Trip KAZ > KYR > KAZ > KYR > TAJ > KYR

[Solsticio]

30979113593_66a3f6313b_o.jpg (195.52 KiB) Viewed 2078 times

I did following trip (see attached map) in seven weeks this autumn.

For those interested; pictures can be found on my Flickr.

If you have any questions, just message me.

[steven]

Hoi E,

Nice pictures, thanks for sharing! I am amazed you did all that in 7 weeks.

What were the highlights?

[Solsticio]

Well, for most of the time, I travel alone and make the most of my days, so I am quite efficient. Also, in the beginning of October it was not really possible to find a group to do a tour through the Pamirs, so I spent less time there than expected.

In any case, my highlights are several.

Of course, the Pamirs were beautiful, especially the part from Sary-Tash through Karakul to Murghab. Organising it by oneself is an adventure in itself.

I like abandoned places, so Kurchatov and Aralsk in Kazakhstan were very interesting.

Apart from that naturwise, the route from Toktogul south in the direction of Osh was beautiful, even though hitchhiking here turned out harder than expected. The same applies to most of the route from Khorog to Kulob, even though it takes a really long time.

I had great company in Bishkek, which is a pleasant city anyway, so I enjoyed my stay there a lot.

For a more Soviet feel, I really liked industrial cities like Karaganda and Temirtau. Especially in the last one they hardly see any tourists ever. I understand it's not for everyone, though.

I rented bicycles in Almaty, Astana and Dushanbe, which for me (I am Dutch after all), was a great way of exploring those cities. And a great way to start conversation with locals

So yes, a lot of highlights

[steven]

Thanks Solsticio!

Can you say more about the bike rental in Almaty, Dushanbe, Astana?

Quality of bikes, prices, companies. Would be interesting to get your review as an expert cyclist.