Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan sprawl across the vast expanses of Central Asia but are still hidden from many visitor’s minds, despite offering outstanding beauty, simplicity and a feeling of complete remoteness. The allure lies in the heritage of the Silk Road, where ideas, culture and people flowed from East to West, and in the green field backcountry and sweeping mountain landscapes that play host to the traditional nomadic lifestyle. Journey through cities featuring crumbling reminders of Soviet occupation and influence and out into the stunning wilds, where the ancient history of these long-lived nations – Persian and Mongol, Buddhist and Muslim – becomes clearer. While political and military forces have battled over these regions, life in these isolated areas has changed little in the past centuries – the yurts you’ll stay in with local families have remained, while empires have fallen.
