Central Asia

Silk Road cities and empty mountain country.

Photo: Registan_-_Gusjer.jpg: Gustavo Jeronimo from Aranjuez, Spain derivative work: MrPanyGoff · CC BY 2.0

Countries

Kazakhstan

Steppe, canyons and futuristic capitals.

Kyrgyzstan

Yurts, horses and high lakes.

Tajikistan

The roof of Central Asia.

Turkmenistan

A flaming crater and marble city.

Uzbekistan

The Silk Road's blue-tiled cities.

The Short List

Must-See

Cities · UNESCO

Samarkand

Uzbekistan

Registan Square, among the most stunning sights in Asia.

Guide Coming Soon

Worth a Detour

Nature · Canyons

Almaty and Charyn Canyon

Kazakhstan

A leafy city by mountains, near Kazakhstan's grand canyon and Big Almaty Lake.

Guide Coming Soon

Worth a Detour

Nature · Lakes

Issyk-Kul and Karakol

Kyrgyzstan

A vast, high lake, with Karakol's trekking and Jeti-Ögüz's red rocks.

Guide Coming Soon

Worth a Detour

Nature · Nomads

Song-Kol

Kyrgyzstan

Stay in a nomad's yurt by a high lake.

Guide Coming Soon

Worth a Detour

Nature · Deserts

Darvaza Gas Crater

Turkmenistan

A burning pit in the desert, called the Door to Hell.

Guide Coming Soon

If You're Nearby

Cities · Architecture

Astana

Kazakhstan

A futuristic capital, risen from the steppe.

Guide Coming Soon

If You're Nearby

Spiritual · UNESCO

Turkistan

Kazakhstan

A grand Timurid mausoleum.

Guide Coming Soon

If You're Nearby

Heritage · Space

Baikonur

Kazakhstan

See a Soyuz launch, on a special permit.

Guide Coming Soon

If You're Nearby

Heritage · Silk Road

Tash Rabat

Kyrgyzstan

A Silk Road stone caravanserai.

Guide Coming Soon

If You're Nearby

Festivals & Seasons · Horses

World Nomad Games

Kyrgyzstan

A rare gathering of horse games.

Guide Coming Soon

If You're Nearby

Spiritual · UNESCO

Sulayman-Too

Kyrgyzstan

A sacred mountain rising from the middle of Osh, on the Silk Road.

Guide Coming Soon

If You're Nearby

Mountains · UNESCO

Pamir Highway

Tajikistan

A legendary high-altitude road, among the world's great road trips.

Guide Coming Soon

If You're Nearby

Mountains · Hiking

Fann Mountains

Tajikistan

Turquoise lakes and treks.

Guide Coming Soon

If You're Nearby

Heritage · UNESCO

Ashgabat and Merv

Turkmenistan

A white-marble capital, and a great Silk Road ruin.

Guide Coming Soon

If You're Nearby

Cities · UNESCO

Bukhara

Uzbekistan

A living medieval town of mosques and madrasas.

Guide Coming Soon

If You're Nearby

Heritage · UNESCO

Khiva

Uzbekistan

A complete mud-walled desert city.

Guide Coming Soon

If You're Nearby

Nature · Soviet

Tashkent and the Aral Sea

Uzbekistan

A Soviet-era capital, and rusty ships in a vanished sea.

Guide Coming Soon

On the Map

Grey pins: guides still being written.