Central Asia is a vast region nestled between Afghanistan and the powerhouse nations of Russia, China and Iran. The region consists of five countries, the ‘five stans’; Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan. Formerly part of the Russian Empire, all of the Central Asian countries became independent in 1991 following the collapse of the Soviet Union. Most of them then went on to become authoritarian dictatorships. For many years, the Central Asian countries were considered difficult travel destinations due to the level of bureaucracy and a lack of infrastructure. This has changed in recent years as investment and social development linked to the region’s rich natural resources have turned many of the stans into open, civilised and prosperous nations. Travel in Central Asia is now not only possible, it is actually pretty easy and budget-friendly while still feeling off-the-beaten-track in a way that many other parts of Asia don’t.

With its historical Silk Road cities, Uzbekistan is the thriving tourism hotspot of Central Asia, Kazakhstan is best known for its modern and vibrant cities while mountainous Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan are a paradise for trekkers and nature lovers. Sadly, Turkmenistan is the outlier. An authoritarian and highly-secretive dictatorship, it is almost impossible to travel to Turkmenistan independently. The only way to visit is via an organised tour with one of a select few companies, where visitors will be accompanied by a guide at all times and need special permission to leave the capital city; we met several people who visited Turkmenistan and described it as being similar to North Korea.

Central Asia is home to both rustic rural areas and thriving modern cities

While we couldn’t visit Turkmenistan (we got close to the border on a couple of occasions), we visited the four other countries and had a great time exploring the different landscapes and cultures and interacting with the friendly local people. I’ve provided some info below based on my own observations and experiences of several months in the region.

History

Central Asia formed a key part of the ancient Silk Road connecting the East with the West, providing trade routes from China and India to medieval Europe. Caravans complete with camels and precious trade items would march along established routes, stopping at caravanserai (or inns) for provisions and rest, trading with various settlements along the way. Tash Rabat in Kyrgyzstan is an example of a surviving caravanserai along the Silk Road route whilst Khiva, Bukhara and Samarkand are surviving Silk Road cities. The Silk Road is so named because it led to Chinese silk being introduced to Europe, followed later by the invaluable silkworms and knowledge of how to produce silk.  

The Mongol Invasion by Genghis Khan in 1220 affected all the countries in central Asia as the feared Mongol ruler essentially conquered and destroyed huge swathes of the region. 

Russian Influence and Dominance

The entirety of Central Asia was annexed by the Russian Empire in the 1800s under the Tsar, and subsequently became part of the USSR with the individual nations becoming independent following the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991. The Russians brought industrialization, city planning and other aspects that have had a heavy influence in the modern development of the region. Many Central Asian cities have long, wide boulevards typical of Soviet cities, you can see Soviet brutalist architecture and Tsarist building design influence. Many ethnic Russians emigrated to these Central Asian countries, often peasant farmers. So alongside mosques you can see Russian Orthodox churches and ethnic slavs walking the streets. Kazakhstan in particular was a dumping ground for Stalin with many ethnic groups such as Georgians, Germans, Jewish, Koreans deported there during the Soviet times, leading to a multicultural mix of people in the modern country. 

As part of communism, religion was outlawed so many of the post-Soviet countries do not have an overtly strong religious identity. All of the Central Asian countries have a majority Muslim population but a secular constitution, meaning there is strong religious tolerance. Cities tend to be more liberal whilst certain areas like Fergana in Uzbekistan remain conservative and more religious, with the majority of women wearing hijabs. However none of the Central Asian countries follow fundamentalist or hard-line conservatism like some of their neighboring countries.

Communism may be long gone but you can still find statues of Lenin in certain places in Central Asia

Russians brought a love of fish (especially dried fish) and vodka! This is very strange as Uzbekistan is a double land-locked country and all the others are land-locked. It was odd seeing so much alcohol in shops and restaurants in a majority Muslim country such as Uzbekistan. Alcohol in Central Asia is a confusing and often contradictory topic – we met many people who claimed not to drink at all, while at times we saw others openly drinking on the trains or in public. Russian saunas are another popular import, we found them in many places both cosmopolitan and remote. We especially enjoyed using this spa facility in Almaty!

A lasting influence of the Russian period is the alphabet. Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan all use Cyrillic letters instead of the Latin alphabet. Uzbekistan also previously used Cyrillic but transitioned to Latin after independence, however you can also still find plenty of Cyrillic in Uzbekistan (we visited Uzbek restaurants where the menu was written entirely in Cyrillic).

Another important Russian import was the railways! Extensive train tracks criss-cross Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and to some extent Tajikistan, linking major industrial cities with Russia with the aim of transporting people and goods to all corners of the USSR. 

See my post here for more info about traveling by train in Central Asia.

Language

All of the Central Asian countries have their own language (Uzbek, Kyrgyz, Kazakh and Tajik). These are the most spoken languages and lingua francas of their respective nations. The languages of Uzbek, Kazak and Kyrgyz share many similarities and are widely considered Turkic languages, so have some mutual intelligibility. Tajik is the outlier with Persian roots, and has more in common with Afghan or Farsi. 

One of the lasting effects of the Russian occupation of Central Asia is that the Russian language is still very widely used in all of the Central Asian countries. Most people can understand basic Russian and a high proportion of the population remains fluent in Russian, alongside their native language. We were told that some ethnic Russians in Tashkent (Uzbekistan) still only speak Russian and not Uzbek, although we were led to believe this is a minority. 

As well as Russian, many young people also speak at least some English and we were told that learning English often takes precedence over Russian for the younger generations. We were surprised by the prevalence of English spoken in Central Asia, especially in the major cities.

Local customs and the World Nomad Games

Central Asia has a proud nomadic heritage, bringing with it sports and customs that many by unfamiliar to many outside of the region. These traditions are reflected in the World Nomad Games, which have been called the ‘Olympics for Nomads.’ Taking place every two years, the last World Nomad Games was in Astana in September 2024, consisting of traditional nomadic games such as wrestling, wrestling on horseback, hunting with eagles, tug of war, horse-racing and other more unfamiliar games such as kokpar. Contestants from as far as Gambia, Australia, Mongolia and UK compete in contests of strength, horsemanship and intellect. It’s a fantastic sporting event to watch or be a part of and is televised throughout the region. Usually Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan are in fierce competition to win the most medals. The games celebrate nomadic lifestyles with music and craftsmanship also on display for visitors. The next games take place in Kyrgyzstan in 2026. 

Yurts are emblematic of the nomadic traditions of parts of the region

Dress Code

Most women tend to dress somewhat conservatively however we did observe some women with short-sleeved t-shirts and mid-length or even short skirts in major cities. As always I tend to adhere to the unofficial dress code of the locals, rather than drawing attention to myself with any risque clothing. It helps to blend in if you’re dressed similarly to local people rather than marking yourself openly as a foreigner. Make sure you bring long-sleeved blouses and trousers with you. Men also tend to favour trousers rather than shorts.

We found that in both cities and more rural locations, Central Asian people tended to take pride in their appearance, dressing smartly and presenting themselves very well in public.

You can find smartly-dressed people throughout Central Asia

Food & Drink

After reading many travel blogs complaining about the food in Central Asia being heavy, fatty, plain and boring, I am delighted to state this was not my opinion when visiting. By the end of two months traveling through Central Asia I was still excited when plov was on the menu or when I could grab a fresh samsa at the market. It’s also easy to find Western food to break up the local cuisine, such as pizza (Roni’s Pizza in Samarkand and Tashkent will forever have my heart), pasta (the carbonara at Тайқазан in Aral, KZ was by far we best pasta I had in Central Asia which is crazy because Aral isn’t exactly a happening place), burgers, and weirdly sushi was everywhere in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan (we loved Malen’kaya Yaponiya Osh and Dve Palochki for sushi in Osh).

It’s easy to find decent sushi in Central Asia despite most of the countries being landlocked

There are many common Central Asian dishes that you can find in most countries such as: 

Plov – also sometimes called pilaf or osh, a fried rice dish with meat and vegetables cooked in animal fat. In Uzbekistan we found that sultanas are often added to plov. 

Manti – boiled dumplings filled with either meat or pumpkin, sometimes served with a yogurt dip or tomato dip depending on the country. 

A classic Central Asian meal of salad, samsa and plov

Samsa or somsa – similar to a samosa, flaky pastry baked pasty with meat or vegetarian filling. A great option for a budget-friendly lunch at the bazaar. 

Lagman – a noodle based dish which can be either in soup form or fried noodles with meat. 

Fried lagman is Dan’s favourite

Bread – usually circular with a distinctive marking in the centre, this identifies the maker of the bread or bakery where it’s been purchased. Bread is so important in Central Asian culture, it’s the first thing that you’re served in a restaurant or family meal. We were often offered bread on the train by random families as a sign of welcome/friendship. You will always be asked at restaurants if you want to order bread, it’s customary to order it and considered weird if you say you don’t want any bread. 

Tea (Chai) – it cannot be understated how important tea is in Central Asia, from how it is served to when it is served. Tea is consumed at every meal and is often a precursor to socializing. We were amazed at the range of flavoured teas available in cafes, from seabuckthorn (I’m still not sure what this is) to mint, orange, strawberry and other fruits, herbs, and spices. However, most of the time in homes and restaurants it is a simple choice between either green or black tea. Teacups sometimes don’t have handles but this isn’t something to be alarmed about. Sometimes an extra cup is served with the tea – this is used to pour the tea back into the pot to strengthen it. 

Horse meat – yes, people eat horse meat in Central Asia, it’s actually very nutritious and delicious!

If you go to a restaurant, the normal thing to order is a soup, bread, salad and main course alongside either black or green tea. 

Wine in Central Asia

There has been a history of wine-production in central Asia for millennia. There are vineyards and wine production in both Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan. We particularly enjoyed visiting Arba Wine near the Arbat in Almaty, which offers wine-tasting of local Kazak wines from their chateau based in the mountains near Almaty. In Tashkent we discovered Uzumfermer to be an interesting Uzbek wine brand – it’s possible to visit the winery and take part in a tasting experience or even stay at the vineyard. 

Enjoying a wine tasting at Arba Wine in Almaty

Alcohol 

There exists a duality in alcohol consumption and sales. Even with majority Muslim populations it’s still possible to find alcohol in shops and supermarkets, which is unusual. In some restaurants it’s possible to order a beer, cocktail, wine or even shots, however these tend to be the trendier restaurants in larger cities or in touristy areas. In traditional restaurants there is usually no alcohol on the menu, only tea or soft drinks. The same goes for supermarkets and small convenience stores, most of the time they do stock alcohol but some like Korzinka (a major supermarket chain in Uzbekistan) didn’t. In Astana, we were shocked to see huge bottles of vodka, almost half of my height, in the supermarket. With the Russian occupation and USSR came the introduction of vodka and spirits which still exists today, even though this is at odds with the teachings of Islam.

We found huge bottles of vodka for sale in some supermarkets, while others served no alcohol!

Hospitality in Central Asia

Hospitality in Central Asia is still a very important aspect of life. You haven’t experienced Central Asia until you’ve had dinner with a local. From giving gifts to guests, the exact way of serving tea (your guest’s cup can never be empty so you have to constantly refill it!) to offering food to guests at any time of the day. We experienced this hospitality first-hand in Nukus, Uzbekistan where we were kindly invited by a woman we met on the street to her family home. We expected some tea (chai) and maybe some biscuits but when we arrived we realized they’d made a full meal for us including fried chicken and lagman. The mum of the family kept piling more bread on our plates and constantly refilling our tea cups which we quickly drained. By the end of the meal we’d consumed more green tea in one sitting than we’d had in our whole lives! From the family we learned that it was custom to offer guests food, copious amounts of tea and gifts. On our second meeting we made sure to bring a British pound and exchanged gifts with the family. 

We loved the warmth and friendliness of the people in Central Asia

Transport

For my post on transport in Central Asian, click here!