Kazakhstan provides a real challenge for logistics companies. If you were searching for a barometer of their skill level, shipping to Kazakhstan would provide a very good one. This nation is very large and is completely landlocked. In short, if you were planning to ship a lot of cargo containers to this nation by ship, you’re in for a bit of a bump in the road. This nation is located in Central Asia. While this area was once a hub of commerce between the East and West, it is something of a frontier these days.

Shipping to Kazakhstan requires that your logistics company works with several different sets of laws and shipping methods. This nation is very much connected with Russia and, up until the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991, there was a huge Russian population that lived in this nation. Despite its rather remote location, this nation has been very stable politically and, thus, has become the largest economy in Central Asia. This means that there is likely a market for your goods in Kazakhstan, if you can get them there!

The best logistics company for the job will, without exception, be one that does business in Russia. Shipping to Kazakhstan, because the nations share a border, means shipping through Russia, if you plan to go overland. Trains and air transport, as well as trucks, can provide transportation for the rest of the journey. The issues for logistics companies that don’t have offices in this part of the world arise from unfamiliarity with local laws and with the businesses needed to get the job done. An experienced company can make the entire affair of shipping go off without a hitch, but an inexperienced company may end up having your goods somewhere in Central Asia that you’re never even heard of.

Be sure you deal with a company that provides shipping to Kazakhstan on a regular basis. This is the only way to figure out how to get goods in and out of this nation and, without this experience, the affair is just too complex to be profitable. If you don’t have a logistics company with any Russian speakers on staff, you need to look elsewhere. This part of the world is incredibly vast, has a complex set of laws and bureaucracies that must be navigated and requires an expert logistics company for shipping.

Three primary caravan routes ran through Tajikistan’s Tien-Shan and Pamir mountain ranges. Only around 7% of the land is arable, nearly all of in the fertile Fergana Valley in the north, which produces the major agricultural crop, cotton, which, along with aluminum, are country’s major exports. Tajikistan’s capital and largest city is Dushanbe, modern and European styled, with broad tree-lined boulevards and a spectacular backdrop of snow capped mountain peaks. The city features numerous squares and monuments commemorating the Persian influences of the past and its surroundings contain many recreational areas, mountain parks and gorges, one with a 100 foot waterfall. The National Museum of Archaeology contains the 1600 year old ‘Tajik Buddha,’ now thought to be the largest statue of its kind in Central Asia.

The museum also houses displays of Zoroastrian and Buddhist artifacts. Khujand is the country’s second largest city and an ancient Silk Road trade center. Located at the entrance to the fertile Fergana Valley, Khujand is cited as the easternmost city established by Alexander the Great. As such, it has a rich history and many preserved architectural and cultural sites. It also happens to be a popular mountaineering center in a country where half the land lies higher than 9,000 feet above sea level and which has a number of peaks taller than 20,000 feet. Near to the border with Uzbekistan is Penjikent, which lay on the only route from the East to Samarkand and flourished from the 5th Century. Arabs destroyed the city in the 8th Century and the ruins were discovered in the last hundred years.

Today, the excavation site has been turned into a memorial reserve where tourists can visit a medieval citadel, palace, public buildings, dwellings and a necropolis. Midway between Penjikent and Dushanbe lies the emerald gem Iskander Kul (lake). The lake is at an elevation of 7,000 among the 4,000 plus peaks of the Fan mountains, which contain many other hiking, fishing or skiing spots for Dushanbe’s residents. To the east is the larger Kara Kul situated amongst high, barren highlands that, with their errie atmosphere and yak herds, are reminiscent of Tibet. The lake is often accessed from Kyrgyzstan, heading west from Osh.