After exploring Southeast Asia for around 5 months, it was such a fun journey. I swear, if you want a backpacking trip full of fellow backpackers, beautiful nature, crazy parties, and tasty food, Southeast Asia is the best place to go.
After that trip, I started looking for some offbeat countries places that are culturally and traditionally rich and not visited by many backpackers. That’s when I decided to explore the Silk Route countries.
I visited Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and Tajikistan.
Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan is a very hot destination for Indians nowadays. There are so many Indians in Almaty that sometimes I felt like I was in India itself. But honestly, it’s such a beautiful city. The best thing about Almaty is that it’s surrounded by snow-covered mountains, and these mountains are easily accessible with just a 30-minute bus ride from the city.
Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan also receives a good number of tourists, including some Indians, but not as many as Kazakhstan. It’s a great option if you have a keen interest in architecture and history. Cities like Tashkent, Bukhara, Khiva, and Samarkand are extremely beautiful and very well preserved, and you can explore them quite easily.
Uzbek food is also very interesting. They have dishes like Samsa, Plov, and different kinds of kebabs, which are really tasty. Uzbek cities are well developed but still have a strong Soviet touch, which gives them a very unique and beautiful look.
Tajikistan
Tajikistan is one of my favorite countries of all time. Around 93% of the country is covered by mountains, and since I’m a huge mountain lover, just hearing this excited me. Secondly, Tajikistan receives very few Indian tourists, so people there are always very excited to meet Indians.
The country still holds on to its old and beautiful culture. Because it’s mostly mountainous, there are fewer big cities and many small villages and as we know, people in small villages are usually very friendly and welcoming. Everywhere you go, you’re surrounded by majestic mountains, beautiful valleys, and the adventurous Pamir Highway. Tajik food is quite similar to Uzbek food but slightly different in taste. If you want to explore mountains, go trekking, experience unreal landscapes and lakes, and meet mature and adventurous travelers, Tajikistan will never disappoint you. Many travelers come here to ride bikes or bicycles on the Pamir mountains.
Unfortunately, not many Indian tourists visit Tajikistan, but that’s actually good for you—you’ll feel like a celebrity there.
I’ve listed these three countries based on how popular they are among Indian tourists.
Other Options: Kyrgyzstan & Turkmenistan
You also have two other options—Kyrgyzstan and Turkmenistan.
Kyrgyzstan is again an amazing country with stunning nature and majestic mountains. However, the visa process for Indians is a bit complicated and expensive, which is why many Indians tend to avoid it. I personally didn’t visit Kyrgyzstan because the visa was not affordable for me at that time. But if you’re doing a road trip from Tajikistan via the Pamir Highway, that’s the best way to enter Kyrgyzstan. If you can afford the visa, you should definitely visit it.
Turkmenistan is one of the toughest countries to travel to. You must take an expensive tour package, and you’re not allowed to explore on your own. The tour duration is very short, and the rules are extremely strict. So, if you really have a lot of money and don’t mind restrictions, then you should definitely visit it.
This was just a small introduction to these countries. I’ll be writing separate blogs for each country and sharing my detailed experiences from this trip.
Thank you, and I hope this gives you a clear idea about these destinations. If you have any doubts, feel free to text me on my Instagram @thefoodienomad, and I’ll be happy to help.
Thank you!