The Three Stans of The Silk Road

I recently completed the Three Stans trip with Explore. It was a very good trip. Our local trip leader (Tatiana), for Kyrgyzstan & Kazakhstan, was exceptional, in fact she was the best leader we have encountered in several Explore trips. Her leadership, communication, use of maps, care, attention, and patience was exemplary. The standard of accommodation throughout, was good, to very good. The Nomad Lodge in Kochkor, was excellent. The activities e.g. cookery demonstrations / participation, yurt building etc. was good. On the final day, in Samarkand (Uzbekistan), our guide gave us only 40 minutes of free time in Registan Square. Fortunately, we had added 3 extra nights in Samarkand, at the end of the trip, so we were able to subsequently enjoy the delights of the magnificent Registan Square, for 5 hours! In my opinion, the time allocated to Samarkand on this trip is too short, and I would suggest that others consider extending their time there, as we did. Accommodation is plentiful. It is also beneficial to consider arriving one day before the trip starts, in Bishkek, so as to be more refreshed. On a negative note, we had booked our flights via Explore. When we tried to check in online, we discovered that Turkish Airlines requires an eTicket number, which Explore had not supplied to us. We had only been given the booking reference number. As a result, I had to telephone Explore on two occasions, as I received the wrong eTicket numbers by email, in response to my first call.

A very hectic but most wonderful trip! Tatiana is the best local guide we’ve had on an Explore Trip. She gave us lots of information about the areas we visited. Her use of maps, to explain the info and show where we were, was brilliant! She looked after us well and became more of a friend than just our guide. The visits to and participation at local traditional activities/cookery were excellent. Yurt camp was certainly a great improvement to our Uzbekhistan/Kyrgystan trip 12 years ago. One more night in Samarkand would have been the icing on the cake. Having arrived in the early evening, the one full day there meant being rushed through one of the most beautiful cities of Central Asia. I do appreciate that the full itinerary makes it impossible therefore would advise staying an extra night at least as Samarkand is too special to just have an evening and a full day there. Just glad we stayed another 3 extra nights to enjoy Registan Square and the surrounding areas.

An interesting and informative trip which gave a very good overview of this part of Central Asia - the history putting the now in context. Varied sites, modes of travel and activities some of which enabled meeting local people. The two guides were excellent: well organised, competent and very knowledgeable and enthusiastic about the home countries. They gave superb commentaries and insights.