Starting or ending in Kazakhstan? May-July Central Asia itinerary

[martijnskylo]

Hey all,

I am currently in Georgia and planning my next few months to Central Asia. I am planning to visit Kazakhstan (Almaty region and the South), Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan.

The only dilemma I have, since I'd be flying out in a few days, is where I should start. Option A would be of course Uzbekistan -> Tajikistan -> Kyrgyzstan -> Kazakhstan and Option B Kazakhstan -> Uzbekistan -> Tajikistan -> Kyrgyzstan.

Several considerations: 1) I have to fly back early July, which would limit yurt experiences in Kyrgyzstan (so Ive read), 2) It is still quite cold in the parks surrounding Almaty (so Ive read), 3) there is the spring festival in Uzbekistan on 8/9 may.

Since I just have 2 months I am also considering just skipping Kazakhstan for now, but would love to hear what you all think. Thanks!

[Christian77]

Since Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan are engaged in an on-again/off-again border war, don't count on that Tajikistan -> Kyrgyzstan portion of your trip to go smoothly or predictably. I would add a few days as a buffer in case you need to go Tajikistan -> Kyrgyzstan via Uzbekistan (Khujand to Tashkent to Ferghana Valley to Osh). Don't expect Tajik-Kyrgyz border crossings to be reliable this year.

I'm an advocate for skipping Kazakhstan. Almaty is just a normal city with normal city stuff, and any natural experiences in Kazakhstan pale in comparison to Kyrgyzstan, while its historical sites can't compare to Uzbekistan. And all this comes at a higher cost that the cheaper Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan. Defenders of Kazakhstan are usually expats, as Almaty is more livable than the rest of the region's cities.

[martijnskylo]

Thank you for your honest opinion! And good to know about Taj/Kyr border conflicts.