Visiting the Stans

El_Torro

I'm going to visit the Stans this summer. The countries I'm going to are:

Kazakhstan
Uzbekistan
Turkmenistan
Kyrgyzstan
Tajikistan

Feel free to suggest places to see and things to do, however I am going on an organised tour so the itinerary is already planned out for me. What I really would like some views on is the whole cash situation.

I'm sure there'll be access to ATMs, at least in the bigger cities. Is paying for things by card a thing? There'll probably be certain shops / restaurants / areas that are cash only but just wondering how prevalent it is. Is it worth taking cash in US dollars? Or just rely on card / local currencies?

Any tips are welcome.

MastG

Hi,
I visited the stans on a tour in 2023 and took US dollars in cash. 
Make sure you have the correct amount for Turkmenistan visa (and covid test if still required on arrival) Ashgabat airport only accepted dollars.
Our guide changed money for us in Turkmenistan (Banks give a government set low rate), we used local currency everywhere. Elsewhere ,even in Uzbekistan, our guides found unofficial exchangers for us to use.
Outside Turkmenistan you can find ATM's in major cities, but you are advised to carry enough cash for your trip.

Uzbekistan see the blue tiled cities of Bukhara, Samarkand & Khiva.
Turmenistan - Merv(Mary) Nisa fortress, Darvaza Gas Crater, and Ashgabat marble capital
Kazakhstan - Almaty and Charyn Canyon.
Kyrgyzstan - Ala Archa National Park
Tajikstan - 7 lakes

Don't forget there are 7 stans in total.
Pakistan is still possible to visit
Afganistan maybe not so.

El_Torro

MastG said:

Hi,
I visited the stans on a tour in 2023 and took US dollars in cash. 
Make sure you have the correct amount for Turkmenistan visa (and covid test if still required on arrival) Ashgabat airport only accepted dollars.
Our guide changed money for us in Turkmenistan (Banks give a government set low rate), we used local currency everywhere. Elsewhere ,even in Uzbekistan, our guides found unofficial exchangers for us to use.
Outside Turkmenistan you can find ATM's in major cities, but you are advised to carry enough cash for your trip.

Uzbekistan see the blue tiled cities of Bukhara, Samarkand & Khiva.
Turmenistan - Merv(Mary) Nisa fortress, Darvaza Gas Crater, and Ashgabat marble capital
Kazakhstan - Almaty and Charyn Canyon.
Kyrgyzstan - Ala Archa National Park
Tajikstan - 7 lakes

Don't forget there are 7 stans in total.
Pakistan is still possible to visit
Afganistan maybe not so.

Thanks for this, some very useful information there. 

A friend of mine went on holiday to Afghanistan last year, said it was great. Not high on my list of countries to visit though.

CKhalvashi

Euro will be fine also.

For Turkmenistan, look at options of a transit flight, which can be on 2 tickets. Transit is a much easier (and cheaper) way to spend some days in the country. I'm not sure of latest requirements but can dig these out on request.

As a package is booked, there's not really a lot to add. If you were travelling independently a lot more could be advised, but not for a single trip.