When you should visit Kazakhstan

Since the magnificent Central Asian country of Kazakhstan attracts relatively few visitors, there are no overly crowded periods to avoid. When means there’s something to discover any time of the year.

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Prices for accommodation are fairly stable year-round (though your options might be limited in winter). So your decision on when to visit Kazakhstan and its vast steppes, impressive cities and mystic mountains will depend on the weather.

Kazakhstan has an extreme continental climate, with large seasonal and regional variations. Expect hot summers (many places, such as Shymkent, simply swelter in the warmest months); biting, dark, snowy winters; and temperate springs and autumns. These shoulder seasons are ideal for visiting the country’s cities as well the steppe.

Nonetheless, it’s possible to have a fabulous visit any time of the year in wild Kazakhstan – if you know, that is, just when to go where.

From May to September, go exploring in the wilderness

Though Kazakhstan is never crowded, summer is the high season for visitors. And for good reason: the warm weather makes it possible to explore deep into the mountains, with snow having cleared most of the passes by mid-June. At the beginning of summer, hiking season kicks off in the Tian Shan and lasts until late September (keep in mind that some trails at high altitudes may still be snow-covered). This is the start of tourist season; book train tickets and hotels in advance.

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While many Kazakhs decamp to the shores of Lake Issyk-Köl in neighboring Kyrgyzstan, many others visit their own vast lake at Burabay National Park. Burabay village and the nearby lakeshores can draw crowds, though once you set out on the walking trails through birch forests you’ll soon find yourself practically alone. It’s worth spending a few days in the area, perhaps renting a catamaran or small boat on the lake, or climbing one of the hills that offers a fantastic lookout over the park.

The true highlight of a summer visit to Kazakhstan? Access to the Altai Mountains, a wilderness rich in wildlife, whose remoteness is so extreme it brings a tinge of danger. (You don’t get here by accident.) Katon-Karagay National Park – and  its green meadows, local honey and fine mountain cuisine – should be high on your list.

It’s also possible to visit regions like the Ustyurt Plateau in summer: although it’s a deserted and dry steppe, with hot daytime temperatures to match, there is always a breeze. Same goes for the city of Aktau, whose shoreline along the Caspian Sea is dotted with beaches and resorts.

In spring and autumn, celebrate nature and culture

Spring arrives at different times in this vast country: May in the north, April in the south. Whenever it arrives, any Kazakh spring is a short one – and always marked by Nauryz, around the third week of March. Across the country (and all of Central Asia), everyone celebrates this festival, which welcomes the change in season, with the smell of sumalak, a sweet paste made over the course of a week from germinated wheat, wafting through every square. National games are organized as well as dancing and singing performances. Astana has a reputation for throwing a particularly spectacular Nauryz celebration.

Later, when spring hits its peak, Kazakhs and travelers alike head for the hills to see the first wild tulips blooming in the meadows. (The beloved blooms are native to Central Asia.) Shortly after come the spectacular poppies. The hills outside Shymkent lend themselves particularly well to this season.

Autumn is a period of celebration in steppe cultures, including the Kazakhs, with weddings often scheduled for this season. The changing colors of the forests and the cooler temperatures make autumn the best time to visit Charyn Canyon, which is just too hot to enjoy during summer. The outskirts of the Altai Mountains in the east are nice to hike in during early autumn, too – as long as the first snows haven’t yet fallen.

For travelers on a trip that includes several “-stans,” spring and autumn are the perfect time to visit, as the weather in hotter regional destinations such as Uzbekistan is still clement.

Winter is…extreme – and perfect for adventurous skiers

If -30°C (-22°F) doesn’t scare you away from the get-go, then a winter visit to Kazakhstan has many rewards for adventurous types. Mountain lovers can ski at Shymbulak Ski Resort outside Almaty. It’s the largest ski resort in Central Asia, with slopes threading through the Tian Shan range.

Outside of skiing, winter can be a difficult time to visit Kazakhstan, with winds that whip across the steppe bringing biting cold (the same cold that chills Siberia). On less-freezing days in smaller villages, you might catch a match of kokpar, the Kazakh version of the Central Asian game in which horse-mounted players use a dead goat in place of a polo ball. On days when the wind abates, the silence and emptiness of the steppe is at once oppressive and invigorating.