Cultural Photography Tours & Trips in 5 stans

Kaindy Lake's submerged forest and Charyn Canyon's moon-like landscape with tall red cliffs make for unusual photos. You'll see traditional yurt building at Ak Orgoo and photograph the colorful Dungan Mosque in Karakol. Burana Tower stands as a Silk Road remnant, and Jety-Oguz's Broken Heart shows off red rock formations.

This 26-day photography trip takes you through Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan to capture ancient Silk Road sites (18+). You'll photograph Bukhara's UNESCO-listed Old Town with its turquoise-tiled madrasas and Islam Khoja Minaret in Khiva, then head to Kazakhstan for the golden Singing Sand Dunes.

See the ancient Silk Road through UNESCO-listed Samarkand's turquoise-tiled Registan Square, Bukhara's medieval madrasahs, and Khiva's walled Ichan-Qala fortress. You'll head from Kyrgyzstan's Cholpon-Ata petroglyphs to Turkmenistan's marble capital Ashgabat, with stops to see nomadic yurt builders and Sufism ceremonies.

Visit UNESCO-listed sites like Bukhara's Poi Kalon Minaret, Samarkand's Registan Square, and the ancient Nisa Fortress near Ashgabat as you travel through the Five Stans. You'll photograph eagle hunters in Bokonbayevo and see the striking red sandstone Jety-Orguz gorges.

The World Nomad Games brings tribes from the five stans together for horse racing, wrestling, and archery near Issyk-Kul Lake's 113-mile saline waters. The Opening Ceremony in Bishkek has international delegations in traditional dress, then you'll spend 6 days at Chopon Alta's yurt city.

Capture the colorful stalls of Panjakent Bazaar and the remote beauty of Lake 7 in Tajikistan's Fan Mountains. Photograph the colorful tiles of Old Town Bukhara and the ancient city walls of Khiva. Travel through Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan, staying in hostels and guesthouses with a group of up to 18 travelers aged 18+ on this 15-day adventure.