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In Kyrgyzstan

What to do in Karakol – Hiking to Jeti Oguz

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Hiking to Jeti Oguz Located a 30-minute drive from Karakol, Jeti Oguz is home one of the best one-day hikes in Kyrgyzstan. This is one of the best things to do in Karakol.  We visited the landlocked Central Asia nation in June 2018 and a harsh winter a few months earlier meant that many of the mountain passes used for the multi-day treks in the area were not yet open. Not to be deterred we headed to Jeti Oguz with a rough route planned out whilst being suitably prepared to change our plans. Getting there and away We hired a taxi from the centre of Kochkor. You don’t need to find them, they will find you. We negotiated down to about 40 som and arranged from him to pick us up from our guesthouse at 8:30 am. Unfortunately, he spoke no English, so my Russian came into use (check out…

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In Turkmenistan

Exploring the Darvaza Crater – The gateway to hell

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Darvaza Crater at night

The Darvaza Crater – The Gateway to Hell Many people have heard of the Darvaza Crater, but very few people know where it is and how it came into being. Often referred to as the North Korea of Central Asia, Turkmenistan is one of the worlds last hermit kingdoms. The second largest country in Central Asia, it is made up of desert (covering 80% of the country no less), some of the worlds largest gas reserves, ancient ruins and some seriously bizarre sights. For evidence of the latter check out this article on Ashgabat. What is the Darvaza Crater Type Turkmenistan into a google image search and no doubt this is one of the images that will appear. It is basically a giant burning hole in the middle of the Karakum Desert. This stunning spectacle is the result of a slight error in judgement by a team of Soviet scientists…

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In Kyrgyzstan

What to do in Kochkor – Hiking to Kol Ukok

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Hiking to Kol Ukok: Welcome to one of Kyrgyzstan’s most breathtaking hikes. It’s usually done over two days with one of the day having vastly more walking than the other. Although there are trails that go beyond it, the lake of Kol Ukok is the highlight of the hike. We hiked up to our yurt camp on day 1 and planned on hiking up to the lake the next day. Weather forecasts said rain would be coming the afternoon of day 1. Sadly the weather forecasts weren’t entirely correct and it remained pretty clear until nightfall when it began to rain. Leaving us to wonder if we’d made a rather monumental cock up. However when our alarms went off at 5:30am we were greeted with a few clouds and no rain. We then hiked up to Kol Ukok and back down to the trail entrance where our wonderful hostel owner…

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In Kyrgyzstan

How useful is Russian in Central Asia?

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How useful is Russian in Central Asia: When planning a 6 week trip to Central Asia one of the most consistent topics on forums, blogs and guidebooks is the usefulness of Russian in the region. There is a mixed bag of information as everyones experience and language level will be different. As a result our experiences may not be the same as someone else. We can only write from our own perspective. Prior to entering Central Asia we had spent 6 weeks in the Caucuses where we found Russian to be extremely useful, you can read more about that here. Central Asia’s relationship with Russian: Today Central Asia’s relationship with the former Soviet Union is obvious. Wide tree lined boulevards are common in the regions capitals, Lenin statues are found lurking in parks, Lada’s trundle along highways and dirt roads and Russian is everywhere to be seen. The influence of…

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In Uzbekistan

What to do in Tashkent – Your ultimate city guide

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Sunset at the Minor Mosque

What To Do In Tashkent – Your Ultimate City Guide Welcome to the largest city in Central Asia, as Tashkent begins to establish itself on the map check out our guide on some of the best things to do in Tashkent. Central Asia’s largest city doesn’t really get a lot of love from the travel community. In Soviet traditions wide tree-lined boulevards are flanked by grandiose buildings paying homage to science, politics and occasionally, the arts. Most travellers in Uzbekistan will find themselves in Tashkent, usually when entering or exiting the country. Consequently most don’t have much time to explore. However there is certainly enough to keep you occupied for a few days. We started out in Tashkent before heading off the the Aral Sea, Khiva, Bukhara and Samarkand with a short trip to Turkmenistan sandwiched in the middle. Getting Around Tashkent Tashkent is huge and public transport can be…

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