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Travel and Tourism in Kazakhstan
Travel alerts, currency, climate, transit, health, and safety information for visitors to Kazakhstan.
Practical Information
Travel alert status, currency, climate, and transit details.
- Travel Alert Status
- Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution
- Time Difference
- UTC+6 (11 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time) time zone note: Kazakhstan has two time zones
- Currency
- tenge (KZT)
- Climate
- The climate throughout Kazakhstan is continental and dry, and there are four distinct seasons. The weather in Almaty is very moderate, and consecutive rainy days are rare. Winter temperatures and snowfall are rarely extreme (i.e., rarely below 0°F), and the wind is light. During the 4-5-month summer average high temperatures are usually in the low to mid-80's F. "Golden Fall," is perhaps the most pleasant season, particularly in Almaty, with brilliantly clear, dry days, colorful autumn leaves, and pleasant temperatures. In Astana strong winds, long winters, and December-January temperatures periodically fall below 0°F. The summers are generally dry and sunny, but the weather changes rapidly and it is not uncommon to have a rainy morning followed by a sunny afternoon. Average summer highs in Astana are in the low 80's.
- Language(s) Spoken
- Kazakhstan is in the process of changing the alphabet from Cyrillic to Latin.
- Ethnic Groups
- Kazakh (Qazaq) 53.4%, Russian 30%, Ukrainian 3.7%, Uzbek 2.5%, German 2.4%, Uygur 1.4%, other 6.6% (1999 census)
- National Holiday
- Independence Day, 16 December (1991)
- Geographic Coordinates
- 48 00 N, 68 00 E
- Location
- Central Asia, northwest of China; a small portion west of the Ural (Zhayyq) River in eastern-most Europe
- Airports
- 392
Destinations
Regions and cities, top sights, national parks, UNESCO sites, and festivals for visitors.
The Silk Road Cities — Turkestan and Beyond
The ancient caravan routes that crisscrossed the Central Asian steppe for more than a thousand years left behind a legacy of cities, mosques, mausoleums, and archaeological sites that represent some of the most significant Islamic heritage in the world. In southern Kazakhstan, the city of Turkestan stands as the most important of these Silk Road landmarks, a pilgrimage city of profound spiritual significance whose central monument is recognized by UNESCO as one of the finest examples of Islamic architecture in the world.
Turkestan, formerly known as Yasy, was an important urban center along the Silk Road from at least the eighth century CE, but it achieved its greatest religious significance through the life and work of Khoja Ahmed Yasawi, a Sufi teacher, poet, and mystic born around 1093 who became the most revered Islamic figure in the history of the Kazakh and broader Turkic world.
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Health and Safety
Medical facilities, vaccinations, disease risk, and sanitation conditions.
Medical care in Kazakhstan is limited and well below North American and West European standards. The U.S. Embassy maintains a list of English-speaking physicians. Elderly travelers and those with pre-existing health problems may be at risk due to inadequate medical facilities. Most resident U.S. citizens travel to Western Europe for serious medical treatment. Such travel can be extremely expensive if undertaken under emergency conditions.
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