7 Cool, Hidden, and Unusual Things to Do in Kazakhstan- A Land of Breathtaking Heights

The world's largest landlocked country is a mosaic of diverse landscapes and cultures that add richness and authenticity to every single experience. If you're visiting the atmospheric city of Almaty with its moody Soviet-inspired architecture, vibrant markets, rejuvenating Arasan baths, and exhilarating hikes to the Big Almaty Gorge with its lake of ever-changing colours, don't forget to ride on horseback through the world's first apple orchards that gorgeously entangle the Tian Shan mountains.

From the meteoric futurism, love notes to heritage, and nomadic simplicity of its major cities to forests melting into jewel-toned alpine lakes, dreamy dunescapes, and pearlescent mountaintop ice rink, Kazakhstan weaves eloquent magic into every moment. Picturesque train journeys between Kazakhstan's rich inheritance of nature-kissed sanctuaries should be a vital part of your itinerary, starting with the arresting landscapes of majestic 'singing' dunes, red-and-orange-stripped Akatu Hills, ancient wildlife retreats, and Turanga forests intricately woven into the vast breadth of Altyn-Emel. The Ile-Alatau National Park is also a spectacular glamping escape with its blockbuster-worthy treks yielding views of snow-touched pyramids, teal-blue lakes, as well as meadows and woodland hills decked in more shades of green than you knew existed!

The oldest national park of Kazakhstan hosts bizarre and beautiful sights, sounds, and sensations that cannot be replicated, with mountain museums showcasing fathomless fields of brilliant tulips, crystalline waterfalls, ancient rock art, grassland oceans, and strikingly deep canyons. If you're looking for sophisticated Atyrau apartments proffering prime access to diverse national enticements, venture no further than Somerset City Centre Atyrau.

For a country whose vast majority is steeped in steppe islands, granite peaks, fragrant woodland, and glacial mountain ranges, it's surprisingly full of unexpected human touches, from the serious-looking local who seems not to notice you but suddenly gifts you with a native handicraft to complex cuisine that warms your soul and audaciously innovative architecture that stuns you with its sheer genius. If you like cutting-edge plot twists to spice up your usual shopaholic's narrative in luxury retail centres, the state-of-the-art tented arena of the Khan Shatyr Entertainment Centre, with its contemporary nod to nomadic architecture, is a soaring world with its microclimate, urban-scaled park, massive shopping and recreational complex, and fully-fledged water park complete with impressive wave pools and slides.

While the ivory submerged forest haunting the turquoise Kaindy Lake and the bejewelled depths of Kolsai Lakes are better known, if you're looking for an off-the-beaten-path allurement, snowy forest-clad mountains cradling the iridescent gem of Issyk Lake is just as romantic of a scene, especially with its tragic yet hopeful story of resilience during destruction.

From camel's milk, spicy horsemeat sausages, and platters of dried apricots, figs, pomegranates, and nuts to intricately embroidered Kazakh attire, supplely woven slippers, and beautiful artisan souvenirs, Almaty's iconic two-story bazaar needs a day all on its own to sample.

Nurturing the roots of over 126 different cultures, it's no surprise that Kazakh cuisine is succulently varied, and you won't want to miss out on unique local favourites like the "five fingers" meat and flour dish of beshbarmak, the complex burst of flavours in meaty palau, and the herb-and-veg-infused 'Asian ravioli' sizzling with lamb fat called manti.