The land of silk roads, nomadism, yurts and vast steppes. Here’s a complete Kazakhstan itinerary from 5 to 10 days. The country is so vastly underrated and HUGE — when I say huge, you should know that their desert roads can go on and on for 4,000 km.

The emerald green beauty of Kolsai Lakes and sunken forest of Lake Kaindy from Almaty towards Saty village makes it one of the best places to stop on your itinerary in Kazakhstan.

Here’s what it is like to hike in Ala Archa National Park on a day trip from Bishkek or an extended one. We tottered along looking at the wonderful pine trees dotting the mountains of Kyrgyzstan as we climbed up graveled paths and glacier streams.

Here’s what it is like to hike the Big Almaty Lake Peak on a day trip and the ways to get there. The park is home to snow leopards, Central Asian lynx, Tian Shan brown bears, Siberian ibexes, bearded vultures and golden eagles.

Here are some of the best storied and beautiful places to visit in Kyrgyzstan. I spent close to a month in Kyrgyzstan and yet I could not get enough of the endless towns at the foot of the mountains and the seemingly unending glaciers, valleys and hospitality.

Bearded mountaineers and amateur climbers were seen thronging this part of the world. Here is a guide on how to climb or trek Lenin Peak Base Camp in the Trans-Alay Range of the Pamir Mountains between Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan.

Holing up in a yurt in Song Kol Lake, Kyrgyzstan with nomadic herders in the countryside cottage began to sound awfully appealing. At an altitude of 3,447m, the Kalmak-Ashuu pass is one of four passes that lead up to the Song-Kul lake. Here’s what to do and how I spend my time in Song-Kul lake.

Visiting the Charyn Canyon national park, rightly tagged as Kazakhstan’s Grand Canyon and even possibly the second largest Canyon after the US, I was intrigued about this place. Here’s a guide to joining a camping tour as we witness a place that is close to 12 million years old.

The walnut forests of Arslanbob, Kyrgyzstan and community based tourism homestays are some of the reasons why people flock to Arslanbob. People visit for the fiery suite of October when it is harvest season and the walnuts are ripe but often miss the sublime prelude of August where the fields are embroidered with flowers. Here’s what’s it like to visit the walnut haven.

Here’s what’s it like to trek Kol Tor lake, a day trip hike from Bishkek. You’ll find a wild path folded into the crest of Kyrgyzstan’s majestic mountains. It kind of felt like we had stumbled into a fantasy land where all our worries and life problems seem to end at the edge of this neon turquoise lake.

Travelling via bicycle touring or cycling in Kyrgyzstan, Central Asia along the silk route was something I always wanted to do. Rugged mountains, fierce deserts and the romance of the Silk Road was enough to convince me many moons ago that I wanted to see these vast and traverse lands in a forgotten territory of Asia.