Sunday Atlas

Destinations

Central Asia tours and destinations

Central Asia tours, country by country: what we see in each of the five Stans, the usual season, and which tour goes there.

Charyn Canyon in Kazakhstan, red sandstone cliffs and the canyon floor under a blue sky

Central Asia

Kazakhstan

Almaty under the Tien Shan, Charyn Canyon and the Kolsay and Kaindy lakes: the mountain start of our Central Asia tours.

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Holy Trinity Cathedral, the historic wooden church in Karakol, Kyrgyzstan

Central Asia

Kyrgyzstan

Issyk-Kul, Karakol, Skazka Canyon, eagle hunters and felt makers, and the Tash-Rabat caravanserai: the mountain heart of our Central Asia tours.

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Ismoili Somoni Monument in Dushanbe, Tajikistan

Central Asia

Tajikistan

Khujand, Istaravshan, Penjikent, the Fan Mountains and Dushanbe: the mountain crossing on our Four Stans and 5 Stans tours.

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White-marble mosque in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, at twilight

Central Asia

Turkmenistan

The Darwaza Gas Crater in the Karakum Desert, white-marble Ashgabat and the Parthian ruins of Nissa: the finale of our 5 Stans tour.

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Registan Square in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, with its three madrasahs

Central Asia

Uzbekistan

Tashkent, Samarkand, Bukhara and Khiva: the Silk Road cities where every one of our Central Asia tours spends its final week.

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Central Asia tours: the five Stans

Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan bring the Tien Shan, Charyn Canyon and Issyk-Kul; Tajikistan the Fan Mountains and Penjikent; Uzbekistan Samarkand, Bukhara and Khiva; Turkmenistan the Karakum Desert, Darwaza and Ashgabat.

Silk Road cities and mountain roads

Our tours pair the two sides of the region: high valleys, lakes and yurt camps in the east, and the madrasahs, bazaars and walled towns of the Silk Road in the west.

Destinations we can add

We plan worldwide. Tell us where you hope to go and roughly when, and we reply within 24 hours with questions.

Travel to Central Asia: questions

What is Central Asia?

Central Asia usually means Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, often called the five Stans. Our tours visit all five.

Which country should I start with?

For mountains and lakes, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan; for the Silk Road cities, Uzbekistan. 3 Stans Discovery combines all three in 14 days.

Do the tours cross borders by land?

Some, yes: Kegen between Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, Oybek and Jartepa between Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, and Shavat into Turkmenistan. Other legs are by flight, such as Bishkek – Tashkent or Almaty – Dushanbe.

Do you plan trips to other destinations?

Yes. Central Asia is where our published tours start; write to us about any destination and we reply within 24 hours.