Kazakhstan is a land of exceptional variety and beauty; unique landscapes are located all over the country. Several landscape zones can be found in Kazakhstan, including vast areas of steppes and deserts, dense evergreen forests, canyons, waterfalls, alpine meadows, mountain lakes, glaciers and spectacular mountain peaks.  The variety of landscapes ensured the country’s rich biological diversity.

The landscapes of the Almaty Region are extremely diverse, ranging from deserts to glaciers and majestic peaks of Tien Shan.  Main landscape zones are located in the extreme proximity to each other: it takes only few hours to travel from the deserts surrounding the Ili River to the conifer forests of the Trans-Ili Alatau Mountains; another one or two hours of walking will take you to a glacier.