Central Asia: Five Stans Express

Central Asia is a destination for the adventurous and the open-minded. Alongside its rich culture and history, comes poor infrastructure, lengthy processes and basic facilities. Patience and flexibility will ensure you enjoy this region to its fullest.

This trip involves long travel days on rough and winding roads. You’ll be travelling by private vehicle, and in one day you could be driving anywhere between three and ten hours. Please review the Itinerary for more details.

Temperatures vary greatly throughout this trip, from below zero to over 40 ºC depending on the location. Keep an eye on the weather forecast and plan to wear layers.

Tourism is strictly controlled in Turkmenistan. If you’re accustomed to more freedom to explore and take photos as a tourist, you will find the experience differs here. Locals are fiercely proud of their nation and its leaders.

You’ll stay in a range of accommodations on this trip, including multishare arrangements in yurts, homestays and guesthouses. Facilities are shared and basic, but the experiences are unforgettable.

1. A single supplement is available if you’d prefer not to share a room on this trip. The single supplement excludes Day 3 (camping), Day 13 (homestay), Day 18 (homestay) and Days 20 and 21 (yurt camp), where you will be in shared accommodation and is subject to availability. Please speak to your booking agent for further information.
2. Please provide your full name exactly as per your passport at the time of booking (including any middle names listed on your passport) for flight tickets. Fees may apply for amendments or failure to provide the required details within 60 days of departure.
3. This is a multi-country trip. Please read the ‘Passports, visas and entry requirements’ section of the Essential Trip Information carefully. You should travel on one passport for the duration, as entering and exiting countries on different passports will cause issues at immigration.
4. We require key documents from you no later than 60 days before the trip to supply your Letter of Invitation to Turkmenistan, and Tajikistan for some nationalities.
5. Independent travel isn’t allowed in Turkmenistan. If you have pre-trip accommodation booked with us, you can explore nearby your hotel, but please don’t take any photos. Please see Day 1 of the Itinerary for more details.
6. A complimentary airport arrival transfer is included; valid if you are arriving on Day 1 or if you have booked pre-trip accommodation through us. You must provide your flight details to your booking agent at least 15 days prior to travel. If multiple customers on the same trip arrive on the same flight, this may be a shared transfer.
7. While travelling in Turkmenistan, you won’t have access to social media and some websites. If you need to stay connected, consider arranging a VPN before leaving home.

What you need to bring will vary according to the trip style you have chosen, the countries you are visiting and when you are travelling. Generally speaking, we recommend you pack as lightly as possible and make sure that you are able to carry and lift your own luggage, and walk with it for short distances.
Many travellers carry their luggage in a backpack, although an overnight bag with a shoulder strap would suffice if you travel lightly. Smaller suitcases or backpacks with wheels are convenient although we recommend your bag has carry or handles. A lockable bag or small padlock is useful as your luggage may get stowed separately and unattended while you travel on public transport or trains.
Where Intrepid covers the cost of luggage storage during included day trips, we allow for one bag/backpack only, so it's advisable that you travel lightly and keep luggage to a limit of one item (plus your day pack). Extra luggage storage will be at your own expense.

Below are some ideas and helpful tips on what you specifically need for this trip.

ESSENTIALS:
- Day pack: for carrying essentials when exploring destinations like water, camera, snacks, jacket, etc.
- Lightweight clothing: A mixture of covering lightweight clothing and some warm layers (depending on the season) are recommended. It is best to check the weather and seasonal information before travelling. Please also bring clothing that covers arms and pants/skirts that go past the knee for entry into local religious sites. For women travellers, a light scarf is also a good idea for covering shoulders and arms.
- comfortable shoes for full day walking/trekking: Closed-in shoes will help to protect your feet from cuts and scratches when walking through cities as well as bush/grass-lands, and will also act as a barrier protection in rare cases against bites or stings
- Wind and waterproof jacket
- Sun protection: hat, sunscreen, sunglasses, and lip balm

RECOMMENDED:
- Personal medical kit: we recommend you carry items such as mild pain killers, electrolytes, Band-Aids and insect repellent.
- Water bottle: We recommend at least a 1.5 litre capacity. The sale of bottled water contributes to an enormous environmental problem around the world. In addition to the water in bottles, the production of a 1 litre plastic bottle takes 2 litres of water and 200ml of oil. A large proportion end up in limited landfill or discarded in waterways and natural environments.
- Spare batteries. Our trips have access to power to recharge batteries for phones and cameras most days but we recommend you take spare batteries for your camera.
- Electrical travel adapter plug
- Inner sleep sheet/bag for trains or overnight stays in yurt
- Money belt
- Torch or flash light
- Hand sanitizer

OPTIONAL:
- Ear plugs to guard against street noise and snorers.
- A good book, a journal and music player for overnight train rides and longer drives.
- Images from home: During our trip there will be many opportunities for you to meet and talk with locals. One way to start any conversation is with pictures. We recommend that you bring some photos / postcards of your family, home, city or country where you live, animals peculiar to your country etc.

VALUABLES:
Please try to avoid bringing unnecessary valuables, and use your hotel safe. We strongly recommend that you photocopy all important documents e.g. air tickets, passport, vaccination certificate, etc. and keep the copies separate from the originals. While not valid, a photocopy makes it very much easier to obtain replacements if necessary.

MORE!
If you need some further tips for packing, you can always check out our ultimate packing list, https://www.intrepidtravel.com/packing-list

Sport hotel, 10 yil Abdanchylyk str Olympic complex Ashgabat Turkmenistan, Ashgabat, TURKMENISTAN

Alternate Joining Point

A complimentary arrival transfer is included for this trip. Please make sure that you provide your flight details no later than 14 days before departure. Please note that this transfer could be a group one if customers arrive on the same flight.

For your confirmed airport arrival transfer, your driver will wait for you in the arrival hall where you've cleared custom with your luggage, holding an Intrepid sign. Should you have any issue finding your driver, please contact the local emergency number.

If you decide to make your own way to the hotel, you may take the official taxi outside the main building. It should cost you around 10USD to get to your hotel but please prepare small USD notes as they will not return change to you. It's best that you agree to the price first as some drivers may not use a meter. There are other 'unofficial' taxis outside of the airport too, which look like regular cars without the taxi signs. These may charge you up to 25 USD for the ride. We recommend avoid such taxis.

Rich Hotel, 111, Timiryazeva St, Bishkek, KYRGYZSTAN, Phone: 996 312 322038

Alternate Finish Point

Breakfasts included: 23

Lunches included: 5

Dinners included: 7

While travelling with us you'll experience the vast array of wonderful food available in the world. Your group leader or local representative will be able to suggest restaurants to try during your trip. To give you the maximum flexibility in deciding where, what and with whom to eat, generally not all meals are included in the trip price. This also gives you more budgeting flexibility. As a rule, our groups tend to eat together to enable you to taste a larger variety of dishes and enjoy each other's company. If you have dietary requirements and/or food allergies, please let your booking agent know prior to departure.

CENTRAL ASIA
The Central Asian diet relies heavily on meat based dishes.There are options available for vegetarians, however these may at times be limited to plain noodles, bread, fruit, nuts, yoghurt, cheese, eggs etc. Those with particular dietary needs may choose to supplement meals with supplies bought from home or stock up at markets and supermarkets as you travel.

UZBEKISTAN
It can get very hot in summer months, particularly in July when temperatures can be above 40C. Be prepared for cooler nights when in the mountains, desert at night or when travelling in April/May or October/November.

SEASONAL WEATHER
Tajikistan can experience extremes in temperature - from scorching heat in summer in the cities, to below freezing temperatures at altitude. Be prepared for all weather, particularly in April/May and September/October.

TAJIKISTAN HOLIDAYS & EVENTS:
International Workers Day - 1st May
Victory Day - 9th May
Ramadan - 5th May - 4th June 2019, 23rd April - 23rd May 2020
National Unity Day - 27th June 2019
Kurban Bairam (Feast of the Sacrifice) - 12th August 2019, 31st July 2020
Independence Day - 9th September

While we always endeavour to provide the best possible holiday experience, due to the nature of travel and the areas we visit sometimes things can and do go wrong. Should any issue occur while you are on your trip, it is imperative that you discuss this with your group leader or local representative straight away so that they can do their best to rectify the problem and save any potential negative impact on the rest of your trip.

We recognise that there may be times when your group leader or local representative may not be able to resolve a situation to your satisfaction - if this is the case, please ask the group leader or local representative to speak to their direct manager.

You may also choose to provide details in your online feedback, which we ask you to complete within 30 days of the end of your trip. Please do be aware that it is very difficult for us to provide any practical help after the trip is completed, so informing us while still travelling will give us the opportunity to resolve the issue in real-time.

For general contact details please use the following page: https://www.intrepidtravel.com/contact-us

In case of a genuine crisis or emergency, you can reach our local office on the numbers below:

Available for phone call or WhatsApp call on +996555303025

OCCASIONAL ALTERNATIVE ACCOMMODATION
The style of accommodation indicated in the day-to-day itinerary is a guideline. On rare occasions, alternative arrangements may need to be made due to the lack of availability of rooms in our usual accommodation. A similar standard of accommodation will be used in these instances.

TWIN SHARE / MULTI SHARE BASIS
Accommodation on this trip is on a twin/multishare basis. Please note there may be times where facilities will be shared rather than ensuite and rare occasions when you share a room with passengers travelling on a different Intrepid trip than your own.

CHECK-IN TIME
Throughout the trip we request that our hotels prepare rooms in time for our arrival, especially if we're arriving prior to normal check-in time. However this isn't always possible which means we won't be able to check-in immediately on arrival at some hotels. Instead, we can store our luggage and explore our new destination.

PRE/POST TRIP ACCOMMODATION
If you've purchased pre-trip or post-trip accommodation (subject to availability), you may be required to change rooms from your trip accommodation for these extra nights.

HOMESTAYS:
Please note that at our homestays you might be required to share a room with people of other genders, or with your leader. Because we stay at real people's homes, beds might be pull-out couches or mattresses on the floor, or even a yurt in their backyard. Some of the accommodation along the way is very basic, staying in local guesthouses, yurts and homestays with limited facilities. Some facilities are shared and some accommodation has cold water only or no bathroom facilities.