Kazakhstan Tour Packages from India
- Best TimeMay, June and September
- Flight TimeAbout 4 hours from Delhi
- Ideal Duration5 to 7 nights
Almaty 43.35° N, 77.04° E
Snow Peaks and Steppe, Four Hours Away
Kazakhstan is a four-hour flight from Delhi and a long way from what most people picture. Almaty sits under the snow peaks of the Tian Shan, with ski slopes, glacial lakes and spruce forest within a short drive, and red canyons and open steppe further east. Indian passport holders can currently visit without a visa for up to 14 days.
The distances are what to plan around. Charyn Canyon and the Kolsai lakes are a long day's drive from Almaty, and Astana is a flight away. A good trip is built around one or two bases rather than a rush between them. We also plan it around the season, since the high lakes are a summer trip and the ski slopes a winter one.
Kazakhstan, at a Glance
- Flight time
- About 4 hours from Delhi
- Best time
- May, Jun and Sep
- Ideal stay
- 5 to 7 nights
- Best TimeMay, June and September
- VisaVisa-free for up to 14 days. The free QazETA online permit becomes mandatory on 1 July 2027.
- CurrencyKazakhstani Tenge (KZT)
- LanguageKazakh and Russian
The Best Time to Visit Kazakhstan
Almaty has real seasons, from around freezing in January to about 30°C in July. The mountains decide the trip: the high lakes are a summer outing and the slopes a winter one. Here is how the year works.
April and May
Spring
Mild days in Almaty, fresh green foothills and wild tulips flowering on the steppe.
Snow can linger on the higher trails into May, so we check the mountain roads before we book the lakes.
June to August
Summer
The best months for the high country: Big Almaty Lake, Kolsai and Kaindy are all within reach and the trails are open.
Almaty itself is hot in July and August, around 30°C, so we start the day trips early.
September and October
Autumn
Clear, settled days and the foothills turning gold, with the summer crowds gone.
Nights get cold by October and the first snow can reach the high passes, so we keep the lakes to September.
November to March
Winter
Cold, around freezing in Almaty, with snow on the city and the ski season at Shymbulak above it.
The canyons and high lakes are hard to reach or iced over, so winter trips stay around Almaty and the slopes.
What We Can Arrange in Kazakhstan
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Almaty and AstanaAlmaty
The wooden Ascension Cathedral in Panfilov Park, the Green Bazaar for dried fruit and nuts, and the cable car up Kok-Tobe for the view across the city to the mountains.
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Mountains and LakesMedeu and Shymbulak
Medeu, the high-altitude skating rink, is a short drive above Almaty, and a gondola climbs from there to Shymbulak. It is a ski resort in winter and a walk among the peaks in summer.
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Mountains and LakesBig Almaty Lake
A glacial lake about 2,500 metres up in the mountains south of Almaty, at its most turquoise in summer. It is a protected water source with access rules that change, so we check them before each trip.
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Mountains and LakesKolsai and Kaindy Lakes
Kolsai's chain of lakes in spruce forest, and Lake Kaindy, where the trunks of drowned spruce trees still stand in the water. Best as an overnight trip, with Charyn Canyon on the way.
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Canyons and SteppeCharyn Canyon
The Valley of Castles, a walk between red rock walls down to the Charyn River, about three hours east of Almaty by road.
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Almaty and AstanaAstana
The capital on the steppe, built mostly since the late 1990s: the Bayterek tower, the Khan Shatyr tent and the Palace of Peace and Reconciliation. A short flight from Almaty.
Photos via Wikimedia Commons, cropped: Ascension Cathedral, Almaty by Stomac, CC BY 3.0; Shymbulak by Matti Blume, CC BY-SA 4.0; Big Almaty Lake by BitLord~ruwiki, CC BY-SA 4.0; Valley of Castles, Charyn by dmccarhty, CC BY-SA 3.0.
Who Kazakhstan Suits
First Trips Abroad
A four-hour flight, no visa for a short stay and a city that is easy to find your feet in: a gentle first trip outside India.
Start planning this kind of tripCouples
Mountain lakes, a night near Kolsai and long dinners in Almaty, with snow on the peaks for most of the year.
Start planning this kind of tripFriends and Groups
A shared driver for the canyon and the lakes, the slopes at Shymbulak in winter and an easy city to go out in.
Start planning this kind of tripHikers and Nature Lovers
Trails above Almaty, the Kolsai lakes in spruce forest and the canyons and steppe to the east, best from June to September.
Start planning this kind of tripHow Many Days in Kazakhstan?
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3 to 4 nights
Almaty in a long weekend
The city, Medeu and Shymbulak, and a morning at Big Almaty Lake. Easy with the nonstop flight.
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Most trips
5 to 7 nights
Almaty and the lakes
Almaty and the mountains above it, then Charyn Canyon and a night near the Kolsai and Kaindy lakes. Most Kazakhstan trips land here.
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8+ nights
Almaty and Astana
Add a flight to Astana for the capital on the steppe. Mind the 14-day visa-free limit on a longer trip.
Entry and Visa, in Plain Terms
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Step 1
Visa-Free for 14 Days
Indian passport holders can currently enter Kazakhstan without a visa for up to 14 days at a time, within 42 days in any 180. Your passport should be valid for at least six months, with a return or onward ticket.
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Step 2
QazETA, the New Online Permit
Kazakhstan is bringing in QazETA, a free online travel authorisation for visitors who do not need a visa, applied for at least 72 hours before travel. It is being phased in from November 2026 and becomes mandatory on 1 July 2027.
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Step 3
What It Does Not Change
An approved QazETA is valid for 180 days and several entries, but it does not extend the 14-day stay or replace a visa. Travellers under 16 or aged 65 and over are among those exempt.
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Step 4
We Handle It
We check the current rules for your passport and dates, complete the QazETA with you once it applies, and tell you exactly what to carry.
One Tailored Trip, Not an Off-the-Shelf Package
The difference is in planning around the land and the season. We match the trip to the months you can travel, book drivers who know the mountain roads to Charyn and Kolsai, and settle the entry rules for your passport before you fly, including QazETA once it applies.
None of it is a fixed bundle. It is one tailored trip, priced and shaped around who is travelling and what matters to you, with a real person accountable from the first message to the flight home. If snow closes a road or a flight moves, we rework the plan and tell you what changed.
- The nonstop flight that suits your day
- Visa-free entry and QazETA checked
- A base in the right part of Almaty
- Drivers for the canyon and the lakes
- Mountain trips timed for the season
- A real person accountable
Kazakhstan Questions, Answered
Do Indians need a visa for Kazakhstan?
Not for a short trip. Indian passport holders can currently stay up to 14 days per visit without a visa, within 42 days in any 180-day period. Longer stays, work and study need a visa. Rules change, so we confirm them for your dates.
What is QazETA?
A free electronic travel authorisation for visitors who can enter Kazakhstan without a visa. It is being phased in from November 2026 and becomes mandatory on 1 July 2027. You apply online at least 72 hours before travel, it is valid for 180 days, and it does not extend your permitted stay.
When is the best time to visit Kazakhstan?
May, June and September for Almaty and the mountains, with mild days and the high lakes in reach. July and August are hot in the city, around 30°C, and December to March is cold, with skiing at Shymbulak.
How many days do I need in Kazakhstan?
Five to seven nights covers Almaty, the mountains above it, Charyn Canyon and the Kolsai and Kaindy lakes. Three to four nights suits Almaty alone, and eight or more leaves room for Astana.
How long is the flight from Delhi?
About four hours nonstop to Almaty. Schedules and routes change, so we choose the flights that suit your dates.
What currency is used in Kazakhstan?
The Kazakhstani tenge (KZT). Cards are widely accepted in Almaty and Astana, so carry some cash for the markets and the mountains.
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