The Five Stans of the Silk Road - Ashgabat to Almaty

• Accommodation: 20 Classic nights (18 hotel, 2 guesthouse), 2 Simple nights (yurt)
• Travel by minibus, two trains and a flight
• Group normally 4 to 16, plus leader. Minimum age: 16
• Itinerary also available as: The Five Stans of the Silk Road - Almaty to Ashgabat

Common dishes in the region include shish-kebabs and plov (rice usually with mutton, onions, carrots, spices, raisins and peas). The kebabs can be from different meats, including lamb and beef, while plov is a rice-based dish (variants elsewhere are known as pilaf or pilau rice). Another main staple is bread, especially in Uzbekistan where it is freshly baked and sold everywhere; in Turkmenistan, churek is a flat, round bread baked in clay ovens. Other traditional dishes include chorba, a meat and vegetable soup; manty, steamed dumplings filled with lamb; qu’urma, a lamb dish; ichlekli, a meat and onion pie; and gutap, a pie filled with meat, potatoes, spinach and pumpkin. There are normally a couple of opportunities to try home-cooked meals. Tea is also plentiful, both black and green, and drunk with most meals and throughout the day. Please note, vegetarian food choices are limited. If you are vegetarian or have any special dietary requirements, please notify us well in advance. In this region, the availability of certain specialised products for restricted diets, eg gluten-free or dairy-free, is minimal or non-existent and we strongly recommend you bring such specialised dietary items from home. Drinking water is included and where possible will be provided in large containers for you to refill your bottle from – please bring a reusable bottle with you.

Covering a large area, from the deserts of Turkmenistan to the mountains of Kyrgyzstan, the climate varies a lot. Summer (July and August) can be very hot in Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan but pleasant in Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan, while spring and autumn (May/June and September/October) can be cooler in Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan but more pleasant in Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.

As we visit regions ranging from deserts to high mountains, you can expect temperatures exceeding 30C (86F) as well as close to freezing and need to be prepared for both. Winters are very cold and some areas are impassable (especially to Son Kul in Kyrgyzstan) for most of the year, which is why the season for this trip is relatively short, lasting only from June to mid-October. Later dates (ie September into October) can be particularly cold at Son Kul.

This trip is rated Activity Level 3 (Moderate). For more information on our trip gradings, visit the Activity Level Guidelines page. If you have any queries about the difficulty of the trip, please contact us.

Itinerary: Over a relatively short period, we visit a vast array of sites, both cultural and natural, and cover five fascinating countries, which share a common history but are now developing individually. It covers a lot of distance in three weeks and there are several places where we only spend one night. While this is not an active trip, the pace and distance covered can be tiring. There are also some hikes, particularly in Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. These are not challenging and can vary depending on the preferences and abilities of the group.

Climate: Temperatures can be very high, especially in Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan and particularly in July and August but high temperatures are increasingly common in other months too. In contrast, in the mountains, particular at Son Kul, be prepared for lower temperatures, possibly even snow.

Drives: Most tend to be four to five hours. On Day 17, we have a particularly long drive of around nine hours. Timings are approximate and construction work can increase journey times, particularly in Kyrgyzstan. Some roads are in poor condition.

Trains: We take two train journeys in Uzbekistan. The train from Khiva to Bukhara is a Soviet-era train. The journey is made by day, but the train is a sleeper with four berths per compartment. Sometimes we share with people who are not part of our group. The train from Bukhara to Samarkand is a modern high-speed train. Timetable changes are a possibility and occasionally there are difficulties securing train tickets (for example, when there are large government events). In these cases, we may travel by road instead.

Comfort and service: Central Asia doesn’t always have great infrastructure, and you shouldn’t expect the same comforts or levels of service you would get at home.

Most nights are in hotels, though we also stay in yurt camps and guesthouses, which will be more basic

Hot water is normally available, but is not always reliable

Smoking: Smoking in public is illegal in Turkmenistan and you should not smoke outside the airport on arrival or in the street. You can only bring two packs of cigarettes into Turkmenistan.

Itinerary changes: Given the bureaucracy in the region, we may be forced to change the route or activities due to government decisions beyond our control.

Tour leaders and border crossings: As we travel through several countries, we have several different tour leaders over the trip. Border crossings can be chaotic and require patience. A tour leader will cross the borders with the group, except the Turkmenistan/Uzbekistan border. You need to carry all your own luggage through the border crossings and at train stations. We recommend you travel light.

Darvaza Gas Crater: We have removed a visit to the Darvaza Gas Crater in Turkmenistan from this trip as the flames are now dying down. Instead we visit the ruins of the ancient Silk Road cities of Merv and Kunya Urgench,