FlyerTalk Forums - 3 `Stans in 3 weeks

I recently returned from spending three weeks traveling around central Asia (specifically, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan & Kazakhstan). This was my first time in that region, and it was a fascinating experience.Trip Length:Including round trip flights, I spent 21 days traveling. It worked out to 6 days in Kyrgyzstan, 10 days in Uzbekistan, and 4 days in Kazakhstan. I definitely could have spent much more time in all 3 countries, but $DAYJOB somewhat limited my total trip duration. I also would have loved to have had time to see more of the region (Tajikistan & Turkmenistan, maybe even Afghanistan), but there was a point of diminishing returns if I had attempted to squeeze in even more countries.

Airlines:

I flew Emirates for the long haul. SFO <--> DXB on their A380. I actually splurged and paid for the biz class upgrade on the flight out (first time ever for me). Was it amazing compared to economy? Definitely. Was it spectacular? I'm not sure. The crew was very impersonal, and hands off. They went through the motions, but no one really seemed like they enjoyed their job, or cared about me. Food was fine, but definitely not great. The return was back in economy for 15 hours, and it was every bit as miserable as you'd expect. Although to be honest, the food wasn't significantly worse than what I was served in biz class on the outbound flight.
I did the codeshare with flyDubai between Dubai and central asia on their 737-800s. I flew into Bishkek (Kyrgyzstan) on the way out, and returned via Astana (now known as Nursultan because politics). This was a significant step down from Emirates in every possible way. For flights that were nearly 5 hours long, this was a cramped, warm, mediocre experience. While I tried to sleep on the flights, it was near impossible, as the plane was quite warm, the seats were extremely cramped & uncomfortable, and there were literally a dozen screaming lap children around me. The flights departed late, and arrived a few minutes late. For those who were code-sharing with an Emirates flight, the food was free, but it was mediocre garbage, and the only 'free' drink was a small cup of water. Also, the return to Dubai was a bus gate to terminal F, which was a ring of hell. It took over an hour to get transported over to terminal B due to slow, lazy, inefficient airport ground transportation. One person on the bus may have missed their connecting flight. I actually flew them many years ago on a short hop to Muscat (Oman), and vaguely remembered them being kinda budget/crappy. This trip's experience really solidified them as a crappy budget airline. I don't know if I'd be willing to subject myself to them again for anything more than an hour or so from Dubai.
I flew Uzbekistan Air from Bishkek (Kyrgystan) to Tashkent (Uzbekistan), and then for another 3 domestic flights inside Uzbekistan. This may have been the unexpected pleasant airline surprise of the entire trip. Note, this is the *only* airline operating domestic flights inside Uzbekistan. You have no other choices inside the country. I read lots of horror stories of unannounced schedule changes, very late flights, and last minute cancellations. I experienced none of that, and every flight arrived on schedule (if not a few minutes early). That said, the planes (mostly A320s) were old and tired. The flight safety video was literally something from the communist era, transferred from a VHS tape to digital, with a guy speaking in very broken English and a heavy Russian accent. It was amusing for the novelty of it all. They provided at least one round of free drinks on every flight (even for the domestic flights that were often less than an hour). Flights were dirt cheap. I'm talking US$30 for a last minute 45 minute flight between Samarkand and Tashkent, and similarly cheap flights for the other segments that I used. I'd fly them again for sure, but the odds of that are slim.
I flew Air Astana on 3 segments (all landing in Kazakhstan). Tashkent (UZ) to Almaty (KZ), Almaty to Shymkent, and Shymkent to Astana (Nursultan). It was fine, but nothing special. They did hand out free and drinks meals on every flight, but it was really sad, scary airplane food that I opted out of trying. The flights did arrive on schedule. Prices were not that cheap, but also not too expensive. I guess I would fly them again if the schedule met my needs, but there was nothing special about them as an airline.

Destination:

Kyrgyzstan: if you love hiking, backpacking or mountain scenery, this is the place to go. There was no where that I went in the country that I didn't see snow-capped mountains.
Uzbekistan: history, history, and more silk road history. Lots of thousand year old buildings, and islamic history sites. Gorgeous art work on many of the mosques and madrassas.
Kazakhstan: due to travel logistics, I was only able to spend time in Astana (which is now officially known as Nursultan because politics), and Shymkent. Shymkent is culturally and historically similar to Uzbekistan in many ways.

Activities:

Lots of amazing hiking in Kyrgyzstan. I only did day hikes, but they were all spectacular. The area around Tash Rabat is above 3000m, so I had a killer headache for a bit, but the scenery more than made up for it. Also went hiking south of Issyk Kul at Skazka Canyon (desert scenery) and above Jeti Oguz (mountains, streams, etc). I did a spectacular day hike in Ala Archa National Park (an hour south of the capital, Bishkek), although it was pouring rain for the first few hours which made the trail a muddy, slippery mess.
In Uzbekistan, it was basically exploring historic areas and sites in Khiva, Bukhara, Samarkand, and to a lesser degree, Tashkent (the capital). Lots of walking, in extreme heat (see below), but it was all urban exploration, so not difficult if I had gone at a different time of year.

What Went Wrong:

OMG, the heat was absolutely brutal. Especially in Uzbekistan, it was over 40C most days. I'm a spoiled westerner who is used to escaping the heat with AC, and that was mostly not an option in Uzbekistan. Most places didn't have AC at all. Those that did, would often set the temperature to ridiculously pointless temperatures (30C!?!). Even when the temperature was set to a sane level, the AC was woefully under powered for the size of the space, rendering it mostly useless if you didn't stand within 1 meter of the air vent. The heat completely wrecked my plans to visit Termez (UZ), as I aborted the 15 hour overnight train trip down there when I was struggling with the temperature inside the train in the middle of the night.
Food poisoning. Despite my best efforts to only drink bottled water, I managed to get food poisoning two different times. I brought immodium & an antibiotic with me, so it wasn't the end of the world, but I still felt rather miserable for a few days. I skipped going up to Muynak because I didn't want to chance being stuck in a taxi for hours if I desperately needed a toilet on short notice.
In what was not too surprising, people drive horribly in all of these countries. Too fast, recklessly, and worst of all, while seriously exhausted. I had a driver in Kyrgyzstan who was literally falling asleep while driving. He spoke virtually no English, but I basically had to keep yelling at him every few minutes to keep him awake. He almost veered off the road into a ditch at one point. I saw so many accidents and wrecked vehicles.

What Went Right:

While I'm sure the heat played a role, thee really isn't much tourism in this part of the world. Most of the people that I saw were domestic (or perhaps regional) tourists, but very few Westerners. When I arrived somewhere early in the day (before 10AM), I often had the entire place to myself. It was rare that I needed to wait for random people to walk out of the way to get a good photo, as there simply weren't many people anywhere.
The weather? I mean, yea it was brutally hot, but that meant that rain was almost never a concern. Other than one day in Kyrgyzstan when it was pouring rain in the morning.
Uzbekistan Airlines. I'd read some horror stories about how they randomly changed flight schedules, cancelled flights, or were hours late. I flew them 4 times on this trip, and all the flights arrived on schedule, if not a little early. Zero issues or drama.

Recommendations:

Hiking just about anywhere in Kyrgyzstan. You really can't go wrong. While Ala Archa NP had marked hiking trails, everywhere else that I went was basically just 'walk in whatever direction looks good'.
Of all the cities that I visited in Uzbekistan, Khiva stood out as a gem. The old walled city is spectacularly well preserved/restored. You can walk around for a full day and feel like you've gone back in time a thousand years, as everything looks & feels authentic.
Unless you absolutely love 40C heat (over 100F), don't go to Uzbekistan in summer. Spring and Autumn would have far nicer weather.
https://caravanistan.com is an amazing resource. There are helpful, knowledgeable people on their forums, and their travel guides are up to date on a part of the world that is often ignored by most travellers.