Itinerary - Kazakhstan 360°: Almaty, Turkestan and the Mangystau Desert in 4x4

Our adventure begins in the most populous city and, until 1977, the capital of Kazakhstan. We immerse ourselves in the local culture with a tour that touches the symbolic places: the Ascension Cathedral , completed in 1907, with its 56 meters, it is the second tallest wooden building in the world and the only building in Almaty that remained intact following the devastating earthquake of 1911. Then we'll visit the Park of the 28 Panfilov Guards, the Republic Square and the Museum of National Musical Instruments . Over 1000 objects are featured in the museum's collection, including rare finds dating back to the 17th century.

Later we'll make our must-visit to the Green Bazaar , the oldest and largest market in Kazakhstan where you can find and try local products of the country, such as fresh camel milk. At sunset we take a cable car up the Kok Tobe hill to admire the city from above and the majestic mountains that frame it before tasting local dishes at dinner in a local restaurant.

This morning we will meet the local guide and the driver who will accompany us for the next three days to discover the eastern part of this region. We load our backpacks on the van and off we go in the direction of Charyn Canyon !

This place is a unique natural complex not only in Kazakhstan, but in the whole world. Formed in the Paleogene era, steep slopes of the canyon reach 150-300 m and you're also surrounded by towers of rocks made by wind and water, also known as Valley of Castles.

We'll make our way to Kolsay Lakes State Natural Park. Kolsay Lakes are a system of three lakes called “pearls” of the Northern Tien Shan. The lakes are surrounded by coniferous forests of spruce. We take the opportunity to take a nice walk along the Lower Lake and if we have time we could reach the Central Lake which is located at 2250 m above sea level.

Late in the evening we reach the village of Saty and the guesthouse where our first family dinner awaits us.

We'll visit a lake nestled at 2,000 meters above sea level, reaching depths of up to 30 meters. It was formed in 1911 after a powerful earthquake (7.7 on the Richter scale) triggered a massive limestone landslide, creating a natural dam. This dramatic event reshaped the landscape and gave birth to a stunning rain-fed lake, known for its crystal-clear waters in countless shades and its icy temperature.

What makes this place truly extraordinary is the submerged forest of Asian Red Fir trees. Their bare trunks rise eerily above the water’s surface, while the branches and leaves remain perfectly preserved below—frozen in time since that fateful day in 1911.

This is a one-of-a-kind natural wonder that draws divers from around the world, eager to witness the surreal underwater forest. Weather permitting, we may also enjoy a horseback ride through the surrounding area, taking in the rich flora and fauna that make this place so special.

After lunch, we’ll return to Almaty and board the night train to Shymkent, continuing our journey along the historic Silk Road.

A local guide will introduce us to this thousand-year-old history with our tour around Shymkent, the second most populous city in Kazakhstan and is a place where past and present coexist in harmony.

We'll explore the city that was founded in the 12th century as a " caravanserai " to protect the city of Sayram on the Silk Road and grew as a market centre for trade between Turkic nomads. We'll learn how, over the years, first Islamic architecture and then 19th-century Soviet architecture have transformed the city.

Our journey through Turkestan continues through the ruins of Otrar , an ancient settlement destroyed by the Mongol invasions of Genghis Khan in 1219. Excavations begun in 1969 have brought to light the remains of numerous brick structures, including a palace, mosques, a bathhouse and ovens.

Before arriving in the city of Turkestan, we make a stop at the mausoleum of Arystan Bab .

Our journey takes us to Turkestan, once a thriving seat of power during the late Middle Ages. It served as a residence for Timurid and later Shaybanid rulers, and was later chosen by the Kazakh Khans as their capital and the spiritual heart of their lands.

As we explore the city, we'll get a sense of its past as a major crossroads for traders and travellers from all over the region. One of the highlights of our visit will be the Mausoleum of Hodja Ahmed Yasawi — Kazakhstan’s first UNESCO World Heritage site, recognised in 2002. This grand monument honors the revered Turkish Sufi poet and mystic who played a key role in shaping Sufi traditions across the Turkic-speaking world.

In the afternoon, we’ll return to Shymkent and catch a domestic flight to Aktau, arriving in the evening — ready for the next leg of our adventure.

We climb into our jeeps towards Zhygylgan , a huge crescent-shaped cliff, which scientists say was formed a million years ago as a result of a meteorite shower. At the base you can see traces of herbivorous and predatory animals from the Triassic period (millions of years ago): saber-toothed tigers, lions, the ancestors of today's horses inhabited this area.

Then, we continue towards the picturesque Kapansay , a narrow chalk canyon, which impresses with its sheer and uniform walls, which reach a height of 70 meters.

We will then stop at the Shakpak-Ata underground mosque to discover the UNESCO heritage site dating back more than 1000 years.

After lunch, we head to Torysh , a large barren expanse occupied by hundreds of mysterious spherical rock formations. These stone balls have a size of about 3-4 m in diameter. The time of formation began 180-120 million years ago.

A local legend says that swarms of invaders came like locusts to Mangystau. The locals raised their hands to the sky to pray for help and were heard. The heavens opened with storms, thunder and lightning. In an instant the enemies turned to stone. Luckily, we escape this legend and arrive at the ethnic village of Kogez for an overnight stay in traditional Kazakh yurts.

We're back on the road to the the multi-coloured mountain of Sherkala . From a certain angle, it looks like a giant yurt. Our journey continues to the vast Ustyurt plateau, where nature has created another miracle: the magnificent Tuzbair salt lake. First we admire it from above and then we will descend for a walk along the salt flats. During heavy rains or melting snow, the salt marsh fills with water and turns into a huge salt mirror that reflects the sky.

The chalk cliffs are carved and riddled with deep channels that form countless chains of fantastic columns. At the end of the lake there is a giant natural semi-arch created by the wind, the Tuzbair Arch . At sunset we reach the tented camp. We will spend the night in a tent surrounded by a starry sky. Dinner prepared on the fire in the camping area.

On this last day on the road we drive to a place of extraordinary beauty: the Boszhira Valley . where mother nature has given complete freedom to her imagination, creating an otherworldly landscape in shades of white - canyons, peaks, mountains-towers, mountains-castles, mountains-yurts. Among these rock formations rises the Bokty Mountain , a colourful striped mountain nestled in the desert, which is so iconic that it's depicted on the 1000 tenge banknotes of the local currency.

Today we will have a picnic lunch in a unique place in the world, at the foot of the Kyzylkup Hills, better known as Tiramisu Hills !

These hills are reminiscent of a tiramisu because of the bizarre horizontal stripes of pale pink, burgundy, gray and white rock. An easy climb will allow us to take some crazy photos of this incredible place still little known to mass tourism.

On the way back to Aktau we cross the Karagie Depression, the fifth deepest in the world with a depth of 132 meters below sea level. Here we reach a great viewpoint: the Sautty tract cliff. Its name translated from the Kazakh language as "black cavity".

We return to the civilisation of Aktau . After checking in, we'll head out for our final Kazakh group dinner!

It's time to say goodbye, but if the flights are late in the evening (yes, it's an invitation to take them as late as possible) we still have a chance to visit the city of Aktau together.