From soaring mountains often covered by snow to sprawling deserts of stone or sand, Central Asia is home to some of the most breathtaking – and wild – landscapes on our entire planet. The iconic sights of the legendary Silk Road through this part of the world are the cities of Bukhara, Khiva, and Samarkand with their rose-coloured minarets and turquoise-tiled mosque domes, and these should be on everyone’s list.
But there are also lesser-known marvels awaiting those who venture further afield on our Central Asia tours, among them Uzbekistan’s city of Shakhrisabz and its desert castles close to Khiva, the ‘living museum’ of Konye Urgench and the Yangykala canyon in Turkmenistan, and Tash Rabat caravanserai in Kyrgyzstan.
See our A Guide to Travelling the Silk Road as well as our list of the best UNESCO World Heritage Sites, in which we include Khiva.
Where is Central Asia and what are the Five Stans?
This five-country region of Asia is flanked by the Russian province of Siberia to the north, Afghanistan and Iran to the south, the inland Caspian Sea to the southwest, European Russia to the northwest, and China and Mongolia to the east. The Five Stans of the Silk Road, all of which feature on one or more of our Central Asia tours, are Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan.
Why visit Central Asia?
From one of the world’s strangest cities to the Door to Hell, this region is utterly unique – like nowhere else on Earth you’ll ever visit. Our Central Asia tours will immerse you in utterly unforgettable ancient sights, including many of the marvels of Islamic architecture – wandering around these is one of the quintessential Central Asian experiences. So is looking for incredible wildlife, including snow leopards, bears, and eagles, along with some of the oddest, most peculiar natural phenomena on the planet. And amongst them, about as far from the modern world as it’s possible to be, nomadic cultures endure, their lives unchanged for centuries.
Best places to visit in Central Asia
The jewel in the crown of Central Asia is Uzbekistan, which you can discover on our amazing Jewels of Uzbekistan trip. As you travel, you’ll see some of the world’s loveliest Islamic architecture, well-preserved Silk Road cities, and desert citadels.
Then there’s Kyrgyzstan – Central Asia’s most ravishing natural beauty, with snow-tipped peaks, shimmering azure lakes, and pristine alpine forests where bears and snow leopards thrive.
Tiny Tajikistan is also spectacular, with remote valleys and 7,000m peaks where snow leopards and other fabulous wildlife reside, plus atmospheric ruins acting as reminders of this country’s complex history –not least as the battleground of the Great Game between Russian and British colonial powers.
From fearsome deserts to the shiny, monument-filled capital Ashgabat, Turkmenistan is probably one of the quirkiest places you’ll ever go, mixing a lingering Soviet feel with an ancient heritage and one-off natural sights such as the ‘flaming crater’ of Darvaza.
And gigantic Kazakhstan has everything from cosmopolitan cities to mountains, lakes, and grasslands inhabited by traditional communities complete with eagle hunters. Here you can marvel at everything from markets to mausoleums, look for ibex in pristine reserves, and even camp out on salt flats.
If you are looking for an extended trip, our 26-day Central Asia Encompassed tour visits all five ‘Stans’ and will give you a comprehensive understanding of the region, with each country offering something different.
When to go to Central Asia – the Best Time to Visit the 5 Stans
Right in the middle of the European landmass, Central Asia undergoes extremes of temperature, with thick snow layering many areas in winter and temperatures often spiralling above 45ºC in summer. This makes spring and autumn the ideal times to travel to the Five Stans and enjoy one of our Central Asia tours.
Regional history of Central Asia
The Silk Road trade routes crossing through this region, from the second century BCE until the mid-15th century, led to the development of affluent trade cities. At this time, Central Asia was a crossroads for people, goods and ideas flowing between the Far East and Europe. Before that, the region was inhabited mainly by Iranian peoples, but Turkic migration brought Kazakhs, Kyrgyzs, Tatars, Turkmens, Uyghurs, and Uzbeks.
More recently, between the mid-19th century and almost the end of the 20th century, Central Asia was incorporated into the Russian Empire and subsequently the Soviet Union, and many Russians and other Slavs migrated here.
Native Eye’s Central Asia tours take you both to the region’s highlights and beyond, to more off-the-beaten-track places. Whether you have the luxury of time and want to visit them all, or prefer to choose just one or two countries to explore, we’ve highlighted our favourite places.
Iconic Sights on Central Asia Tours
1. The flaming gas craters at Darvaza
Perhaps the strangest natural phenomenon on any of our Central Asia tours is the flaming gas craters at Darvaza – the largest some 70 metres across by 20 metres deep. Located in the Karakum Desert of central Turkmenistan, this fiery inferno nicknamed ‘the Door to Hell’ has been burning for decades, after scientists who were exploring for oil, exposed natural gas.
When animals began dying in the surroundings due to escaping methane, it was decided to light the escaping gas, on the basis it would burn off in a few days or weeks. It’s been burning since 1971, and though there are plans to fill it in, there are no signs of it being extinguished quite yet. Come and see this truly bizarre sight while you still can on any of our three Central Asia tours that take in Turkmenistan.
2. Ashgabat
Not just the oddest city in Central Asia but perhaps even the world, the Turkmenistan capital Ashgabat has white marble buildings, manicured boulevards, and bright neon lights very much at odds with its desert location – leading it to be described as “where Las Vegas meets Pyongyang” by Lonely Planet. It’s an unmissable part of our Total Turkmenistan tour.
3. Kazakh nomads and eagle hunters
Kyrgyzstan is one of the last bastions of nomadic cultures, and it’s here that you can meet eagle hunters as they practice their traditional art – one of the most fascinating cultural experiences of any of our Central Asian tours. Complete your stay in this fascinating country with an overnight in a yurt by alpine Song Kul Lake, a World Heritage Site ringed by mountains, and find out about life as a nomadic herder. See our Kyrgyzstan – Mountain, Lakes and Nomads trip for more details and our Kyrgyzstan Travel Guide for First-timers.
4. The Silk Road jewels
All located in Uzbekistan and visited on our Jewels of Uzbekistan tour, Samarkand, Bukhara and Khiva are the architectural jewels of the Silk Road. You’ll be awed by the mosques and minarets of Samarkand, blown away by the blue domes and minarets of Bukhara, Central Asia’s holiest city, and delighted by the ancient sights of Khiva.
Off-the-beaten Track Sights on Central Asia Tours
5. Pamir Highway
Sometimes referred to as the world’s wildest highway, the 1,200-kilometre Pamir Highway between the city of Osh in Kyrgyzstan and Dushanbe in Tajikistan is one of the greatest road trips this planet offers. Peaks of more than 7,000m will surround you – hence this wild, mountainous region interspersed with azure lakes being known as Bam-i-Dunya, ‘The Roof of the World’. Take a look at our Pamir Highway adventure.
6. Mangistau Deserts
There’s remote, and then there are the deserts of Mangistau – an astonishing landscape of canyons and salt marshes. In parts accessible only by 4WD, it’s Kazakhstan’s answer to Monument Valley. Amongst the rocky outcrops, you’ll find underground mosques, centuries-old sacred sites, and hidden necropoli, which are only now being explored by archaeologists. Find out more in our Hidden Kazakhstan itinerary.
7. Fann Mountains & lakes
Lovers of the great outdoors also rate the Fann mountains in Tajikistan, a trekker’s paradise where legend has it that at midnight under a full moon, Bucephalus, Alexander the Great’s horse that drowned during battle, emerges from Iskander Kul Lake to graze on its grassy shores. Whether you believe the locals’ tales of neighing horses echoing across the mountains, visiting the turquoise blue waters is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. See our adventurous Tajikistan itineraries.
8. Altyn Emel National Park
Within the vast expanse of Kazakhstan’s largest national park, Altyn Emel, are some of Central Asia’s most impressive natural phenomena. Our favourites are the Aktau Mountains, with multi-coloured slopes where horizontal bands of white, red and orange clay collide to spectacular effect. Elsewhere in the 520,000-hectare park, you can also visit the ‘Singing Dunes’, four dunes that never move despite the strong winds but that also produce a humming noise akin to a jet engine when you slide down their 150-metre slopes. See our Hidden Kazakhstan tour for more information.
Central Asia tours, next steps
If you would like to know more about any of our Central Asia tours, call us on 01473 328 546 or e-mail us using our website form. We’d love to hear from you.
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