The 5 best places for solo travelers in Central Asia

If you are looking to head off on a solo travel adventure, Central Asia might not be the first destination that leaps to mind. Collectively known as the “’stans,” the countries of Central Asia – Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan– are full of history and mystery, but they sit a little off the mainstream travel map.

But don’t dismiss Central Asia as a solo-travel destination. There’s much here to lure lone explorers, from ancient Silk Road cities to dramatic sweeps of wilderness. Sure, you won’t find a solo scene as easy to plug into as in Thailand or Australia. Yet in destinations such as Uzbekistan, it’s easy to meet other travelers as you buzz from ancient mosque to historic Silk Road marketplace, while local homestays will immerse you deeply in the local culture. 

Islam is the dominant faith in Central Asia, and its tradition of hospitality adds to the charm of exploring these huge nations. Central Asians are often traditional in their outlook, but values of tolerance and respect are deeply embedded in the local culture. Visit respectfully, following the lead of locals when it comes to dress, etiquette and exploring religious sites, and you’ll be warmly welcomed. 

To help you plan a solo trip you’ll remember forever, here are the best spots for solo travelers in Central Asia.

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1. Uzbekistan 

Best all-around destination for solo travelers

We’ve picked a whole country as the best destination for solo travelers in Central Asia. Uzbekistan is the most accessible gateway to the region, with dependable infrastructure, welcoming people and an established travel circuit covering world-class sights. 

Uzbekistan’s Silk Road cities never fail to impress with their fabulous tiled mosques, medressas (religious schools) and mausoleums. And more-eccentric attractions such as the fast-vanishing Aral Sea, as well as village homestays and hikes in the Nuratau Mountains, call out to solo travelers with a taste for adventure. 

Most people start in Tashkent, part newly built national capital and part Soviet-era museum piece. Hostels and guesthouses here can ease you into the Uzbek travel experience. Get your first taste of plov (rice with meat and vegetables) at Besh Qozon and sample the city’s Islamic heritage in Khast Imom Square, with its towering mosque and the Moyie Mubarek Library Museum, containing what may be the oldest Quran in the world.

Once initiated into the national culture and cuisine, take the high-speed train to Samarkand, one of the jewels of the Silk Road. While the city’s historic heart has been spruced up, monuments that hark back to the time of Timur (Tamerlane) such as the Registan, Gur-i Amir, Bibi Khanym Mosque and Shah-i Zinda still work their magic. Local hostels, guesthouses, tours and activities make it easy to connect with other travelers.

Head on to Bukhara, Central Asia’s holiest city. It’s easy to find fellow sightseers to chat with as you explore the remains of the emirs’ fortress and the 12th-century Kalon Mosque, with its sky-piercing minaret. Give yourself several days to appreciate the city’s museums, monuments and bathhouses. Historic Khiva serves up more Silk Road charm, close to the border with Turkmenistan. 

For a thrilling solo adventure, roam near the edge of the map in the Nuratau Mountains to the north of Samarkand. Here, you can hike to mountain villages, traditional watermills and apricot orchards, resting up at Uzbekistan’s only network of homestays. Join a guided hike for some company on the trails. 

2. Almaty, Kazakhstan

Best base for wilderness trips

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With its blend of dynamic modernity and eclectic Silk Road, Soviet and European influences, Kazakhstan is another fine destination in Central Asia for solo explorers. Ease of travel, reliable infrastructure, uplifting landscapes and easy-to-arrange wilderness tours are major draws. 

Sprawling across the northern steppe, futuristic Astana is Kazakhstan’s front door to the world, and it provides an easy introduction to this oil-rich republic. But the most enjoyable stop for solo travelers is Almaty, a 1200km plane or overnight train ride to the south.

In this scenic southern city, you can visit two of the country’s best museums – the Kasteyev State Museum of Arts and Central State Museum – and enjoy an intoxicating melange of markets, old-fashioned bathhouses and architecture that blends Soviet, tsarist and 21st-century elements.

Join a guided city walk to see Almaty through local eyes. Don’t miss the striking, Russian-built Ascension (Zenkov) Cathedral, a wooden masterpiece from 1907. Friendly hostels serve as handy base camps for exploring and finding fellow travelers to join hikes in the surrounding highlands. 

Local agencies offer all sorts of trips into the magnificent Tian Shan and Zailiysky Alatau mountains. Expect to take in rugged peaks and valleys, highland lakes, giant dunes and national parks where there’s a chance of spotting lynx, snow leopards, bears and eagles. You’ll likely make new friends along the way, too. 

A good day-walk destination is Ile-Alatau National Park, which begins around 30km south of Almaty. For a sampling platter of landscapes, multiday organized trips to Charyn Canyon, Kolsai Lakes National Park and Kaiyndy Lake are a good way to meet other solo travelers. Trekking Club and Steppe & Sky Travel are well-regarded operators.  

3. Karakol, Kyrgyzstan

Best for outdoor action

Rugged good looks, a nomadic culture and towering mountain peaks are the calling cards that lure visitors to Kyrgyzstan. Here, itineraries are built around multiday hikes or horse treks through the Tian Shan mountains, which cover more than 94% of the country. Staying in a yurt with a local family will take you deep into the culture of this mountain nation; solo travelers rave about the warm welcome. 

The capital, Bishkek, is leafy and cultured, with some interesting museums, though many travelers zip straight through on their way to nearby Ala-Archa National Park and other destinations in the Tian Shan range. Lone travelers will find a more rewarding spot to linger at Karakol – a handy base for mountain expeditions and the sandy shores of enormous Issyk–Köl lake. 

Many visitors are surprised by the diversity of the cultures that call Karakol and the surrounding Ak-Suu region home. The city’s ethnic mix manifests itself enticingly on local menus – sample Chinese-influenced hot pots at Dungan House; learn to make laghman noodles at Madanur Hotel; or try the favored foods of the Cossack, Tatar and Kyrgyz communities at guesthouse eateries dotted around the city.

Outdoor experiences abound, from summer beach time to winter skiing, and Karakol’s guesthouses and hostels are good places to hook up and set out with fellow explorers. Traveling with a local guide (helpful for overcoming language barriers), you can hit Issyk–Köl’s beaches, bathe in hot springs, overnight in luxury yurt camps, or hike or horse-trek through the dramatic mountain valleys of Ak-Suu. 

If you're here to trek, Ecotrek is a reliable agency. Get a taste of the Tian Shan range on an overnight trip to Altyn Arashan, or continue deeper into the mountains on the 3-day trek to the gem-like alpine lake of Ala-Köl and Jeti-Ögüz, where a Soviet-era sanatorium sits ringed by eye-catching, rust-colored rock formations.

4. The Pamir Hwy

Best overland adventure

A multiday odyssey between Kalai-Khum or Dushanbe in Tajikistan and Osh in Kyrgyzstan, the drive along the 1250km-long Pamir Hwy is up there with Pakistan’s Karakoram Hwy on the list of the world’s top road trips. Is it for solo travelers? Well, tackling this high-altitude road by bike or motorcycle is a famous solo challenge, while joining an organized 4WD tour will bounce you together with like-minded travelers as you all you soak in the epic mountain views. 

Osh-based tour agency Visit Alay has years of experience of assembling travelers into groups for the expedition – a good way to cut the cost of what can be an expensive trip. You can check departure dates and available spaces for their multi-day trips on their website. Caravanistan is another expert in finding spaces for lone adventurers in shared 4WDs, as well as arranging custom trips for those with bigger budgets.

With the logistics taken care of, you can concentrate on the scenery. Swing by mountain villages circled by apricot orchards, traverse the desolate landscape of the Murghab Plateau, snap a celebratory selfie at the 4655m-high Ak-Baital Pass, get a peek into Afghanistan from the Wakhan Valley, see soaring peaks reflected in the mirror surface of Kara-Kul lake...and feel at one with the vastness of the landscape.

5. Ashgabat, Turkmenistan

Best for “been there” bragging rights

Solo travelers have two options – embrace the liberation of traveling alone, or pick destinations where you can easily hook up with other travelers. In Turkmenistan, the choice is made for you: everyone has to visit on an organized tour to obtain a visa. Still, this is the kind of place that attracts independent-minded travelers with a story to tell. 

The tour requirement means you’re guaranteed to have some company as you explore Central Asia’s last frontier. Within the borders of this under-explored desert nation, you’ll find world-class archeological sites, humbling wilderness landscapes and the one-of-a-kind burning natural gas craters at Darvaza, colorfully described as the “Gates to Hell.”  What’s more, beyond the immediate members of your tour group, you won’t have to share the sights with a crowd.

Start in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan’s gleaming capital, reconstructed in white marble after independence from Russian rule. Thanks to this flurry of construction, the city holds the Guinness World Record for the highest density of marble buildings on the planet.

Drop by the National Museum of Turkmenistan to unravel the nation’s history, and visit the Museum of Turkmen Carpets to view Turkmenistan’s most famous cultural export. Hand-knotted carpets have been made here since at least the 5th century CE, and carpets are still bought and sold at the Tolkuchka Bazaar (Altyn Asyr), with Sunday being the busiest day. 

Spare some time to see the historic sites dotted around the Turkmen capital. The ancient Parthian ruins at Nisa, the Turkmenbashi-era Gypjak Mosque and Mausoleum, the fortress of Geok-Tepe and the 15th-century ruins of Anau are all worth exploring. And a trip to the flaming Darvaza Craters, 270km north of Ashgabat, is almost mandatory. 

This article was adapted from Lonely Planet’s Central Asia guidebook, published in November 2025.