14 Things to Do in Kazakhstan

The world's highest Olympic-sized skating rink and a year-round mountain resort with cable cars, skiing, and alpine hiking.

A 105-metre monument and observation tower symbolising the Tree of Life — the best panorama over Astana's futuristic skyline.

A dramatic red-rock canyon often called Kazakhstan's mini-Grand Canyon, with a 90-million-year-old valley of castles.

A stunning glacial lake in the Tien Shan mountains, its turquoise waters framed by snow-capped peaks just outside Almaty.

A Norman Foster-designed glass pyramid in Astana that hosts a congress of world religions and traditional Kazakh culture.

Almaty's favourite viewpoint, reached by cable car, with a Beatles statue, amusement park, and sweeping city-and-mountain views.

Almaty's mountain playground — skating, skiing, cable cars, and Tien Shan views.

Astana's symbolic observation tower and the best viewpoint over the modern capital.

One of Central Asia's largest mosques — a beautiful white marble landmark in Astana.

Top-tier skiing in winter and cool alpine hiking in summer, with cable cars above Almaty.

A surreal sunken forest in a mountain lake, created by an earthquake in the Tien Shan.

Witness the ancient Kazakh tradition of hunting with golden eagles in the countryside.

A 1,500-year-old Silk Road city with the stunning Mausoleum of Khoja Ahmed Yasawi.

Vast protected steppe home to the singing dunes, rare wildlife, and ancient petroglyphs.