KAZAKHSTAN The forgotten Heart of Central Asia | Travel Documentary
Step into the heart of Kazakhstan, a country where ancient history meets breathtaking natural beauty. From the endless steppes and rugged mountains to shimmering lakes and hidden cultural gems, Kazakhstan is one of the world’s most surprising travel destinations.
In this full travel documentary, we explore the most amazing places in Kazakhstan, uncovering its dramatic landscapes, fascinating traditions, and unique blend of East and West. Discover why this Central Asian giant is more than just wide horizons—it’s a land of stories, legends, and unforgettable wonders.
🗺 Each travel documentary on this channel is individually written, edited, and narrated to provide a high-quality and original experience for viewers.
In this travel documentary we'll explore:
#Aktau Mountains
#Caspian Sea Coast
#Aral Sea Remnants
#Shymkent
#Mausoleum of Arystan Bab
Mausoleum of #Khoja Ahmed Yasawi (Turkistan)
#Aksu-Zhabagly Nature Reserve
#Almaty
#Shymbulak Ski Resort
#Tamgaly-Tas Petroglyphs
#Altyn-Emel National Park
Lake #Balkhash
#Bektau-Ata
#Kolsai Lakes
Lake Kaindy
#Charyn Canyon
#Astana (Nur-Sultan)
#Borovoe (Burabay) National Park
Discover the Beauty of Our Planet's Most Iconic Destinations. Welcome to a world of extraordinary travel experiences! On our channel, we take you on a thrilling exploration of some of the most iconic and breathtaking places on Earth.
#travel #travelvideo #traveldocumentary #kazakhstan #bestplaces #documentary #bestplacesinkazakhstan
Step into the heart of Kazakhstan, a country where ancient history meets breathtaking natural beauty. From the endless steppes and rugged mountains to shimmering lakes and hidden cultural gems, Kazakhstan is one of the world’s most surprising travel destinations.
In this full travel documentary, we explore the most amazing places in Kazakhstan, uncovering its dramatic landscapes, fascinating traditions, and unique blend of East and West. Discover why this Central Asian giant is more than just wide horizons—it’s a land of stories, legends, and unforgettable wonders.
🗺 Each travel documentary on this channel is individually written, edited, and narrated to provide a high-quality and original experience for viewers.
In this travel documentary we'll explore:
#Aktau Mountains
#Caspian Sea Coast
#Aral Sea Remnants
#Shymkent
#Mausoleum of Arystan Bab
Mausoleum of #Khoja Ahmed Yasawi (Turkistan)
#Aksu-Zhabagly Nature Reserve
#Almaty
#Shymbulak Ski Resort
#Tamgaly-Tas Petroglyphs
#Altyn-Emel National Park
Lake #Balkhash
#Bektau-Ata
#Kolsai Lakes
Lake Kaindy
#Charyn Canyon
#Astana (Nur-Sultan)
#Borovoe (Burabay) National Park
Discover the Beauty of Our Planet's Most Iconic Destinations. Welcome to a world of extraordinary travel experiences! On our channel, we take you on a thrilling exploration of some of the most iconic and breathtaking places on Earth.
#travel #travelvideo #traveldocumentary #kazakhstan #bestplaces #documentary #bestplacesinkazakhstan
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TravelTranscript
00:08There's a country in the heart of Central Asia that's bigger than Western Europe,
00:13yet most people can't name a single place in it.
00:20And if you skip it, you're missing landscapes.
00:23So surreal they look computer-generated and a history so deep it predates the Silk Road.
00:33In this video, we'll first explore some mind-blowing facts about Kazakhstan that most travelers overlook.
00:40And then, we'll take you to the most stunning and mysterious locations across the country, one by one.
00:48But trust me, the deeper we go, the wilder it gets.
00:59Kazakhstan isn't just big. It's colossal.
01:04We're talking about the ninth-largest country in the world.
01:11To put that in perspective, it stretches over 2.7 million square kilometers.
01:18That's nearly 1.05 million square miles.
01:22Bigger than all of Western Europe combined.
01:32But here's the wild part.
01:34Despite its size, Kazakhstan has one of the lowest population densities on Earth.
01:46Just a handful of people per square kilometer.
01:49That means endless open landscapes.
01:52Untouched wilderness.
01:54And silence so deep, it echoes.
02:04And that silence hides stories you've probably never heard.
02:09Let's start in space.
02:11Kazakhstan is home to Baikonur Cosmodrome, the world's first and largest spaceport.
02:19This is where Yuri Gagarin launched into orbit in 1961, becoming the first human in space.
02:27And yes, it's still in use today.
02:35Rockets still blast off from this remote patch of desert, heading straight into the stars.
02:45But while Kazakhstan looks to the future, its past runs even deeper.
02:52Somewhere in its vast steppe lies the Golden Man.
02:55A Scythian warrior buried over 2,000 years ago in full gold armor.
03:05He was discovered in 1969, near a burial mound called Issyk.
03:11To this day, no one knows his true name.
03:14But he became a symbol of Kazakhstan's ancient power.
03:20His armor? Crafted from over 4,000 golden pieces.
03:30And speaking of ancient, have you ever heard of the Saka people?
03:34These nomadic tribes once ruled the steppes, fierce warriors, skilled horsemen,
03:42and possibly some of the earliest users of tattoo art.
03:50In fact, archaeologists discovered well-preserved Saka mummies, complete with elaborate tattoos, frozen for centuries in permafrost.
04:09Still not convinced this place is special? Let's talk about a river that flows backwards.
04:15In the northeast, the Irtish River begins in China, flows through Kazakhstan, and then, unexpectedly, curves northward into Siberia.
04:31Instead of heading toward a warm sea like most rivers, eventually, it reaches the Arctic Ocean via the Ob River.
04:44And the landscapes? They're extreme.
04:48Kazakhstan has seven different climate zones, from subtropical deserts to alpine tundra.
04:59In summer, temperatures in the south can hit 40 degrees Celsius, 104 degrees Fahrenheit.
05:06In winter, parts of the north drop below minus 40.
05:19Then, there's Lake Balcash, half saltwater, half freshwater.
05:29One single body of water. Two completely different ecosystems.
05:35Scientists still don't fully understand how this is possible.
05:40But it exists. Right here.
05:45And if that doesn't mess with your sense of logic, try this.
05:50Kazakhstan has a sunken sea.
05:52Once the fourth-largest lake in the world.
05:55The Aral Sea is now mostly a graveyard of ships, stranded in desert sand.
06:05Due to Soviet irrigation projects, the water evaporated.
06:10What remains are salt flats, rusting boats, and an environmental disaster so visible, you can see it from space.
06:25And yet, despite all these extremes, Kazakhstan is full of paradoxes.
06:32It's where nomadic heritage and futuristic architecture exist side by side.
06:46In cities like Astana, you'll find golden towers, glass pyramids, and buildings shaped like tulips, UFOs, even giant tents.
06:56All surrounded by a flat, empty steppe that stretches to the horizon.
07:12But outside the cities, the nomadic soul is still alive.
07:18Families still live in yurts, traditional round tents, especially during summer migration seasons.
07:32You might see them riding Akhal Teke horses.
07:36A legendary Central Asian breed known for their metallic golden sheen.
07:41No joke.
07:42These horses literally shimmer in the sunlight.
07:53And if you're wondering how old these traditions are, here's something to chew on.
07:59Historians believe that the domestication of the horse may have first happened in this region.
08:08Evidence found near Bowtie Village suggests people here were riding and milking horses over 5,500 years ago.
08:29Kazakhstan also has one of the largest reserves of uranium on Earth.
08:35In fact, it's the world's top uranium producer, powering nuclear energy around the globe.
08:50Beneath its barren plains lies a mineral wealth that's anything but empty.
08:55But perhaps the most astonishing thing?
09:04Kazakhstan is home to a giant geoglyph, the turgai, swastika, and other massive earthworks.
09:11So old and so large, they can only be fully seen from space.
09:20No one knows exactly who made them or why.
09:24Some date back over 8,000 years.
09:27It's like Kazakhstan has its own Nazca lines.
09:31But almost no one talks about them.
09:36And if you're thinking this country can't surprise you anymore, think again.
09:40One of the most active meteorite impact zones in the world is here too.
09:49In the Karaganda region, you'll find craters and iron fragments from space scattered across the land.
09:59This is Kazakhstan, a land of contradictions, of silence and explosion, of spaceports and sacred mounds, of golden warriors and
10:12vanishing seas.
10:13And we've only scratched the surface.
10:27Now that you've seen the hidden side of Kazakhstan, it's time to go deeper into the real wonders.
10:34Because what comes next will take your breath away.
10:52Now the journey begins, deep in western Kazakhstan, in a place that doesn't look like Earth.
11:05The Aktau Mountains, hidden inside Alton Emel National Park, are like pages torn from a prehistoric storybook.
11:25But here's the twist.
11:27You're not walking on soil.
11:30You're walking on fossilized seabeds from 60 million years ago.
11:34Layered hills ripple across the desert in surreal bands of red, yellow, blue and chalky white.
11:46They look painted.
11:48But they're real formed by compressed clay, ash and minerals, exposed by wind and time.
12:00Some say they resemble Utah's Badlands, others say Mars.
12:05Either way, it's jaw-dropping.
12:14And the silence?
12:16Deafening.
12:17No cities, no roads, no crowds.
12:20Just the wind echoing through a forgotten world.
12:23But look closely.
12:25These cliffs aren't just beautiful.
12:28They're ancient graves of long extinct creatures.
12:42Fossilized turtles, crocodiles, and even rhino bones have been discovered here.
12:55Imagine hiking through a kaleidoscope of color and suddenly realizing you're stepping over the past.
13:02And just when you think it can't get stranger, the landscape transforms again.
13:16Because a few hours west of here, the colors vanish.
13:20And everything turns blue.
13:22Endless.
13:23Open blue.
13:34From painted mountains to painted skies, now we're standing at the edge of the largest enclosed body of water on
13:41Earth.
13:41The Caspian Sea.
13:48It stretches over 370,000 square kilometers.
13:53That's more than 143,000 square miles.
13:57Making it bigger than Germany and the Netherlands combined.
14:07But here's the part no one talks about.
14:10This isn't technically a sea.
14:13It's a giant saltwater lake, surrounded by desert cliffs, windswept plateaus, and haunting silence.
14:28There are no waves crashing like in the ocean.
14:31Just an eerie stillness that feels like time stopped.
14:35And yet, even here, there's life.
14:42From Akhtau, Kazakhstan's westernmost city, you can walk along rocky shores where fossils, coral fragments, and oil-streaked stones lie
14:52scattered.
14:59One moment, you're sunbathing on an empty beach.
15:03The next, you're looking at ancient rock carvings just meters away.
15:12It's wild.
15:13But below the surface?
15:15A whole different world.
15:17The Caspian hides rich oil fields, endangered Caspian seals, and migratory flamingos that sometimes gather in pink flocks so dense
15:28they look like clouds skimming the horizon.
15:36Still, this calm is deceptive.
15:39Because farther inland, the water disappears completely.
15:44And what's left behind is pure tragedy.
16:04This used to be an ocean of life.
16:07Now, it's a cemetery of ships.
16:18Once the fourth largest lake in the world, the Aral Sea covered over 68,000 square kilometers, around 26,000
16:27square miles.
16:28Today, it's mostly dust.
16:35Decades of Soviet irrigation projects diverted the rivers that fed it, and the sea simply disappeared.
16:50What's left behind is apocalyptic.
16:53Skeletons of rusted ships marooned in sand.
16:57Fishing towns abandoned hundreds of kilometers from water, and air thick with toxic salt storms.
17:10In Aralsk, old harbor cranes still stand, but the sea is now over 100 kilometers, more than 60 miles away.
17:20The fishermen never moved.
17:22The water did.
17:23And yet, somehow, it's beautiful.
17:27The silence.
17:28The cracked earth.
17:30The echoes of what once was.
17:32It all makes the Aral Sea one of the most haunting places on Earth.
17:45But as we head south, the landscape starts to shift again.
17:50The air grows warmer.
17:51The food gets spicier.
17:53And we enter one of Kazakhstan's most vibrant southern cities.
18:13Shemkent is a surprise.
18:16You expect a dusty steppe town.
18:19What you find is energy.
18:21With over one million residents, it's Kazakhstan's third largest city,
18:26and one of its oldest.
18:36But this place doesn't feel old.
18:39It feels alive.
18:41Streets buzz with chatter.
18:43Open-air markets overflow with ripe fruit.
18:46And the scent of grilled shashlik hangs in the air like a promise.
18:57Shemkent is a crossroad city.
18:59A place where cultures, languages, and histories collide.
19:03Once a key stop on the Silk Road, its legacy is still present.
19:08In the mosaic of faces, the fabrics sold by merchants, the food spiced with flavors from all directions.
19:21And unlike the more polished capitals, Shemkent keeps it real.
19:26People here are warm, straightforward, and welcoming.
19:36It's the kind of place where you might be invited to tea by a stranger, and leave two hours later,
19:43full of laughter, lamb, and stories.
19:50But just outside this vibrant city lies something older.
19:55Much older.
19:56Two sacred sites that have shaped Kazakhstan's spiritual identity for centuries.
20:11The wind is dry.
20:13The land is flat.
20:14And rising from the dust like a mirage stands a humble but powerful structure.
20:20The mausoleum of Aristan-Bab.
20:25Aristan-Bab was a legendary Sufi mystic, believed to have lived for over 400 years.
20:33While the details are unclear, the reverence is not.
20:46For centuries, people have journeyed here to seek His blessing.
20:51Some hoping for healing.
20:53Others for clarity.
20:55And many simply to honor the past.
21:08The mausoleum itself has been rebuilt several times since the 12th century.
21:14But its heart remains unchanged.
21:22Inside, visitors light candles, whisper prayers, and walk slowly across the cool stone floors.
21:35You can feel the weight of history here.
21:38Not in grand displays, but in stillness.
21:41But there's also a belief.
21:44A local tradition.
21:46It says that if you try to visit the more famous tomb of Koja Ahmed Yasawi in Turkestan,
21:52without first stopping here, your path will be blocked.
21:56By weather, flat tires, or strange coincidences.
22:00It's called the blessing sequence.
22:02And even skeptics tend to respect it.
22:14So we begin here, as many pilgrims have for centuries.
22:19And now that we've paid our respects, the road opens to one of the most iconic spiritual landmarks in Central
22:26Asia.
22:34You see it long before you arrive.
22:37A massive turquoise dome rising from the flat step, shimmering in the desert light.
22:48This is the Mausoleum of Koja Ahmed Yasawi.
22:53A monument not just of stone and tile, but of soul and story.
23:04Built in the late 14th century by the conqueror Tamerlane, the Mausoleum is one of the largest surviving examples of
23:11Temurid architecture.
23:12But its real power lies in who rests inside.
23:21Koja Ahmed Yasawi.
23:23A revered Sufi poet and teacher who helped shape spiritual life across Central Asia.
23:35Inside, the scale is overwhelming.
23:38The walls rise nearly 40 meter, that's about 130 feet.
23:44And in the center stands a gigantic bronze cauldron, said to be the largest of its kind.
23:55It once held water used for purification rituals, and now stands as a symbol of unity and blessing.
24:05Pilgrims walk the perimeter.
24:07Some pray, some cry.
24:10Others just breathe it in.
24:12The scent of incense.
24:14The quiet hum of devotion.
24:16The echo of footsteps in stone halls.
24:20It's a place of peace.
24:22Of history.
24:23And of spiritual gravity.
24:34But now, it's time to trade silence for birdsong, and step into Kazakhstan's oldest nature reserve.
24:55Kazakhstan may be known for vast, dry steppe, but this place rewrites the script.
25:01Welcome to Aksu Zhabagli, the country's oldest nature reserve.
25:10Founded in 1926.
25:12Nestled at the western edge of the Tianshan Mountains, this protected area is bursting with wildflowers, waterfalls, snow-capped peaks,
25:22and wildlife that still roams free.
25:32It covers around 1,300 square kilometers.
25:36That's more than 500 square miles.
25:39And the biodiversity is off the charts.
25:47Lynx, ibex, golden eagles, marmots, and the elusive snow leopard all call this place home.
26:21In spring, the meadows explode in color with a rain.
26:25With over 1,500 species of plants, including wild tulips, believed to be the ancestors of those in Dutch gardens.
26:41But the landscape changes fast here.
26:45You'll hike through red rock canyons, across alpine plateaus, then suddenly find yourself in thick pine forest.
26:57It feels like walking through different continents, all in one day.
27:06This is where nature speaks.
27:10Loudly.
27:11No phone signal.
27:12No buildings.
27:14Just wind, wings, and waterfalls.
27:27And as we leave the mountains behind, the road leads east toward the cultural heart of Kazakhstan.
27:54If cities could flirt, Almaty would be the master.
27:58Nestled at the foot of the Translialatau Mountains, Almaty is Kazakhstan's former capital, and still its beating cultural heart.
28:15You get European cafes and Central Asian bazaars, leafy boulevards and mountain trails, all wrapped in a vibe that's calm,
28:24confident, and curious.
28:37It's a place of contrasts.
28:39One street feels like Vienna.
28:41The next, like Tashkent.
28:43There are Soviet mosaics, glass skyscrapers, golden domes, and a cable car leading straight to the clouds.
29:03But what makes Almaty special is its rhythm.
29:07Wake up with mountain air.
29:09Grab fresh borsaki, fried dough, and kumis, fermented mare's milk.
29:20Wander through Green Bazaar.
29:22Then sip espresso in a bookstore cafe.
29:25And just when you think the city has revealed itself, it surprises you again.
29:30Because the real magic of Almaty isn't always in the streets.
29:35It's above them.
29:49Just a 30-minute drive away lies a place where you can see the city below, wrapped in clouds and
29:57snow.
30:24Here we go!
30:30You don't expect to find a world-class ski resort in Kazakhstan.
30:36But then again, Kazakhstan isn't what anyone expects.
30:45Shimbabwe is perched at 2,200 meters.
30:49That's over 7,200 feet above sea level.
30:53And it's only a short drive or cable car ride from downtown Almaty.
31:06Suddenly, you leave city traffic behind and enter a different world.
31:12Clean air, snow-dusted peaks, and that crisp silence only altitude brings.
31:27In winter, it's a full ski paradise.
31:32Wide runs, fresh powder, and panoramic views of the Tianshan Mountains.
31:42The slopes rise to 3,200 meters, about 10,500 feet.
31:50And in the distance, you can sometimes glimpse China.
32:03But shimbabwe isn't just for skiers.
32:06In summer, the green valleys bloom with wildflowers.
32:11And the trails open up to hikers, photographers, and paragliders.
32:18And as the sun sets, the mountains turn gold.
32:23It's unforgettable.
32:32But now, it's time to descend.
32:35Because wading in the rocky cliffs north of Almaty
32:39is something much older than ski lifts or cities.
32:43Etched into stone, whispered through time.
33:07These cliffs don't just rise from the earth.
33:10They speak.
33:11About 120 kilometers, roughly 75 miles, northwest of Almaty,
33:18you'll find the Tamgli Taz petroglyphs,
33:21a mysterious collection of rock carvings overlooking the Ely River.
33:36Some are nearly 1,000 years old.
33:39And they're unlike anything else in the country.
33:46What makes them truly unique?
33:51They're Buddhist.
33:52Gigantic depictions of Buddha, mantras in Tibetan script,
33:57and meditative symbols are etched directly into the cliff face.
34:01How did they get here?
34:06Most likely in the 17th century,
34:09left by wandering Buddhist monks or pilgrims crossing the steppe.
34:13But there's more.
34:14Scattered around are older carvings,
34:17showing warriors, animals, hunting scenes, and ancient rituals.
34:27Historians believe the site was considered sacred long before the Buddhists arrived.
34:31And yet, it's quiet.
34:33You might stand there for an hour and see no one.
34:41Just the wind brushing the reeds,
34:44and the slow current of the ILI below.
34:47It's as if the past refuses to fade here.
34:51It just watches.
34:53But from these sacred stones,
34:55we now head east,
34:57into landscapes that look like illusions.
35:22This isn't just a par.
35:25It's a planet unto itself.
35:35Covering over 4,600 square kilometers,
35:40that's nearly 1,800 square miles,
35:44Altenemel National Park
35:46is one of Kazakhstan's most surreal and diverse landscapes.
35:59Here, deserts meet mountains,
36:02and nothing looks like it belongs.
36:04The most famous feature?
36:06The Singing Dune.
36:08A massive sand dune,
36:10over 150 meters tall,
36:12nearly 500 feet,
36:14that hums when the wind hits it just right.
36:23Scientists call it aerodynamic resonance.
36:27Locals say the dune sings when the spirits are pleased.
36:31Either way,
36:32it sounds like a low, eerie vibration from the Earth itself.
36:44But that's just the beginning.
36:46In the Aktau and Katutau Mountains,
36:49colorful badlands stretch across the horizon like spilled paint.
36:58You'll see white cliffs striped with red, purple, yellow, and blue.
37:03These hills are millions of years old,
37:06layered with ancient fossils and silent stories.
37:19Wild goitered gazelles,
37:22onagers,
37:23and even snow leopards roam the more remote areas.
37:35And then, suddenly,
37:37the desert gives way to water.
37:40Vast, shimmering, and mysterious.
37:43Because just northeast of here,
37:45lies a massive inland sea.
37:48One that's half salt, half fresh.
38:11You're standing on the shore of a paradox.
38:14Lake Balkash is one of the largest lakes in Asia,
38:18stretching over 600 kilometers long,
38:21or roughly 370 miles.
38:32But here's the catch.
38:35The western half is freshwater,
38:37while the eastern half is saltwater.
38:40Yes, one lake.
38:43Two different ecosystems.
38:45No other body of water on Earth
38:48behaves quite like this.
38:56Scientists are still studying how it works.
38:59Some theories point to the narrow strait in the middle,
39:03which restricts the natural mixing of waters.
39:06Others say it's due to the different rivers
39:10feeding each side.
39:11But no one knows for sure.
39:17Fishermen still work these waters.
39:20Pelicans drift across the surface.
39:22And in the summer heat,
39:24the sky and water melt together into a mirror.
39:31But the lake is shrinking, slowly.
39:35Like the Aral Sea,
39:37it's vulnerable to irrigation and climate shifts.
39:41The future of Balkash isn't guaranteed,
39:44which makes seeing it now even more important.
39:54And nearby, just beyond the lake's northern edge,
39:58something strange rises from the steppe.
40:01A forgotten mountain.
40:03A geological anomaly.
40:05And a place few travelers ever reach.
40:31In the middle of flat nothingness,
40:33it appears like the spine of some ancient creature
40:37rising from the Earth.
40:45Bektau-Ata is not your typical mountain.
40:49It's not part of a range.
40:51It just erupts out of nowhere
40:54in the middle of the Kazakh steppe.
41:00A granite outcrop spanning about 4,000 hectares,
41:0415 square miles,
41:06with jagged cliffs, natural caves,
41:09and alien-like rock domes.
41:15Climbing Bektau-Ata
41:17feels like walking on the surface of the moon.
41:20The granite is smooth in places,
41:23fractured in others,
41:24worn down by wind and centuries of silence.
41:31In spring,
41:33desert flowers bloom in cracks,
41:35adding bursts of color to the pale rock.
41:45At sunrise, or sunset,
41:48the whole massif glows pink and gold,
41:51like it's on fire from within.
42:00There are no roads,
42:03no tour buses,
42:05just sky,
42:07stone,
42:08and story.
42:13And from this remote outpost,
42:16we now return south,
42:18toward alpine air,
42:20turquoise lakes,
42:21and mountain reflections.
42:43high in the northern Tianshan Mountains,
42:46where pine trees meet clouds,
42:49lie the shimmering jewels of Kazakhstan,
42:52the Kulcai Lakes.
42:55The Kulcai Lakes.
43:05There are three in total,
43:08stacked like a secret staircase into the sky.
43:11The first lake is accessible by car,
43:14and it's breathtaking,
43:16glassy, blue-green water,
43:18surrounded by fir forests,
43:20and snow-capped peaks.
43:27The second lake?
43:28You'll need to hike.
43:30And the third?
43:32Only for the truly adventurous,
43:34perched near the border with Kyrgyzstan.
43:49Locals call them the Pearls of the Northern Tianshan.
44:02These lakes sit at altitudes of 1,800 to 2,800 meters.
44:09That's between 5,900 and 9,200 feet,
44:15and the water stays icy cold year-round.
44:25But on a sunny day,
44:27the reflections of the mountains are so perfect,
44:31it's hard to tell where land ends and sky begins.
44:40And if you think that's magical,
44:42wait until you see what's hidden just over the ridge.
44:46Because next,
44:47we visit a sunken forest.
44:50A ghostly underwater world frozen in time.
44:54MUSIC PLAYS
45:033
45:24At first glance, it looks like a painting.
45:28Then you realize, it's real.
45:31But what you're seeing should be impossible.
45:45Lake Kandy is unlike any other lake on Earth.
45:49Formed by a massive limestone landslide after an earthquake in 1911, the valley was dammed
45:56and water slowly flooded a spruce forest.
46:07What remains today is a haunting spectacle.
46:20Dozens of dead tree trunks rising straight from the turquoise surface, like ghostly spires
46:26reaching for the sky.
46:33But dive below, and the surprise deepens.
46:37The entire forest is still intact underwater.
46:40Branches, needles, even textures preserved in the icy water as if frozen in time.
46:47It's a favorite among adventurous divers and surreal landscape photographers.
47:00Located at 2,000 meters above sea level, around 6,600 feet, the air is fresh.
47:07The trails are quiet, and the lake's glow shifts color depending on the light.
47:11From emerald to icy blue, every glance reveals something new.
47:27And while Kandy is peaceful now, it's the silence after chaos.
47:32A reminder that beauty sometimes grows from catastrophe.
47:37But now we head east.
47:39Toward cliffs that never stop crumbling.
47:41Toward winds that carve entire canyons.
48:09You've heard of the Grand Canyon, but have you heard of its fiery twin in Central Asia?
48:24Just 200 kilometers east of Almaty, about 125 miles, lies Cheren Canyon,
48:32a geological marvel stretching for 154 kilometers, around 95 miles, along the Cheren River.
48:47With red sandstone cliffs, towering spires, and valleys that twist like melted wax,
48:54it looks like it belongs on another planet.
49:09The most famous part?
49:10The Valley of Castles, where wind and rain sculpted the rock into fortress-like shapes.
49:16Walk among them at sunset, and you'll swear you're in a fantasy movie set.
49:28But this place isn't just about the view.
49:31It's about feeling small.
49:33Standing at the base of a 300-meter cliff, nearly 1,000 feet.
49:38Hearing nothing but the rustle of desert grass and the cry of distant birds.
49:50The canyon is over 12 million years old, and yet it still feels alive.
49:55The river carves it deeper each year, and hikers discover new shapes with every visit.
50:17But now we leave the wild, and fly north, across the steppe, to where steel and glass rise from the
50:25grasslands.
50:26A city like no other.
50:46It looks like the future landed in the middle of nowhere.
50:50Astana, also known as Nur-Sultan, is Kazakhstan's ambitious and gleaming capital, born from bold vision and endless space.
51:06Built on the flat steppe, this city didn't grow over time.
51:11It exploded into existence, designed from scratch in the late 1990s.
51:27And it shows, the skyline is a surreal mix.
51:31Golden towers, twisted glass domes, a pyramid of peace, and the iconic Bedarek Tower, a symbol of rebirth that rises
51:4397 meters, about 318 feet, into the sky.
51:57From the top, you get panoramic views of a city that seems to never end.
52:03Until it suddenly does, fading into grasslands.
52:08Winters here are brutal.
52:13Temperatures can drop below minus 40, but the city never sleeps.
52:18Cafes stay warm, art galleries stay open, and under the snow-covered streets, life pulses.
52:38Astana is more than a capital.
52:41It's a statement.
52:42A declaration that Kazakhstan is looking forward, even as it honors its past.
52:59And just a few hours away lies one final wonder.
53:03A place where lakes, forests, and fairytale peaks collide.
53:37Closed Captions by Laird
53:38It's called the Kazakh Switzerland, and for good reason.
53:42Borovoo, also known as Bura Bay National Park, is a hidden gem tucked away in northern Kazakhstan.
53:59It's a landscape of pine forests, granite mountains, and deep blue lakes, rising unexpectedly
54:07from the flat steppe like a forgotten dream.
54:14And it's not just beautiful, it's mythical.
54:17Legends say that gods once lived here, and the land still holds their power.
54:34One of the most iconic sites is Oxetbes, a lone granite rock rising from the center of a lake.
54:41Its name means unreachable by arrow, and locals will tell you stories of impossible love,
54:49lost warriors, and spiritual tests woven into its shape.
55:02You can hike along misty forest trails, kayak through glassy waters, or just sit quietly
55:09and let the silence speak.
55:16The air smells like pine and moss.
55:20Birds echo between cliffs.
55:21And in the golden hour, the light turns everything to magic.
55:37With over 80 lakes in the region, each with its own color, shape, and legend, Borovoo feels
55:44like an enchanted pocket of the earth, untouched, unhurried, and unforgettable.
56:04This is where we end our journey.
56:07From the canyons of fire to sunken forests.
56:10From ancient mausoleums, to cities that weren't supposed to exist, Kazakhstan isn't a single story.
56:18It's a thousand different worlds stitched together by silence, sky, and time.
56:32It's a land where you can watch rockets rise and glaciers melt.
56:36Where Buddhist prayers are carved into stone cliffs, and deserts hum when no one's around to hear them.
56:46And yet, most people still skip it.
56:50They fly over it, scroll past it, never realizing what they've missed.
57:01But now, you've seen it.
57:03And maybe, like the dunes that sing or the lake that remembers its trees, Kazakhstan has left
57:10something behind in you, too.
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