Country Information
Location: Northern Central Asia
Capital: Astana
Population: 17 million
Currency: Tenge
Language: Kazakh, Russian
Main Religion: Islam – Sunni muslims
Hello: salem
Thank you: Raxmet
Dates in the country
Climate
The climate of Kazakhstan (excluding south) is sharply continental with an average temperature between -4 °C and -19 °C in January and between +19-+26°C in July. In winter temperature may decrease down to -45°C, and in summer rise up to +30.
Public Holidays
- January 1st New Year’s day
- January 2nd day 2 of new year
- January 7th Orthodox Christmas day
- March 8th International women’s day
- March 21st – 23rd Nauryz
- May 1st Unity Day
- May 7th – 8th Defender of the Fatherland Day
- May 9th Victory Day
- July 6th Day of the capital
- August 30th Constitution day
- September 2nd Kurban Bairam
- December 1st Day of the first president of the Republic of Kazakhstan
- December 16th – 18th Independence Day
VISA
- Until 31 December 2017, you can travel to Kazakhstan without a visa, provided your stay does not exceed 30 days
- Normally 15-day visa-free for the UK and Australian passport holders
- More information: https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/kazakhstan/entry-requirements
Medical
Rules of the Road
As the former Soviet Republic, Kyrgyzstan drives on the right. However, cheaper used cars from Japan are popular. In 2012, over 20,000 RHD cars were imported into the country.
Foreign visitors wishing to drive in Kazakhstan should have an International driver license. Driving in Kazakhstan with the International driver license is permitted for up six months.
Road traffic laws:
- Driving is on the right-hand side of the road and overtaking on the left side.
- the minimum driving age is 18 years.
- In Kazakhstan, there is a zero-tolerance policy for driving under the influence of alcohol.
- The speed limit in residential areas is 20 km/h; in urban areas – 60 km/h; outside the urban areas – 90 km/h; on highways – 110 km/h.
- While driving, using a cell is not permitted.
- Safety belts are mandatory for drivers and passengers in front seats. It is permitted to not use seat belts for children under 12 years of age.
- It is not permitted to use special lights and vehicle horns.
- For any foreign vehicle, it is required to have a registration plate and distinctive mark of the state where the vehicle is registered.
- It is required to have the contract of obligatory insurance of responsibility of owners of vehicles.
- Foreign drivers must have an International driving permit and the car registered papers at all time while driving. Required to have car insurance.
- You can stop and park vehicles on the right roadside. In residential areas, you can park on the left side of the road which has one-lane for each direction without tramways in the middle and on roads with one-way traffic.
- Parking is not permitted in places where stopping is forbidden, on platforms, bridges, overpasses, on the carriageway of the roads out of the residential areas, closer than 50 m from railway crossings.
- Pedestrians have right of way at any uncontrolled pedestrian crossing.
- At stations, drivers must give way pedestrians who are going to public transport (buses, trams, trolleybuses) or out of them.
- U-turn is not permitted at crosswalks, at tunnels, on bridges and under them, at railway crossings, at bus stations.
Some additional information:
- Traffic police have a right to stop any vehicle and ask to show a driving permit or car registration papers.
- It is recommended to park vehicles only at guarded parking lots.
- In Kazakhstan, some areas are closed or secured, passing through those areas require permission from authorities.
- It is recommended to have vehicles in good condition to avoid road accidents.
- In the evenings, street lights may be turned off on roads.
- Drivers should be very careful since animals can travel on the roads and may not be seen.
- During winter, roads can be slippery due to snow and ice.
- At Kazak border will get a car ticket, make sure it gets stamped as they need it further along at the border crossing.
- The police phone number is 112.
Places to Visit
- Astana
- Semipalatinsk – Semey – nuclear test site for Soviet
- 2017 Worlds Fair/Expo 2017 – The expo’s theme was “Future Energy”, and aimed to create a global debate between countries, nongovernmental organizations, companies and the general public on the crucial question: “How do we ensure safe and sustainable access to energy for all while reducing CO2 emissions” – https://expo2017astana.com/en/
Route
A detailed route showing where we went overlanding and exploring. We jotted down the routes we travelled on a physical map which travelled with us from Australia to the UK, then transferred this to a digital form using Google Maps (KML and GeoRSS Layers)
These are exact appropriations, maps differ between brands and converting from paper to digital may lose some details in translation. This should still show in great detail our route.


