Travel Stories

• wildlife and nature

• activities

5 min read • Jan 12, 2018

A pleasant, leafy city that would seem more at home in central Europe than Central Asia, Almaty is stocked with museums, cafes and nightlife. But…

• sports

• activities

5 min read • Feb 22, 2017

A crowd roars as a favourite local wrestler pins his opponent for the championship. A rumble of shock as a single horse-and-jockey fall to the back of a…

• festivals and events

• art and culture

4 min read • Mar 17, 2016

Framed by the snowy peaks of the Tian Shan mountains on the southern horizon, two teams of horsemen gather at centre field in Bishkek's Ak-Kula Hippodrome…

• road trips

• destination practicalities

5 min read • Aug 3, 2015

Once the realm of Silk Road merchants and Great Game spies, the Heavenly Mountains and Black Sand deserts of the 'Stans, as the five countries of Central…

• art

• art and culture

4 min read • Jul 28, 2015

Kazakhstan might be best known for its nomadic roots, but its new capital city, Astana, is making waves with a surrealist skyline. When the government…

• art

• art and culture

2 min read • Nov 11, 2009

If oil, gas, uranium and rockets are Kazakhstan's thrusting future, then Turkistan is where you will find its gentle soul.

• art

• art and culture

2 min read • Nov 11, 2009

Sitting in Yuri Gagarin's chair? Check. Watching a rocket launch? Check. Exploring a Soviet blast from the past? Check. Then you must be in Baikonur, in…

1 min read • Nov 11, 2009

If Ghenghis Khan were alive today he’d be riding on 220cc! The most fun you can have with your clothes on, bouncing around on a dune buggy is an…