🇺🇿🇹🇲🇹🇯 🇦🇿 Stan/Baku 25

Two weeks in Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Baku
An enchanting journey through Central Asia, from the ancient Silk Road cities of Uzbekistan to the mountain landscapes of Tajikistan, and the deserts and modern architecture of Turkmenistan Read more

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Trip start
April 15, 2025
🇺🇿🇹🇲🇹🇯 🇦🇿 Stan/Baku 25 Leonardo Floridia
Ready for take-off
April 15, 2025 in Belgium ⋅ ☁️ 18 °C
Ready to depart from Brussels with a layover in Istanbul.
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🇺🇿🇹🇲🇹🇯 🇦🇿 Stan/Baku 25 Leonardo Floridia
First time with Turkish: approved!
April 15, 2025 in Belgium ⋅ ☁️ 18 °C
First time flying with Turkish Airlines.
The planes are clean and modern, the in-flight entertainment is extensive, free wifi on board and the food is delicious. Expensive, but worth it!"
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Layover in Istanbul. Huge airport
April 15, 2025 in Turkey ⋅ ☁️ 10 °C
For the first time, I landed at Istanbul Airport (IST), the airport located on the European side. On my previous visit to Istanbul, I had landed at the secondary airport on the Asian side.

The airport, which is Turkish Airlines’ main hub, is enormous!
It covers about 77 square kilometers (77 million m²) and handles around 80 million passengers annually. Besides its size, there are plenty of loungers, chairs, and benches to make transit comfortable.
It’s impressive to see the number of destinations served, from Russia to the USA and even more exotic locations (like Iraq, Somalia, etc.)

One interesting thing: since we arrived during the evening prayer time, the airport was full of people in towels and bathrobes, having just performed their ablutions before prayer.

The only downside was the really outrageous prices — very high, even considering it’s an airport.Read more
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2nd part: destination Samarkand
April 16, 2025 in Turkey ⋅ ☁️ 9 °C
Ready to continue our journey: other 5 hours and 30 minutes of flight (in addition to the 3 hours and 30 minutes already flown) to reach Samarkand, Uzbekistan!

Same plane, same meal, and the same delicious dessert.
Once again, a wonderful experience with Turkish Airlines, where I slept very well thanks to the extra legroom and the adjustable head rest.Read more
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12+ hours later: we are in Samarkand
April 16, 2025 in Uzbekistan ⋅ ☀️ 15 °C
After 9 hours of fligh and around 3 of layover, we are in Samarkand, the cultural capital of Uzbekistan.

My real first time in Asia, if we exclude the if we don’t count my visit to the Asian side of Istanbul.

Ready to discover the beauties of Central Asia and Silk Road.Read more
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The golden statue of Islom Karimov
April 16, 2025 in Uzbekistan ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C
The Islam Karimov Memorial Statue in Samarkand is a bronze statue of Uzbekistan’s first president, who ruled the country for 25 years, from its independence until his death.

It is located behind the Registan in a park.Read more
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First stop: Registan
April 16, 2025 in Uzbekistan ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C
After a trip in a Chevrolet Spark ordered via Yandex Taxi (extremely cheap) from the airport to the city center, the first stop is the Registan.

Still carrying our bags on our shoulders and tired from the journey, we are left speechless in front of this 600-year-old monument.

We are also impressed by the order, safety, and cleanliness of the city center.Read more
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Strolling through the city in the evenin
April 16, 2025 in Uzbekistan ⋅ 🌙 19 °C
We get lost in the city, strolling at sunset. We enjoy the beauty of the madrasahs, mosques, and buildings, whose mosaics change color in the light of the setting sun.

We are already in love with Samarkand.Read more
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Kafe Bobur: Shashlik, bread, and kompot
April 16, 2025 in Uzbekistan ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C
Time to try Uzbek cuisine, which is heavily influenced by Turkish, Caucasian, and Soviet flavors.

At Kafe Bobur, we tasted shashlik—marinated lamb, beef, or mutton skewers grilled over an open flame. Incredibly juicy and delicious.
Another thing that surprised us was the bread called “nan,” a round, crispy, shiny crust with a soft inside.

All these spices made us thirsty, so we ordered apricot kompot, similar to the Polish version but served cold. It’s a non-alcoholic drink made by boiling fruit with sugar syrup.Read more
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A classic: Lada cars
April 16, 2025 in Uzbekistan ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C
A classic from our travels in Eastern Europe and former communist bloc countries. Who knows what stories this Lada (I think it should be a Zhiguli 2106) could tell. This car might date back to 1976, the very first year it was produced.

Notice how it’s parked straddling one of the many drainage canals. Throughout Uzbekistan (especially in Bukhara), we noticed these deep canals and, above all, deep drainage holes in the streets, so it’s best to watch your step if you walk in Uzbekistan.Read more
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🇺🇿🇹🇲🇹🇯 🇦🇿 Stan/Baku 25 Leonardo Floridia
The beauty of the Registan at night
April 16, 2025 in Uzbekistan ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C
The beautiful Registan shows its best at night.

The lights make the colors of the glazed tile mosaics and the blue dome shine, and the contrast with the dark sky highlights how the entire complex is visibly tilted, a consequence of the ground sinking over more than 600 years of the complex’s history.

It’s impossible not to be left speechless in front of this beauty.Read more
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Uzbekistan som
April 16, 2025 in Uzbekistan ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C
As soon as we arrived, we went to a local bank to exchange euros for som. The currency is highly devalued, and 1 euro equals 15,000 som, so after exchanging 40 euros, we ended up with a stack of banknotes so thick that our wallet wouldn’t close.

We have to say that we never had any problems withdrawing money—ATMs are everywhere and never charged us fees. However he majority of shops and restaurants onlz accept cash, so it’s important to always carry some cash with you.Read more
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The somsa from the corner shop downstair
April 17, 2025 in Uzbekistan ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C
Somsa (similar to Indian samosas) are small parcels of flaky pastry filled with cheese, meat, or potatoes. Their typical shape is either triangular or half-moon, and they are truly delicious and incredibly cheap.

We ate them often, and they were our takeaway lunch to enjoy at 2,500 meters in the Tajik mountains.Read more
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Leaving Uzbekistan, entering Tajikistan
April 17, 2025 in Tajikistan ⋅ ☁️ 21 °C
We booked a day trip to visit the lake region in Tajikistan, on the border with Uzbekistan.

In the morning, a guide picked us up in Samarkand and took us to the border between Uzbekistan and Tajikistan.

From the road, we begin to see the Fann Mountains, part of the Pamir-Alay mountain range that stretches along the border between Uzbekistan and Tajikistan.Read more
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Ready to cross the Tajikistan border
April 17, 2025 in Tajikistan ⋅ ☁️ 22 °C
We get ready to cross the border. On the other side, another driver from the agency is waiting to accompany us on the exploration of the lake region.
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The local version of KFC!
April 17, 2025 in Tajikistan ⋅ ☁️ 22 °C
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Panjakent, the biggest city of the area
April 17, 2025 in Tajikistan ⋅ ☁️ 22 °C
Right after the border, we arrive in Panjakent, a city of 40,000 inhabitants and the largest in this rugged area of Tajikistan.

Before continuing our journey towards the mountains we stop in a large square to admire a beautiful mosaic made on the wall of a building.Read more
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Leaving the city of Panjakant
April 17, 2025 in Tajikistan ⋅ ☁️ 22 °C
We leave the city and notice many posters bearing the face of the president, in power since 1993. The posters, written in Tajik, call for unity, national development, and love for the homeland.

We prepare to leave the comfort of paved roads and begin the off-road journey.Read more
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A region full of gold
April 17, 2025 in Tajikistan ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C
As we climb higher, the driver stops and takes our documents to a police checkpoint.

He explains us that the area is rich in gold, and many Chinese companies operate here, extracting and processing the precious metal, which is why security checks are tighter. In some places, signs are written only in Chinese, reflecting the strong presence of Chinese workers in the region and the local mining industry.

He tells us that each truck carries tons of rock, and after processing, only about 50 grams of gold—worth over 3,000 dollars—can be extracted from each load.Read more
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The ascent towards the mountains begins
April 17, 2025 in Tajikistan ⋅ ☁️ 19 °C
We begin our ascent to the lakes, situated at around 2,500 meters in the Fann Mountains.

After leaving Panjakent, the asphalt road gives way to narrow, winding mountain paths.
A challenging drive, but with stunning views of rivers, lakes, valleys, and mountains.Read more
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A busy road, but not due to cars!
April 17, 2025 in Tajikistan ⋅ ☁️ 18 °C
Along the rugged road, we encounter few vehicles but many grazing animals—especially donkeys, cows, and goats—that effortlessly climb the steep slopes.
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Even the animals enjoy this beauty
April 17, 2025 in Tajikistan ⋅ ☁️ 14 °C
A dog posed in front of the lake and the mountains.
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Driving on the bed of a dry river.
April 17, 2025 in Tajikistan ⋅ ☁️ 12 °C
Our driver leaves the dirt road and starts a very adrenaline drive along the dry riverbed. It’s a bit bumpy, but we can admire the lightly snow-capped mountains surrounding us.
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Officially in Tajikistan!
April 17, 2025 in Tajikistan ⋅ ☁️ 21 °C
After crossing the border, another guide was waiting for us on the other side to continue the journey in Tajikistan toward the lake region and Panjakent.
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We reached the 7 lakes, 2500m above sea
April 17, 2025 in Tajikistan ⋅ ☁️ 11 °C
We finally reach the lakes, located between 1,500 and 2,500 meters aboe sea on the Fann Mountains.
They are formed by the melting snow from the surrounding peaks, and their colors vary greatly depending on the minerals dissolved in the water and the sunlight filtering through the mountains.

Our driver tells us a local legend: a young girl died, and her seven friends, through their tears, created these seven lakes.

The beauty of these landscapes more than justifies the challenging drive to get here.Read more
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