Best Time to Travel Central Asia
The best time to visit all Five Stans together: spring and autumn.
Central Asia has a continental climate, which means that the countries have cold winters and very hot, dry summers. April and May is a great time to visit when everything is green and blossoming. September and October are also great months, with fresh produce and fruits in the markets.
However, if you’re not visiting all Five Stans together, the best time depends on where you’re going and what you want to do:
Kazakhstan: April to October for cultural tours
This is the coldest country in Central Asia, bordering the Russian region of Siberia in the north. It’s mostly steppes, but there are some mountains, especially in the Almaty region, that can be visited during summer. A great time to visit Kazakhstan is also late April/early May, when the steppes are blossoming. Northern Kazakhstan with the capital Astana, is very cold from October to March.
Kyrgyzstan: July & August for trekking, April to October for cultural tours
The highlight of the country are its mountains, some of which are at lower elevation (Issyk Kul Lake, Ala Archa National Park, Chon Kemin valley) and can be visited all year round. Other places are higher and can only be visited in summer. Lake Song Kul is accessible only from early June until the end of September. The base camp of Lenin Peak in the south of the country is only accessible in July and August.
Important to note that although Kyrgyzstan retains its nomadic culture, there are no true nomads anymore – shepherds live in villages over the winter. So if you want to see the nomadic yurt lifestyle, you need to come in summer.
Tajikistan: July & August for trekking, April to October for cultural tours
Another mountainous country as well with similar conditions to Kyrgyzstan. The most popular places in the mountains such as lake Iskander Kul and the “Seven Lakes” can be visited well from April until October. For the Pamir Mountains, May to September is a good time to visit.
Turkmenistan: April, May & September to October
A largely desert country. In winter it’s windy and cold, and in summer extremely hot and dry. The best time to travel is April/May and September/October. Important to note that with Turkmen National Day on 27 September, access to the country is usually restricted in the period from 20 September to 30 September. Turkmenistan is not a touristic country, so you can travel during the “peak season” and none of the sights will be crowded.
Uzbekistan: March-May & September to November
Uzbekistan is mostly desert with hot and dry summers. The best time to travel is generally considered to be spring and autumn, especially April and October, if you are looking for pleasant temperatures in the 20s (Celsius). However, this is also the peak tourist season and sights in Bukhara, Samarkand and Khiva will be busy. March and November are quieter months if you don’t mind cooler weather. In March you may also visit the colorful Navruz festival that is celebrated across Central Asia as the so-called “Persian New Year” around 21 March each year. It’s possible to visit Uzbekistan in winter, and temperatures rarely drop below 0° Celsius. Khiva will feel a bit deserted that time of the year but Tashkent, Bukhara, and Samarkand can be very well visited in winter.
Climate of Central Asia
Central Asia has a continental climate, which means that the countries have cold winters and hot summers. This is caused by its distance to oceans and large seas since large bodies of water can warm or cool air masses coming to the land. Usually, the climate of countries that have access to large bodies of water has milder temperature fluctuations. Here is the location of Central Asia on the world map:
Geography of Central Asia
Central Asia has very diverse landscape varying from large deserts to high mountains over 7000 meters high peaks. Uzbekistan’s landscape is mostly shaped by Kyzylkum desert which is about 298,000 km2. Turkmenistan’s landscape is shaped by Karakum desert which is about 350,000 km² and occupies 3/4th of the country. Kazakhstan’s territory is mostly covered by steppes and in the south near Almaty region by Tian Shan mountains. Kyrgyzstan is a mountainous country and most of its territory lay above 1500 meters. Most of Tajikistan’s territory is covered by Pamir mountains and over half of the country is located above 3000 meters. In the mountains of Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, the temperature is very pleasant in summer. Deserts and the steppe get very hot in summer therefore, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan are best to visit in Spring or Autumn.
Visiting cities of Central Asia
Almost all large cities of Central Asia are located at an altitude lower than 1000 meters and in summer the temperature in cities can get over 40°C. If you plan to visit just the largest cities, the temperature is pleasant in Spring and Autumn. Summer is also a very dry season in Central Asia and therefore dry heat weather prevails Central Asian climate.
If you would like to visit the travel highlights of whole Central Asia, we have a perfect tour at the beginning or the end of summer, so you can visit mountains in Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, and enjoy pleasant weather in cities of Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan.
