Central Asia 2026

Itinerary around the 5 "stans" tour. Begin in Eastern Europe to at least some of the remaining European countries I haven't visited, take a break in Vienna then on to a couple a places adjacent to the tour — Yerevan, Armenia and Baku, Azerbaijan. For the 9 below, if staying 2 days per country then it would require 28 days in total. I cannot get currency for any of the 5 Stans prior to the tour; they are controlled.

For entry requirements to Eastern Europe, see here. For entry requirements to Central Asia, see here.

Flights to Chişinău, Moldova require a stopover in Warsaw so I could add a brief stop there.

Below is the most efficient order and can be reversed depending on overall trip plan:

• Belgrade, Serbia
• Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
• Podgorica, Montenegro
• Tirane, Albania
• Pristina, Kosovo
• Skopje, North Macedonia
• Sofia, Bulgaria
• Bucharest, Romania
• Chişinău, Moldova (sleeper train from Chişinău to Bucharest)

I could go to Pakistan just prior to travelling to Bishkek. A visa is required before entering Pakistan.

See itinerary spreadsheet here.

Sleeper Train: Chişinău to Bucharest)

River Cruises

Look at Pandaw who have river cruises throughout East Asia (as well as India) Mekong, Red, Ganges, Brahmaputra, and Halong Bay.

East Asia Side Trips

On the more adventurous side, a trip could extend to more off the beaten track destinations.

For East Timor, Jubentós Timor Adventure is highly recommended on TripAdvisor.

Accommodations

Thailand

Bangkok — Holiday Inn Express, Central Pier. The hotel is only about one year old. And has a pool and a gym. Recommended by Grounded Life Retirement on Youtube. They have used it many times. 7000pts through IHG (Holiday Inn's parent company) equals about $35USD per night.

Holiday Inn Express, Central Pier, Bangkok

Central Asia Tours

The Five "Stans"

I assume for all the tours below that you would need to get visas for entry to each country ahead of time.

G Adventures have a 26 day tour of the five "stans": Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan for $7,199. Tour begins in Bishkek and ends in Ashgabat. Tour code AYBA.

Wheel & Anchor is a Canadian tour company that have a 20 day tour of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan from October 13 to November 1, 2026. Begins in Almaty, Kazakhstan and ends in Khiva, Uzbekistan.

Adventures Abroad have a 21 day five "stans" tour for $8,160 and the solo premium is $1,520.

WEATHER

It looks like May and September are the best months though even in June is only exceptionally warm in Turkmenistan.

Daily Mean Monthly Temperature °C

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Ashgabat, Turkmenistan

3.9

5.7

11.1

17.6

24.1

29.6

31.7

30.0

24.3

17.1

9.7

5.0

Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan

-2.7

-0.5

6.2

12.8

17.8

22.9

25.5

24.2

18.7

11.6

4.2

-1.1

Dushanbe, Tajikistan

3.1

5.0

10.5

15.8

20.1

25.1

27.4

26.0

21.2

14.7

9.0

4.6

Tashkent, Uzbekistan

2.3

4.2

10.2

15.9

21.1

26.2

28.3

26.6

21.0

14.4

8.1

3.5

India

G Adventures have a 20 day tour: Himalayan Adventure: India, Nepal & Bhutan. The tour begins in Delhi and ends in Paro, Bhutan. Cost is $5,100 to $6,000 depending on the season and the solo premium is $1,130. Judging by the temperatures especially in Delhi and Agra it is best to travel from November to March. Tour code AHDB.

Various dates available:

The November 3 to 22 is the closest tour that could follow the Wheel & Anchor "stans" tour in 2026. Or possibly take a break from the organized tours with a few days in Oman, then fly to Delhi.

Tour start date that could follow the G Adventures tour is from September 19 to October 8. Could take a break from the organized tours with a few days in Oman, then fly to Delhi for tour start.

G Adventures 26 day, 5 "stans" tour

Wheel & Anchor 20 day tour of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan

G Adventures 20 day Himalayan Adventure: India, Nepal & Bhutan

Tourhub have a 21 day and a 23 day tour of the 5 "stans" (not sure what the difference is). (I think Tourhub is a booking agent and not a tour operator directly.)

Tourhub 21 day tour

Malaysia

I had a great stay at the Hotel Majestic in Kuala Lumpur and will definitely stay there again.

From TripAdvisor, the top spots to visit in KL are the Royal Selangor Visitors Centre - pewter museum, Jalan Alor food stalls and markets, Thean Hou Temple, Pasar Seni (aka Central Market KL). Batu Caves look interesting with waterfalls and hot springs. Next time try one of the Gem Indian restaurants (recommended by Andrew Henderson), located in KL, and two in Selangor. Download a PDF of the KL metro map here.

Outside KL day trips: Cameron Highlands tea plantation, Genting Highlands gondola & Batu Caves, Taman Negara National Park - river boat, canopy walk, jungle hiking.

I would also look into a more extensive tour of Malaysia following Michael Portillo's itinerary in Great Asian Railway Journeys video. Start on the island of Penang, visiting Georgetown. Then go across to the mainland to Butterworth. Take the train from Butterworth stopping at Taiping, Kuala Kangsar, and Ipoh then finally to the Cameron Highlands. There are flights from Penang to Kuala Lumpur.

The Eastern & Orient Express (a Belmond train) have a couple of journeys available, the longest being the 6 night Tiger Express that goes from Singapore to Penang Island in northern Malaysia and a little beyond to Perlis.

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Penang

Penang is a modern coastal city with great weather. AH recommends staying at the Eastern & Oriental Hotel, Penang.

Kabaya Dining Room is one of the best restaurant sin Asia according to AH.

You can take a cooking course at Cooking with Chef Samuel in Penang. 

Eastern & Oriental Hotel

East Asia Tours

After travelling to Japan, South Korea Taiwan and Malaysia, I want to continue on to Singapore,  Indonesia, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, and perhaps a few island nations. 

I would also look into a more extensive tour of Malaysia following Michael Portillo's itinerary in Great Asian Railway Journeys video. Start on the island of Penang, visiting Georgetown. Then go across to the mainland to Butterworth. Take the train from Butterworth stopping at Taiping, Kuala Kangsar, and Ipoh then finally to the Cameron Highlands. There are flights from Penang to Kuala Lumpur.

Also from Great Asian Railway Journeys, in Indonesia take the train from Jakarta to Yogyakarta and then to Surakarta then on to Surabaya. There are flights between Jakarta and Surabaya.

GLP Worldwide, based in Markham, have a Mekong River cruise seeing Vietnam and Cambodia which starts at $3,315.

G Adventures National Geographic have an 18-day Cambodia, Laos, Thailand & Vietnam tour that includes 5 flights between cities - tour code ATING. Cost is from $6,500 to $7,500. Available in 2026 on the following dates:

• Apr 11-28
• Jun 13-30
• Sept 12-29
• Oct 10-27
• Oct 24 - Nov 10
• Nov 7-24 
• Nov 14 - Dec 1 

Discover Southeast Asia: Bangkok to Siem Reap

They also have a 16-day Japan and South Korea tour. They have individual Japan and South Korea tours. From 9 to 21 day tours of Japan, and 9 to 20 day tours of South Korea.

Japan & South Korea tour

Trafalgar has a 9-day and 13-day Splendours of Japan tour for 2025.

9-day Splendor of Japan

13-day Splendor of Japan

Inspiring Vacations have a 22-day Japan, South Korea & Taiwan tour. $8,025 (solo $11,235). Tours available June through November.

Central Asia

My tour of central Asia to include some of the "Stans" and India and nearby countries. Could go to Armenia first (and perhaps Baku, Azerbaijan). See my Central Asia Tours page.

Go first to Armenia prior to the 5 Stans Tour. Must try Renommée restaurant in Yerevan recommended by Andrew Henderson in his "Live Like a King in Yerevan". Renommée provides a Michelin class meal for around $100! Formal dress required. See menu here.

Flight from Khiva, Uzbekistan or Ashgabat, Turkmenistan to Delhi = 3 hours. To Muscat = 2.5 hours.

Muscat to Delhi = 3 hours.

Use Flight Calculator to estimate travel times.

Planned central Asia tour

Philippines

One interesting place to visit is the Malagos chocolate factory about 30km from Davao City on the island of Mindanao. The Malagos Garden Resort is a good place to stay. Davao City is about a 3 1/2 hour flight from Manila. Gone with the Wynns have a good video on the Malagos chocolate factory.

Beginning

I'm dividing an Asia trip into two parts: east Asia (or the "Far East") and central Asia. Investigate organized tours to have a break in the middle of an extended trip. For the far east there are organized tours of Japan and South Korea (and some include Taiwan); also tours of Cambodia, Laos, Thailand & Vietnam. For central Asia there are tours of 3 or 5 of the "stans"; also tours of India, Nepal & Bhutan.

My East Asia trip. Initial list of countries as must-sees:

• Japan
• South Korea
• Taiwan
• Philippines
• Malaysia
• Singapore
• Thailand
• Australia
• New Zealand

My secondary list would include:
Burma
Cambodia
East Timor
Indonesia
Laos
Vietnam
One or more of the many island nations

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My Central Asia trip would include the following:

• Some or all of the five "stans"
• India
• Nepal
• Tibet

My secondary list would include:
Armenia
Azerbaijan
Bhutan
Pakistan