Central Asia: A land journey from Almaty to Dushanbe

During our recent trip to Central Asia, we travelled by land from Almaty, Kazakhstan to Dushanbe, Tajikistan, passing through Bishkek and Tashkent. In this post, I’ll share our experiences and details about this journey.

 

Why did we choose land travel?

I believe the best way to understand a country is by traveling overland. While flying is convenient, it’s mainly about getting from one place to another quickly. Traveling by land allows you to immerse yourself in the local culture and connect with people more deeply.

Our journey in summary

We started in Almaty, Kazakhstan, then took a bus to Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. From there, we traveled overnight by bus through Kazakhstan to Tashkent, Uzbekistan. Next, we took a train and shared taxis/vans to reach Dushanbe via Samarkand.

Now, let me share details about each part of our journey.

Almaty to Bishkek

There are regular buses from Almaty to Bishkek. You can find the timetable here. The bus station in Almaty is called “Sayran” (also known as “Sairan”). You cannot buy tickets online. However, you can purchase them before the journey.

We decided to take the 8 AM bus. To reach the bus station, we booked a ride using Yandex Go, which was very convenient. The bus station was large. We simply asked for directions to the ticket counter by saying “Bishkek,” and people pointed us in the right direction. Mentally noting the Cyrillic spelling of “Bishkek,” helped us find the information board.

 

We arrived at the ticket counter at 7:30 AM. It didn’t take long to buy tickets, and they accepted credit cards, which made the process easier. The tickets indicated our seat numbers.

The bus was comfortable, similar to the AC Volvo buses in India, and it departed on time.

 

As we travelled beyond Almaty, the road took us through vast grasslands in Kazakhstan. The scenery was different and breathtaking! Although the road conditions were generally good, some sections were under construction or repair.

 

During the journey, the bus made a short stop at a roadside restaurant for a toilet break. It was a decent place. However, it’s important to note that in many places in Central Asia, toilets may not have toilet paper. Some places have a communal area for it. For people accustomed to using water (like Indians), a significant amount of toilet paper may be needed. It’s advisable to carry a roll of toilet paper to be prepared for emergencies.

 

The border crossing was at Korday, about 30 minutes from Bishkek. It was our first experience crossing a land border, which I’ve explained in a previous post about visas. The procedure involved:

1. Getting off the bus
2. Taking all luggage
3. Walking to the Kazakhstan customs, completing immigration, and exiting the country
4. Crossing Kyrgyzstan immigration and customs
5. Waiting for the bus

Immigration procedures at both sides took about 30 minutes. It’s worth noting that people may try to cut in line at immigration, which is less common at airports but more typical at land borders.

 

We had to wait for the bus for about 30 minutes after completing immigration. Some people opted for alternative means of transport to avoid waiting, as Bishkek was nearby.

The bus dropped us off at the western bus stand in Bishkek, known as “Zapadnyy Avtovokzal.” Our hostel was nearby, so we walked there from the bus stop. Alternatively, you can take a taxi or a shared van called a Marshrutka to your destination.

Bishkek to Tashkent

As soon as we arrived in Bishkek, the first thing we did was book the overnight bus to Tashkent. The booking office is at the same Western bus stand. There were two buses to Tashkent each day – one at 7 PM and another at 9 PM. We booked the 9 PM bus for the following day. Unlike Almaty, the booking office didn’t accept cards. So, we had to exchange currency at a nearby exchange office and get Kyrgyzstani Som.

The bus departed on time. It had air conditioning, but the seats varied in leg space. We got the ones with less leg space. Not convenient for overnight travel.

 

The journey involved crossing into Kazakhstan and then entering Uzbekistan. Kazakhstan offers visa-free entry for many citizens, including Indians, making the journey convenient.

After about 2 hours, we crossed the border at Sypatay Batyr, which was uneventful. More details about the border crossing can be found in my other post.

After midnight, the bus stopped briefly for tea and a restroom break. The condition of the toilets was horrendous, reminding me of those in Tibet. It was surprising to see such poor facilities in a country like Kazakhstan.

 

We reached the Uzbekistan border early in the morning. Immigration in Kazakhstan was chaotic and caused us a lot of anxiety. It took us an hour to cross the border. More details in my Kazakhstan visa post.

However, the wait wasn’t over. It took nearly 2.5 hours for the bus to cross. We were on the outskirts of Tashkent, where we could have taken a local bus or shared taxi. But like Shabari waiting for Lord Ram, we waited for our bus!

The bus stopped at Avtovagzal station. Our first impressions of Tashkent were positive. The bus station looked like an airport.

At Tashkent and travel further to Samarkand

We used a Yandex taxi to get to the railway station. Our train was scheduled for the evening, so we had time until then. Our plan was to rent a room at the railway station, freshen up, and explore a few places in the city.

 

Unfortunately, we couldn’t find a room, so we decided to leave our luggage at the railway station. We had brunch at a nearby Indian restaurant called “The Host”.

 

We visited several places such as Hotel Uzbekistan, Amir Timur Park, and Lal Bahadur Shastri Memorial. Travel was by using metro. The Tashkent metro stations themselves could be considered tourist attractions. It was a hot day (above 35 degrees), so we decided to skip some places.

 

The train ride from Tashkent to Samarkand was excellent. It was a high-speed train and only took 2 hours to reach Samarkand. These fast trains get booked well in advance, so I made the reservation as soon as bookings opened.

 

From the railway station, we took Yandex taxi to our homestay in Samarkand. It was around 9 in the evening, but we didn’t encounter any issues.

Samarkand to Dushanbe

There isn’t a direct train or bus from Samarkand to Dushanbe. Our original plan was to take a taxi to the bus station, catch a shared bus to the border, then grab a shared taxi to Penjikent, the next town on the Tajikistan side of the border. Finally, we’d take another shared taxi to Dushanbe.

When we told our homestay host about our plan, he said it was cheaper and easier to book a Yandex ride to the border. It was about 50 km and cost less than 10 USD. Very convenient!

The Yandex ride was straightforward. The road was okay, like a state highway in Karnataka!

After crossing the border (you can find more details of our experience here), we were approached by taxi agents. Initially, they tried to get us into a cab to Panjikent. When they realized we were heading to Dushanbe, they started offering prices for Dushanbe. We found it convenient and agreed to take a shared taxi. While the going rate was 20$, one guy offered 15$, and we took that offer!

 

Since it was a shared taxi, we had to wait for others. Unfortunately, there weren’t many people going to Dushanbe that day. The agent found few people, which led to a detour of nearly 2 hours. We rejected such proposals outright. We were offered a direct ride to Dushanbe for 100$, but we turned that down too. The agent wasn’t happy with us and transferred us to another driver, who raised the rate to 20$.

Our new driver realized there was no point in waiting at the border. He drove us to Penjikent town. We hoped to find a large group of people waiting to go to Dushanbe, but we were disappointed to see no one! The driver wouldn’t leave until the car was full.

Our driver showed impressive skills. He convinced three ladies in another car to switch, and then managed to find two more people to fill the car. With eight people, it was packed.

 

But the journey turned out to be very enjoyable. The people were friendly, especially the three ladies and our driver. The next 4-5 hours flew by. We learned a lot about Tajikistan, and they learned about India. It’s one of the benefits of traveling by road. We discovered similar words in Indian languages due to Persian influence.

The mountain road from the border to Dushanbe was in great condition. At Dushanbe, before leaving, we took a selfie to capture the memory.

We couldn’t find any currency exchange near the border. In Dushanbe, we discovered that Yandex doesn’t work in Tajikistan. I tried installing a local app, but it didn’t work either. We tried a few ATMs, but they didn’t work either. Eventually, Subbu found a bank where we could exchange currencies. Problem solved.

Then, we hailed a taxi. We couldn’t explain our hostel’s location to the driver, but we were able to call the hostel for directions. After that, it was a smooth ride to the hostel.

Last words

• The bus timings I mentioned are accurate as of August 2023. Make sure to check the latest schedule before planning your journey.
• It’s best to have less luggage because you’ll need to carry it when crossing immigration.
• There aren’t any good restaurants during the bus journey, so it’s a good idea to bring some packed food.
• Toilet conditions can vary from okay to poor. Currency exchange at the border offers unfavourable exchange rates.