Kazakhstan is Central Asia’s giant — a country the size of Western Europe with landscapes that range from the snow-capped Tien Shan mountains to the vast emptiness of the steppe, from the surreal Charyn Canyon to the Aral Sea’s apocalyptic shipwrecks rusting in desert sand. This is where Yuri Gagarin launched into space from Baikonur Cosmodrome in 1961 — and where rockets still blast off today. The former capital Almaty sits beneath mountains that hold some of Central Asia’s best skiing and trekking. Nur-Sultan (Astana), the futuristic new capital, is a showcase of 21st-century architecture rising from the steppe like a science fiction set. And across the countryside, Kazakh nomadic culture persists: yurt camps, kumis (fermented mare’s milk), eagle hunting festivals, and a relationship with horses that defines the national character.

RJ Travel operates group tours and private tours across Kazakhstan, from Almaty’s mountain walks and the Charyn Canyon to the Baikonur Cosmodrome, the Altyn-Emel singing dunes, the Aral Sea’s graveyard of ships, the Silk Road city of Turkestan, and the Kolsai Lakes in the Tien Shan. Our itineraries include nomadic culture stays, space launch viewing, and multi-day treks through alpine landscapes.

Whether you’re drawn by watching a Soyuz rocket launch from the same pad as Gagarin, standing on the rim of the Charyn Canyon as it glows red at sunset, or sleeping in a yurt on the steppe while an eagle hunter tells stories by firelight, our Kazakhstan tours reveal the most underrated country in Central Asia.