Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Websites
Lonely Planet
(www.lonely
planet.com) The Central Asia
branch of the Thorn Tree forum
is the place for news on visas,
border crossings and more.
Caravanistan
(www.caravani
stan.com) Peerless online travel
guide to the region.
Oriental Express Central Asia
(www.orexca.com) Virtual travel
guide from a local travel agency.
EurasiaNet
(www.eurasianet.
org) News and cultural articles,
with resource pages for each
country.
Pamirs.org
(www.pamirs.org)
Deinitive travel and historical
guide to the Pamir region
in Tajikistan from Robert
Middleton.
Discovery Central Asia
(www.
centralasia.travel) Interesting
articles and cultural details from
across Central Asia.
Daily Costs
Budget
US$15--5
¨
US$25-45 in Kazakhstan
¨
Homestay: US$10-20 per
person with two meals
¨
Chaikhana meal: US$3-5
¨
Horse hire in Kyrgyzstan:
US$15
Travelling Safely
¨
Watch for pickpockets
in crowded bazaars or bus
stations.
¨
Avoid police and security
officials whenever possible
(especially in Uzbekistan).
¨
Make sure your documents
and permits are watertight at
all times.
¨
At night don't get into a taxi
with more than one person in it.
For more information on safe
travel, see p
474
.
Midrange
US$25-80
¨
B&B in Bukhara or
Samarkand: US$20-40
¨
Double room in a midrange
hotel: US$30-80 (US$50-130
in Kazakhstan)
Getting Around
Transport in Central Asia is rela-
tively convenient and abundant
in the plains but much patchier
in the mountains.
Train
High-speed modern trains
run to Samarkand and Bukhara
in Uzbekistan and between Al-
maty and Astana in Kazakhstan.
Long-distance rail services are
less comfortable but a com-
mon way to get around huge
Kazakhstan.
Bus
Fairly reliable and comfort-
able coaches run between major
cities but comfort, reliability and
frequency plummet rapidly in
rural areas.
Shared taxi
The best way to get
around Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan
and Uzbekistan. Pay by the seat
or buy all four of them for cheap
car hire on set routes.
Hired car
Useful for the
Pamirs and mountain areas of
Kyrgyzstan and generally priced
per kilometre.
Top End
More than US$80
¨
Double room in a four-star
hotel: US$100
¨
Tour in Turkmenistan:
US$100-150 per person per
day in small group.
Important
Numbers
Police
%
02
Ambulance
%
03
Don't Forget
¨
A sun hat, sunglasses and
suncream for strong desert
and mountain sun.
¨
The latest government
travel warnings (p475), and a
small pinch of salt.
¨
Sleeping bag and water
purification if headed into the
mountains of Kyrgyzstan and
Tajikistan.
¨
A Russian phrasebook and a
paperback novel (hard to find
in Central Asia).
¨
Mementos from home (eg
postcards and photos) to break
the ice in homestays.
¨
Floss - to get the mutton
out from between your teeth.
Opening Hours
Banks and oices
9am-noon
and 1-5pm Monday to Friday,
possibly 9am-noon Saturday.
Exchange oices keep longer
hours, including weekends.
Museums
Generally closed
Monday.
Restaurants
11am-9pm; longer
opening hours in major cities.
For much more on
getting around
,
see p485.
