Need help on Stans itinerary
Hi guys!
I'm slowly planning my RTW for 2023 and I was wondering if I could get some tips regarding the Stans (Turk/Uzb/Tajik/Kyrg).
I'll be entering most likely from Iran into Turkmenistan and going through the country on a transit visa. So not much time. 1 night in Ashgabat, one at the crater and onwards towards Uzbekistan.
Now for the rest, I'm not too sure how to tackle it and how long does it take to to feel rushed in Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Utlimately, I will need to cross into China at a set date from Kyrgystan.
Here's a few things I really want to see/do and some of my questions.
- Whakan corridor
- Bartang valley
- Pamir highway
- Kyrgystan lakes
- A few nights in Almaty
- Tashkent/Dushambe/Bukhara/Samarkand/Bishkek
As for the questions:
- Is there a better direction for the Bartang Valley? From west to east would mean mostly going up which might be easier?
- Doing both the Bartang Valley and Whakan corridor would mean going back and forth, not sure in which order I should do which.
- Is Tashkent worth it? Looking at an itinerary, doing Uzb/Tajiki/Kyrg in that order, going back to Tashkent would somewhat of a detour after Tajikistan.
- How many days would be a good ball park? Having a set date for the China crossing is forcing me to kind of plan a bit in advance when I should start the Stans.
- Any must see places in Tajik/Uzb/Kyrg?
- Any general tips?
For now, I'm planning the following number of days for each country:
- Turkmenistan: 3
- Uzbekistan: 7
- Tajikistan: 10
- Kyrgystan: 10
- Khazakstan (Almaty area): 5
Again, It's just to give me a rough idea, I'm well aware that most things will change when I'll get there and plans will move around.
I just want to allocate enough time for the stands before the crossing.
Thanks a ton for any help given !
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