HIGHLIGHTS

KAZAKHSTAN, a Central Asian country and former Soviet republic, extends from the Caspian Sea in the west to the Altai Mountains at its eastern border with China and Russia. Its largest metropolis, Almaty, is a long-standing trading hub whose landmarks include Ascension Cathedral, a tsarist-era Russian Orthodox church, and the Central State Museum of Kazakhstan, displaying thousands of Kazakh artifacts.

KYRGYZSTAN is one of the most beautiful countries on earth. Bisected by the Tianshan, or ‘Heavenly Mountains’, this is a land of wide steppes dotted with the yurts of nomadic Kyrgyz people, gleaming turquoise lakes, ancient pine forests and craggy mountain peaks permanently covered in snow. Sometimes referred to as the Switzerland of Central Asia, Kyrgyzstan’s mountainous terrain offers some of the most unforgettable experiences to be found anywhere on earth.

Relatively undisturbed by tourism, this vast, peaceful land has a bewildering array of landscapes, from lofty snow-capped peaks and mountain passes stretching to China, to creaking glaciers that open out onto verdant plains strewn with traditional felt yurts. The leafy capital city of Bishkek is located in the Chuy Valley and what is lacks in ancient history, it makes up for in striking Soviet-era architecture and interesting museums.

Away from the city, discover the tranquil beauty of Lake Issyk-Kul, the second largest alpine lake on earth and the nearby petroglyphs of Cholpon-Ata. On the eastern lakeshore, visit Karakol with its chocolate box wooden homes and lively weekly livestock market, before heading off into the Tianshan Mountains on foot or horseback.

Brothers Adventure