Exhilarating Central Asia

Stretching from the Caspian Sea to the Siberian steppe, Central Asia is a vast and mysterious region, once very much at the heart of the ancient Silk Road. Made up of the five ‘Stans’ (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan), this is a land of blue-domed cities, soaring peaks and otherworldly desert plains.

Famously welcoming, the people here are genuinely warm and hospitable - in fact getting to know the locals is one of the best things about travel in Central Asia. But the architecture and buildings are fascinating too. Medieval sand-hued fortresses rise up from the desert, and intricate mosaicked mosques and minarets adorn atmospheric cities, while in other parts ultra-bold modernist and Soviet architecture are the order of the day.

In Uzbekistan, Silk Road romantics will be enthralled in Samarkand and Bukhara, the evocative caravan stops of yesteryear, and those looking for off-the-beaten-path travel will be delighted by the lack of other souls holidaying here. Lose yourself in all the noise and colour of a medieval bazaar, sit down for tea in a nomad’s yurt or stargaze to your heart’s content from a distant desert oasis.