Some travelers dream of hiking through breathtaking landscapes, some travelers dream of experiencing a culture completely foreign to their own, and some travelers dream of discovering the wonders of our world's past through exploring sites and architecture steeped in history.
But what many travelers don't know is that there is a region of the world that combines all these attributes and hasn't yet been overrun by tourists: Central Asia, and this area is easily accessible with SilkRoadExplore.com.
Central Asia
Central Asia traditionally consists of the following countries:
- Kyrgyzstan
- Kazakhstan
- Tajikistan
- Uzbekistan
- Turkmenistan
While covering a huge land region, these countries share common cultural roots in their people's historically nomadic lifestyles and their key location along the Silk Road.
Even today, you can still see nomads living in yurts high up in the mountains and visit local markets set up in the midst of stunning Silk Road architecture dating back centuries.
This is a part of the world where people uphold their ancient culture and traditions, making for a fascinating window into our past.
Hosting important stopping points along the Silk Road, Central Asia became a crossroads in trade between Asia and Europe, connecting the East to the West.
This also culturally connects the core Central Asian countries with their Silk Road neighbors, including China, Azerbaijan, Iran, Georgia, and Armenia.
In all of these countries, you'll find beautiful remnants of the Silk Road and cultural reminders of this important crossroads of exchange between Europe and Asia.
Silk Road Tours
Silk Road Explore offers a variety of tours through Central Asia and neighboring Silk Road countries.
Touring the Silk Road is not just about seeing historic Silk Road sites (though that's of course a huge draw!) but also experiencing the unique culture of the crossroads between East and West, as well as the beautiful landscapes and lifestyles of Central Asia.
From one-day Silk Road tours to multi-country journeys and customized itineraries, Silk Road Explore offers something to every traveler interested in exploring this lesser known area of the world.
Silk Road Explore can help you organize:
- cultural tours and excursions
- trekking and mountaineering trips
- horseback riding tours
- jeep, ATV, and bike tours
- rafting
- skiing
- paragliding
- and much more
You can join fixed-date group tours, customize a tour to perfectly suit your schedule and interests, or create your own unique trip with the help of local experts.
As many countries along the Silk Road see relatively few tourists, they offer travelers a unique opportunity to explore a distinct culture still very tied to its history.
While this also means that communication in English can be difficult, a tour organized by Silk Road Explore can help you to avoid the stress of travel planning, and concentrate on enjoying the experience of exploring Central Asia and the Silk Road.
You will also discover the dramatic and varying landscape of Central Asia, where in a single day you can experience different climatic zones ranging from hot semi-deserts to icy tundras.
Nomad Travel
Though Central Asia isn't incredibly well-known by many, when most people think of the region, and particularly of Kyrgyzstan, they probably think of nomads.
It would be impossible to travel through Kyrgyzstan without spotting white yurts sprinkled throughout the countryside.
Visit in the Summertime and you'll even find these yurts high in the mountains, set up by nomadic families who have moved their herds to alpine pastures for the summer.
These nomads live in harmony with nature, preserving their ancient traditions while moving their homes and animals along with the rhythm of the seasons.
A tour with Silk Road Explore can help you follow that same rhythm, moving from place to place to discover both the beauty of Central Asia and the meaningfulness of its ancient nomadic tradition.
About Silk Road Explore
Silk Road Explore's team includes Executive Director, Andrei Osyanin, and Project Manager, Evgenia, who are both from Kyrgyzstan. An American, Beth Hornung, helps with the writing and blog.
Many Central Asian and Silk Road countries have cash-based societies, which means that travelers can sometimes run into difficulties paying for tours online, often being asked to make wire transfers or other means of payments that don't offer security against fraud.
Silk Road Explore, however, eliminates this risk by offering secure online credit card payments.
You'll also benefit from the guidance of a highly knowledgeable and enthusiastic staff who can help you choose or design a tour perfectly suited to your travel style and interests.
SilkRoadExplore.com was created by a team who truly loves Central Asia and its beautiful landscapes, unique and meaningful culture and traditions, and ancient Silk Road heritage, and who aim to introduce more travelers to the region and help them to relax and enjoy the best vacation possible.
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This story was brought to you in partnership with Silk Road Explore.
This post was written by a guest contributor. Please reference the author's byline in the post above for more information. If you would like to guest post on Go Backpacking, please read our submission guidelines. For information on advertising opportunities, go here.
Planning a trip? Go Backpacking recommends:
- G Adventures for small group tours.
- Hostelworld for booking hostels.
Peter
Wednesday 30th of September 2015
Good stuff. We're currently organising our next trip through most of the countries you've mentioned. This and the co. you've mentioned will come in very handy. Thanks. :)
rebecca
Wednesday 30th of September 2015
I have had big hopes of traveling the silk road for a long time, as long as... well, since I heard about it. I have not yet put together what and where I would like to go but will certainly check out silk road tours. It's worth a look into. Thank you for this information.