Central Asian Journeys

The legendary and ancient game of Buzkashi. Literally “goat pulling” in Persian, it is a Central Asian sport in which horse-mounted players attempt to place a goat or calf carcass in a goal.

Background to Central Asian Journeys

Stretching from the Caspian Sea in the very west to China and Mongolia on its eastern boundaries, and from Afghanistan and Iran in the south to Russia in the north, Central Asia today is defined as the former Soviet republic of Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, and Turkmenistan.

For decades, Central Asia was an area that was very inaccessible to travelers. The last few years have brought changes and allowed for more travel. Historically and geographically, Central Asia remains an incredibly interesting region. Due to it’s location as a bridge between Europe and Asia, the region was home to the Great Silk Road, the ancient trading route that served to connect both continents for almost two millennia.

Nomadic culture has had a great influence on Central Asian identity and still plays a central role in understanding the region.

Voygr’s Central Asian itineraries cover Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan. While each country has several things in common such as incredible natural beauty, steppes, mountains, and phenomenal shared history, each is also distinct in its culture, ethnic groups, architecture, and way of life. A Central Asian Journey that links these countries is perhaps one of the world’s most iconic trips for the adventure minded traveler.

Off-the-beaten-path on a Central Asian Journey

Tourism infrastructure is expanding across the larger tourist destinations such as Tashkent, Bukhara, Samarkand, Bishkek, and Dushanbe, but the countryside remains rustic and filled with possibilities of true exploration.

We love Central Asia for this true exploration. Combine the stunningly beautiful Silk Road citadels of Bukhara, Samarkand, and Khiva in Uzbekistan with a journey cutting through Tajikistan on the legendary Pamir Highway amidst the towering peaks of the Wakhan Corridor that act as its frontier with Afghanistan and into the Tien Shan mountains of sublime Kyrgyzstan. You’ll follow a route similar to that of Marco Polo and a thousand caravans that connected the great nations of the ancient world.

Voygr creates bespoke itineraries for Central Asian Journeys that cater to your interests. There are too many package tours hauling large groups on itineraries no different from each other.

Our specialization is getting off the beaten path. Stopping in to visit communities far from the tour buses, riding on horseback alongside Kyrgyz nomads, watching a vigorous game of buzkashi, learning about the ancient ways of hunting with golden eagles with a Kazakh berkutchi, or eagle hunter, or simply enjoying the vaulted domed ceiling of the great emperor Tamerlane.

Truly, these journeys are epic.

A Central Asian Journey is Unlike Any Other

Imagine our LandCruiser pulling into a small hamlet above the roaring Panj river that divides Tajikistan from Afghanistan. You’re greeted as an honored guest. Green tea is put to boil and a soft naan, the archetypal Central Asian bread, is pulled out from the oven. Our host tears the naan into more manageable pieces, puts them in a bowl and places them in front of you. Smaller bowls filled with dried fruits, fresh apricots, mulberries, and nuts appear on the table. He doesn’t even know your name, or where you come from. All he knows is that you’re a traveler on the Great Road. With a broad smile, he urges you to eat and to rest.

This is breaking bread. This is hospitality. This is Central Asia.

We’ll explore the Great Game and the intrigue that surrounded British and Russian imperialism in the 19th century, learn about Alexander’s conquests, explore Tamerlane’s history, and discover the emperor Babur’s connections to the Ferghana Valley before he established the Mughal Empire in India.

Central Asia is the heart of Asia. Everything comes together here at the crossroads of empires.