Diverse experiences await travelers in Kazakstan

The most popular section, the Valley of Castles, is accessible by a regular car; for the rest, a four-wheel drive vehicle would be necessary. This section is accessible by either a guided tour from Almaty, driving, or taking public transportation and then hiking the rest of the way.

From the car park, a rough 3 km road descends into the Valley of Castles, with some spectacular red rock formations reminiscent of Utah or Arizona, before ending at the Charyn River. It's an idyllic spot, but apart from taking a quick and very cold dip near the shore, swimming is dangerous, as the river is deceptively fast.

Armed with a vehicle and GPS(or on a tour with a knowledgeable guide) it is possible to access more remote parts of the canyon, and marvel at the contrast in scenery. The Yellow Canyon is a sculpted, arid moonscape, while from a more precipitous viewpoint, high above the river, there are tremendous views over bare, dark slopes, crisscrossed with precarious paths used by nimble-footed mountain goats, visible to those with enough luck, and the right pair of binoculars.

What makes an exploration of Kazakhstan so exciting, besides the unbounded freedom, is its surprising diversity. Northern Kazakhstan is a case in point. There is still plenty of steppe on offer, but the scenery edges into a more Siberian style of terrain. It's colder and wetter. Trees and lakes start to dominate. The ethnic mix changes.

And at the center of it all, Astana prevails. It is often called the Dubai of the Steppe, which is an apt nickname in many different ways. The area is simultaneously an agricultural powerhouse, an industrial monolith, and a spacious camping ground.

Further to the east lie more hidden gems ready to be discovered. Semey and its surroundings have surprising tales to tell, while Ust-Kamenogorsk forms the gateway to the storied Altai Mountains.

It was only last year that the city changed its name back to Astana. Yet this is not the first namechange that the Kazakh capital has undergone. Founded in 1830 as a Russian fortress, the city was called Akmola, meaning White Tomb in Kazakh. In 1961 it was renamed to Tselinograd, meaning Virgin Lands City, after a Soviet program to boost agricultural output and stop food shortages. It reverted to being Akmola after the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991 and remained so for three short years.

It was Kazakh former president Nursultan Nazarbayev who moved the country's capital city from Almaty in the south to Northern Akmola in 1994, and in 1998 the city underwent yet another name change — Astana.

It is difficult to believe today that when the capital was moved from Almaty in 1997 it was just a dusty little village. Since then it has gone through a building boom, transforming it into a futuristic city full of modern, quirky architecture all funded by the country's vast oil and energy resources.

Modern Astana, much like Dubai, is a beacon of wealth and opulence. The city is filled with shopping malls and sprawling offices. Though it may not be home to ancient wonders or historic heritage, the area is worth a look for the architecture alone.

When visiting the city, the most popular area is between the Presidential Palace and Khan Shatyr shopping mall.

This area has some of the most interesting things to do within Astana. And simply by following the main street from one side of the city to another, visitors will have the chance to see everything on offer.

Travelers taking a route from east to west will first come across the Presidential Palace, a representation of which can be found on the 10,000 tenge banknote. Other noteworthy stops include: the Golden Towers, known by locals as "beer cans"; the Singing fountains, part of a network of fountains built across the city to aid in irrigation and create a favorable microclimate, and the Bayterek tower, a new symbol of the city which can be seen on every banknote in the country. Based on a Kazakh folk legend, the tower shows a mythical egg sitting in a mythical tree. It's possible to take an elevator all the way up to see the egg and get a view of the downtown area of the city in all its glory.

Moving further to the west is the Nur-Astana Mosque, the third-largest mosque in Central Asia that can fit up to 5,000 worshippers; the Kaz-MunayGas Headquarters, the unique design of this building stands out within the city and shows the importance of the gas industry in the country; the Abay Opera House, built in 1941, and was designed with a unique blend of European, Stalinist and Kazakh architecture and finally the Khan Shatyr Entertainment Center, built to look like a monumental tent, the center is the highest structure of its kind in the world and is worth visiting for this reason alone.

Another location of note is the National Museum of the Republic of Kazakhstan. This huge museum constructed from blue glass and white marble covers the history and culture of Kazakhstan from ancient to modern times.

Themed halls are filled with interactive displays and artifact exhibits, ranging from a yurt in the Hall of Ethnography to a chronicle of the capital's modern history in the Hall of Astana.

Visitors are welcomed into the grandiose entry hall by a giant golden eagle soaring over a vast map of the country. Highlights include the Hall of Ethnography, with its rich collection of objects related to Kazakhstan's nomadic culture.

A particular standout is the Golden Hall, which houses several thousand Bronze Age ornaments from the famed "Golden Man" burial site (a national symbol of Kazakhstan) — a 3rd or 4th century dog site where a warrior whose gold-clad remains were uncovered in 1969.