Central Asia, often referred to as Turkestan, is one of those exotic regions of the world that conjure up hackneyed images of remote desert wastelands and nomadic wanderings. In reality, it no longer has a roving population and is in fact geographically very diverse, with a mix of desert, lush valley pastures and some of the highest mountains in the world.The region covers an area of 5.8 million sq km, and includes the countries of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. Bordered by some of the less accessible areas of the world — including the Caspian Sea, Russia, Mongolia, China, Afghanistan and Iran — and isolated within the former Soviet Union for 70 years, Central Asia has been lost for decades in myth and conjecture. A few years ago it was opened up to foreigners and now offers the adventurous an enticing mixture of rich history and culture and magnificent landscapes.
Central Asia has vast adventure travel potential. Although
the travel industry is still in its infancy here, the infrastructure for activities
such as trekking, mountaineering, horse and camel trekking, skiing, river rafting,
kayaking, mountain biking and even hang-gliding is developing.
For trekking, climbing and heli-skiing, one of the
best areas is the Tien Shan Range — Chinese for “Heavenly Mountains”
— in eastern Kyrgyzstan and southeast Kazakhstan. The range has high-altitude
peaks ideal for two- to three-week treks. The Tien Shan Range is known as “The
Arctic of Kyrgyzstan” because of its dry, severe continental climate.
The ski season here is from December to April.
For rafting and kayaking in Central Asia, a good venue is Tashkent, with white-water stretches on the Ugam, Chatkal and Pskem rivers. Rafting expeditions can be organized through agencies in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. The best time of year is September or October. Other activities such as mountainbiking, camel trekking and hang-gliding can be organized through the region’s main tour operators. Action Asia will be covering Central Asia in more depth in future issues.