When embarking on your Silk Road trip, it’s important to remember (or realise) that Central Asia is an unstable region. In the past years, there have been 2 large-scale killings of civilians (Andijan in 2007 and Osh in 2010) as well as several smaller ones, and borders of all countries have closed at certain times due to infectious diseases, trade wars, elections, internal unrest and violent conflict.
Even if at times it seems as if Central Asia is stabilising and opening up to the world, we urge you to keep the underlying reality in mind.
In the next 20 years, instability will remain a key characteristic of the region due to climate change, elite power struggles and the spasms of the global financial system.
So be prepared. Of course, some events are impossible to predict, and you will have to improvise on the spot when your original plan becomes impossible. But there are some known hot spots and you can prepare for difficulties in advance.
Turkmenistan transit visa
Transit visas to pass Turkmenistan are not always a given.
Pamir Highway closures
From 2010 to 2016, the Pamir Highway was blocked off for some part of the tourist season almost every year. In 2018, there was the Danghara attack. In the (post-)Covid era, the Tajik-Kyrgyz war closed borders. Expect more of the same in the future: the country’s political situation is ripe for revolt and higher temperatures will result in more landslides as glacier-fed rivers overflow.
The Fann mountains and Southern Tajikistan are also very nice. It’s mostly important to not be too disappointed should something happen that will prevent your trip to the Pamirs – you’re not the first. The crossings to Afghanistan and the Wakhan corridor are also prone to disruption for similar reasons.