FAQ
Questions People Ask Us About Central Asia
If you have some questions, by link you can ask, our team will be glad to help!
Q) IS IT SAFE?
A) The ‘Stans are surprisingly safe.
Turkmenistan
Q) ARE THEY MUSLIMS?
A) The short answer is yes, most people in Central Asia are Muslims. But in saying that, more often than not, it is in the same sense that most people in Australia, Britain or France are Christians. It’s more of a cultural identification than a religious one.
Q) Where is Kyrgyzstan located?
A) Kyrgyzstan (official name: Kyrgyz Republic) is located in Central Asia, bounded, northwest to west, by Kazakhstan, China, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. The capital is Bishkek.
Q) What language do they speak in Kyrgyzstan?
A) The official languages are Kyrgyz and Russian.
Kyrgyz is a Turkic language that is closely related to the Kazakh language spoken in neighbouring Kazakhstan. A sizeable minority speak Uzbek, also a Turkic language but belonging to a different linguistic branch. Like Kazakh, Kyrgyz is currently written using the Russian Cyrillic alphabet, although there are discussions to switch to the Latin alphabet.
Q) Can you travel to Kyrgyzstan without a visa?
A) Citizens of 45 countries, including Australia, New Zealand, Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States, can visit Kyrgyzstan for 60 days without a visa. Those from twenty more countries can obtain a visa upon arrival in Bishkek (the visa fee can only be paid in cash) or through the embassy.
Citizens of other countries will need to apply for a visa. This requires an authorisation letter from the Consular Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kyrgyz Republic, which can be obtained with the help of your host or through travel agencies in Kyrgyzstan.
It is always best to check with your consulate before travelling, as visa rules can change.
Q) Where can you stay in Kyrgyzstan?
A) Kyrgyzstan has the same variety of tourist accommodations as any other travel destination, with additional unique dwelling arrangements. Among these is the yurt camps we’ve mentioned earlier. Yurts emerge on the Kyrgyz countryside during the summer, set up by local families to graze their animals on the mountain meadows. At Song-Kul, the yurt camp is set up on the bank of the lake. A yurt is more sophisticated than a tent, but still relatively basic accommodation. The yurt camps do not have shower facilities, but will have access to water and a private area for washing.
