Kazakhstan or Tajikistan? Where should you visit next after Uzbekistan?

11.09.2024 - 17:56 / lonelyplanet.com

Sep 11, 2024 • 8 min read

If, like most travelers, you associate Central Asia with the glorious Silk Road cities of Khiva, Samarkand and Bukhara, then you’re likely to head first to the region’s most populous and popular tourist destination, Uzbekistan. Visa liberalization and a whole new visitor-friendly face makes that a great choice, but there’s much more to the “‘stans” than those gem cities. 

So which other Central Asian country should you tack on to your Uzbekistan exploration to round out the experience? After all, the region’s allure is partly its very isolation. Should you head north and northwest into the vastness of Kazakhstan with its flashy capital, grand canyons and great skiing? Or southeast into Tajikistan with its soaring peaks, lovely lakes and iconic Pamir Highway, the world’s second highest international road?

It’s a tough call – we asked a dueling duo of writers to help you make this difficult decision.

Mark Elliott is a travel writer who has been visiting Central Asia regularly since co-authoring the classic 1990s guide Asia Overland. He even married a fellow traveler he first met at a Turkmenistan camel market.  

For me Tajikistan is all about old school adventure – journeys are arduous enough to make you feel you’ve earned the country’s scenic glories, and to slow you down so that you're ready to absorb those awe inspiring moments that often come unexpectedly. Meanwhile there’s just enough uncertainty to put off the kind of tourists who don’t enjoy spontaneity (and aren’t prepared to leave a spare day or two in case of road closures or revised border rules).    

What makes Tajikistan worth visiting is that it puts majestic mountains right in your path and offers glimpses of Afghanistan without the dangers of being there. You don’t have Kazakhstan’s vast distances to cope with, and if you’re coming from Uzbekistan you can just nip across the border from Samarkand to Panjikand for a day – or three – to walk in the Lakeland landscapes of the fabulous Fann Mountains.  

Most hardy travelers who spend longer in Tajikistan come for the world’s second-highest international road, the Pamir Highway in the country’s far southeast. It's a thrilling multi-day odyssey that climbs through the culturally fascinating Pamir region where you'll find additional delights in the warm welcomes from village homestays. Sleep in outwardly simple Pamiri box-houses that have a surprise in store: step inside and you’ll find each home has incredible cedar beam-work and complex faceted wooden ceilings, all carefully designed with deep cosmological symbolism. 

The Pamir Highway’s southern route passes ruined forts and offers many spectacular viewpoints that look out over the river separating the country from