A small mea culpa

For years I’ve happily read other travellers’ blogs, borrowed their recommendations, checked their routes and relied on their practical advice. I haven’t been nearly as diligent about returning the favour. So this is an attempt to put that right.

A friend and I spent five weeks travelling independently through Central Asia in September 2026. We covered more than 5,000 kilometres, taking in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and a short detour into Tajikistan. We used trains, marshrutkas, private cars and whatever else made sense at the time. We booked some things in advance, improvised others and occasionally discovered that the map and the road were not entirely on speaking terms.

This is not a day-by-day account nor a definitive guide to an enormous region. It’s a collection of things we found useful, places we would recommend and a few things we would do differently. There are no affiliate links and no sponsored recommendations. Where I name a business, it’s because we used it and thought it worth mentioning.

Our trip was, in effect, two journeys in one: Kyrgyzstan’s high country and nomadic traditions, followed by Uzbekistan’s Silk Road cities, the Fergana Valley and the extraordinary landscapes beyond the Aral Sea. It could easily have been three or four separate visits. More on that later.

ON THIS PAGE

Getting Around

The Practicalities - Money,

Useful Apps

Exploring Silk Road Cities

Organised or Independent Tour?

Things we’d do differently