Country guide

Kazakhstan

Steppe horizons, Charyn Canyon and Almaty's mountain backdrop in Central Asia's most modern corner.

Currency

KZT

Language

Kazakh

+ Russian

English

Limited

Payment

Cards & cash mixed

Power

Type C / F

230 V, 50 Hz

Dialing

Destinations

Kazakhstan

Aktau

A Soviet oil city with no street names, and behind it the chalk canyons and cliff-cut mosques of the Mangystau desert.

✓ best Apr-Oct

Kazakhstan

Almaty

A city of apple orchards and long cafe lunches with a 4,000 m mountain range at the end of the street - and ski lifts inside the city limits.

✓ best Apr-Jun, Sep-Oct

Kazakhstan

Astana

A capital conjured out of the steppe in a single generation, and one of the coldest cities anyone has ever chosen to govern from.

✓ best May-Sep

Kazakhstan

Turkistan

Kazakhstan's holiest building and its first World Heritage site: Timur's unfinished masterpiece, still a working shrine rather than a monument.

✓ best Mar-May, Sep-Oct

The sweet-spot windows

Good weather, thinner crowds, better prices: the windows worth aiming for.

Where	When	Why it works	Watch out for
Almaty	May, Sep-Oct	Green spring or crisp autumn in the Tian Shan foothills	Jul-Aug hot in city. Winter = ski season

Climate zones, month by month

Kazakhstan has 4 distinct climate zones. The right month depends on where in the country you're going.

Aktau Caspian Sea →

Jan

3°

-3°

18mm

4d rain

Feb

5°

-3°

12mm

3d rain

Mar

11°

2°

15mm

3d rain

Apr

17°

8°

18mm

3d rain

May

24°

14°

13mm

2d rain

Jun

29°

19°

12mm

2d rain

Jul

32°

21°

10mm

2d rain

Aug

32°

21°

8mm

1d rain

Sep

26°

16°

7mm

2d rain

Oct

19°

9°

13mm

2d rain

Nov

10°

3°

22mm

4d rain

Dec

5°

-1°

21mm

5d rain

✓ Best Apr-Oct · ✗ Avoid Dec-Feb

Cards tinted by calculated verdict · big number = typical daily high, small = low · hover for conditions

Almaty Tian Shan →

Jan

1°

-8°

35mm

6d rain

Feb

3°

-6°

43mm

7d rain

Mar

10°

0°

72mm

9d rain

Apr

18°

7°

112mm

10d rain

May

23°

12°

99mm

9d rain

Jun

28°

16°

59mm

7d rain

Jul

31°

19°

43mm

7d rain

Aug

30°

17°

34mm

4d rain

Sep

25°

12°

28mm

3d rain

Oct

17°

5°

50mm

6d rain

Nov

8°

-1°

55mm

7d rain

Dec

2°

-6°

44mm

7d rain

✓ Best Apr-Jun, Sep-Oct

Conditions Jan Cold, ski season · Feb Cold & snowy · Mar Thawing · Apr Green spring · May Warm & lush · Jun Warm · Jul Hot · Aug Hot & dry · Sep Mild & clear · Oct Autumn color · Nov Cold · Dec Cold & snowy

Cards tinted by verified verdict · big number = typical daily high, small = low · hover for conditions

Astana →

Jan

-10°

-19°

18mm

6d rain

Feb

-9°

-18°

17mm

5d rain

Mar

-1°

-10°

20mm

5d rain

Apr

12°

1°

22mm

5d rain

May

21°

8°

33mm

7d rain

Jun

26°

14°

40mm

7d rain

Jul

27°

15°

56mm

8d rain

Aug

26°

13°

31mm

5d rain

Sep

19°

7°

21mm

4d rain

Oct

11°

1°

26mm

6d rain

Nov

-1°

-9°

29mm

7d rain

Dec

-8°

-16°

25mm

7d rain

✓ Best May-Sep · ✗ Avoid Nov-Mar

Conditions Jan-Feb Extreme cold · Mar Cold · Apr Windy thaw · May Mild & green · Jun-Jul Warm · Aug Warm & dry · Sep Cool & clear · Oct-Nov Cold · Dec Extreme cold

Watch for Dec-Feb extreme cold risk

Cards tinted by verified verdict · big number = typical daily high, small = low · hover for conditions

Turkistan →

Jan

2°

-7°

25mm

5d rain

Feb

6°

-5°

26mm

5d rain

Mar

14°

2°

31mm

4d rain

Apr

22°

9°

23mm

4d rain

May

29°

14°

21mm

3d rain

Jun

35°

19°

8mm

2d rain

Jul

37°

20°

4mm

0d rain

Aug

35°

19°

2mm

0d rain

Sep

29°

12°

2mm

0d rain

Oct

21°

5°

12mm

2d rain

Nov

11°

-1°

26mm

5d rain

Dec

4°

-6°

26mm

5d rain

✓ Best Mar-May, Sep-Oct · ✗ Avoid Dec-Feb

Watch for Jul-Aug extreme heat risk

Cards tinted by calculated verdict · big number = typical daily high, small = low · hover for conditions