Our favourite photos from Days 8 and 9. The Central Asia Rally 2017 is over, but we still have some incredible stories to tell and brilliant photos to show. Here are our favourite images from Day 8, when teams drove from Dushanbe, capital of Tajikistan, to Tavildara and then Day 9, when participants travelled onwards […]
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Why We Love Markets in Central Asia
Be prepared to bargain hard at markets in Central Asia. On the Central Asia Rally, you will travel in the footsteps on the ancient Silk Road. You’ll drive on the route’s scenic mountain passes, and stay in historic cities which grew rich from trade. The most authentic Silk Road memory, though, are the markets and bazaars, […]
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The Pamir Highway: Everything You Need To Know
The Pamir Highway is an adventure traveler’s dream, if you have a head for heights! Driving the Pamir highway is one of the highlights of the Central Asia Rally. In fact, it’s one of the highlights of travelling anywhere. It’s the second highest international road in the world, with epic scenery and an almost spiritual remoteness. It’s […]
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Guest Post: Tony’s Central Asia Rally Story
A guest post by Tony Thorndike, Central Asia Rally veteran. Tony Thorndike is a Travel Scientists regular, who completed the Central Asia Rally in 2014. He drove all the way from Britain to Bishkek and, even more impressively, back again! He recently wrote about his experiences on the Caucasian Challenge. He can’t resist the charms of […]
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Silk Road Cities Visited by the Central Asia Rally
The essential guide to the ancient cities visited by the Central Asia Rally. The Central Asia Rally provides an incredible driving experience, with teams following a route over breathtaking mountain passes, through vast deserts, stopping at picturesque lakes and glorious valleys. Participants see at first hand the many vibrant cultures of the region, and stay […]
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Reasons You Should Visit Central Asia
There are so many reasons you should visit Central Asia Mountains, lakes, and valleys as picturesque as anywhere on earth. Seeing once magnificent ancient cities. Driving the Pamir Highway. The knowledge that most people won’t have heard of half the places you’ve been. These are just some of the reasons you should visit Central Asia. […]
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Visa-Free Travel to Kazakhstan
Visa-Free Travel to Kazakhstan has arrived for citizens of many countries. It has been announced that visa-free travel to Kazakhstan is now available for all citizens of the European Union and OECD countries. This will make travel there (whether as a tourist destination or a through-route) considerably easier, and cheaper. However, this news came […]
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Why You Should Visit Song-Kul Lake in Kyrgyzstan
Song-Kul Lake in Kyrgyzstan is a must-see spot in Central Asia… if you can reach it! Against the backdrop of distant mountains, Song-Kul Lake in Kyrgyzstan, an alpine lake right in the center of the country, is gloriously tranquil. Famed for its sensational sunrises, sunsets, and the richness of star-filled night’s sky. With an area of […]
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Visa-Free Travel to Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan’s president-elect has signed an order granting visa-free travel to Uzbekistan for citizens of twenty-seven countries. Traditionally, getting a visa for Uzbekistan has been problematic, with lots of paperwork required and the annoyance of applicants having to send their passport to the relevant embassy. Not any more though, if you’re from one of twelve […]
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Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan: the Voice from Heaven
No page on all things Central Asian could ever be complete without a mention of Pakistani-born Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, a singer of mainly Qawwali music and who, amongst those in the know, simply went by the nick “The voice from heaven” – which was just my impression when I first heard him sing […]
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How to Take Great Shots of Streets in Central Asia and Beyond
All great adventures, like the Central Asia Rally, deserve to be documented with equally magnificent photos; some of these will aim to capture city streets in all of their syncopated, iridescent glory – here are the seven golden rules of how to take great shots of urban settings. Photo by Francisco Anzola Understand where […]
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The Pamir Highway- a Link in the Ancient Silk Road
The Pamir Highway, the world’s second highest roadway, and a part of the ancient Silk Road, is a section of the M41 going from Osh in Kyrgyzstan, to Termez in Uzbekistan via Tajikistan through the Pamir mountains. Central Asia Rally’s path joins it for some of the most breathtaking views to be had anywhere. […]
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