres.

Tags: Almaty oblast · ski resort

Karkaraly state national nature park is a national park in Kazakhstan, located in Karaganda region. It is one of the protected areas of Kazakhstan because of the exceptional diversity of central Kazakhstan landscapes presented. Karkaraly nature park on Google Maps. Photos by Constantine Kikvidze

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Tags: Karaganda oblast

Markakolsky State Nature Reserve is a nature reserve located in the East Kazakhstan region, near Lake Markakol. The reserve was established August 4, 1976; the total area is about 103 thousand hectares.

The reserve protects natural complexes of grasslands, steppes, larch taiga, mountain coniferous forests, subalpine and alpine meadows and rocky tundra on the mountain slopes of the southern Altai region around Lake Markakol (Lake Markakol on Google Maps). Photos by Ilia Afanasieff

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Tags: East Kazakhstan oblast

That’s how people in Almaty celebrated the New Year 2013. Video was shot from Kok-Tobe Park.

Tags: Almaty city · fireworks · Happy New Year

Dear visitors of our blog about Kazakhstan! We wish you Happy New Year and good luck in all your endeavors in 2013!

Tags: Happy New Year

Ust-Kamenogorsk (Oskemen) is a city located in East Kazakhstan region of the country. The city lies in the foothills of Rudny Altay mountains at the junction of Ulba and Irtysh rivers.

The city was founded as a Russian fort in 1720. Later Ust-Kamenogorsk became a center of trade with Mongolia and China and the gateway to the mineral wealth of the Rudny Altay mountains. Today it is Kazakhstan major center of nonferrous metallurgy with important associated research institutes and laboratories.

Tags: Ust-Kamenogorsk city

Kazakhstan is a vast country with a wide variety of landscapes, natural, historical, and cultural monuments. Unfortunately a great tourist potential of the country is still not fully used.

Foreign tourists are reluctant to going to Kazakhstan; even local people often prefer to travel to other countries and don’t visit Kazakhstan sights. This is largely due to poor infrastructure, complicated visa procedures, lack of information about unique reserved places, monuments of history and culture.

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Tags: Kazakhstan tourism · landscapes