Central Asia: Five Stans Express — Self-Launched Edition

Fly into Ashgabat (Asgabat) — most travellers arrive via Istanbul or Dubai. Your Turkmen agency will meet you at the airport (transfers are usually bundled with the LOI package). Check into a mid-range city hotel near Magtymguly Avenue, change some cash (US dollars cash is king here; cards barely work), and take a gentle evening walk past the white-marble ministries and fountains of the city centre. Sort your SIM/data and confirm your agency's itinerary for the next two days.

🚌Airport transfer arranged with local agency (~£10)

🛏3-star city hotel, Ashgabat (twin/double, ~£30–45/night)

• →Evening walk along Magtymguly Avenue
• →Independence Park fountains
• →Buy a local SIM and change cash USD

A licensed guide is compulsory in Turkmenistan, so your agency's guide-driver covers today: Ertugrul Gazi Mosque, the Independence Monument and Neutrality Arch, the Turkmenbashy Ruhi Mosque and the family mausoleum of the first president, then out to the Anau ruins and mosque site about 20 minutes east of the city. Expect a lot of photo stops and a lot of marble. Ask your guide to take you to the Russian bazaar for lunch and to see the Alem cultural centre wheel.

🚌Private guide-driver included in agency package

🛏3-star city hotel, Ashgabat

• →Ertugrul Gazi Mosque
• →Independence Monument & Neutrality Arch
• →Turkmenbashy Ruhi Mosque & mausoleum
• →Anau ruins
• →Russian bazaar lunch

Drive 3–4 hours north into the Karakum Desert, stopping at the Izmushir-era desert ruins and a camel herd or two. Spend the late afternoon at the Darvaza gas crater as the light drops and the flames come up — genuinely one of the strangest sights on earth. Sleep in a basic yurt camp or tent camp a few hundred metres from the crater, with a Turkmen-style dinner cooked over gas. Bring warm layers: the desert is cold at night even in spring.

🚌Private 4x4 with guide-driver, ~4hrs from Ashgabat

🛏Yurt camp / tent camp at Darvaza (~£20–30 pp including dinner, usually bundled)

• →Karakum Desert drive
• →Darvaza gas crater at sunset and after dark
• →Desert camp dinner

Catch the crater at sunrise, then drive north to Dashoguz and the Uzbek border at Shavat. Crossing is slow but straightforward with your LOI paperwork and a registered exit — allow 2–3 hours. On the Uzbek side, take a shared taxi or marshrutka from Xiva/Urgench onward to Khiva (about 45 min). Settle into a guesthouse inside the Ichon-Qala walls and watch the walls glow at sunset from the city ramparts. Note: many self-launchers instead fly Ashgabat–Urgench via a Turkmen agency; the land border is the cheaper, more interesting option.

🚌Private car to Dashoguz + shared taxi across border and on to Khiva (~£15–25 total)

🛏Guesthouse inside Ichon-Qala, Khiva (~£15–22/night)

• →Sunrise at Darvaza
• →Shavat border crossing
• →Sunset on the Khiva city walls

Khiva is compact and entirely walkable — buy the combined Ichon-Qala ticket (around 100,000 UZS / £7) which covers most monuments. Work through the Kalta Minor Minaret, Mohammed Amin Khan Madressa, the Kuhna Ark citadel, Pahlavon Mahmud Mausoleum, Islom Hoja Minaret, Juma Mosque with its forest of carved wooden pillars, and the Tosh-Hovli Palace. Skip paid guides and use a free audio guide or a decent offline map; the signage is good. Afternoon for tea on a rooftop terrace overlooking the minarets.

🚌On foot

🛏Guesthouse inside Ichon-Qala, Khiva

• →Ichon-Qala combined monument ticket
• →Kalta Minor Minaret
• →Kuhna Ark citadel
• →Juma Mosque
• →Tosh-Hovli Palace
• →Rooftop tea

Take a shared taxi or the daily fast train (Afrosiyob/Sharq service) from Urgench to Bukhara — roughly 5–6 hours. Book the train a few days ahead on the Uzbek Railways site or at the station; shared taxis from the bazaar stand cost about the same when split four ways and are more flexible. Arrive in Bukhara in the late afternoon, drop bags at a courtyard guesthouse in the old town, then wander Lyabi-Hauz plaza for dinner and see the Taki Zargaron trading domes lit up.

🚌Shared taxi or train Urgench → Bukhara (~£8–12)

🛏Old-town courtyard guesthouse, Bukhara (~£15–22/night)

• →Lyabi-Hauz plaza
• →Taki Zargaron trading domes
• →Old-town evening wander

Self-guided morning loop: Sitorai Mohi Hosa Palace (a short taxi out of town, ~£2), then back in for the Ark Fortress, the Ismail Samani Mausoleum and the Chashma Ayub shrine. In the afternoon pick off the free and cheap sites — Bolo Hauz Mosque, Chor Minor (about 4,000 UZS), the Kalon Minaret and Mosque (6,000 UZS) and the Ulugbek and Abdulaziz Khan madrassas. Finish with a hammom (bathhouse) session in the old town, roughly £10.

🚌Shared taxi / short city taxis (~£4)

🛏Old-town courtyard guesthouse, Bukhara

• →Sitorai Mohi Hosa Palace
• →Ark Fortress
• →Ismail Samani Mausoleum
• →Chor Minor
• →Kalon Minaret & Mosque
• →Old-town hammom

Free morning for the bazaar and one more coffee in Lyabi-Hauz, then catch the afternoon Afrosiyob high-speed train to Samarkand (about 1h40, book online ahead — £6–10 in economy). Check into a guesthouse near the Registan, visit the Gur-Amir Mausoleum (Tamerlane's tomb) in the late light, and come back to Registan Square after dark when the madrassas are floodlit. Nighttime Registan is free to walk around the outside.

🚌Afrosiyob high-speed train Bukhara → Samarkand (~£8)

🛏Guesthouse near Registan, Samarkand (~£15–22/night)

• →Bukhara bazaar morning
• →Gur-Amir Mausoleum
• →Registan Square at night

Start early at Shak-i-Zinda necropolis before the tour buses land, then walk to the Bibi-Khanym Mosque and the bazaar behind it for dried fruit and bread. Book a plov cooking demonstration with a local family through your guesthouse or GetYourGuide (about £15–20) — you'll learn the full osh ritual and eat the results. Free afternoon: the Ulug Beg Observatory is the underrated stop, about 30,000 UZS.

🚌On foot and short city taxis (~£3)

🛏Guesthouse near Registan, Samarkand

• →Shak-i-Zinda necropolis
• →Bibi-Khanym Mosque
• →Siab bazaar
• →Plov cooking class with a local family
• →Ulug Beg Observatory

Lazy morning in Samarkand, then the Afrosiyob again up to Tashkent (about 2h10, £8–12). Tashkent is a proper Soviet-meets-Silk-Road capital — check into a hostel or budget hotel near Amir Timur Square or in the Chorsu area, then spend the evening eating at a chaikhana and walking the Metro stations (they're architectural monuments in their own right).

🚌Afrosiyob Samarkand → Tashkent (~£10)

🛏Hostel or budget hotel, Tashkent (~£14–22/night)

• →Free morning in Samarkand
• →Metro station architecture crawl
• →Chaikhana dinner

Do the classic Tashkent loop on foot and metro: Amir Timur Square, the ornate Kosmonavtlar and Alisher Navoi metro stations, then Chorsu Bazaar for a full sensory hit (bread, spices, horse meat, everything). Afternoon at the Khast Imom complex with the ancient Quran library and the State Museum of History (50,000 UZS) if you're feeling studious. Cheap, easy, and a good reset day before Tajikistan.

🚌Metro and walking (~£2)

🛏Hostel or budget hotel, Tashkent

• →Amir Timur Square
• →Metro architecture tour
• →Chorsu Bazaar
• →Khast Imom complex
• →State Museum of History of Uzbekistan

Cross into Tajikistan at Oybek/Bekabad — the easiest route is a shared taxi from Tashkent to the border (~£5) and another from the Tajik side to Khujand (~£5). Visa-free for most Western passports up to 30 days. Khujand is a relaxed, leafy Syr Darya city: visit the Jami Mosque and the Panjshanbe Bazaar (one of the best in the region), and eat at a chaikhana on the river. Free history museum if you want a Soviet-era dive.

🚌Shared taxis Tashkent → border → Khujand (~£10–12)

🛏Guesthouse or budget hotel, Khujand (~£15–20/night)

• →Oybek border crossing
• →Jami Mosque
• →Panjshanbe Bazaar
• →Syr Darya riverside walk

Hire a shared 4x4 or join a group transfer from Khujand over the Shahriston Pass (3,378 m) — ask at your guesthouse, roughly £30–40 pp if you share. Drop into Iskanderkul Lake, one of the most beautiful alpine lakes in Central Asia, and hike the short trail to the Fann waterfall and the small Zmeinnoe ('Snake') Lake above it. Stay in a basic homestay in Sary Tag village — this is Tajik village life with tea, bread and fresh dairy.

🚌Shared 4x4 over Shahriston Pass (~£35)

🛏Village homestay, Sary Tag (~£15–20 pp half board)

• →Shahriston Pass
• →Iskanderkul Lake
• →Fann waterfall hike
• →Zmeinnoe Lake
• →Sary Tag village evening

Continue south over the Anzob Pass (or through the tunnel, depending on season and snow) toward Dushanbe, stopping at the Hissor Fort about 25 km west of the capital — a reconstructed hilltop fortress with a decent museum. Roll into Dushanbe in the late afternoon; it's a green, low-rise, easy-going capital. Grab a plov dinner and plan tomorrow.

🚌Shared 4x4 / shared taxi to Dushanbe, with Hissor stop (~£25–30 pp)

🛏Guesthouse or budget hotel, Dushanbe (~£18–25/night)

• →Anzob Pass drive
• →Hissor Fort
• →Dushanbe evening wander

Walk Rudaki Square and the Ismail Somoni monument, peek into the vast Navruz Palace (a slightly absurd marble extravaganza, small entry fee), and spend a solid two hours at the National Museum of Antiquities — the highlight is the 5th-century 'Sleeping Buddha', the largest Buddha statue found in Central Asia. Free afternoon: the botanical gardens or a coffee on Rudaki Avenue.

🚌Walking and city taxis (~£4)

🛏Guesthouse or budget hotel, Dushanbe

• →Rudaki Square & Somoni monument
• →Navruz Palace
• →National Museum of Antiquities (Sleeping Buddha)
• →Dushanbe botanical gardens

Take the direct Dushanbe–Almaty flight (usually Air Astana or Somon Air, roughly £90–140 one way if booked a few weeks out; there's also a long land route via Khujand–Tashkent–Shymkent but it eats 2 days). Arrive Almaty, check into a hostel in the city centre near Panfilov Park, and take an evening walk up to Kok-Tobe for the cable car view over the city with the Zailiysky Alatau mountains behind it (about £3).

🚌Flight Dushanbe → Almaty (~£110) + airport bus (~£1)

🛏Hostel or budget hotel, Almaty (~£15–25/night)

• →Kok-Tobe cable car & viewpoint
• →Panfilov Park evening walk

Self-guided walking loop: Central (Republic) Square, the candy-coloured Zenkov Cathedral — built entirely of wood without nails — Panfilov Park, and the small but charming Museum of Kazakh Musical Instruments (about £2). Free afternoon options: the Central State Museum (free), the Green Bazaar for snacks, or a half-day hike up to Medeu/Shymbulak if the lifts are running. Almaty's metro is cheap and its coffee scene is the best in the region.

🚌Metro and walking (~£2)

🛏Hostel or budget hotel, Almaty

• →Zenkov Cathedral
• →Panfilov Park
• →Museum of Kazakh Musical Instruments
• →Green Bazaar
• →Central State Museum

Book a shared day-tour or join a group 4x4 from Almaty (GetYourGuide/Klook run these from about £45–65 pp including Charyn and Kolsay, or you can hire a shared car through your hostel). Charyn Canyon's Valley of Castles is a 2–3 km walk between red rock towers down to the Charyn river. Continue on to Saty village at the edge of Kolsay Lakes National Park for a homestay — dinner is usually homemade and enormous.

🚌Shared minibus/4x4 Almaty → Charyn → Saty (~£50 incl. park fees)

🛏Family homestay, Saty (~£18–25 pp half board)

• →Charyn Canyon National Park
• →Valley of Castles walk
• →Saty village homestay

Morning hike along Kolsay Lakes (Kaindy Lake with its drowned forest is a worthwhile detour if your driver can swing it — about 400,000 KZT split between four). Then head east toward the Kazakhstan–Kyrgyzstan border at Kegen or Akzhol, cross, and continue by shared taxi to Karakol (2–3 hrs on the Kyrgyz side). In Karakol see the Chinese-style Dungan Mosque (free/donation) and the wooden Holy Trinity Orthodox Cathedral, and stock up at the local bazaar for tomorrow's picnic.

🚌Shared 4x4 + border crossing + shared taxi (~£35–45 pp)

🛏Guesthouse in Karakol, Kyrgyzstan (~£12–18/night)

• →Kolsay Lakes hike
• →Optional Kaindy Lake
• →Kegen border crossing
• →Dungan Mosque
• →Holy Trinity Orthodox Cathedral
• →Karakol bazaar

Take a marshrutka or shared taxi from Karakol round the south shore of Issyk-Kul, the world's second-largest alpine lake. Stop at Jety Oguz (Seven Bulls) valley for a short walk up to the red rock formations and the broken-heart rock, then at Skazka (Fairy Tale) Canyon near Tosor for an hour scrambling among the orange and pink badlands. Base yourself in a lakeside guesthouse at Tosor or Bokonbaevo; lakeside beaches are surprisingly good, if cold.

🚌Marshrutka/shared taxi Karakol → south shore (~£6–8)

🛏Lakeside guesthouse, Tosor/Bokonbaevo (~£12–18/night)

• →Jety Oguz valley walk
• →Skazka (Fairy Tale) Canyon
• →Issyk-Kul lakeside swim

Book a Kyrgyz yurt workshop and carpet-making demonstration through your guesthouse or the CBT (Community Based Tourism) office in Bokonbaevo — around £15–25 pp and completely worth it; you'll help raise the kerege lattice and the tündük crown. In the afternoon visit a local eagle hunter family (demonstrations around £15–20 pp), which is this area's signature tradition. Home-cooked dinner with the family: bread, jam, beshbarmak if you're lucky.

🚌Local taxi between villages (~£5)

🛏Lakeside guesthouse, Tosor/Bokonbaevo

• →Yurt-building workshop
• →Kyrgyz carpet-making demonstration
• →Eagle hunter visit
• →Home-cooked family dinner

Head west via Tokmok to the Burana Tower, an 11th-century minaret and the last remnant of the Silk Road city of Balasagun — climb the dark spiral staircase to the top and wander the field of balbal stone markers (£1.50). Stop at a Kyrgyz family home in Don Aryk for a home-cooked lunch if you arrange it through CBT (~£8), then continue to Bishkek by marshrutka. Evening orientation walk around Ala-Too Square and a first taste of Bishkek's café scene.

🚌Marshrutka/shared taxi to Tokmok and Bishkek (~£8)

🛏Hostel or budget hotel, Bishkek (~£12–20/night)

• →Burana Tower climb
• →Balbal stone field
• →Don Aryk family lunch
• →Ala-Too Square evening walk

Self-guided walking day: Ala-Too Square, Dubovy (Oak) Park, the open-air sculpture garden, and Osh Bazaar for dried apricots, honey and a genuine Central Asian market experience. If you have energy, the State History Museum is cheap and well-labelled. Splash out on a final dinner at one of Bishkek's better restaurants — Soviet-canteen-style Faiza or a Dungan/Uyghur place — for around £10–15.

🚌Walking and city taxis (~£3)

🛏Hostel or budget hotel, Bishkek

• →Ala-Too Square
• →Dubovy Park
• →Osh Bazaar
• →State History Museum
• →Final dinner out

Depending on your flight, squeeze in a last coffee or a marshrutka run to the Osh Bazaar, then head to Manas Airport. If you've got time to spare, Bishkek makes a good base for a side trip to Ala-Archa National Park (30 min) — worth adding a day for.

🚌Marshrutka #380 or taxi to Manas Airport (~£3)

🛏—

• →Osh Bazaar last-minutes
• →Optional Ala-Archa National Park side trip