Shymkent

Entry requirements vary by passport. Check the requirements for your specific passport on the Kazakhstan page at Yoogo.

Kazakhstan's currency is the Kazakhstani tenge (KZT). Card payments are common in hotels, restaurants, and larger shops in Almaty and Astana, but carrying cash remains useful for smaller vendors, markets, and local transport. ATMs accepting Visa and Mastercard are widely available in cities and at airports.

Kazakhstan is generally considered a safe destination for travellers, with the US State Department rating it at Level 1 (exercise normal precautions). Petty theft is the most common concern in busy urban areas, so the usual city-travel precautions apply. Violent crime against tourists is uncommon.

Almaty has a single metro line that is clean and inexpensive, and both cities have buses and trolleybuses covering most areas. Ride-hailing apps such as Yandex Go are widely used and straightforward for non-Russian speakers. Long-distance travel between cities is possible by domestic flight or overnight train, with flights being significantly faster given Kazakhstan's vast distances.

The shoulder seasons of April to May and September to October offer the most pleasant conditions for travel, with mild temperatures and scenic landscapes in bloom or autumn colour. Summers can be very hot on the steppe (above 40°C in places), while winters are severe across most of the country, with temperatures regularly dropping below -20°C. Mountain regions near Almaty are accessible for hiking from June through early October.

Kazakh and Russian are both official languages, with Russian widely understood across all major cities. English is spoken in hotels, international restaurants, and some tourist services in Almaty and Astana, but is less common outside these areas. Learning a few words of Russian or downloading a translation app can be very helpful for navigating daily interactions.

Hepatitis A and typhoid vaccines are commonly recommended for most travellers, and all visitors should be up to date with routine immunisations including MMR and tetanus-diphtheria. Tick-borne encephalitis is a risk in forested and rural areas, particularly in eastern regions during spring and summer, so consult a travel health professional at least four to six weeks before departure. Malaria is not present in Kazakhstan.

Tipping is appreciated but not obligatory. In restaurants, leaving around 10% is customary if a service charge has not already been included in the bill, which is common at smarter establishments. Taxi drivers and ride-hailing services do not generally expect tips, though rounding up the fare is a small appreciated gesture.