For a long time, Kazakhstan was the punchline of geography quizzes. Now it's racking up millions of TikTok views and turning up on official destination lists — and the numbers back the hype. In 2025, nearly 2.5 million travellers visited Almaty, the country's largest city, including around 754,000 international arrivals, a 9.9% jump in foreign visitors year on year. A #TravelKazakhstan TikTok campaign spawned more than 2,800 videos and over 11 million views, and travel TV has since beamed Almaty into homes in over 110 countries. Bloomberg even named it one of 25 places to visit in 2026.
The easiest starting point is Almaty itself. The city sits at the base of the Zailiysky Alatau mountains in the Tian Shan range, so you can go from galleries and coffee to ski slopes in a single day. Shymbulak ski resort is close enough for a day trip, hiking trails start practically on the doorstep, and in town the Green Bazaar delivers local food and daily life while Kok-Tobe hill hands you views over the whole city. Leafy streets, Soviet-era blocks and a growing creative and dining scene give it more character than most people expect.
But the real draws lie beyond the city limits. Charyn Canyon, in the southeast, is a stretch of dramatic rock formations often compared to the American Southwest. Further into the mountains, the Kolsai Lakes offer alpine water and forest, while Lake Kaindy is the surreal standout — a cold, turquoise lake with a submerged forest of tree trunks poking through the surface. Head west to the Mangystau region and the scenery flips entirely: desert, cliffs, strange rock shapes and huge empty spaces that make the phrase 'off the beaten track' sound generous.
There's culture here too, not just scenery. Nomadic heritage, horse culture and crafts remain central to Kazakh identity, and the cuisine rewards the curious. Meanwhile the capital, Astana, plays a completely different role — a futuristic skyline of bold architecture rising out of the steppe, with museums and a contemporary cultural scene.
Practically speaking, this is a big-country trip. Kazakhstan covers more than 2.7 million square kilometres, and distances that look short on a map translate into long drives. A first visit deserves at least a week — enough to base yourself in Almaty and take in the canyons and lakes — with ten days or more if you want to add a second region like the capital or the west. Check entry rules carefully before booking: South Africans, for example, need a tourist e-visa arranged through Kazakhstan's official Visa and Migration Portal, and it requires visa support from a host inside the country.
The honest verdict? Kazakhstan is past the secret-destination phase — international visitor numbers are climbing and the social media floodgates are open. But there's still a wide gap between a viral clip and standing at the edge of Lake Kaindy. If you want dramatic scenery, proper hiking, unfamiliar food and a destination most of your friends haven't done yet, the window to visit it before the crowds fully arrive is very much open now.
Original source: Getaway South Africa