Central Asia 2-Week Tours and Itineraries

“Cities tend not to be high on my list of places to visit but I was surprised by the many parks and green spaces offsetting the large buildings and wide roads in all the cities visited. Of course the amazing architecture of the mosques, madrassas, minarets, mausoleums, museums and markets were impressive and interesting with a wealth of information from both our tour leaders and local guides, all of whom spoke excellent English.The train journeys and the brief ride on the Metro in Tashkent made pleasant changes to the coach travel. Good to see family groups enjoying the warm evenings in pedestrianised streets and squares, parks, local cafes and bars, etc. No litter, no noisy groups of youths, just a nice atmosphere.Though the planned overnight train ride to Kazakhstan didnt happen owing to international cancellation at little notice, the replacement coach was large and comfortable. In the morning traffic to Almaty many more upmarket cars were on the roads, after very few in Uzbekistan.The short drive out of Almaty with the walk up to the waterfall was a welcome change from the city streets. Then the long drive into the Kyrgyzstan countryside was literally a breath of fresh air; with the vast lake, snow-capped mountains, rushing rivers, flower-strewn meadows and leisurely walks. Not forgetting the impressive golden eagle demonstration. I would have preferred more than one night at the Yurt shores of Lake Camp. A couple of days later, an afternoon swim at the seaside on the Issyk Kul Lake was refreshing.Inevitable long road journeys were offset by ever changing views, excellent driving, mainly good roads and frequent stops.”

“Really exciting trip, very full on and packed with seeing the best of all 3 countries that you visit. Be prepared for long but very rewarding days of sightseeing and travelling. Go with the flow! Very friendly and hospitable people. Eating out is cheap and there is plenty of choice of good quality meat (lamb, beef) kebabs/ pasties! (or the nearest thing to them, yummy) dumplings, paste/noodle/bread and salads. Local beer very acceptable and even the best vodka is very cheap and taste great.. Great photo opportunities and load of very interesting architecture such as Madrasah's and mausoleums to see! Scenery up in mountains is stunning with waterfalls and turquoise lakes. Staying in the Yurt in the mountains in Kyrgyzstan was wonderful. No light pollution so you can see the milky way and shooting stars! But be prepared for it to be very basic and rustic! We ended up playing hand ball with a international team of people staying at the camp site and then sitting round the camp fire singing and drinking vodka watching the night sky.”

“Overall a fantastic trip but not a relaxing one. Each country is different from the others and it feels like three holidays in one. Early starts and long journeys made for arduous travelling at times and the border crossing into China was a pain, but spectacular scenery and reasonably regular stops made it interesting and nearly every day had highlights to look forward to. The hotels were comfortable and the food was better and more varied that we were led to believe from reading previous reviews. I'd score it 9 out of 10 overall.”