Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Need to Know
For more information, see Survival Guide (p461)
Visas
A major preoccupation.
Visa-free in Kyrgyzstan,
easy for Kazakhstan,
fairly easy for Tajikistan
and Uzbekistan, and
tricky for Turkmenistan.
For full visa information,
see p31.
When to Go
Astana
GO
May-Sep
#
Money
Bring a combination of
cash (perhaps around
two-thirds of your
funds) in US dollars or
euros, and a credit card
for ATMs in the cities.
Kochkor
GO
May-Sep
Samarkand
GO
mid-Mar-May,
Sep-Oct
#
#
#
Ashgabat
GO
Mar-Apr,
Oct-Nov
Murgab
GO
Jul-Sep
#
Mobile Phones
If you have an 'unlocked'
GSM-900 phone, buy
a local SIM card and
top that up with local
scratch cards or at top-
up booths. US phone
owners might ind it
cheaper to buy a mobile
phone on arrival.
Desert, dry climate
Dry climate
Warm to hot summers, mild winters
Warm to hot summers, cold winters
Mild summers, cold winters
High Season
(Apr-Jun,
Sep-Oct)
¨
Comfortable
temperatures in the
lowlands.
¨
Bazaars overflow
with fruit in
September.
Shoulder
(Jul & Aug)
¨
Sizzlingly hot
in the lowlands,
especially in
Uzbekistan,
Turkmenistan and
western Tajikistan.
¨
The best time to
visit mountainous
Kyrgyzstan,
Tajikistan and
southeastern
Kazakhstan, and for
trekking (Jul-Sep).
Low Season
(Nov-Mar)
¨
Cold in
Uzbekistan, frozen
in sub-Siberian
Kazakhstan
and snow in the
mountains.
¨
Many tourist
hotels and B&Bs
close in Uzbekistan.
¨
March is a good
time weather-wise for
Turkmenistan.
Time
Central Asia time zone
(GMT/UTC plus ive
hours), except giant
Kazakhstan which strad-
dles GMT/UTC (plus ive
and plus six hours).
