Almaty is the biggest city, may have yielded capital status to its showy young rival, Astana, but it remains the country’s cultural and financial center, and guardian of the Kazakh soul. Almaty tour remains full of surprises for tourists looking for trips closer to nature. Amazingly set beneath the snow-capped peaks of the commanding Zailysky-Alatau Mountains, it’s a tranquil, amusingly green city filled with fancy malls and fountains, black-windowed SUVs and broad, busy roads. It’s the classy, modern center of a wealthy petro-economy for sure, but one with enough wonders to makeAlmaty package a highlight of any visit to Kazakhstan.