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

(more…)

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

(more…)

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.

(more…)

Tags: Kazakhstan tourism · landscapes

In a picturesque place on the shore of Markakol Lake at the east of Kazakhstan (Kurchum district of East Kazakhstan region) there is a small village Urunhayka.

It is not so easy to get to this distant village. The only way is to drive on the mountain Old-Austrian road built by prisoners a hundred years ago. This is one of the most interesting and picturesque parts of Kazakhstan Altai. Photos by voxpopuli.kz

(more…)

Tags: East Kazakhstan oblast

Fountains and extensive network of channels play an important role in Almaty. Together they create a single set of ponds and streams in the city. The main task is watering green spaces and creating a favorable climate, especially in the hot and dry season.

The first fountain appeared in Almaty in 1948. Currently, the city has more than 125 fountains. Since 2005, May 25 is celebrated as the Day of the Fountains – this day at 9 pm all the fountains of Almaty start working. Fountains work from May 25 to October 25, from 10 am to 2 am on a single schedule.

Tags: Almaty city · fountains · time-lapse

In Akmola region, approximately 15 kilometers from Kokshetau, there is unique gold deposit “Altyntau Kokshetau”. The depth of the pit is 135 meters, surface area – 1210 thousand square meters. In the mid-2000s the company received an investment of about $ 700 million. For the past two years it produced 11.5 tons of gold.

Current productivity of the deposit is about 6 million tons of ore per year (8 million tons at full capacity). One ton of ore contains about 2 grams of gold. Thus, in future it will produce about 15 tons of gold a year. Photos by voxpopuli.kz

(more…)

Tags: Akmola oblast · gold

Bektau-Ata is one of the most beautiful places in Kazakhstan and at the same time, this place remains obscure and little-known.

This is a mountainous area about 5-7 km radius located in the middle of the Kazakh steppe about 70 kilometers north of the town of Balkhash, and in close proximity to the Astana-Almaty (M36) highway (Google Maps location).

(more…)

Tags: Karaganda oblast