If you’re thinking of visiting Kazakhstan — whether for photography, adventure, or pure curiosity — you’re making the right decision. This September (2025), I had the absolute pleasure of joining Max on a photography scouting trip to Kazakhstan, and it turned out to be one of the most rewarding experiences I’ve ever had abroad.
Picture the endless steppe, a trusty 4x4 packed for the long road, 20 liters of water, and a giant bag of macaroni pasta — the makings of our journey. To be fair, most of our trips start in a similar way. But this one felt different. The landscapes were beyond anything we expected. A lot of our trip I spent researching the history of Kazakhstan, the steppe and of course the wildlife too! So lets dive into this guide starting with the history so you can learn some of the cool stuff we found out. If you're already planning on visiting check out our Kazakhstan Photo Tour!
For many centuries, the territory of modern Kazakhstan was home to a mosaic of Turkic and Mongol nomadic tribes, including the Kipchaks, Naimans, Argyns, and Kangly, who moved seasonally across the vast steppe with their herds. These groups formed part of major Eurasian empires such as the Turkic Khaganate (6th–8th centuries), the Mongol Empire under Genghis Khan (13th century), and the Golden Horde, which ruled much of Central Asia in the following centuries.
In 1465–1466, the formation of the Kazakh Khanate marked a turning point in the region’s history. It united various nomadic clans under one political and cultural identity, giving rise to the term Kazakh, meaning “free” or “independent wanderer.” The khanate thrived for several centuries, maintaining its nomadic traditions while trading with neighboring powers. From the 18th century, however, growing Russian influence led to the gradual annexation of Kazakh territories. By the mid-19th century, Kazakhstan was fully incorporated into the Russian Empire.
The incredible landscapes of Kazakhstan in September 2025.
Kazakhstan became part of the Soviet Union, first as an autonomous republic in 1920, then as the Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic in 1936. During Soviet rule, forced collectivization, famine, and political repression took a heavy toll on the Kazakh population, while industrialization and migration reshaped the country’s demographics. After the Soviet Union collapsed, Kazakhstan declared independence on December 16, 1991, becoming the last Soviet republic to do so and beginning a new chapter as a modern, independent state.
Culture
Traditional Kazakh culture developed around nomadic tribes, where herding livestock such as horses, sheep, and camels shaped daily life, social organization, and food. Community ties were defined by clan and tribal affiliations, and hospitality.
The Kazakh language, belonging to the Turkic language family, is the official state language, while Russian retains widespread use as a second language. This makes sense since 14.6% of the population is Russian according to a 2025 survey by the government. The Kazakhstan government is gradually implementing a transition from the Cyrillic to the Latin alphabet, part of a broader cultural modernization effort.
The otherworldly rock formations of Mangystau region are a sight to behold!
Since gaining independence in 1991, Kazakhstan has worked to preserve and promote its cultural heritage while embracing modern influences. Urban centers like Almaty and Astana now host theaters, museums, and music festivals that blend traditional and contemporary forms of expression. This fusion of old and new mirrors Kazakhstan’s broader national identity — a country rooted in the rhythms of the steppe yet moving confidently into the 21st century.
We were really impressed by the dedication Kazakhstan shows in preserving its history and culture. During our stay in Aktau, we took a spontaneous evening hike along the Caspian Sea in an area called Skal’naya Tropa and stumbled upon what we initially thought were ancient rock carvings.
After looking into it further, we learned that Skal’naya Tropa isn’t recognized as a major archaeological petroglyph site in academic literature. The carvings and drawings along the path — including images of mouflon, camels, tamga symbols, and mythic figures — appear to blend traditionally inspired motifs with modern tourist elements.
These stone figures are said to be guardians against danger that could come from the Caspian Sea.
Even so, the site holds its own kind of cultural significance. It reflects Kazakhstan’s desire to honor and showcase its heritage, even in places designed primarily for visitors. While it may not be as archaeologically rich as sites like Tamgaly or Tanbaly, Skal’naya Tropa still illustrates the country’s commitment to keeping its roots visible and accessible.
Language
The main language in Kazakhstan is of course Kazakh! Unfortunately for tourists, Kazakh translations are not always easy to find online, and Google Translate doesn’t yet offer spoken audio for the language. So learning a few useful phrases before you go can be helpful. Or you can try my method—befriending strangers in the mobile SIM-card shop. Here’s what I learned from two teenage boys waiting for their cellphone repairs.
Hello – Сәлем!
Phonetic: Sa-lem
Goodbye – Сау бол! (to one person)
Phonetic: Sau bol
Sorry – Кешіріңіз!
Phonetic: Ke-she-ri-niz
Thank you / Please – Рахмет!
Phonetic: Rakh-met
Note: “Рахмет” means thank you, but Kazakh doesn’t have a single direct word that means both please and thank you like in English.
And a few more phrases which came in handy a little later on thanks to google translate…
I have a flat tire.
Дөңгелегім жарылды.
Phonetic: Dön-ge-le-gim zha-ry-ld
Where is the car wash?
Көлік жуу қайда?
Phonetic: Ko-lik zhoo kai-da?
Full tank (for gas stations)
Толық бак
Phonetic: To-luq bahk
The desert has its own language — and sunsets like this are part of its song!
Rental Cars
When renting a car in Kazakhstan, you’ll probably use sites like Booking.com or Rentacars.kz — it’s the safest way to get a reliable vehicle, avoid scams, and make sure you have the right car for your trip. The only downside is that rentals for foreigners often come with a driver. Since we wanted to drive ourselves (and needed a 4x4 for our explorations), Max found a local man through a Reddit thread who was willing to rent us his vehicle. Dodgy? Yes. Was the car old, dented, and running on the bare minimum of tread? Also yes. But it got the job done!! and if you value independence when you travel, it’s worth scouring the internet for opportunities like that.
The wheels for our adventure could handle just about anything as long as it didn't involve sudden braking!
Food/Water
As a vegan/vego I struggled to find many healthy options in the supermarkets, especially for snacks. As you can see, Max fared much better than I did, with great access to eggs, packaged meats, and cheese.
Anywhere can be a kitchen when you're in the desert. Looking comfortable there Max!
Don’t get me wrong—the supermarkets in the larger cities are definitely decent. It’s just in the smaller towns, where you’re shopping locally, that everything seems to be “plastic-bag food” like chippies, biscuits, chocolate, or items that take a lot of gas to cook, like rice or polenta. That didn’t work well for us since we were using camping gas to cook.
If you've ever wondered, yes you can use a camping gas stove to cook in your car!
If you’re particular about food, I’d recommend packing some of your favorite snacks in advance. If you’re not too fussy, definitely enjoy the local cuisine!
Tap water in most of Kazakhstan isn’t safe to drink, so you’ll need to use a filter or buy bottled water from supermarkets. Fortunately water is super accessible with so many gas stations around.
Connectivity
WiFi
We had great success getting a SIM card set up with Tele2 in Aktau. The service was excellent — the staff were helpful and, luckily for us, spoke English, so we could easily explain what we needed. The plan stayed active for the entire trip, and the reception worked even in fairly remote areas (though, as expected, there were a few places that were simply too far out — but we’d planned for that).
We’ve had bad experiences buying SIM cards elsewhere — in Peru, for example, we bought a month-long plan that expired after just two weeks, with no way to fix it while we were stuck in remote Andean villages. So having a plan in Kazakhstan that worked exactly as promised was definitely something to appreciate!
Adapters
The plug type is the same as Europe Type C/G. If you are renting a hotel or apartment there are plenty charging options and good electricity and WiFi available.
In the remote desert, you’ll find a connection to nature, not the internet.
Places to Go
Almaty Region
The Almaty Region is often the first stop for travelers—and for good reason since it hosts Almaty International Airport (ALA) located about 15km northeast of Almaty city center. Anchored by Kazakhstan’s largest city, Almaty blends modern cultural life with ancient Silk Road history and some of Central Asia’s most interesting landscapes. With lively cafés, Soviet-era architecture, and museums that trace the evolution of Kazakh nomadic culture Almaty has a cosmopolitan feel. Highlights include the colorful, wooden Zenkov Cathedral, the Museum of Folk Musical Instruments, and Panfilov Park’s memorials honoring wartime heroes.
The steppe hides many unusual and beautiful rock formations.
Just outside the city, the region opens into a world of nature areas. The red cliffs of Charyn Canyon’s, the turquoise Kolsai and Kaindy Lakes, and the high Assy Plateau where nomadic summer pastures still shape local life. Wherever you travel in this region, you are sure for an adventure of a lifetime!
The rock layers form like this due to variations in the original sediment's mineral content, grain size, and chemical conditions during deposition. The beautiful colouring is perfect for abstracts.
Mangystau
Remote and rugged, the Mangystau Region in western Kazakhstan feels like another world entirely. This is a region where desert plateaus stretch to the horizon, sharp cliffs rise out of nowhere, and ancient nomadic traditions continue to guide daily rhythms. 
A great example of rocks rising from the desert out of nowhere! The scale is best appreciated by drone.
Mangystau is renowned for its underground mosques—carved into caves and cliffs over centuries by Sufi mystics. Sites like Beket-Ata and Shakpak-Ata remain important pilgrimage destinations, offering travelers a glimpse of Kazakhstan’s spiritual heritage. Further into the steppe you will find salt flats formed in arid conditions where ancient lakes have evaporated over thousands of years, leaving behind thick crusts of salt and minerals. When it rains the water gets trapped, and then dries up due to intense heat and low rainfall and leaves behind the salt formations.
The salt flats in Mangystau are perfect for abstract photography, with really unique shapes and colours.
What sets Mangystau apart is its otherworldly scenery perfect for landscape photographers, hikers, and anyone drawn to open space. The Tuzbair Salt Flat adds another surreal backdrop, shimmering like a mirror after rare rainfall. With its combination of sacred sites and desert landscapes, Mangystau is Kazakhstan at its most mysterious!
If you want to take epic photos like this one check out our Kazakhstan Photo Tour!
Weather
Seasons
Kazakhstan has a continental climate, meaning there are hot summers, cold winters, and big temperature differences between day and night — especially on the open steppe. Because the country is so big (it’s the ninth largest in the world), weather can vary widely from region to region, but here’s a general guide to what can expect through the seasons.
Winter (December – February)
Winters are long, dry, and extremely cold, particularly in the north and central regions. Average daytime temperatures range from –10°C to –20°C (14°F to –4°F), but can drop below –30°C (–22°F) in places like Astana. The south, including cities like Shymkent and Almaty, is milder, around –5°C to +5°C (23°F to 41°F), though snow is still common. Travel can be challenging in rural areas due to icy roads, but winter brings clear skies and beautiful snow-covered landscapes in the mountains.
Spring (March – May)
Spring comes late but bursts in quickly. Temperatures rise from around 0°C (32°F) in March to 20°C (68°F) by May. The steppe turns green, and wildflowers bloom — making this one of the best seasons for photography and hiking. Rain is more frequent, especially in April and May, and mountain passes begin to reopen.
Summer (June – August)
Summers are hot and dry, especially in the lowlands. Daytime highs in central and southern Kazakhstan often reach 30–38°C (86–100°F), and it can exceed 40°C (104°F) in desert areas. Northern regions, including Kostanay and Pavlodar, are slightly cooler, averaging 25–30°C (77–86°F).
Autumn (September – November)
Autumn is short but beautiful, with crisp air and golden colors sweeping across the steppe. September is still warm (around 20–25°C / 68–77°F), but temperatures drop quickly by November to near freezing. We experienced this firsthand in our recent trip, when we arrived it was still mid/late September and the weather was very hot in the daytime, but by the end of the trip the weather was significantly cooler in the day
Accommodation/Camping
I recommend using booking.com, the standard for basic hotels is really good and similar to the standard if not better sometimes than western accommodation for the price you pay.
The southwest is also popular for camping in certain areas, and it’s completely normal to pitch a tent out in nature — you won’t be alone, but you’ll definitely have plenty of space because the region is so vast.
Even though we camped beside the road, we were completely alone here with no cars passing by.
We camped a lot in the Mangystau area and often passed others in 4x4s doing the same. In terms of safety, it felt completely fine. Most of the time you were totally alone and only saw other people far off in the distance, so you could be surrounded by incredible landscapes like the ones in these photos and feel as if you were the only people on Earth.
Current Safety
Kazakhstan is generally a safe destination for tourists, even though it shares a long border with Russia. Most major travel advisories rate the country as low-risk, and the main tourist areas—such as Almaty, Astana, and popular national parks—are considered safe when normal precautions are taken. The situation along the Russian border does not pose a direct danger to visitors, and Kazakhstan remains politically stable and independent, with no spillover from regional conflicts. Travelers should simply follow standard safety practices: stay aware of petty crime in busy areas, use licensed taxis or ride-hailing apps, avoid photographing military or border facilities, and steer clear of political demonstrations.
Wildlife
Kazakhstan’s diverse landscapes — from the steppe and arid desert to mountain ranges and wetlands — provide habitat for an extraordinary range of wildlife. More than 800 species of animals live here. The open plains are home to herds of saiga antelope, known for their distinctive noses, and wild Bactrian camels, well adapted to the dry deserts of western Kazakhstan.
Driving at night can be particularly dangerous as you can see there are no streetlights and the camels and wild horses roam freely on the highway.
The majority of the camels we saw in Mangystau region were not wild by the markings and collars which identified the herd. In the Tien Shan and Altai mountains, elusive snow leopards, ibex, and golden eagles thrive in rugged terrain, while desert regions shelter gazelles and foxes.
Kazakhstan also plays a vital role for migratory birds, sitting along major flyways linking Siberia and South Asia. Wetlands such as the Korgalzhyn Nature Reserve host flamingos, pelicans, and cranes in summer, attracting birdwatchers from around the world. Ongoing conservation projects aim to protect endangered species like the saiga and snow leopard, and to restore populations of kulan (wild ass) in protected areas. For travelers, Kazakhstan offers a rare opportunity to see wildlife in unspoiled habitats that remain largely free from mass tourism.
Gas Stations in Southwest Kazakhstan
The sheer number of gas stations in Southwest Kazakhstan is quite interesting. There are so many that you can sometimes pass five or more in a row, even in remote areas. Many of them are abandoned, but that doesn’t mean there’s any shortage of fuel. In fact, prices are very reasonable, and it’s easy to find a working station despite all the disused ones. Sometimes you’ll even see these abandoned sites being used again when a large fuel truck pulls up, fills the pumps, and suddenly a queue of cars forms to get gas there.
A gas tank refueling a normally abandoned service station.
Something unusual to be aware of — and this one really surprised us — is how people queue for fuel. Instead of lining up behind a specific pump, everyone queues behind a single car, and that car gets priority for whichever pump becomes free first. This can lead to long lines of cars stretching onto the main road and occasionally causing brief blockages, as people wait at the entrance for access to the next available pump. If you’re not used to this system, it feels a bit strange. I’m used to pulling up behind someone at a specific pump and waiting for that one person to finish. But here, the “first in the queue is first served” method rules. And sometimes the queue isn’t even a line so much as a cluster of cars — yet everyone somehow knows who arrived when, and people respect the order. Quite unique to us!
We looked into why so many gas stations in Southwest Kazakhstan appear abandoned, and several factors seem likely: periodic fuel shortages, such as when the Atyrau Oil Refinery shuts down for maintenance; “artificial” sales restrictions caused by some owners hoarding fuel in anticipation of price changes; and financial strain on smaller independent stations, which struggle to compete under regulated fuel prices. Additionally, upcoming nationwide inspections planned for 2026 mean many older stations may no longer meet modern safety requirements, and instead of upgrading them, owners may simply shut them down because the cost of compliance outweighs the economic benefit of keeping them open.
Drones
In Kazakhstan, drone operations are regulated under specific civil aviation rules. Drones must be registered. Flying over populated or “specific” areas (like cities) requires additional permissions. There are established flight-restriction zones, especially around sensitive government or security infrastructure, and drones must avoid those unless officially approved.
Drone is definitely the best way to capture the scale and beauty of Kazakhstan's landscapes!
Final Thoughts
So whether you’re planning a dedicated landscape photography trip to Kazakhstan, a hiking trip or simply curious about exploring a country that feels both vast and undiscovered, you now have everything you need to start shaping your itinerary. Kazakhstan’s mix of rocky terrain, nomadic past, and modern influences makes it a place that stays with you long after you leave. I hope this has given you a clearer picture of what awaits and maybe even sparked the motivation to experience it yourself! If you’d like to experience the beauty of Kazakhstan, we offer a guided photo tour. The trip includes 4x4 vehicles with drivers, a kitchen tent with a dedicated chef, and a generator for charging equipment. For more details, check it out here: Kazakhstan Tour.
Max Rive is most driven by seeking new perspectives in the natural world and capturing them in his own distinguished style. Max's powerful portrayals of his interactions with the mountains has earned him international recognition in the outdoor community.
Madison McCardle is a passionate landscape photographer driven by curiosity and a desire to capture the true essence of each place she explores. Through her lens, she seeks new perspectives that reveal the beauty and authenticity of the world.
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