to see in stans
 

Hi all,

Ive looked through 4pages of stuff here and couldnt see anything talking about whats good to see in the stans, where to go etc. sorry if im being dumb and missed it.

Im basically wondering whats worth going to in Turkmenisatn, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan. we are in two early *simple* discoverys - although i keep on seeing people doing trips on honda cgs, which i have one of: tempting!

Our route goes Europe - Turkey - Iran - Turkmenistan - Uzbekistan - Kazakhstan - Russia - Ukraine - Poland - Europe

Any help, links etc appreciate

Apologies again - im sure i must be duplicating requests here

Cheers

Pete

That's rather a broad question. If you want a general overview of the region, try Lonely Planet. If you want to have a real detailed trip through the countries, try the Bradt guides to TM and KZ and the Odyssey guide to UZ.

A few personal highlights.

Turkmenistan - the whole damn place, it's so isolated and insular. Chances are you'll be on a transit visa so that will dictate what you see.

Uzbekistan - Deserts of Karakalpakistan, M39 from Samarkand to Termez, Drinking beer in Tashkent bars. I've always wanted to drive the piste across the Kyzyl Kum desert from Nukus to Uchkuduq (will attempt it this year).

Kazakhstan - Aral Sea, southeastern region for beautiful landscapes, Zhezqazghan Region for history, Altai Mountains.

Daniel

Thanks very much Daniel.

That sort of broad brush answer was what i was after for the time being and thanks for the links to books - i like reading about these things so much appreciated!