My Central Asia itinerary

I thought some of you might be interested in my Central Asia itinerary as well as what I’d do differently next time, so here you go:

Looking back, I would change a few things about the itinerary. I was contemplating staying at a yurt camp in Uzbekistan between in Bukhara and Samarkand which I ended up skipping. That’s probably something I’d do next time for one night.

The drive from Dushanbe to Khorog was beautiful but not enjoyable in a shared taxi. I should have made an effort to find other backpackers looking to share a car.

In the Pamir Mountains I somewhat regret not spending more time and for example going to the Saturday market in Iskashim where the Tajikistan-Afghanistan border is opened for the market without needing a visa. I also would have loved to do a detour between Khorog and Murghan and drive through the Tajik Wakhan Valley which everyone raved about that I’ve met. But again, since I was by myself it was difficult to fill up a car in order split the cost.

Towards the end I did have some more days in Kyrgyzstan than anticipated which is why I made a two-day trip to Arslanbob. This was mainly because I did not end up getting the Turkmenistan visa in time and hence had an additional four days.

All the accommodation was good. I used AirBnB twice, both of which were good experiences, although not necessarily so to meet other travelers. The first night in Nukus was overpriced for what it was.

Uzbekistan I found to be the most difficult country as single traveler. It was possible, no issue. However, I didn’t think there were as many independent travelers on the road as in Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan.