Kazakhstan lies in the north of the central Asian republics and is bounded by Russia in the north, China in the east, the Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan in the south, and the Caspian Sea and part of Turkmenistan in the west. Kazakhstan is slightly more than twice the size of Texas.

It possesses enormous fossil fuel reserves as well as plentiful supplies of other minerals and metals. It also is a large agricultural - livestock and grain - producer. Kazakhstan gained its independence from the Soviet Union in 1991.

During the trip across Kazakhstan, the team stocked up on cold weather gear and aquired a new guide!