Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Tajikistan. These five countries form the region today knows as Central Asia, states formerly of the USSR they are often referred to as the Central Asian Republics and have a strong mixture of Soviet, Persian, Muslim, Turkic, Mongol and Chinese influences on everything from day to day lives, historical architecture, dance and the culture of the varying peoples of the region. A cultural melting-pot from the days when the Silk Road was a major thoroughfare the Central Asian Republics are a blend of styles, and histories rarely seen elsewhere, in a landscape that ranges from desert and steppes to pristine lakes and glorious mountainscapes.
While each of the countries that compose the Central Asian Republics is well worth visiting in depth, the truth is that most of us will only get one chance to visit the region, and would like to see as much of its highlights as possible in the usual holiday span – generally two to three weeks. With that in mind we have developed a programme that takes in the Major highlights of the region crossing three of the five Central Asian Republics and covering sights of Cultural, Historic and Natural interest.
