I'm departing for Nur Sultan in two weeks and plan to spend three months travelling around Central Asia, visiting Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan. I'll be visiting cities but would also like to do a few hikes and spend some time at altitude. I want to make sure I pack correctly and don't carry unnecessary items but also don't forget essentials, so I want to ask for a bit of advice on what to take. My current idea is:
Clothing:
6 t shirts, underwear, socks
1 pair of hiking shoes (worn)
2 pairs of long hiking trousers (1 worn)
1 tights, 2 thermal base layers, 1 thin jumper, 1 down jacket, 1 windproof raincoat
1 flip flops
Sunglasses
Electronics:
Phone + charger + SIM changing kit
Power bank
Headphones
Ebook reader
Medication:
First aid kit
Ibuprofen
Paracetamol
Hygiene:
Toothbrush + toothpaste
Deodorant
Shaver
Tissues
Face masks
Soap bar
Nail clippers
Alcohol gel
Towel
Documents:
Passport
Photocopies of passport and vaccination certificate
Vaccination card (not the covid one, but for all other vaccines)
Postcards of my home city to gift to homestays
Other:
Earplugs
Blindfold
Sewing kit
Laundry bag
Lonely planet guidebook
Pen and notebook
Playing cards
Inflatable pillow
Cash in EUR and USD, and bank card. How widely accepted is EUR? I'm coming from a European country so if possible I'd like to save the changing fees and bring as much EUR and as little USD as possible!
Things I'm not sure about:
Sleeping bag? It's quite a bulky thing to carry around if I'm only going to use it a handful of times. Is this something that can be rented easily over there? Or alternatively, are there places to sleep on many of the multi-day hikes?
Swimming trunks? Not sure if this is something I should have for hot springs and showers at hostels.
Bug repellent spray?
Just some comments from my experiences in urban Central Asia:
If you use zinc-based sunscreen take enough with you, not easy to get here, normal sunscreen is widely available in pharmacies and drug stores, both Russian brands and imported products.
Don't forget medicine against diarrhoea you know and trust because nothing worse than a long overland trip worrying about how much time is left until the next toilet or hole in the ground, toilet paper of all qualities is widely sold.
Same for travel sickness medicine if you plan on taking shared taxis and aren't 100% sure you'll do without.
Unlike certain East Asian countries, effective deodorant is widely sold, no need to bring spares.
Not many people wear masks any more and there I haven't been asked by anybody to put on a mask for the last 5 months, so no need to bring too many of them (they're also sold in many places).
Swimming trunks aren't a bad idea if you want to take a dip somewhere, not needed (but accepted) for banyas though.
You can get your euros changed in cities without problems, informal money changers at borders may strongly prefer USD or local currencies.
One dollar bills can be helpful if you don't have change (e.g for shared taxis), five euro bills are usually too much already. Nobody wants foreign coins for payment, some people like to collect coins, so some cent coins might work as a souvenir.
There are ATMs in major cities dispensing local currency and sometimes USD, no need to bring stacks of cash.
The main point to decide is will you take a the gear for trekking/camping ? Tent, mattress, sleeping bag, stove, cooking gear, ...
That's heavy but it gives you a lot more freedom ...
Hi Edu, I did the same basic itinerary in April-June, broken by some time in the Caucasus and eastern Turkey (sorry, Türkiye!) Here's my observations, for whatever they're worth, following your subject headings:
Clothing:
1. Take 3 t-shirts, one or two polo shirts, one regular long-sleeved shirt. There are times when you'll want to remain comfortable but look less like a bum! And times when you'll be glad of long sleeves, which you can always roll up anyway. Two (or all, if you can afford it) of the t-shirts can do double duty as thermal underwear).
2. Plan ahead for laundry breaks so nothing gets too stinky. And seize good dhoby opportunities anyway they occur.
3. A collapsible hiking pole is very helpful indeed when scrambling on off-road tracks and around ruins of all ages and types. Especially if the tread on your hiking shoes is worn.
4. Take a warm, sleeveless vest for sunny days in cold winds.
5. Tights are redundant if you're already doing thermals. But make sure the thermals are of good quality (i.e., mainly lightweight wool). And don't forget good, light wool socks.
6. Get the best rain/wind jacket, with hood, that you can afford.
7. You're travelling in autumn, at altitude. One pair of hiking pants should be as water-resistant as cost and weight permit. Both if possible - the cities will be getting wetter and colder, too, and quite rapidly from September.
8. Take some lightweight "hut boots"to give your socks (and feet, and nose!) a break.
9. Have a lanyard for your sunglasses.
Electronics:
1. A good, strong charger, capable of supporting multlple charger cables, including that for the phone, is quite essential. You'll often want, and need, to charge a number of devices simultaneously.
2. Power Bank: YES! As big as you can. And take a smaller one to top-up the phone and (if applicable) camera on busy days.
3. E-book reader - essential. Load your guidebook(s) onto this. And make sure your favourite other reading is on the device, NOT in the cloud. Local dictators are fond of shutting down the internet, and homestay wifi is a rarity anyway.
4. Electrical - don't forget your head lantern and a flashlight that can double as a "table" lamp.
Medical:
1. First aid kit. Absolutely! Make sure it's a good one - sacrifice space & weight elsewhere if you must. You will often be a very long way indeed, in distance and time, from any professional medical or para-medical assistance. Talk to your GP regarding contents, if necessary.
2. Take plenty of anti-diarrhoea pills - I had to give some to a tour guide, as well as to an unfortunate traveller I met. Same with the other medications - again, I dispensed both to others on the track, and both they and I were glad I could. Also get some "travellers' antibiotics", internal and external, and altitude-sickness medication. You probably won't need either - but remember that long distance to the next medico!
3. Water treatment - ensure you have Micropur tablets and if possible a Steripen (with spare batteries). You will often be encouraged to drink from"pure" mountain streams - which aren't. As for the milk....!
Hygeine:
You can get anything you need in the cities and major towns - but one's view of what's "major" may vary. Logistics in areas like the Pamir are dodgy at the best of times - and these times aren't the best. But don't go packing stuff like tissues - dunny paper will do, and you should always keep a roll or two of it. Just don't get that horrible, narrow, grey Russian collective farm stuff. Deodorant?; don't bother. People will only think you smelly.
Documents:
1. Make sure you have paper copies of EVERYTHING. Multiple times. If the internet is out for the citizens -and you - then it's generally out for the Gorillas, too. Stuff in your Apple wallet will stay there and not reveal itself.
2. I liked your idea with the hometown photos. The local people will too. Family happy snaps go down even better - I wished I'd kept more of all kinds in my camera/phone, and hard copies would have gone down even better.
Other:
1. Keep your guide-books and other guiding texts in your Kindle and your phone. Apple Books is very useful in that respect. And I guess you have Maps.me and/or equivalents? iOverland is pretty handy, too.
2. Money - the Greenback remains almighty. Euros are recognised, but not necessarily welcomed. You'd probably go better with the GB Pound in many places. But whatever, the USD is King and is about the only currency you can do a transaction with on the street for pretty well anything if you have no local currency. Make sure you have plenty, with a good proportion of low denominations. Save your Euro for Turkiye. Be aware that ATMs are enthusiastically patronised by local people and often run out of cash alarmingly quickly, especially before a weekend or holiday. Timely replenishment, even in capital cities, is not a given and you may need a friend with connections to a local bank to find out when and where the money is going. A lot of ATMs in Tajikistan will have fairly miserly single-withdrawal limits (<300 Somoni) too. I don't know how many times one can repeat the transaction on the one machine.
3.An effect of both local fiscal/monetary policies and Putin's War in countries like Uzbekistan and Tajikistan means it is practically impossible to find an ATM that will cough up US Dollars, even if it offers the option on-screen. But you can get USD at many bank branches during regular hours, with a credit or debit card and passport ID. Also, be aware that VISA seems to have a tight grip on much of the electronic banking system, to the extent that a Mastercard simply won't be recognised in many ATMs, nor at some banks.
4. Finally, don't get caught with a large amount of local currency EITHER before or after crossing a border. It is easy enough to exchange local money for USD or some other 'hard" currency before you cross, provided you can find an exchange office, but will be infinitely more difficult to change, say, Uzbek Som for Kazakh Manat after you've crossed over, and especially as you get further from the border crossing. There's nearly always some guy who will do it, but at a hefty premium, and you may not find him anyway.
Other Others:
Swimming trunks? Yeah, why not? But from what I've seen, hot springs and hostel showers are generally au naturel. And I don't recommend either the Caspian or Issyk Kul for bathing in any condition! (but I recognise the "been there imperative", having succumbed to it!)
Bug Repellent? It's coming on to autumn and you should be OK.
Sleeping bag? There are places (not many) you can hire them in the capitals and in traveller hubs like Karakol (KG), but you'd need some local advice from community centres, I think, on where you might crash overnight on a hiking route.
Anyway, I seem to have become more long-winded than I expected or you probably needed, either. But I hope some of this will be of help.
I would inverse the question: what people take with them but knever used it ?? I am driving by car, what makes it easy to bring a lot of stuff, but i want to stay basic. I asked a friend who whent to Japan about 10 years ago, and he answered me: a spare-gasoline can (he was on an enduro moto), he knever ever used it. There are gasstations everywhere, just dont wait for the last drop in your tank. And he said, always take simple things with you, you can exchange for any helpl you want, lighters, cigarettes, cheap sunglasses, those things !! ?? Any more suggestions what not to take ??
Marco where were you in April and May? Do you have good suggestions for places that are pleasant at that time of the year, with some decent food options and hikes or bike rides?
Hi Velo, sorry to be so slow. ApriI was spent mainly in Uzbekistan, with a week or so in south/west Tajikistan. May was Azerbaijan, eastern Turkey and Georgia.
There's already a lot of good advice on hiking in the first two countries on Caravanistan, Lonely Planet, Bradt and all. I don't really do hikes, so can't much improve on it. But the mountains out back of Termez in Surxondaryo province, in that big band of country from Darband to Denau, certainly will reward the effort. Likewise the Fann Mountains in Sugdh. In both areas, the weather is quite mild in April-May, with slightly chilly nights. Khatlon province is pretty bland all round, I thought and I wouldn't go there again but for the spectacular (and terrifying!) road from Panj to Farkhor. And don't even think about cycling north from Dushanbe (google Anzob Tunnel!)
I would neither cycle nor walk in western Uzbekistan; the roads are execrable, and it's also a damned long way between drinks. And hot. Take the train.
I'd like to do eastern Turkey and Georgia on an E-bike, though younger people might not need the mechanical assistance! But it's beautiful, rolling country punctuated by engaging settlements. The spectacular "Georgian Valleys" in Turkey, basically between Kars, Erzurum and the coast, are quite something and again, I think, will reward the hiker's effort. But it was still very cold overnight in early May, with some snow at times.
I think practically everywhere in Turkey and Georgia is a "food option"! Great nosh in places like Kars, Akhaltsikhe and Akhalkalaki. But don't leave it too late in the day in the more sparsely populated parts. Best to eat before the sun sets. Likewise with shopping at local mini-markets, and their shelf-stocks may well reflect the frugality of their communities, too.
Overall, I think I would recommend the route I took (By whatever means one prefers). That was, starting early April and going though to the end of May:
Tashkent - Termez - Boysun - Darband - Denau - Shahrituz - Dushanbe - Panjakent - Samarkand - Nukus - Khiva - Bukhara - Nurota - Tashkent - Baku - Ganja - Lankaran - Baku - Nakhchivan - Van - Trabzon - Hopa - Erzurum - Kars - Akhalkalaki - Akhaltaltsike - Batumi - Kutaisi - Chiatura - Tbilisi.
It looks faster paced than, over two full months, it really was!
I hope that's been of some use, and that you enjoy your travels wherever they lead, and however you get there. All the best.
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