Trekking, Tajikistan

Tajikistan is one of the least-known of the Central Asian 'Stans. An adventurous 12-day trek from KE Adventures follows ancient shepherds' trails through the rugged Fann mountains with their snowcapped peaks and remote upland pastures. Travellers camp out overnight on the shore of beautiful lakes. After 12 days of trekking, the tour continues into Uzbekistan to spend four days visiting the Silk Road cities of Tashkent and Samarkand.
• From £2,625pp, including flights from Heathrow to Dushanbe and back from Tashkent, transfers and all meals and activities. The next departure is on 21 July

Silk Route, various

Rather than focussing on one country, most tourists visiting Central Asia will take an overland trip on one of the classic Silk Routes which ran from Istanbul to China. Overland specialist Dragoman offers several Silk Route itineraries, ranging from a two-week taster for time-poor travellers to the full monty – an 80-day trip from Istanbul to Beijing. For an introduction to this fabled route, Dragoman's 15-day tour between Ashgabat in Turkmenistan and Tashkent is hard to beat, with stops at the great trading cities of Samarkand, Bukhara and Khiva, visits to mosques and bazaars that have changed little since the time of Tamerlane and a stay with the nomads of the Kyzylkum desert.
• From $1,445pp excluding flights and $500+ for group kitty, +1 800 805 7680, dragoman.com, next departure 28 April

Multi-activity, Kyrgyzstan

One of the most beautiful countries of Central Asia, Kyrgyzstan is an outdoor enthusiast's dream, with its snowcapped mountains, sweeping steppes, primeval forests and turquoise lakes. Wild Frontiers' 16-day Celestial Mountain tour is an action-packed trip for adventurous travellers, and its highlights include a ride in an ex-Soviet helicopter over glaciers, white-water rafting on the Chui river, cycling and horse riding through the Celestial mountains, treks to natural hot springs and a stay with eagle-hunters and in a yurt camp with Son Kul nomads.
• Departs 27 July, £2,395pp excluding flights, 020-7736 3968, wildfrontiers.co.uk

Deserts and despots, Turkmenistan

Regent Holidays' Classic Turkmenistan 11-day group tour aims to get under the skin of this reclusive and intriguing state. From the capital, Ashghabad, with its grandiose monuments to the egomaniacal former President Saparmurat Niyazov (who died in 2006) and the sprawling Tolkuchka Bazaar – selling everything from camels to car batteries – to the vast desert of Karakum and the flaming gas crater of Darvaza, it makes an off-beat and fascinating destination. The next departure, in April, is sold out but there will be another trip leaving on 14 September. Regent Holidays can also tailormake itineraries for those wishing to travel independently.
• From £2195pp, including flights from London, accommodation, all meals, and transfers, 020-7666 1244, regent-holidays.co.uk