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Last updated on December 7, 2024
Wanna travel to Kazakhstan with Against the Compass?
Join a group of like-minded travelers in our next scheduled tour in Kazakhstan on:
June 4th to 13th, 2025
Kazakhstan is the 9th largest country in the world and the most modern of all the ‘stans’.
Yet very little is known about this fascinating country.
Following more than a few visits there, I compiled this guide with all the relevant travel tips for Kazakhstan, from visas to how to get in, money, and everything needed to plan your trip.
For places to visit, don’t forget to check our Kazakhstan Itinerary
In this Kazakhstan travel blog you will find:
our recommended travel insurance for Kazakhstan
With its Backpacker plan, IATI Insurance is the best insurance for any kind of adventurous destination, like Kazakhstan.
🇰🇿 Introduction: what it’s like to travel in Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan is, by far, one of the strangest countries I have ever been to, along with Haiti and Eritrea.
On the one hand, it is a surprisingly developed country, home to the most Westernized city in Central Asia – Almaty, whose inhabitants are very European-minded – as well as some striking mountains.
On the other hand, this gas-rich, barely populated country is also the 9th largest in the world and is home to some of the bizarrest places on Earth, such as an old nuclear testing town, a dried-up sea, the Russian Cosmodrome, and an extremely vast steppe with the occasional hairy 2-humped camel.
Kazakhstan has two faces, and for this reason, it can find a place in everybody’s heart, both the traveler who likes to explore a cosmopolitan city and beautiful mountains, and the avid backpacker who likes to delve deep into obscure places off the beaten track.
After traveling through Kazakhstan for a month, I have compiled this guide with all the travel tips you need to know.
🪪 Visa requirements for travel to Kazakhstan
Citizens from the following countries can get a free visa on arrival (VOA) in Kazakhstan.
All EU and Schengen countries, Argentina, Australia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Iceland, Indonesia, Israel, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Oman, Philippines, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States, Vietnam
This is valid for any entry point, both international airports and land borders, and all you get is a friendly stamp.
Registering in Kazakhstan
In the past, registering your stay with the local authorities was mandatory, but since 2020, it’s no longer a requirement.
🚑 Travel Insurance for Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan is an adventurous destination, so we recommend going there with proper travel insurance.
I recommend IATI Insurance because:
- Their backpacker plan covers all types of adventure activities, including trekking
- Very competitive prices
- Readers of this blog can get a 5% exclusive discount
💻 Internet and connectivity when you travel in Kazakhstan
How is the Wi-Fi in Kazakhstan?
Wi-Fi mostly works fine throughout the country.
It’s not the best Wi-Fi in the world but I managed to work online without major issues.
Can I get a SIM Card for Kazakhstan?
Yes, you can get a SIM Card on arrival at the airport or at any official mobile shop. Data plans are really cheap.
I strongly recommend doing so because having a local number is a must to use local taxi apps such as Yandex.
eSIM for browsing, calling and traveling in Kazakhstan
An eSIM is a regular SIM card with a digital format that works like a normal physical SIM card, with the added benefit being that you can buy it at home before the beginning of your trip, hence avoiding the hassle of buying it at your destination.
I recommend Airalo.
Get a VPN for traveling in Kazakhstan
You should always use a VPN when you travel, especially when you connect to public Wi-Fi networks.
Your connection will be much safer, plus you will be able to access content which is typically censored in Kazakhstan.
I recommend ExpressVPN – extremely easy to use, fast and cheap.
If you want to learn more about VPNs, check: Why you need a VPN for traveling.
💰 Budget and money when you travel in Kazakhstan
In Kazakhstan, they use the Kazakh Tenge, and approximately
1 USD = 480 KZT
Can I pay by card in Kazakhstan?
Yes, absolutely. Today, you can pay by card virtually everywhere throughout the country.
The only place where card payments might not be accepted is the café on trains, so do bring cash for your long train journeys across Kazakhstan.
Also, carry some spare cash when you’re visiting smaller villages or traveling by marshrutka instead of train.
Can I use an ATM?
Yes, you will find many ATMs in all towns and cities, most of them accepting foreign cards.
Where can I exchange foreign currency?
You can easily exchange Euros or American Dollars in many banks and offices across the country.
Keep in mind that, except for Russian Rubles, Kazakhstanis aren’t huge fans of their neighbors’ currency. Kyrgyz Som should be fine, but I was never able to exchange the Uzbek Som I had left.
How much does it cost to travel in Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan is the most expensive of all Stans, including Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Below are the prices of the most typical expenses:
- Dorms – 3,000 to 6,000 KZT
- Single room in a mid range hotel in Almaty – from 19,000 KZT
- Meals in local restaurant – 3,000 KZT
- Meals in nicer restaurant – Mains from 4,000KZT
- Trains – Aktau to Aralsk, 20 hours, 1,400km, 2nd class (19,000KZT)
🛖 Top 4 experiences in Kazakhstan
Travel in a Soviet train across the steppe
Epic multi-day journeys through remote Kazakh lands. Read our train guide for Kazakhstan.
Discover the gorgeous mountains of southeastern Kazakhstan
Unbelievable scenery very close to Almaty.
Visit the Aral Sea
The worst environmental disaster caused by man.
Visit a Nuclear Test Site
Semipalatinsk is the first place on Earth where an atomic bomb was tested.
Read our Semey travel guide for more information.
🛫 How to get to to Kazakhstan
How to travel to Kazakhstan by plane
Kazakhstan has several international airports, the best known being Almaty International Airport (ALA).
Check out flights with Pegasus, Turkish Airlines or Qatar Airways.
You can also fly into Astana (NQZ), Shymkent (CIT) and Aktau (SCO).
How to travel to Kazakhstan by land border
Kazakhstan shares a border with 5 countries. Pretty much all borders are open.
- Russia: Most borders with Russia are open. I crossed the border near Astrakhan in 2024 by train. Easy to cross. Check our Russia travel guide for more info.
- Turkmenistan: Open, as long as you have a valid visa for travel in Turkmenistan.
- Uzbekistan: Pretty much all borders are open, some can be crossed by train. I crossed by train at Beyneu.
- Kyrgyzstan: Busy crossing but no train, only car or marshrutka.
- China: Open as long as you have a valid visa for China.
Remember that contrary to what some travelers believe, Kazakhstan doesn’t share a border with Mongolia. It looks like they do, but zoom in and you’ll see there’s a tiny bit of Russia in between.
How to travel to Kazakhstan by boat
Long-term overlanders like to catch the ferry from Baku to Aktau, which takes 24 hours. I’ve never taken it but my friends over at Journal of Nomads did.
Read: Kazakhstan 1-month itinerary
🕌 The country, people and their culture
Kazakhstan is an ex-Soviet republic that got its independence from Russia in 1991.
It is, however, the country with the largest Russian influence in Central Asia – to the extent that Russian is generally more widely spoken than Kazakh itself.
‘We like Russia because she takes cares of us’, a Kazakh friend of mine said.
Kazakhstan is the only Stan that borders Russia, so it’s not surprise that its presence and influence is highly visible.
Kazakhstan today
Kazakhstan is the most modern and developed country in Central Asia, something that can be explained by its abundance of natural resources, such as oil and gas.
The Government has also been investing a lot in terms of education, one of their most successful policies being the opportunity of awarding loads of scholarships to students to study abroad at major universities worldwide, the only condition being that they must come back and work in Kazakhstan after X number of years.
This has led to a highly educated work-force for Kazakhstan.
Furthermore, Almaty is a seriously modern city by European standards.
In fact, I think Almaty is the most European city in all of Asia.
Astana is very modern too but it’s one of those brand-new cities with absolutely no soul, more similar to Dubai and Almaty itself.
Kazakhstani people
Kazakhstanis are descended from Turkic and Mongolian tribes.
Although very ethnically mixed, most of them have strong Mongolian features.
The Kazakhs used to be a nomadic nation that moved across the steppe and their biggest contribution to the Silk Road trade were animal-related products like fur.
However, unlike in Mongolia and neighboring Kazakhstan, nomadic life has pretty much disappeared not only due to the country’s development but also because under the Soviet Union, many Kazakhs were forced to become sedentary and focus on the plantation of wheat.
Language in Kazakhstan
Kazakh, a Turkic language, is the official language in Kazakhstan, along with Russian.
Russian however, is the main language used in Almaty.
Well-educated young people from Almaty and Astana can speak English, but other than that, do try to learn some Russian words if you decide to visit Kazakhstan.
Google translate and Google Lens have made our life much easier but still, I recommend learning some Russian words, as well as the alphabet.
Religion in Kazakhstan
Officially, Kazakhstanis are Muslim, although religion doesn’t play any significant role in Kazakhstan.
This is not only because they used to be part of the USSR but also because religion has never seeped into nomadic societies.
Still, you are likely to see a few mosques with a handful of worshipers; generally though, Kazakhs are atheist, even though Saudi Arabia is ploughing millions into trying to reverse that.
🛺 Transportation: how to get around in Kazakhstan
Traveling in Kazakhstan by train
A multi-day train journeys over the Kazakh steppe is an experience by itself and so much fun!
Check timings and train schedules at tickets.kz.
For more information, I’ve put together a train guide to Kazakhstan.
Traveling by marshrutka and shared taxi
In the more remote areas where trains don’t go, the locals get around by either shared taxi or marshrutka, which is like a minibus.
Traveling around Kazakhstan by plane
Domestic flights are inexpensive and a great way to cut distances short in Kazakhstan.
Check Fly Arystan.
Using city taxis in Kazkahstan
To avoid any hassles, I recommend you download Yandex, which is like the Russian Uber.
Remember that you will need a local number to use Yandex.
🏨 Accommodation: where to stay in Kazakhstan
From backpacking hostels to 5-star hotels, accommodation in Kazakhstan is a no-brainer.
You can find all sorts of accommodation to suit all budgets.
In my Kazakhstan itinerary, you can find a variety of accommodation options in each city I visited.
🍲 Food and alcohol when you visit Kazakhstan
In large towns and cities, there are all sorts of food available, but when it comes to the local cuisine, this is very similar to other countries in Central Asia.
The first time I visited Kazakhstan, it was my last stop after a trip across the region spanning several months, so I’m a bit biased when it comes to judging Kazakh food, since I was already bored of it before even stepping foot into the country.
When it comes to local dishes, pelmeni (dumpling soup) would be the most common option, as is lagman (noodle soup with horribly chewy and fatty beef).
Horse meat in Kazakhstan
Although you can find horse meat in many countries around the world, nowhere else does it like Kazakhstan, where horse meat is the base of many of their dishes, which is why you’ll see farms all around the country.
I actually visited a horse-farm in Zhabagly, a mountain village around Shymkent.
They kept hundreds of horses and told me that, when the horse gets to a certain age, they decide whether to keep it as a work horse or send it to the butchery.
The most unique horse-based dish they have is beshbarmak, a national dish which consists of pasta layers, vegetables, and the star-ingredient being horse meat, all served in a huge flat dish with a bit of broth. Usually, it is a sharing dish, so the few restaurants that serve it require a minimum order of a couple of people. Kazakhs reserve beshbarmak for special occasions.
❗ More resources for traveling to Kazakhstan
📢 In my Travel Resources Page you can find the list of all the sites and services I use to book hotels, tours, travel insurance and more.
All guides and articles for traveling in Kazakhstan destination
Travel guides to other countries in Central Asia
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