The Five Stans of the Silk Road - Ashgabat to Almaty

If you want to discover 5 countries and their varied cultures, histories and scenery and meet some lovely people, all in three weeks, this trip is for you. We saw some wonderful, stunning scenery, met some amazing friendly people, found out about the past complicated history and the challenges they face today. It is fast paced, there are long journeys but totally worth it and loads to see and do on the way.

This was the longest duration trip I’ve ever taken, covering the most ground by road and with some (by my standards) fairly extreme variations of temperature, altitude and landscape. But it was mostly very unusual, often spectacular and totally worth the bumpy ride - take layers, medications and a better camera than I did. The people were also a particular highlight. Jabbar in Turkmenistan was an impossible act to follow, but the local leaders were all very good. The group was a great mix and we bonded over one or two minor glitches and some medicinal vodka. We met the friendliest local people in markets, at the border crossings, on the road. They were very often willing to share my three words of Russian, and to practice their English. It was also very nice to be asked to join them for their photos - probably some of these invitations were from other tourists, but was still great to feel like the exotic extra for a change.

I can honestly say as a seasoned traveller the 'Five Stans of the Silk Road' tour was one of the best I've been on! In a well-planned and packed 3-week itinerary we got to compare & contrast the highlights of five countries in Central Asia (Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan) each with its own distinct culture, history and approach to life. Exodus provided local guides for each country to ensure we got beneath the surface to learn more about the people. We stayed in a variety of excellent accommodation from plush hotels to lakeside yurts and the food was usually locally sourced, freshly cooked and delicious. An endlessly fascinating and thoroughly recommended for anyone with a sense of adventure and desire to learn about & experience a little-known corner of the world!

If you want to see classic Silk Road architecture then go to Uzbekistan. If you want to see amazing mountain scenery then go to Kyrgyzstan. If you want to see both of the above plus three other countries in Central Asia, whilst experiencing a wide range of 'best of' activites plus a few off the beaten track sights, all crammed into three hectic weeks, then the Five Stans trip is the one for you. My expectations were high, but this trip surpassed them.

This amazing trip was like several holidays rolled into one. From the surreal weirdness of Ashghabat and Darvaza, through ancient archaeological sites to the stunning monuments in Bukhara and Samarkand, through the desert to the Afghan border then up into beautiful mountains, lakes, rivers and nomad camps, before descending back down to the modern post-Soviet cities… every day there was something new and wonderful to see.