Kazakhstan

Almaty is the new short-haul mountain trip: Indian passport holders enter visa-free for short visits, direct flights run from Delhi, and the city sits under the Tian Shan so that Shymbulak's cable car, Medeu's ice rink and the Big Almaty Lake are all within an hour. It has replaced Kyrgyzstan for many of our groups because the hotels and roads are simply better.

Four or five nights is right: two days in the city and the mountains, a day at Kolsai and Kaindy lakes, and a long day to Charyn Canyon. Winter is skiing at Shymbulak; summer is green valleys and the lakes.

Vegetarian food is the honest limitation and we plan around it — Indian restaurants exist in Almaty, and the guide carries the list. Visa-free rules for Indian passport holders have been extended several times; we confirm the position at booking.