Central Asia

13 curated road trips

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  LegendaryPamir HighwayTajikistan · 1,252 km · 7–10 daysThe M41, the Roof of the World. From Dushanbe through the Wakhan Corridor to Osh, the Pamir Highway crosses four passes above 4,000m, traces the Afghan border along the Panj River, and reaches the highest navigable plateau on Earth.
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  IconicKyrgyzstan LoopKyrgyzstan · 900 km · 7–10 daysThe great Kyrgyz circuit from Bishkek through the nomad heartland, over the Tian Shan to Song-Kul's high-altitude lake (3,016m), through the Naryn canyon to Karakol, along the blue shore of Issyk-Kul, and back. A route of yurt camps, eagle hunters, and passes above 3,500m with almost no tarmac for 300 km at a stretch.
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  IconicUzbekistan's Silk RoadUzbekistan · 1,100 km · 7–10 daysThe original Silk Road through Uzbekistan's four great cities, Tashkent, Samarkand's Registan, Tamerlane's birthplace at Shakhrisabz, Bukhara's medressehs, and Khiva's walled Itchan Kala. Three UNESCO World Heritage sites in 1,100 km through a landscape that has barely changed since the caravans came through.
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  IconicTurkmenistan: Gates of HellTurkmenistan · 600 km · 3–4 daysThrough the Karakum Desert from Ashgabat, the world's most surreal capital of white marble and golden statues, north to the Darvaza gas crater (the Gates of Hell), a 69-metre burning pit ignited by Soviet drillers in 1971 and still flaming today, before continuing to Dashoguz on the Uzbek border. One of the most extraordinary drives on earth.
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  NotableAlmaty to Charyn Canyon and Kolsai LakesKazakhstan · 560 km · 2-3 daysThis classic Almaty escape combines open steppe, the sculpted red walls of Charyn Canyon, and the pine-backed mountain lakes of Kolsai. The drive is straightforward yet long, rewarding with changing landscapes, short hikes, and overnight stays in guesthouses or simple camps near the lake district.
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  NotableAral Sea RouteUzbekistan · 1,150 km · 5-7 daysThis stark Central Asian road trip follows the shrinking Aral Sea basin from Nukus through Muynaq, then north into Kazakhstan toward the restored shores and fishing towns around Aralsk. Expect salt flats, desert highways, Soviet relics, and powerful reminders of one of the world’s great environmental disasters.
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  IconicBartang Valley Pamir VariantTajikistan · 280 km · 2-3 daysThis Pamir variant leaves the Pamir Highway at Rushan and follows the dramatic Bartang Valley past turquoise river bends, cliffside villages, and steep rock walls toward the upper valley. It is a rugged, high-altitude detour with big mountain scenery and a strong sense of isolation.
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  IconicFann MountainsTajikistan · 220 km · 2-3 daysThis classic Tajik mountain drive follows the Zeravshan Valley from Penjikent into the high country around the Fann Mountains, where turquoise lakes, limestone walls, and apricot orchards crowd the road. Expect rough but spectacular driving, alpine viewpoints, and easy access to trailheads and village guesthouses.
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  NotableKyrgyzstan South LoopKyrgyzstan · 1,100 km · 7-10 daysThis southern Kyrgyzstan loop starts and ends in Osh, tracing a dramatic circuit through the Fergana foothills, Jalal-Abad, Toktogul, Naryn, and the high-country lake roads around Song-Kul before returning south. Expect alpine scenery, river valleys, yurt country, and long stretches of empty mountain road.
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  IconicMangystau and Ustyurt PlateauKazakhstan · 850 km · 5-7 daysThis out-and-back loop from Aktau into Mangystau and across the Ustyurt Plateau showcases Kazakhstan’s most otherworldly desert scenery. Expect chalk cliffs, wind-carved canyons, and vast empty steppe, with highlights including Bozzhyra’s white escarpments, the isolated Tuzbair salt flats, and remote road stops beneath endless skies.
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  NotableTurkmenistan Silk RoadTurkmenistan · 1,150 km · 7-10 daysTrace Turkmenistan’s Silk Road heartland from the modern capital to the ruins and oasis towns that once linked Persia, Khiva, and Merv. This paved cross-country drive pairs marble Ashgabat, desert landscapes, UNESCO-listed Ancient Merv, and the stark remains of Konye-Urgench on a route rich in history and wide-open emptiness.
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  LegendaryWakhan Corridor RouteTajikistan · 420 km · 4-6 daysFollow the legendary Pamir highway east from Khorog into the narrow Wakhan Corridor, where the road threads between the Panj River and stark Afghan peaks. The drive passes fortress ruins, hot springs, stone villages, and broad high-altitude valleys before ending near Ishkashim, with constant views into one of Central Asia’s most isolated landscapes.
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  NotableKazakhstan Steppe HighwayKazakhstan · 1,300 km · 3–5 daysAcross the world's largest landlocked country from the former capital Almaty to the space-age new capital Astana, through the Kazakh steppe's infinite flatness, past Lake Balkhash's bisected chemistry (fresh water in the west, salt in the east), and the Soviet-era coal city of Karaganda with its extraordinary Gulag history.