Top 10 regions

1 CENTRAL ASIAN SILK ROAD

POPULATION: 47.5 MILLION

LANGUAGES: UZBEK, TA JIK, KYRGYZ, RUSSIAN

UNITS OF CURRENCY: UZBEK SOM, TAJIK SOMONI, KYRGYZ SOM

A region once made rich by trade and travellers, the Central Asian Silk Road is again deserving global interest. The ancient cities, bazaars and wild landscapes of Central Asia are drawing increasing numbers of visitors looking for adventure along one of history’s most storied travel routes. Three of the region’s countries – Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan – now offer either visa-free access or e-visas for the majority of the world’s citizens; and the region is moving towards a unified ‘Silk Road’ visa. Meanwhile, massive infrastructure investment makes travelling the modern Silk Road more accessible than ever before.

These lands that wowed the likes of Ibn Battuta, Marco Polo and Chinggis (Genghis) Khan continue to impress. Between mud-brick oasis towns, you’ll pass through the imposing mountains of the Fann, Pamir, Alay and Tian Shan ranges, stopping to trek to remote lakes or enjoy the hospitality of local shepherd families and ride their horses to high-altitude passes. Improved highways and railways make travel faster and more comfortable than it was even five years ago – with the notable exception of the Pamir Highway – and getting out into the wilderness has become smoother.

UNMISSABLE EXPERIENCE

Watch the sun rise over the Registan’s three, as nearby mosques sound the call to prayer, and darkness yields to light above this centuries-old square in the Uzbek Silk Road city of Samarkand.