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Kazakhstan Travel Guide 2026: The SIM Trap and the New Registration Rule
Two things changed in 2026 that almost nothing online has caught up with — the registration rules, and a phone registration requirement…
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The GBAO Permit: How It Actually Works in 2026
Three ways to get a Gorno-Badakhshan permit, a factor-of-four price gap, the extra permits for Zorkul and Lake Sarez, and one contradiction…
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The Pamir Highway in 2026: What the Situation Actually Is
We set out to write a how-to guide and stopped. The road is open and permits are being issued — and there…
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Dushanbe and Hisor: The Buddha Is in the Other Museum
The famous reclining Buddha isn’t where guides say it is, the Rohat teahouse was demolished in 2025, and most of Hisor fortress…
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Penjikent, Sarazm and the 90-Minute Road to Samarkand
A 5,500-year-old UNESCO site whose museum often has no power, a Sogdian city still underground, and the easiest border crossing in Central…
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The Fann Mountains and Iskanderkul: Trekking Tajikistan’s North
Turquoise lakes at 3,000 metres, Soviet base camps, and homestays at US$20 with meals — in the half of Tajikistan that carries…
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Tajikistan Travel Guide 2026: Where to Go, and Where to Be Careful
The northern half of Tajikistan is straightforwardly wonderful. The eastern half carries government warnings. An honest guide to both, with every figure…
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Kyrgyzstan Border-Zone Permits: What They Cost and How Long They Take
Kel-Suu, Peak Lenin and Inylchek all need a permit the government publishes no price or process for. What we could establish, and…
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Osh and the Uzbekistan Border: Crossing at Dostuk in 2026
How to cross between Osh and Andijan, which other crossings actually work, what reopened on the Tajik border in 2025, and what…
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Karakol, Issyk-Kul and the Ala-Kul Trek: A 2026 Guide
A mosque built without nails, a wooden cathedral, a Sunday animal market, and the best trekking in Kyrgyzstan — with an honest…