The Silk Road across Central Asia is, historically, one of the great riding trails of history. This wide expanse of flat plains and seemingly empty wilderness in the heart of Central Asia, held in on all sides by spectacular mountains and deserts, was once crossed by the Great Silk Road and travelled by trade driven explorers in caravans and on horse back seeking romantic experiences and wealth in far away lands. The place probably hasn’t changed that much since then - the remote oases towns are like time capsules, and out on the plains and mountains of Kirghistan the population is mainly nomadic and untamed and the main business is in horse breeding. Camp and ride like the explorers of old, preferably on a Novokirghiz horse, a breed specially breed in the region; locals also use milk from the Novokirghiz as a major source of dairy in their diets.

The trip to do is along the route of the Great Silk Road. The culture and history of the journey taken by people hundreds of years ago will show in the contrast of the tent communities and the mixture of architecture you’ll encounter along the way. Journeys end for me was the Tien-Shan Mountains, largely untouched: a place of glaciers and mountain springs feeding lakes, and the surrounding fields turning them from the pale shale of the plains to rich grasslands - perfect for your hungry steed.

Written by  Blair Metcalfe.

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