Transportation

Road Conditions and Safety:  

• Roads in Kazakhstan are in poor repair, especially in rural areas. Signage and lighting on roadways are poor.
• Potholes are common, and are often dangerously deep.
• Drivers often ignore lane markings.  Pedestrians frequently dart out in front of cars.
• Visitors should drive defensively at all times, as many local drivers do not follow traffic laws. Road rage can be a problem, and we recommend a non-confrontational response to such behavior.  
• Accidents involving severe injury and/or death are common.  
• Traffic police have reportedly stopped cars to extort bribes on main city streets and at periodic checkpoints on major highways.
• The mountainous road between Almaty and Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, should be avoided at night or during poor weather.

Public Transportation:

• Buses can be very crowded and unsafe.
• Due to the danger of theft or assault, be selective regarding which taxi you use, and always avoid entering a cab that already contains persons other than the driver.

Please refer to our Road Safety page for more information. Also, we suggest that you visit the website of Kazakhstan’s national tourist office.

Aviation Safety Oversight: As there is no direct commercial air service to the United States by carriers registered in Kazakhstan, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has not assessed the government of Kazakhstan’s Civil Aviation Authority for compliance with International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) aviation safety standards. Further information may be found on the FAA’s safety assessment page.

International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO, a specialized agency of the United Nations) inspectors, however, have identified serious and persistent lapses in the safety oversight of commercial air service on Kazakhstan-registered airlines. As a result, at this time, U.S. government personnel are not permitted to undertake official travel on any Kazakhstani airline operating regularly scheduled flights except for Air Astana. This policy will be reevaluated as reforms are undertaken and future technical reviews, such as audits by ICAO, determine that Kazakhstan’s civil aviation operations more substantially comply with acceptable international safety standards.