Kazakhstan

Kazakhstan is the world’s largest landlocked country, but most holidays focus on one corner of it: Almaty, a leafy, easy-going city at the foot of the snow-capped Tien Shan mountains. Within an hour of your hotel you can be skating at Medeu, riding a gondola to the slopes of Shymbulak or standing beside the turquoise water of Big Almaty Lake.

Further east, a two-day road trip takes in the red rock walls of Charyn Canyon and the forested Kolsai and Kaindy lakes, with a night in a village guesthouse. Back in town there are parks, bazaars, a wooden cathedral and restaurants serving everything from fresh local bread to Indian food.

Almaty works well as a short break of five or six days, particularly for families and groups of friends who want mountains and snow without a long flight. It is at its best in summer for the lakes and in winter for skiing, and we can add a night or two in the capital, Astana, on request.