Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Kyrgyzstan
Tajikistan
Turkmenistan
Activities
Culture
Road Trips
Scenery
Road Trips
Culture
Hitory
Ofbeat Travel
Desert
Alpine
Splendour
Forested valleys and
summer pastures
beg to be explored,
either on foot or
horseback. The Tian
Shan mountains
are the literal high
point, dotted with
gorgeous lakes.
The Pamirs
Mountains are the
big draw here, from
the Fan Mountains
in the west to the
huge Pamir peaks
in the east and the
views of the Hindu
Kush from the Wa-
khan Valley. Trek,
drive, ride or climb;
the landscapes are
stunning.
Lot Empires
The deserts are lit-
tered with the bones
of the past. Five dif-
ferent cities make
up Merv, once one
of Asia's great cities,
while the ruins of
the Khorezmshah
empire lie among
the mausolea and
minarets of Konye-
Urgench.
Nomadic Life
Community-based
homestays and
yurts offer the keys
to unlock the coun-
try. Use them as a
base to learn how
to make a
shyrdak
(felt carpet), hear
a performance of
the epic
Manas,
take in some tradi-
tional horse games
or watch an eagle
hunter in action.
Road Trips
Central Asia's most
spectacular drive is
from Khorog to Osh
along the Pamir
Highway, but the
taxi rides from Pen-
jikent to Dushanbe
and around Khorog
are also stunning.
Hire a vehicle for a
multiday adventure.
Weird &
Wonderful
Ashgabat is full of
oddly grandiose
buildings and sur-
real monuments
to the cult of person-
ality. From under-
ground lakes to
dinosaur footprints,
almost everything
in Turkmenistan is
unexpected.
Hometays
The many home-
stays in the spec-
tacular valleys of
the western Pamirs
or Fan Mountains
offer humbling
hospitality. Alter-
natively, experience
the semi-nomadic
life at a herder's
yurt in the eastern
Pamirs.
Silk Routes
Ancient trading
routes criss-cross
Kyrgyzstan. From
the 2000-year-old
bazaar town of Osh
take the high roads
to the pitch-perfect
caravanserai of
Tash Rabat, before
crossing the high
passes to Kashgar.
Desert
Cross the Karakum
desert on the over-
land routes to Uz-
bekistan, stopping
off at the burning
crater pit at Darvaza.
Come early in March
for cooler tem-
peratures and desert
blooms.
p370
p312
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