slquoue

Hi there,

The basic idea is for me to spend two weeks in Kyrgyzstan on my own, before my girlfriend flies out to join me and spend two weeks in Uzbekistan, this August. I have made a map of the destinations I am considering, but haven't decided on a route yet. Red is more certain, orange are possibilities: http://www.stevenjamesmartin.com/Centralasia/

Kyrgyzstan (two weeks) - Bishkek, Karakol, Issy Kul, Song-kul, Arslanbob, Osh
Uzbekistan (two weeks) - Tashkent, Samarkand, Bukhara, Khiva

I'm trying to work out:
1) Where I should fly into and out of - this will probably involve different airports? I don't want to spend loads of time backtracking, but equally I don't want to blow too much money on two single flights.

2) Whether I/we have time for these additional detours (shown in yellow on my map!) and whether you think they are worth it?

Almaty (Kazakhstan)
Taraz, Shymkent, Turkistan (Kazakhstan)
Nukus, Muynak (Uzbekistan)
Darvaza Gas Crater, Ashgabat (Marv?) on limited transit visa for Turkmenistan.
These all seem feasible but would of course take away time from Kyrgyzstan (1 and 2) or Uzbekistan (3 and 4).

3) Getting from Kyrgyz to Uzbek: there seem to be two routes: either Osh -> Tashkent, or the northern route through Taraz and Shymkent (Kazakhstan). Any thoughts on which would be more enjoyable?

4) Finally, any thoughts on the actual route I should take!

Any thoughts appreciated!

thursdaysd

I just spent two weeks in Uzbekistan - I haven't written the TR yet, but there is a summary here:

http://www.fodors.com/community/asia...-samarkand.cfm

Some thoughts:

Flights : Fly into one airport and out of another, the difference in price compared to a round trip shouldn't be that much, and you will save the cost and time of backtracking. Do not fly into Tashkent's international airport if you can possibly avoid it.

Kazakhstan: If I were going to Kazakhstan I would definitely want to see Astana. I would start your itinerary by flying into Astana and then taking the train to Almaty. I looked seriously at adding Kazakhstan to my Uzbekistan trip this year and decided against it. Turkistan really didn't seem worth the trouble of getting there. I would have included Almaty and Astana, but I couldn't get a good flight into South Korea out of Astana.

Uzbekistan: Two weeks seems a bit long if you don't include the Ferghana valley. I thought Nukus was a complete waste of time, but I'm not interested in that kind of art. The new fast train from Tashkent to Samarkand was very good, you should be able to take it on to Bukhara as well. Do not miss the Registan in Samarkand at night.

Turkmenistan: I couldn't work up much interest in anything other than Ashgabat. Even the ruins at Mary sound very ruinous. looking at your itinerary I would drop Turkmenistan in favor of the mountains in Tajikistan.

slquoue

Thanks for your thoughts. I'm quite keen to see the gas crater in the desert in Turkmenistan, plus I imagine there is a certainly 'novelty' to having the chance to visit there.

I definitely won't have time for Astana - have you got any thoughts on Kyrgyzstan at all?

thursdaysd

I would love to go to Kyrgyzstan, but I had to chose last year. I would say it is more a place to go for the scenery

slquoue

In your first reply you said:

looking at your itinerary I would drop Turkmenistan in favor of the mountains in Tajikistan.

Do you think I have time to get to and explore the mountains of Tajikistan in that short 3-5 day period?

thursdaysd

I suppose you might be able to arrange something from Osh, or fly into Dushanbe, but I would certainly want longer. Of course, I would also drop Nukus and Muynak.