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Telegraph
2 days ago
- Telegraph
My three-week tour through five of the strangest countries on Earth
The five 'Stans', independent nations since 1991, are influenced by their neighbours, but distinctive and fascinating. Each is a complex melange of tribal cultures, linguistic groups and geopolitical pressures. Binding them is the Silk Road, which left a wealth of architectural wonders as well as a culture of bazaars and warm hospitality. The topography is as diverse as the human geography, comprising deserts, snow-capped mountains, steppe and the fertile Fergana Valley. They are also surprisingly easy to explore. I've just come back from a three-week group tour that encompassed all five. It was essentially a road trip; a whistle-stop ride through some of the strangest, most thrilling and undiscovered places on the planet. Here's what I learnt about each of the five. Turkmenistan: dystopia in the desert When does quirky become disturbing? The standard Western take on Turkmenistan is that it's North Korea lite. I wanted to see it through unjaundiced eyes, but Ashgabat, the capital, didn't help. On landing at the airport, you first run a bureaucratic gauntlet, queuing for an hour to give away almost £100 to cover a visa and Covid test, having already shown you were 'invited' by a local tour firm. Our hotel was in the Olympic Village, a large district full of stadia and convention centres. In 2017, Ashgabat hosted the Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games, and billions were spent making the capital appear first-world. Result: roads, malls, mega-hotels, fake modernity. No one walks, not because it's hot, but because the blocks are immense. All cars in the centre have to be white. They also have to be clean, if the driver wants to avoid a fine. Also, all cars are taxis, claimed the guide, in that you can stop anyone and ask for a lift. Whiteness is a theme here, as is marble. The independent nation's first president, Saparmurat Atayevich Niyazov, imported millions of tons of it to build government ministries, mosques, a massive Ferris wheel and monuments. Many of the latter are on roundabouts (the guide cited a presidential decree that 'no roundabout should be empty') and feature centrepieces such as a giant arch, a golden globe inside a frame of auspicious eight-pointed stars, statues and a giant replica of a book he wrote to instruct his people. None of this looks classy so much as cold. Ashgabat was levelled by an earthquake in 1948. It was de-Sovietised in the 2000s, but it has also been artlessly stripped of character and any patina of time. In the end, it felt like a combination of 1984's Oceania, Gilead in The Handmaid's Tale and The Truman Show. From here, we were bussed across the Karakum Desert, which George Curzon (future Viceroy of India), visiting in 1888, called 'the sorriest waste that ever met the human eye' It wasn't that bad, and there were lots of dromedaries to break the monotony, but the appearance of an ominous sandstorm did cause some alarm. Our main goal was Turkmenistan's most famous 'sight' – the Darvaza gas crater, also known as the Door to Hell. A man-made burning gas field, caused when drilling punctured a natural-gas cavern and a roof collapsed, it was initially ignited to prevent poisonous gases from spreading. When Turkmenistan began to open up in the 1990s, it became a sort of dark tourism attraction. Sadly – or happily – it is currently dying out. Crossing the northern half of the desert brought us to Daşoguz. A smaller version of Ashgabat, it had bits of marble here and there, a few OTT hotels and more of the same mall-restaurants serving shish kebabs and salads. Sixty miles to the northwest on the left bank of the Amu Darya (Oxus) River was the Unesco World Heritage Site of Kunya-Urgench – notable for its towering minaret, mausoleums, mosque ruins and the gate to a caravanserai. Deserted in the early 18th century, it's a dustily evocative ghost town. There were no other visitors. We crossed the border. Uzbekistan: shimmering Silk Road sites The big-hitter of the Five Stans, Uzbekistan can fill a two-week tour by itself. Benefitting from good railways, this is the country posh firms tend to focus on. Its roads are of varying quality, but gold, gas and oil bankroll a fair degree of development. I got to see the famed trio of ancient cities – Khiva, Bukhara and Samarkand – and found them enthralling. Khiva is small and still has its ancient wall. Whether you walk the ramparts or drift around the maze of pedestrianised streets, it's beguiling. Despite the best intentions of the guide, it was hard to keep track of the multitude of mosque and madrasa (Islamic school) names. The Kaltaminor memorial minaret, ringed by turquoise, green and white tiles, is especially beautiful. This, and many other structures in Khiva, are highly photogenic – if you can ignore the souvenir stalls that have sprouted up all over. Bukhara has a major archaeological site in its heart surrounded by large, lively squares, with souvenir stalls sited (sort of appropriately) under towers where Silk Road traders plied their wares. Its big draw is the Ark, a citadel where two British agents, Captain Arthur Connolly and Lieutenant Colonel Charles Stoddart, were imprisoned in a verminous pit before being brutally executed by order of the Emir of Bukhara. Outside its walls stands a gorgeous minaret from which numerous malefactors were flung. Like other Uzbek centres, Bukhara is a visual whirl of tiling, domes and lofty iwans (entrance halls) – its four-towered Chor Minor is one of the most photographed buildings in the region – but the all-brick Samanid Mausoleum was the most entrancing architectural attraction; tenth-century bricklayers knew a thing or two about geometry, physics and understatement. Samarkand is probably the Stans' most fabled destination. It's an elegant modern city with ancient sites dotted around, and a convivial place to walk around. The Registan is the most magnificent public square in Asia, perhaps anywhere. You have to buy a ticket to enter, mind you, but there are no unsightly stalls. Other must-see sights include the Ulugbek Observatory, built in 1420 by Timur's star-gazing grandson, and Shah-i-Zinda necropolis, a pilgrimage site. Visiting the three cities was eye-opening, but crowds are crowds and it was a relief to roam around the desert castles of Khorezm – sand-coloured ghost-cities in what climate change has made the middle of nowhere. I also enjoyed a random, unheralded stop at the Rabati Malik caravenserai – a bona fide Silk Road roadside inn beside the bumpy Bukhara-Samarkand M37 highway, between the petrol stations and fast-food joints. Tajikistan: Rahmon is watching you The World Heritage Site of Sarazm might date back 5,500 years but, after Uzbekistan's in-your-face glories, its scattering of rough foundations under corrugated canopies and adjoining patchily curated museum were underwhelming. The gurning mug of president Emomali Rahmon adorns the latter's façade, as it does every roundabout, public building and bazaar entrance. Ruling the poorest of the five Stans since 1994, Rahmon bolsters his dictatorship by means of a personality cult. The Tajiks are descendants of Bactrians, Sogdians, Scythians – Silk Road peoples par excellence. They speak a variety of Persian, while their neighbours speak Turkic languages. This might seem no big deal, but guides in the Stans like to make a point that their country is the oldest/strongest or most admired/feared. Three days wasn't long in Tajikistan, but enough. The highlight was a drive into the Fann Mountains to visit the Seven Lakes, though we only saw six as the road petered out and we didn't have time for the hike to the last. Fed by the Shing River, the lakes, which range from deep blue to bright green, lie beside a winding road hemmed in by vaulting cliffs and canyon walls. At lake number three we stopped to eat a delicious stew at a campsite beside rushing white-waters, and one brave member of the group took a dip in the gelid lake. While the scenery was undeniably dramatic, the road was hairy and busy with tour buses – Tajikistan visas are hard to get but that isn't keeping people away – and there were pylons all the way. Our driver was a veteran of the Soviet Afghan war; his experience at the wheel of tanks filled him, at least, with confidence. A far less nervous ride followed the next day, as we passed from Panjakent up the valley of the Zeravshan River and then turned north for Khujand. It was the most impressive piece of road so far, dynamited through the rocky slopes. On the left were high brown mountains and on the right the lofty Fanns, snow-stained and rugged. Tidy villages were wedged in beside pale green fields. Wherever the land was reasonably level it was tilled. People have been refining agricultural techniques here for millennia. Stopping for lunch at Istravashan, we saw where a local mayor had levelled what remained of the hilltop site of Mug Teppe – possibly founded by Cyrus the Great. Now a sterile reconstruction, it was a classic case of misguided heritage tourism. Tajikistan felt like the most religious of the five Stans. Clothing was more traditional for both sexes, though I saw very few burqas. People touch their heart when they meet tourists, which is an endearing way of interacting and more sincere than 'have a nice day'. Kyrgyzstan: wild upland beauty Great mountain ranges cut across Kyrgyzstan, including the Fanns, Tian Shan, Pamirs and Karakorams. The country apparently once styled itself as a future Asian Switzerland. It's more of a Bolivia in development terms, and early experiments with democracy have given way to authoritarianism. In terms of physical geography, it lived up to expectations. A visit to the village of Arslanbob, surrounded by soaring peaks, involved an easy ramble through semi-wilderness. An old walnut forest was the main 'sight' here, though locals had gathered in large numbers to ride on ziplines and in Lada jeeps, and take photographs in front of a waterfall. A very long drive on horrible, barrier-free, boulder-strewn roads took us up to the pasturelands around Song-Köl Lake. Here, at almost 10,000 feet above sea level, we slept in communal yurts, visited a local shepherd, saw petroglyph sites, and admired hundreds of cattle, sheep, goats and, above all, horses. I hiked up to a series of outcrops above the lake. Tiny flowers in improbable colours – blue, deep burgundy – carpeted the golden-green grassland. Small birds announced my presence at each jutting tor. I sat down to contemplate views over the mountains and the hazy far side of the lake, utterly alone. Kyrgyzstan had landmark mosques and minarets, too, but its chief assets were more left field. I enjoyed a short swim in Issyk-Kul lake, where a former Soviet pioneer camp was mouldering on the beach. I saw an ornate Dungan mosque and had dinner in a Uighur house, and visited my first Russian orthodox churches. In the Barskoon Gorge, I admired two Soviet-style monuments to cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin. Central Asia is full of bombastic statues of old warriors and recent dictators, and at least the celebrated spaceman achieved something (though he never visited). Along the way, we ate in service stations and Spar supermarkets; Central Asia hasn't got round to gastronomy. One day there will be a coffee table book about Kyrgyzstan cemeteries. The mini necropolises in earthy tones seem to rise out of the desert floor. Tombs are decorated with red stars and etchings of the faces of the deceased. They are never visited by families once the funeral is over. Kazakhstan: deep canyons and flat whites This was the country I had most anticipated when contemplating a trip to Central Asia. I knew it was massive – the ninth largest nation on earth – and thinly populated. I knew it was largely made up of steppe. I imagined the openness, the big skies, the far-off horizons. Alas, this tour wound up with just two days in Kazakhstan, and all I would see was Charyn National Park and the biggest city, Almaty. The former was stunning, and very popular with local tourists. I had a walk around, surveyed a deep canyon that would have been more impressive if it hadn't been such a hazy, wan day, and scored a good, pricey flat white at the on-site café. If this was my first taste of modern urban living in 20 days, Almaty offered more of the same. A proper cosmopolitan city, with electric vehicles, Irish pubs, posh wine bars and glamorous people, it was a reminder that, while travel is often about seeking out the different and undeveloped, there is comfort in finding good food, craft ale and sourdough bread. I walked around the centre without a map, and saw branches of Marks & Spencer and Next. I visited the national museum, in need of brain food. The last official group lunch was a self-service canteen; adventure tourism firms don't go big on food. Afterwards I googled 'Almaty best café' and went, with three co-travellers, to a joyously pretentious place called Fika ('Whimsical interiors meet Soviet-era industrial detailing,' according to Wallpaper magazine). We toasted a trip of a lifetime and then went to the hotel to sleep in preparation for the 2am ride to the airport. Chris Moss travelled with Exodus (020 3553 6116). The 23-day Five Stans of the Silk Road group tour has departures from May to October. Local guides, transport, accommodation, entrance fees, breakfasts and some meals are included. From £5,149, plus £727 for return flights. Budget at least £120 for visas for Turkmenistan and Tajikistan. Tips, while not obligatory, are expected; allow £60-£100.
South China Morning Post
13-07-2025
- South China Morning Post
Turkmenistan's ‘Gateway to Hell' fire reduced after 50 years
Turkmenistan said last month it had significantly reduced a gas fire that has been raging for half a century at a site called the 'Gateway to Hell'. The fire has been burning in the Darvaza gas crater in the Karakum Desert since 1971. Soviet scientists accidentally drilled into an underground pocket of gas and lit it. Since then, the fire has been releasing a lot of methane. This gas contributes to climate change. Methane gas burns when fuel, oxygen and heat come together. These three things make up the fire triangle (see graphic). Officials said the fire – which has become the country's top tourist attraction – had been reduced threefold without specifying the time frame. 'Whereas before a huge glow from the blaze was visible from several kilometres away, hence the name 'Gateway to Hell', today only a faint source of combustion remains,' said Irina Luryeva, a director at the state-owned energy company Turkmengaz. Many wells have been drilled around the fire to capture methane, she said at an environmental conference in Ashgabat, the capital. Turkmenistan is one of the world's most closed countries. It is estimated to have the planet's fourth-largest gas reserves. The country is the biggest emitter of methane through gas leaks, according to the International Energy Agency. However, the nation's authorities deny this claim.
Daily Mail
12-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE I've visited every country in the world - here's the tourist hotspot that's SO overrated
An American-Mexican radio DJ who has visited every country in the world has revealed which he thinks is the most dangerous - and the tourist hotspot that's overrated. Randy Williams, better known as R Dub!, completed his decade-long challenge to visit all 193 UN-recognised countries in 2023 when he finally ticked off Turkmenistan. Since finishing his epic mission, Randy has even founded his own country - the Republic of Slowjamastan, an 11-acre micronation in Southern California with its own currency and a strict ban on Croc shoes. Now in an exclusive chat with MailOnline Travel, he reveals his favourite countries, the popular holiday destination he thinks is overrated and the city that deserves more Michelin stars... Least favourite country Randy explains that it would be unfair to 'write off an entire country based on one rough visit' as travel is always a 'gamble' that's dependent on timing, weather and people. However, there is one which just 'didn't click' for the intrepid traveller. 'Cameroon', reveals Randy. 'It was blisteringly hot, the city felt joyless and the locals wore scowls like armour. One guy even shouted at me for snapping a photo of a rundown house. 'Maybe I'll go back someday, give it another shot. I know there's beauty and kindness there, I just didn't find it that time.' The world's most dangerous country 'If I had to sum up what I've learned from visiting every country in the world in a single sentence, it'd be this: "The world isn't nearly as dangerous as the media would have you believe",' says Randy. He explains that some of the countries he was 'warned about', including Libya, Syria, Iraq and North Korea, actually ended up being some of his favourite destinations. But Randy does class one place he visited as 'truly dangerous'. He claims: 'Somalia. It's a failed state where looking like an outsider makes you a walking target. You don't get far without a security detail - literally. The government mandates it. 'I had an armoured vehicle and a truck full of armed guards just to move around. It's tense. Terrorism is real. And yet, despite it all, most of the people I met there were kind, generous, and curious. That's the paradox. Even in the most broken places, humanity still shows up. I'd go back. Carefully.' Favourite countries Randy has previously described Brazil as his favourite country and even quit his job to move there. But it's not the only destination that left an impact. Top of the list? The Philippines. 'No contest,' says Randy. 'The people are pure gold - kind, warm, generous in ways that make you question everything you thought you knew about hospitality. It's my favorite place to just disappear for a while. No agenda. Just vibes.' Armenia also 'hit hard', reveals the traveller. 'Old-school values, ancient stones that whisper stories if you stand still long enough. It left a mark. I'm already itching to go back.' Japan grabs a place in the top five, with Randy explaining: 'What can you say that hasn't been said? 'A hundred visits wouldn't scratch the surface. The food, the rituals, the reverence for detail - even their chaos is elegant. It's another planet, and I never want off.' If it's food you're looking for, Lebanon is Randy's 'ride or die' culinary capital with restaurants that the traveller says deserve more recognition. 'Beirut has this electricity pulsing through its streets, and the flavours? Unreal. Two bucks gets you a spread fit for royalty,' explains Randy. 'Breakfasts that border on spiritual, falafel that rewrites the rules, and ice cream that belongs in museums. I keep a list of Beirut joints that should have Michelin stars.' And while it's one of the world's least visited countries and the last that Randy ticked off, Turkmenistan in Central Asia also makes the top five. He reveals: 'My final country, and the one that blindsided me. I walked in thinking I'd seen it all. I hadn't. That place is weird in the most beautiful, intoxicating way. A fever dream of white marble, folklore, and formality. The culture is closed off, but what you do see? Mesmerizing.' The traveller also awards honourable mentions to Madagascar, North Korea, São Tomé and Príncipe, Algeria, Bangladesh, Cuba, Switzerland, Turkey, Syria, and Venezuela. The most overrated destination 'Travel, like art, is personal,' says Randy. 'I've learned to ease up on judging how others do it. Some want the all-inclusive bubble: pool, buffet, repeat. 'No shame in that. But for me? I want discomfort. I want my senses lit up like a pinball machine.' And while Randy says there isn't a single country he wouldn't return to under the right circumstances, there is one popular holiday destination he thinks is overrated. Since finishing his epic mission, Randy has even founded his own country. The Republic of Slowjamastan is an 11 acre micronation in Southern California with its own currency and a strict ban on Croc shoes 'Dubai? No hate, but it just didn't move me. Felt like one giant luxury showroom - glass, steel, gold, logos,' he claims. 'It's a shrine to consumption more than culture. I get why people like it, I really do. 'But flying halfway around the world to sit in traffic surrounded by Lamborghinis and Louis Vuitton? Not my jam.' On the flipside, Randy says that 'so many places get overlooked', including Benghazi in Libya, Eritrea and Iraq.
Zawya
09-07-2025
- Business
- Zawya
Iraq inks gas swap deal with Turkmenistan
Iraq has signed an agreement with Turkmenistan for the supply of gas that will be swapped with Iranian gas, an official said on Wednesday. Under the agreement, Iran will supply gas to Iraq and will get the same quantity from Turkmenistan, Iraqi Electricity Ministry spokesman Ahmed Mousa said. 'The Ministry has performed the swap deal with Turkmenistan, which will supply gas to areas in North Iran….. Iran in turn will supply Iraq with the same quantity of gas by pipelines,' Mousa told the official news agency. He said Iraq's Electricity Minister Ziad Fadil finalized the swap contract with Turkmenistan during a visit to that country in May. 'The funds for the supplied gas will be transferred directly to Turkmenistan…the deal is now just awaiting approval by Prime Minister Mohammed Al-Sudani,' he said. (Writing by Nadim Kawach; Editing by Anoop Menon) (
Telegraph
29-06-2025
- Telegraph
The countries with the strangest entry requirements on Earth
Will there soon be a new hurdle when visiting Japan? Earlier this month, the country's media reported that Tokyo is considering introducing a requirement for travellers to prove they have medical insurance – and that they don't have a history of unpaid hospital bills – before entering the country. As one of the most popular destinations on earth, the Land of the Rising Sun has long had relaxed rules around tourism, allowing most Western nationals to obtain a visa upon arrival. But several cases of foreigners fleeing the country with unpaid medical bills has led to calls for a stricter approach. While compulsory insurance would create more admin for travellers, the new rule wouldn't make Japan too much of an outlier by international standards. For when it comes to entry requirements, there are plenty of examples of strange ones out there. Here are some of the most bizarre and extreme. Take a Covid test: Turkmenistan Keen travellers will shudder recalling the days when going abroad meant surrendering to cumbersome Covid testing rules and vaccine passports. But did you know there is one country that still requires international visitors to place a Covid swab up their nose upon arrival? It's true that the former Soviet Republic of Turkmenistan is hardly a holiday destination. And when it comes to strange rules, the country is practically synonymous with autocratic eccentricities – like renaming the days of the week at the whim of the president. But could there be some method in the madness on this one? Turkmenistan probably isn't the only country sitting on piles of unused flimsy PCR tests after the pandemic. But how many other countries have found a way of offloading them on international visitors at the princely sum of $31? Sign a climate pledge: Palau For understandable reasons, tiny island nations tend to take sustainability seriously. But in 2017, the Micronesian nation of Palau (population 18,000) took things one step further by requiring all international visitors to sign a special environmental pledge committing them to 'tread lightly' and minimise their carbon footprint during their time on Palau. As with a lot of climate stunts, the jury is out as to whether it adds up to more than just a clever gesture. But at least it leaves travellers with a nice talking point, given that the signed pledge is affixed to the pages of their passport as a novel souvenir. Pay $100 tourist tax: Bhutan Tourist taxes are all the rage in Europe these days. But the controversial charges levied by the likes of Venice and Amsterdam look positively puny compared to that of Bhutan, which has imposed a $100 daily fee on international tourists (excluding those from neighbouring India) to be payable on arrival. Unsurprisingly, Bhutan's 'sustainable development fee' (to give it its proper name) is the highest tourism tax in the world. Despite that, though, the country's prime minister, Tshering Tobgay, insists that the hefty charge is welcomed by adventurous travellers who come to marvel at the kingdom's breathtaking landscapes. 'Most tourists are delighted that they can play a small part – a small meaningful part – in the sustainable development of Bhutan,' he told a US news network this spring. Provide proof of parental permission: Canada In the era of widespread international travel, the abduction of children by a parent has become a serious problem, with countries around the world cooperating to stop spurned parents trying to take their offspring out of the reach of their ex-partner. That said, few countries take such a proactive approach to the problem as Canada, which advises that any parent travelling alone with their child (or children) bring a letter from their spouse proving that the arrangement is consensual. In theory, then, it's a clever safeguard against parental kidnapping. In practice, it's the sort of unexpected requirement that could also trip up unsuspecting travellers with perfectly innocent intentions. Leave chewing gum (and handcuffs) at home: Singapore Singapore's zero tolerance approach to chewing gum has been part of travel folklore for decades. What is less well known, though, are the similar prohibitions on Christmas crackers and (ahem) handcuffs, both of which are taken equally seriously. One benefit to Singapore's strictness is it presumably encourages travellers to check the bags – and the rules – carefully before their trip. Given the city state's extremely tough rules on drugs, including some prescription medicines, that is probably a good thing. Hire a tour guide (with one exception): North Korea Most people are aware that the only way into North Korea is to sign up for one of those tightly controlled propaganda tours which have become a fixation for a certain type of adventure tourist. But did you know there is an exception? For all its embrace of authoritarian socialism, the hermit kingdom actually contains a semi-capitalist 'special economic zone', where foreign investment is welcomed and entry requirements are considerably lighter for foreign nationals. Getting to the city of Rason isn't easy, given that you'll have to obtain a Chinese visa first and make your way to the North Korean border. But if you're looking for novel entry requirements, it must be one of the most counter intuitive on earth.
