Countries

Azerbaijan

Georgia

Kazakhstan

Kyrgyzstan

Morocco

Tajikistan

Turkey

Uzbekistan

We also dedicated a special section to all the unusual destinations and remarkable traditions that we discovered along the way.

Check them out!

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Khiva had been long on my list of cities I wanted to visit in Uzbekistan.
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During my first travels to the country in 2017, I never made it there. I was traveling in the middle of the winter and as Khiva is so far out in the desert, it was a challenging trip to get there. I also had only 15 days on my visa back then and not enough time to make it to Khiva.
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Nowadays it's a lot easier to get to this ancient city. A new train station has been opened in September 2018 and there are now direct trains connecting Bukhara and Khiva. .
Since the new president of Uzbekistan decided to open the country's doors to the world (they even introduced free visas on arrival and e-visas whereas before you had to apply for a visa and wait minimum one week before getting it), traveling independently in Uzbekistan became so much easier!
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You can get from Bukhara to Khiva in only 6 hours by train - before you had to get a night train from Samarkand or a shared taxi from Bukhara to Urgench and another taxi to Khiva. It was a very long (8 to 12 hours) and quite an uncomfortable journey.
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So yes, this time I made it to Khiva and it definitely didn't disappoint! However, as it's now so much easier to get there, the city is attracting a lot more tourists as well ...
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Do you think these are positive developments or not?
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#uzbekistan #khiva #travelcentralasia #centralasiatravel #silkroad #silkroadtrip #traveluzbekistan #cityscape #citytrip #ancientcity #ancientplaces #travelersnotebook #travelingmadeeasy #forbestravelguide #travelphotography #lumixambassador #lumixg90 #photooftheday #instatravel #caravanistan #lppathfinders #bbctravel

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🎶 Row row row your boat gently down the lake... 🎶
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Last summer this stunning alpine lake located at an altitude of 3500 meter and secluded high up in the mountains near the border between Kyrgyzstan and China, was almost completely empty.
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We could explore a big part of the canyon on foot.
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This year we were lucky to see Kel Suu lake filled with water. So this time we could explore the canyon by boat!
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During the summer months, there's a guy camping on the shores of Kel Suu lake and he rents out his boats for about 500 Kyrgyz Som (around 6 euros/ 7 USD). It's his way of making an income.
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Renting the boat is honestly the easiest part of exploring Kel Suu as it's a lot more challenging to reach this lake in the first place!
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The lake is so remote that you can only get there by 4x4 vehicle or on horse. There's no public transport going to this region in Kyrgyzstan. .
That's one of the reasons why we organise an adventure tour here (see link in bio).
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But it's worth the effort as it makes this lake extra special!
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Do you know any places that are very difficult to get to?
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#kyrgyzstan🇰🇬 #kyrgyzstan #discoverkyrgyzstan #centralasia #centralasiatravel #outdoorlovers #adventuretime #gooutside #offthegrid #offthebeatenpath #beautifuldestinations #mountainlake #kelsuu #asadventure #nature #outdooradventures #travelcentralasia #travelphotography

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Sunset in Bukhara, Uzbekistan.
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Bukhara is another ancient must-see city in Uzbekistan.
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The city is nowadays divided into two parts - the old city center and the new one. While most of Bukhara's residents live in the new part, the old center is the one you should visit.
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The old city center of Bukhara is rather small. You can easily visit the main sights in one day.
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Just like Samarkand, this millennia-city has been through a lot of restorations over the last years and for some it doesn't feel completely authentic anymore. But... the reconstruction of the buildings have been subtle and, in my opinion, you still get a sense of how it must have been during the Silk Road times.
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Bukhara was Niko and my favourite city in Uzbekistan. There is something about this place. It's a cozy city and although small, one where we spent a lot of days just chilling and enjoying the beauty of the mosques, minarets and madrasas.
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How do you feel about ancient place that have been restored and reconstructed? Yay or a big nay?
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--> in case you're planning to visit Uzbekistan and Bukhara, we got plenty of comprehensive travel and city guides on our website!
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#bukhara #uzbekistan #silkroad #silkroadtrip #sunset #architecture #architecturelovers #ancientcity #beautifuldestinations #lumixambassador #panasoniclumix #lumixg90 #travelcentralasia #centralasiatravel #citytrip #caravanistan #goeverywhere #islamicarchitecture #ancientplaces #forbestravelguide #natgeoyourshot #sunset_pics #sunsetgram #instatravel

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Son Kul is one of our favorite destinations in Kyrgyzstan. We went there 4 times on horseback last summer and stayed at a yurt camp right on the shores of the lake (swipe through the photos).
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We traveled to this lake during a 2-day horseback trek through valleys and mountains and it's every time an epic moment when we see the lake appear after reaching the top of a high mountain pass!
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Just going through the photos makes me nostalgic and I can't wait to go back next summer!
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Are you coming with us as well? We're organising new adventure tours there next summer (June - September) after the big success of our previous adventure tours. Niko and I really hope you'll join us as we really want to show you why Kyrgyzstan is so special to us!
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You can find the detailed itineraries and info in the link in our bio!
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See you next summer in Kyrgyzstan?
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#kyrgyzstan🇰🇬 #kyrgyzstan #centralasia #centralasiatravel #kirgizistan #silkroad #adventuretime #adventuretravel #horsebackriding #beautifuldestinations #beautifullake #nightphotography #landscapephotography #panasoniclumix #lumixambassador #lumixg90 #gooutside #naturelovers #hikingadventures #trekkingdestination #trekking #stunning_shots #mountaingirl #nomadiclife #nomadiclifestyle

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Samarkand was one of the most important sites on the ancient Silk Road and has been at the crossroads of world cultures for more than 2 millennia.
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One of the main reasons to visit Samarkand is to marvel at the stunning Islamic architecture of its mosques and mausoleums. Poets and historians describe the city as "The Pearl of the Easter Muslim World".
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If you love UNESCO World Heritage sites, unique masterpieces of ancient architecture, glittering minarets, dazzling domes and hypnotic mosaics, then you'll love Samarkand!
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And yes, this place is getting touristic, it's now going to get more crowded as the #lonelyplanet has named Central Asia the best region for travel in 2020.
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Who's coming to Uzbekistan and Central Asia next year? Don't forget to check out our blog journalofnomads.com as we got tons of articles and travel guides on Uzbekistan and Central Asia!
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📷:#lumixg90 - Leica 8-18mm
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#travelcentralasia #traveluzbekistan #uzbekistan #samarkand #silkroad #caravanistan #forbestravelguide #lumixambassador #panasoniclumix #stunning_shots #islamicarchitecture #beautifuldestinations #silkroadtrip #architecturelovers #architecture #instatravel #travelphotography #natgeoyourshot #guardiantravelsnaps

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Iskanderkul is claimed to be one of the most beautiful mountain lakes in the former Soviet Union.
. This scenic lake lies at an altitude of 2195 meters on the northern slopes of the Gissar Range in the Fann Mountains of Tajikistan.
. I wouldn't call it thé most beautiful alpine lake as I've been very impressed by the beauty of other lakes in Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan but yes, Iskanderkul is definitely a stunner as well! Especially during sunrise like you can see on the photos!
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What is the most beautiful lake you've ever seen?
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#traveltajikistan #travelcentralasia #centralasiatravel #tajikistan #centralasia #silkroad #fannmountains #landscapephotography #beautifuldestinations #outdoorlovers #lumixambassador #lumixg90 #mountainlake #nature #offthegrid #trekkingdestination #asadventure #natgeoyourshot #instatravel

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