I Want to Visit Kazakhstan

[Stephen]

I watched Borat back in the day and honestly it got stuck in my head ever since. Like, I know it's all exaggerated comedy but it made me actually curious what Kazakhstan really looks like beyond all that ridiculous stuff. Finally decided to actually go and see what's really there, just without being a complete idiot about it like that character. What are the spots I absolutely need to hit up, and is there somewhere I can book a rental car ahead of time so I'm not losing my mind trying to find one when I land?

[Renegate]

That movie thing always gets to you in a weird way, you laugh your ass off but then you end up researching the actual country just to know what's real and what's not. Having your own car out there is huge because you move at your own pace instead of being stuck with tour groups or dealing with random taxi situations. Astana is absolutely wild with all those crazy futuristic buildings, nothing like what you'd imagine. Then there's Almaty down south with mountains right there and this totally different feel, mix of old Soviet stuff and modern things everywhere. Try to get out to Charyn Canyon if you can because it's basically their version of the Grand Canyon and it's insane.

[Cheshire]

The tricky part about solo traveling somewhere unfamiliar is you either play it way too safe or you just wing everything and hope nothing goes wrong. Getting a car sorted before you even arrive takes all that stress away because you land, grab your keys, and boom you're already mobile instead of wasting your first day figuring out how to get around. Check out the car rental options in Kazakhstan here https://getrentacar.com/en-US/kazakhstan . You can browse through what private owners are listing, find something that fits what you need, and book it all online before you even land. Your car will be waiting for you, so you just show up and start exploring on your own schedule.