We’ve just had a wonderful trip to the 5 Stans of Central Asia. There is so much to do and see! …Historical and cultural treasures as well as natural beauty. While we focused mainly on Uzbekistan (where the architecture and history rivals all the top places of the world) we also spent a couple of days in each of the other countries of Central Asia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan and Tajikistan. Each one had its own special qualities.
We felt very safe and secure in all five countries traveling with our young daughter. It was very peaceful, yet exciting and so totally different than what we experience in the U.S. Our guide Dilfuza Rajabova in Uzbekistan went out of her way to make us feel like we were at home, patient with a young child and honoring special requests in the fascinating Silk Road Destinations of Uzbekistan. We even attended a local wedding where we were greeted like distant relatives. Our guide Kayhusrav in Tajikistan was extremely knowledgeable in history and spoke English superbly.
We enjoyed the native cuisine, and even visited and dined at the home of an Uzbeki family. Of all the good hotels the boutique hotel, Minzifa, in Bukhara was a special treat. We wished that we had taken advantage of the wonderful shopping in Khiva and Bukhara! We enjoyed the visits to the various bazaars… we even bartered a bit for dried fruits and nuts from around Central Asia, Iran, and China. It gave us a little taste of what the medieval Silk Road must’ve been like.
Zulya Rajabova our tour operator and the president of Silk Road Treasure Tours was wonderful in helping prepare us for this extraordinary trip. She designed our itinerary and walked us through the visa preparations, and helped with last minute changes. She kept in touch with us and the guides during our trip to make sure everything was going well.
If I’m lucky enough to get back to that part of the world I think I’d like to spend more time in Turkmenistan and Tajikistan to see more. We worked our private tour around school vacation, and two weeks just wasn’t enough!
We recommend the Central Asia tour to everyone!
Edward, Audrey and Amy

Connecticut, USA