Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
TRAVEL AGENCIES & ORGANISED TOURS
There are lots of reliable travel agencies inside Central Asia who can help with the logis-
tics of travel in Central Asia - whether it be visas, a few excursions or an entire tailored
trip.
The following agencies outside the region can also arrange individual itineraries and/
or accommodation, tickets and visa support.
Autralia
Passport Travel
(
%
03-9500 0444; www.travelcentre.com.au; Level 1, 12-14 Glenferrie rd,
Malvern) Silk Road by rail tours.
Russian Gateway Tours
(
%
02-9745 3333; www.russian-gateway.com.au; 48 The Boulevarde,
Strathield) Airfares to Central Asia, hotel bookings, hometays, visa invitations and air-
port transfers.
Sundowners Overland
(
%
03-9672 5300; www.sundownersoverland.com; Level 1, 51 Queen
St, Melbourne) Small-group and independent tours into Central Asia.
The UK
Regent Holidays
(
%
0845-277 3317; www.regent-holidays.co.uk; Froomsgate House, rupert St,
Britol) Ofers tours, and can cobble together an individual itinerary.
Scott's Tours
(
%
020-7383 5353; www.scotttours.co.uk; 141 Whitield St, London, W1T 5EW)
Hotel bookings, visas and more.
Wild Frontiers
(
%
020-7736 3968; www.wildfrontiertravel.co.uk) Tailor-made tours with an
emphasis on adventure.
The US
Mir Corporation
(
%
1-800-424-7289; www.mircorp.com) Independent tours, hometays
and visa support with accommodation.
Red Star Travel
(
%
206-522 5995; www.travel2russia.com; Suite 102, 123 Queen Anne Ave N,
Seattle) Organises tours, individual itineraries, accommodation, train tickets, visa support
with booking.
your way out by asking any-
one in the way,
vykhodite?
(getting off?).
Marshrutka
A
marshrutka,
or
marshrut-
noe
taxi (marsh-
root
-na-yuh
tahk-
see
)
,
is a minibus run-
ning along a fixed route. You
can get on at fixed stops
but can get off anywhere by
saying '
zdes pozhaluysta'
(zd-
yes
pa-
zhal
-stuh; here
please). Routes are hard to
figure out and schedules er-
ratic, and it's usually easier
to stick to other transport.
Fares are just a little higher
than bus fares.
Taxi
There are two kinds of taxis:
officially licensed ones and
every other car on the road.
¨
Official taxis are more
trustworthy, and sometimes
cheaper - if you can find
one. They rarely have
meters so you'll have to
negotiate a fare in advance.
¨
Let a local friend negotiate
a fare for you - they'll do
better than you will.
¨
Unofficial taxis are often
private cars driven by
people trying to cover their
rising petrol costs. Anything
with a chequerboard logo in
the window is a taxi.
¨
Stand at the side of the
road, extend your arm
and wait - as scores of
others around you will
probably be doing. When
someone stops, negotiate
a destination and fare. The
driver may say '
sadites'
(sit down) or beckon you
in, but sort the fare out
first. It helps a lot if you
can negotiate the price in
Russian, even more so in the
local language.
¨
A typical fare across a
Central Asian capital is
around US$3. Fares go up at
night and extra charges are
incurred for bookings.
Train
Kazakhstan and to a lesser
extent Uzbekistan are
probably the only countries
where you'll find yourself
using the train system
much. Travel in the sum-
mertime is best done at
night.
