Tips & Hints - Central Asia Travel Information

General expectations

You will be travelling through some of the most remote locations in the world. We are sure you will enjoy your trip. Depending on specific itinerary it could be relatively long trip covering several Stans of Central Asia, sometimes including multiple border crossing, different buses and guides, people of different cultures and languages. The trip will involve some long transfers in the bus and most of roads do not correspond European quality standards. It is a pure once in in lifetime experience, with some exhausting days and mess at borders. Please consider this tour as Adventure and not a European shopping tour.

Safety

Central Asia is generally safe for travelers. Here are some general safety tips for travelers in Central Asia:

Be aware of your surroundings and avoid walking alone at night at outskirts.
Keep valuables hidden and be cautious when carrying money or using ATMs.
Petty theft can occur in tourist areas and public markets/bazaars, so be vigilant.
Research local customs and dress modestly, especially when visiting religious sites.
Learn basic phrases in the local language to help with communication, if there is no tour guide around.
Use reputable transportation and avoid unlicensed taxis.
Be cautious of scams and avoid giving money to beggars.
Obtain necessary travel insurance and vaccinations before your trip.
Follow local laws and regulations to avoid legal trouble.
Trust your instincts and be prepared to leave a situation if you feel unsafe.

Visas

Entry visas are required for all foreigners wishing to visit Turkmenistan. Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan are visa free to all EU and many other states. Tajikistan visa is required for UK citizens, Uzbekistan visa is required for US citizens under 55 y.o. Please check a proper visa regime for your citizenship. If required visa agency can assist you with the process of obtaining the visas. Please be advised that your passport must have at least 6-months validity left.

Insurance

We strongly encourage all customers to take a copy of their travel insurance documents (especially relevant international contact numbers) with them while on tour. We advise that you check the inclusions and procedures for lodging claims prior to your departure. These documents should be stored separately from the originals.

We will not be liable for any costs incurred by you due to your failure to take out suitable travel insurance from the date of booking.

Eating in Central Asia

Central Asian cuisine is diverse and flavoursome with a legacy stretching back thousands of years. It is important to keep an open mind and be adventurous.

In Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, the cuisine is influenced by Middle Eastern and Turkic (or Mediterranean) dishes – yoghurts, dried fruit, legumes, fruit vinegars, or mild spices like cumin season the common dishes such as lagman (handmade noodles), shashlyk (kebabs), naan (flat bread) and plov (rice pilaf dish). Beef, mutton and chicken are the only meats available in most areas and feature in most dishes. Local breakfast dishes include naan and airan (like sour cream), savoury noodles with vinegar and green tea. You may also be served a fried egg, jam, honey or toast. Black tea and coffee can usually be requested.

Rural restaurants in this region are not generally accustomed to serving many western tourists, however by default tend to ‘spice down’ the dishes, due to the tourists they do service coming from Europe. The food is always local in style and derives from what is in season and harvested locally. Vegetarian only alternatives are usually limited by grilled vegetables and meet-free soups. There are always plenty of salads, vegetables and bread offered at most meals.

Drinking alcohol is acceptable. Water is safe to use but only bottled water is recommended for drinking

Hygiene

Hand sanitizers should be used before each meals + hand wash with soap. Different water and food may cause diarrhea. Highly recommended to bring snack from home: few cans of meat, dry meat etc. Something clients’ stomachs are used to and what can be stored at hot weather. Avoid salads, mayonnaise, vegetable soups etc. Safest food is national cuisine: flat bread, kebab, soup with potatoes and meat. Ask you guide for safest food. Avoid street food no matter how attractive it looks (except local flat bread). At small cafe or restaurants order national cuisine - lamb, beef or chicken. For fish only trout is recommended as it is usually local. Pork is not served..

Accommodation

Your accommodation has been selected for convenience of location, comfort or character, and can range from a standard hotel in one city to a family run guesthouse in a smaller town. In remote areas, accommodation may be of a lower standard and may not have all western amenities. Please note that there is no international classification system for hotels and differences in facilities and quality do exist. Rest assured that all hotels used by are regularly inspected by our staff and our partners to ensure that standards meet your needs. Please note double bed requests can be made at time of booking but cannot be guaranteed. Clients should be ready for low level accommodation in Tajikistan along the Pamir Highway, shared toilets (sometimes squat toilets) and bathrooms.

Other types of accommodation you may encounter:

Local home stay. These provide basic yet comfortable accommodation in actual local homes, so group members may be staying in a number of different houses near each other. As these are people’s real homes, the accommodation and facilities may vary between houses, generally every couple/single person will be accommodated in their own room. Dinner is served as a group in one of the larger houses and breakfast is generally served in the house you are staying at.

Guesthouse. These provide basic yet comfortable rooms in a small guesthouse. Every couple/single person will have their own room, western toilets and showers are shared, similar to a hostel. Breakfast and dinner is served in the restaurant.

Yurt stay. Yurts are decorated in national style with many carpets and have comfortable beds. In the yurts there is electricity through generators, drinking water is taken from the well, shared shower or small sauna are available. Shared toilets and sinks are outside. Standard accommodation at a yurt camp yurt camp is 4 pax per yurt. Single accommodation in case of group is usually not provided. Overnight in a yurt is a great experience to get acquainted with a quiet life of local semi-nomadic families and participate in their daily activities. At cold night the yurts are heated by wood/dung stoves.

Transport

Coaches: Coaches with air conditioning are used on our group tours for city sightseeing, short excursions to the countryside and longer transfers where necessary. Main and inner-city roads in Central Asia have a reputation for being very congested. For this reason, it may not always be possible to return to your hotel after sightseeing to freshen up before going to the restaurant for dinner. Roads in Central Asia have generally been improved over recent years, but traffic and/or weather conditions may extend driving times. Road construction work usually covers an enormous section of road - not just one or two kilometers as you may be used to. For this reason, the timings listed in the sections below are approximations only.

Planes: Internal flights are based on economy class, with reputable airlines. Pre-seat flight allocation is not available.

Souvenirs

We want to be able to give you an opportunity to buy souvenirs; so in a selection of cities, we will visit a workshops or factories which demonstrates a craft or product unique to that region with pieces available to buy. We understand that souvenir hunting is not for everyone so we aim to take you to places which hold local interest. We trust you will enjoy these opportunities to learn about local arts and crafts and understand their historical and cultural importance.

Photos

Take as many as you would like, tell your tour guide if you would like to make a stop. At streets please ask a permission first before making a picture of people.

Electricity

220 European plug. Bring your own power adapters. Same standard in all Stans.

What medicine to prepare

Nothing special - bring you personal medicines, guide will have a med kit with a lot of things, drug stores are also available at all locations.

Data card

Sim card with unlimited plan will cost about 10 USD in each country. Passport is required to buy it. WIFI will be available at all hotels and most restaurants. Please check roaming plan of your home operator - sometime it is cheaper and definitely easier. WIFI is available at some coaches - check with your tour guide.

Tipping Policy

Local tipping is customary in Asia but in general is expected by all service staff. Tipping size depends on the quality and satisfaction of provided services. Tipping is usually 5 USD per client per day for driver and same for guide.

Can we use a debit or credit card?

Yes, at most locations. ATMs are also available.

Climate

Seasonal weather patterns can be quite unpredictable. Up to the minute information on worldwide weather can be found on www.weather.com

Money Exchange

In Central Asia the US Dollar and Euro are still the easiest currencies to exchange. You should be able to use credit cards at most hotels and department stores. In smaller towns, you will find banking facilities less reliable and may encounter staff that refuse to deal with a currency they are unfamiliar with.

Personal Expenses & Optional Tours

Personal Expense - You will need to take some extra money to cover drinks, laundry and souvenirs, plus any additional sightseeing that may be offered to you.

Optional Tours - May be offered in each city you visit during your tour. These are not included in the standard itinerary and will only be available if time permits and if seats are available. Please ensure you have additional funds available if you feel you may wish to participate in any extra activities. Each option will be arranged locally by your guide participation and tipping for optional excursions is completely at your discretion.

Climbing Steps

Sightseeing at nearly all of the palaces, fortresses and some temples involves climbing quite a number of steps. These palaces were built to provide defense against potential invaders so nearly all of them stand on top of a hill, while the interiors have layers of narrow hallways and steps to slow down the advance of enemies once they were inside. The steps tend to be quite large, not level and sometimes without handrails. Mosques and Madrassas also tend to be built at an elevation, as this is the most auspicious position according to ancient beliefs. This means you sometimes need to walk from the bus park to the entrance, and/or need to climb some steps inside.

People with knee or hip injuries, who have poor balance or are otherwise unable to complete these activities independently should consider the suitability of this itinerary carefully.