Are the five Stans safe to visit? This is what you need to know before you go. Photo / Mark Daffey
For centuries, Silk Road travellers passed through the five “Stans” of Central Asia. These days, some question whether it’s safe to follow in their footsteps, writes Mark Daffey.
When I announced my plans to travel in May through the five “Stans” that once formed part of the Soviet Union, the intrigue from friends and family was almost instant.
Flying into Turkmenistan, my 30-day Bunnik Tours journey would take me through Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan, from where we’d return home from after spending three nights in the former capital of Almaty.
It was an itinerary that sparked curiosity and concern from almost whoever I told. What would I see? How long would it take to get there? Would it be easy to get around? Many asked if it was safe, while others told me to check government advisories.
I’ve never paid much heed to government advisories, believing that tour companies generally don’t operate in countries they don’t consider safe. I’m also an experienced traveller who has managed to avoid trouble for the past 35 years. But on the off chance my friends were on to something, I had a look.
Like Aotearoa’s Safe Travel website, Australia’s Smarttraveller portal shows up-to-date risk assessments for countries and urged travellers to “exercise a high degree of caution” when visiting Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. Falling under the same advisory were renowned trouble hotspots Sweden, Denmark, Belgium and The Bahamas, a known hideout for James Bond villains. The outlier was Kazakhstan, where travellers were advised to apply “normal safety precautions”, just as they are when visiting Japan or Singapore.
The current travel advisories on Safe Travel are similar. Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan all have an “exercise increased caution” advisory and certain areas within these countries have an increased “avoid non-essential travel” advisory. Turkmenistan has no advisory and visitors are simply advised to get comprehensive travel insurance. So now that I’m back in one piece, what are the Stans really like? I’m glad you asked.
You’ll quickly learn that all five Stans operate under government dictatorships of varying degrees. A shallow dive into each country’s recent history reveals that presidential reigns have gone mostly unchallenged, and you’ll notice portraits of presidential leaders plastered across every available flat surface right across the region. Leading the charge is Tajikistan where President Emomali Rahmon, who resembles the lovechild of Leonid Brezhnev and Mao Zedong, is in his 31st year of rule. I could imagine Russia’s Vladimir Putin envying such longevity.
Across the region, the desire for stability over upheaval is strong, which is good news for travellers. Most of the natives I spoke to didn’t mind putting up with strong-arm governments provided they could live comfortably and safely.
Islam is the dominant religion in all five countries and extremists have surfaced in the past, particularly in areas bordering Afghanistan. But religious zealotry is far from overt in any of the Stans, where government leaders understand that separating politics from religion is also self-serving.
Islamic monuments will be the reason you’ll want to visit cities such as Samarkand and Bukhara, where the mosques, madrasas and mausoleums are renowned for their blue-tiled decorations. Our guides in each country told us that barely anyone prays and alcohol is freely available. Most people are Muslims, but not extremely devout, so the Stans feel more like Morocco or Turkey than Saudi Arabia to travel through.
The one exception is Turkmenistan, where the atmosphere on the streets feels somewhat repressive. Among a series of odd laws imposed upon residents in the capital, Ashgabat, vehicles must be white or light coloured and new buildings must use a particular type of white marble from Italy during construction. The country only recently opened its doors to tourists.
Turkmenistan was also the only country to implement a visa fee. It was a hefty whack, costing US$95 ($168) and paid using new cash bills only. An additional US$4 was levied for bank fees. It was a small price to pay to visit the Darvaza Gas Crater, a huge firepit fuelled by gases that have been leaking from the ground for decades. Nowhere else does such a place exist.
Our trip was filled with wonderful sights and experiences that were worth travelling across the globe for. Khiva’s old town crams towering minarets and opulent palaces inside fortified walls. The grandeur on display while standing in Samarkand’s Registan will surpass anything you’ll see across the Islamic world. From the deserts of Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, you’ll travel alongside raging rivers among rugged mountain scenery in Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan, where ancient hunting practices continue using golden eagles.
And at no stage should you feel unsafe. On the contrary, it will be more like a holiday in The Bahamas.
The writer travelled courtesy of Bunnik Tours, whose Five Stans tour starts from A$18,795 ($21,700) and includes flights, coach transport, tour leader, local guides, tips and most meals.