Kazakhstan, the world’s ninth largest country, is not all golden steppe land. The country boasts some of the most incredible geographical wonders as well, especially in its southern recesses.

Accessible from the country’s former capital Almaty, they consist of an eclectic array of lakes and canyons which would leave even the most jaded traveller starry-eyed. Yes, they are that beautiful. To ensure they stay beautiful, they are protected under the UNESCO national network of biosphere reserves.

Unless you have the luxury of unlimited time in the country, along with your own transport, it would not be possible to strike them all off a bucket list. Do not even try!

Those that are accessible, not because of any seamless public transport, but rather courtesy of a handful of day trips, are luckily the best of the lot.

When it comes to lakes, Lake Kaindy, literally meaning both ‘birch tree’ lake and ‘landslide’ wins hands down. And it is not simply for its scenic beauty with bare birch tree trunks rising from deep turquoise-blue waters as a result of yes, you guessed right, a landslide. It also trumps the popularity list because of the adrenalin-filled journey needed to reach it.

This comes in the form of a hair-raising offroad adventure across rivers and boulders in Soviet-era vans accompanied with loud Russian rap, followed by a steep downhill walk to the lake’s shores. You could of course just hike the whole way or take a horse ride, but naa, that would be so tame.

Lake Kaindy’s uniqueness is in its sea of birch trees submerged in turquoise-blue waters, and the modus operandi to reach this spectacular sight.

Lower Kolsai Lake’s charms are of the other kind–the paddle boat trip variety on serene silk-smooth waters hemmed in by pine-clad peaks. The lowest of a string of three lakes connected by a gushing icy river in the Kolsai Lakes National Park near the Kyrgyzstan border, it is the only one reachable by a motorable road. The other two lakes lie higher up on a hiking trail.

A local myth explains this geographical formation with a story of three sisters who fell in love and wished for the same man. Luckily for them their wish came true—the sisters were turned into lakes and the hero into the Kolsai river.

Lower Kolsai Lake in the span of an hour. Weather can be unpredictable in the mountains with sunny skies giving way to thunderstorms in a flash.

From lakes to canyons, and in Kazakhstan even the latter will make you gasp in awe. For starters there is the Charyn Canyon National Park near the Kazakh-Chinese border. Uncannily like the Grand Canyon, though much smaller at a length of 50 kilometres, it is one of the oldest canyons in the world at 12 million years.

Its Valley of Castles with fantastical red sandstone formations is the most popular and stunning section. Time your visit for the late afternoon sun when it is at its most mystical, and do not forget to walk down the upper length to ring a bell proclaiming you had made it to here.

Valley of Castles in the 12-million-year-old Charyn Canyon National Park, Kazakhstan’s very own grand canyon.

Black Canyon is the deepest among Kazakhstan’s canyons and has been formed by the Charyn river eroding the black rocks over millions of years.

Further afield, rarely visited, and possible on a day trip, is the surreal Altyn-Emel National Park. Spread over 4,600 sq. kms, it is the country’s largest reserve and comprises of a heady mix of 200- to 400-million-year-old topographies.

Sites not to miss inside the park are the Aktau Mountains for their lunar-like chalk-white and 50 shades of orange terrain, the 3-kilometre-long and 150-metre-high Singing Dune which does not exactly ‘sing’ but does a cross between a hum and a rev as one slides down its slopes, and the fabulous maroon lava formations of the Katutau Mountains reminiscent of a large-scale contemporary sculpture. They all offer short hikes through pristine nature.

When the wise say God is the greatest artist, perhaps they had been to southern Kazakhstan. What do you say? 🙂

Yes, that’s a piece of quartz in my hand! And I just picked it off the ground. [I also put it back. 🙂 ] The chalk-white mineral-rich Aktau Mountains, together with the Katutau Mountains and Singing Dune, lie in the Altyn-Emel National Park.

Fabulous lava formations serve as telltale remnants of ancient volcanic eruptions in the Katutau Mountains.

Singing Dune: One of my favourite places in Kazakhstan. The ‘singing’ part is pretty cool. However, what really adds to the magic is the immensity and translucent beauty of the landscape—a solitary colossal dune amidst prehistoric mountains. When the sun sets, the whole combination becomes ethereal. ❤

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I explored the two national parks through day trips departing from Almaty. The tours were run by Kazakhstan, Very Nice!.

[This blog post is part of a series from my 14-day solo independent travels across Kazakhstan in August–September, 2024. To read more posts in my Kazakhstan series, click here.]