eSIM for Central Asia

This plan suits Silk Road trips that cross the Central Asian borders: Tashkent, Samarkand and Bukhara, on to Almaty and Bishkek, or along the Pamir Highway from Dushanbe to Osh. Cities and the main rail lines have good 4G; high mountain routes in Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan have long sections with no signal. The plan also includes Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

A Silk Road route through three countries: Uzbekistan's blue-tiled cities by high-speed train, a short flight to Kyrgyzstan for the mountains near Bishkek and Lake Issyk-Kul, then a road crossing at Korday into Kazakhstan to finish in Almaty.

Length

13 days

Bases

6

When to go April to early June and September to October are best: mild in the Uzbek cities and clear in the mountains. July and August are very hot in Bukhara and Samarkand, though ideal for Issyk-Kul and high trails; winters are cold, with snow around Almaty.

1. 01

   Day 1 Tashkent

   Tashkent: the old city and the metro

   Start at Chorsu Bazaar under its green dome, then walk to the Khast Imam complex, which holds one of the oldest surviving Qurans. In the afternoon, ride the Tashkent metro to see its decorated Soviet-era stations, such as Kosmonavtlar and Alisher Navoi, and end at Amir Timur Square.

   Signal Good 4G on Beeline across central Tashkent and in the metro stations. Install Yandex Go for taxis and keep hotel registration slips as photos.

2. 02

   Day 2 Samarkand

   Afrosiyob to Samarkand: the Registan

   → Afrosiyob train from Tashkent to Samarkand, about 2 hours 10 minutes.

   Take the morning Afrosiyob high-speed train to Samarkand, booking ahead on the Uzbekistan Railways site or app. In the afternoon, visit the three madrasas of the Registan, then return after dark when the square is lit. Walk the pedestrian Tashkent Street towards the Bibi-Khanym Mosque.

   Signal Good along the main railway with short gaps in open country; strong in central Samarkand.

3. 03

   Day 3 Samarkand

   Samarkand: Shah-i-Zinda and Gur-e-Amir

   Walk the avenue of tiled mausoleums at Shah-i-Zinda early, then visit the Bibi-Khanym Mosque and Siab Bazaar next door. In the afternoon, see Ulugh Beg's observatory and the Afrasiyab museum, and finish at Gur-e-Amir, Timur's mausoleum, in the evening light.

   Signal Good across the old city, including at Shah-i-Zinda and Gur-e-Amir.

4. 04

   Day 4 Bukhara

   Train to Bukhara: Lyabi-Hauz

   → Train from Samarkand to Bukhara, about 1.5 hours on the Afrosiyob.

   Take the train west to Bukhara. Start at the Lyabi-Hauz pool and the Nadir Divan-Begi madrasa, then walk through the covered trading domes to the Kalyan Minaret, the Kalyan Mosque and the Mir-i-Arab Madrasa. Stay in the old town to see the minaret lit at night.

   Signal Good 4G in Bukhara's old town; brief gaps on the railway through the steppe.

5. 05

   Day 5 Bukhara

   Bukhara: the Ark and Chor Minor

   Visit the Ark fortress and the Bolo Hauz Mosque with its wooden columns opposite. Walk through Samanid Park to the 10th-century Samanid Mausoleum and the Chashma-Ayub shrine. In the afternoon, find Chor Minor's four turquoise towers in the backstreets, and finish with a sunset drink overlooking the Kalyan Minaret.

   Signal Good across the old town, including at the Ark.

6. 06

   Day 6 Tashkent

   Back to Tashkent

   → Afrosiyob from Bukhara to Tashkent, about 4 hours.

   Take the Afrosiyob back east to Tashkent. In the afternoon, visit the State Museum of Applied Arts in a 19th-century diplomat's house, then the Minor Mosque by the canal. In the evening, walk Broadway, the pedestrian street off Amir Timur Square, and pack for tomorrow's flight.

   Signal Good along the line with gaps in the open steppe; strong in Tashkent.

7. 07

   Day 7 Bishkek

   Fly to Bishkek

   → Flight Tashkent to Bishkek, about 1 hour 15 minutes.

   Fly to Bishkek. In the afternoon, walk Ala-Too Square, the State Historical Museum and Oak Park, then go to Osh Bazaar for dried fruit, felt goods and kurut. Bishkek is the base for the mountains, so arrange your Ala Archa transport for the morning.

   Signal Your phone switches to Beeline in Kyrgyzstan. Good 4G in central Bishkek.

8. 08

   Day 8 Bishkek

   Ala Archa National Park

   → About 45 minutes by road each way.

   Take a taxi to Ala Archa National Park in the Kyrgyz Ala-Too range. Walk up the main valley along the river, or for fitter walkers, follow the steep trail towards the Ak-Sai waterfall. Bring layers: the weather changes fast at altitude. Return to Bishkek in the evening.

   Signal Some signal near the park entrance and the main car park; little or none higher up the valley. Tell someone your route and download offline maps.

9. 09

   Day 9 Cholpon-Ata

   Burana Tower and Lake Issyk-Kul

   → About 4 hours by road from Bishkek with the Burana stop.

   Drive east, stopping at the Burana Tower, an 11th-century minaret on the site of the Silk Road city of Balasagun, with its field of balbal stone figures. Continue through the Boom Gorge to Lake Issyk-Kul and the resort town of Cholpon-Ata, and swim if it is summer.

   Signal Good near Tokmok and Burana; patchy through the Boom Gorge. Good in Cholpon-Ata.

10. 10

    Day 10 Cholpon-Ata

    Cholpon-Ata: petroglyphs and the lakeshore

    Visit the open-air petroglyph field above Cholpon-Ata, where ibex and hunting scenes are carved into boulders, with the Kungey Ala-Too mountains behind. Visit the Rukh Ordo cultural centre on the shore, then spend the afternoon on the beach or take a boat out on the lake.

    Signal Good along the northern shore towns; the hillsides behind them have weaker coverage.

11. 11

    Day 11 Almaty

    Over the border to Almaty

    → About 3.5 hours from Cholpon-Ata to Bishkek, then about 4 to 5 hours to Almaty including the Korday crossing.

    Drive back west and cross into Kazakhstan at the Korday border post, walking through both controls if you are on a shared taxi or minibus. Continue to Almaty and spend the evening in Panfilov Park and around the wooden Zenkov Cathedral.

    Signal Your phone switches from Beeline Kyrgyzstan to Beeline Kazakhstan near Korday. Expect a few minutes without data at the crossing.

12. 12

    Day 12 Almaty

    Almaty: Medeu, Shymbulak and Kok-Tobe

    Take the bus up the valley to Medeu, the high-altitude skating rink, then the gondola to Shymbulak for views across the Zailiysky Alatau. Back in the city, take the cable car up Kok-Tobe hill at sunset for the view over Almaty.

    Signal Good at Medeu and the Shymbulak base; weaker at the top gondola stations. Strong in the city.

13. 13

    Day 13 Almaty

    Big Almaty Lake and the Green Bazaar

    Take a taxi or tour up to Big Almaty Lake, a turquoise reservoir in the mountains; check it is open, as access is sometimes restricted. In the afternoon, visit the Green Bazaar and the Central State Museum, then spend your last evening on Arbat, the pedestrian street.

    Signal Little signal on the upper road and at Big Almaty Lake; good 4G and 5G back in the city.