Almaty, capital of Kazakhstan till 1995, and the Almaty province are still the favourite destination for most visitors to the country. That can be explained by the presence of an international airport, a big and modern metropole as well as naturally diverse surroundings.

Still Almaty, with 2 million inhabitants, is the biggest city of Kazakhstan, a status it won't lose in the foreseeable future. And still it's the economic and cultural capital of  the country. A green and spacely designed city, pleasant to walk about but less pleasant driving your car in the morning- and evening traffic jams.
The proximity of the snow-capped mountains from the Northern Tien Shan range to the south, as well as its many (modern) facilities make it a pleasant city to dwell.

The surroundings of Almaty offer plenty of opportunities for a complete holidays, taking into consideration the natural variety and presence of historic places. Highlights are Charyn Canyon - at 220 km from Almaty possible as a daytour -, the Altai Emel National Park and the three beautiful Kolsai mountain lakes.

It's well possible to take several daytours or short roundtours from Almaty, as well as a more extensive roundtour through Almaty province. Have a look at the tours offered below.

The population of Almaty is a harmonious mix of Kazakhs, Russians and many many other nationalities (Uzbek, Ukrainian, Kyrgyz, Uygur, German...).
In the surrounding mountains, in summer one can still find semi-nomads with their herds and living in traditional yurts, and even stay with them on certain tours.

Finally, presently Almaty is a modern place with all modern facilitities like five-star hotels, shopping malls, WiFi, restaurants and nightclubs. In Kazakhstan, Almaty is the ultimate place to witness and enjoy the results of almost 20 years of economic liberalization and a new found (oil)wealth.