Motorcycle trip Kazakhstan

When should one travel in Kazakhstan?

Kazakhstan’s climate is very continental. The seasons are characterised by major temperature variations and the climate differs according to the regions and the altitude. Generally, the best season for a motorcycle trip in Kazakhstan is in spring and autumn. During this period, the temperatures are pleasant for travelling in most parts of the country. If you want to go on a motorcycle trip in the Altai mountains, then it is better to travel during the summer months. While there may be heat waves in the central parts, the Altai range offers a refreshing cool haven. Spring and autumn are the best periods for visiting the cities of Astana and Almaty as well as the areas near the Caspian Sea. In the middle of winter in Kazakhstan, the temperatures can go down to -40° and the northern wind blows over the steppe. The extreme weather conditions make any motorcycle trip almost impossible during this period. To visit Kazakhstan, focus on late spring and early autumn seasons. For example, you can travel in the months of June and September. The temperatures are pleasant during the day and the number of tourists is low.

Geography Kazakhstan

During a motorcycle trip in Kazakhstan, you are going to explore a land of contrasts. This former Soviet socialist republic in Central Asia provides the ideal geography for a motorcycle tour. Kazakhstan, straddled between Europe and Asia is the ninth largest country in the world and the largest Central Asian country. An immense landlocked country, sharing borders with Russia, China, Kirghizstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, it is bounded by the Caspian Sea. The mountains are situated to the East and the South with the mountain ranges of Altai and Tian Shan. You will ride up and down the vast steppes where only a few Kazakh nomads live on this immense virgin territory. The mountainous region of Altai extends to Russia, Mongolia and China with magnificent landscape of meadows, snow peaks, conifer forests, lakes and rivers. The highest peak of Kazakhstan, Khan Tengri, reaches an altitude of 7 010 metres, on the frontier with Kirghizstan. Several endangered species found refuge in the Altai mountains: flowers, birds as well as some snow leopards. The western part of the country, essentially made up of steppes and deserts, is interspersed with salt lakes.

History and culture in Kazakhstan

A motorcycle trip in Kazakhstan will allow you to discover a rich history and a multicultural society. Muslims, the Orthodox, a few Christian communities, Jews and even Buddhists, Kazakhstan is made up of various Central Asian communities. Its history is closely related to Russia, culturally and economically. In the 7th century, the Turkish tribes dominated Kazakhstan till the Mongols of Genghis Khan landed in the 13th century. A mix of Turkish and Mongolian races, the Kazakhs gradually became Islamic. The Chinese and Mongolian invasions continued. The Kazakhs moved closer to the Cossacks, the Russian people who then conquered Kazakhstan. After the 1917 Revolution, the Red Army occupied Kazakhstan and the country became a Soviet Republic within a few years. The Kazakh culture was then partly destroyed and thousands of Kazakhs fled to China. After the Second World War, two million Russians arrived on this untouched and unoccupied country. In the sixties, the Kazakhs represented only 30% de la population. It was in 1990, after the collapse of the USSR, that Kazakhstan once again became a sovereign and independent state. In 1998, Astana became the new capital and the country opened up its economy to the western world.