Your Central Asia Booking Pack
Starting in Almaty
The Dragon Trip is the all-encompassing, flexible trip for adventurers seeking to discover the real Central Asia, showing you the very best parts – including cultural, historical and heart-pumping attractions, jaw dropping scenery, and delicious food and drink options! Over the next few weeks, it’s our goal to show you a side of Central Asia that you’ll remember forever.
Joining your tour in Almaty
Meeting Point:
The meeting time is 5pm at reception, in the lobby of the Grand Sapphire Hotel in Almaty. You will meet your Adventure Leader here, as well as the rest of your group.
Meeting Point Address Details:
Name: Grand Sapphire Hotel
Address (English): Dostyk Avenue 32, Almaty, 050010, Kazakhstan
Address (Russian): г. Алматы пр. Достык, 32
Phone: +7 727 349 3555
If you have booked a private room, you will be staying at Grand Sapphire Hotel. Check-in here starts from 2pm. Please go to the lobby before 5pm.
If you’re staying in a dorm room, you will stay at Wanderlust Hostel Riverside which is a 12 minute walk away from the meeting point. You can check-in here at 2pm and walk to the meeting point before 5pm.
If you have any queries or issues with your trip, email our Ops team on mytrip@thedragontrip.com.
We can arrange for you to stay longer!
If you are planning on spending additional nights in Central Asia at the beginning or end of your tour, we can book your accommodation for you. Contact us on info@thedragontrip.com for more information.
Address details for the hostel:
Name: Wanderlust Hostel Riverside
Address (English): 60 Karmysova Street, Medeu District, Almaty, Kazakhstan, 050010
Address (Russian): Кармысова улица 60, 050010 Алматы, Казахстан
Phone: +7 705 483 6027
How to get to your hostel:
Almaty Airport is approximately 15km away from the city centre. The best way of getting to your accommodation from the airport is to take a taxi. We suggest downloading the Yandex Go taxi app on your phone, to order a taxi at the airport (and all taxis during your trip). Booking a taxi on the app is easy, hassle-free and more reliable. Expect to pay around 3000 KZT (around £6-7).
You can also take airport taxis. Please ask help from the information desk before leaving the airport, and make sure you have the hostel address in both languages.
Finishing your tour in Bukhara
The trip ends at Bukhara Boutique Hotel on the morning of Day 15.
You can stay for a few days to enjoy this magical, ancient Silk Road city, or you can head to the international airport in the city. There are also direct trains to Tashkent and Samarkand for further flight options. If you fancy travelling onward through Central Asia, let us know!
Insurance
Please don’t forget your insurance! It’s compulsory to have travel insurance on all Dragon Trips. Please bring details of your travel insurance along with you to the pre-departure briefing. In the event of an accident, we may need to contact your insurance company on your behalf, so we will need the insurance company’s name and phone number, as well as your policy number.
Please make sure your insurance offers ‘Bad Weather or Natural Disaster Coverage’.
Please fill out our online emergency contact and insurance form: https://www.wjx.cn/vm/mEVmMYT.aspx
Don’t forget your passport!
Have you sent us your passport details?
The Dragon Trip needs your passport copy to book accommodation and transport tickets in advance of your trip.
Please ensure that you passport is valid for six months of onward travel, with a spare page for every country you plan on visiting (all those stamps!). If you need a new passport, make sure you send us your new passport details as soon as possible, or you may experience some difficulties whilst on tour. If you are travelling on a passport with different details to the ones provided to us, we may have to purchase new train tickets, which will incur additional charges.
Do I need a visa?
Most nationalities do not need a visa to enter the countries on our Central Asia tour. However, please note that US citizens do require a visa to visit Uzbekistan. If you need any documents from us for your visa application, please email info@thedragontrip.com.
Keep in touch!
We want to hear all about your amazing travels across Central Asia.
Whether you’re on the tour or reliving your amazing experiences, be sure to use the hashtag #thedragontrip to join in with our amazing community of fellow Dragons.
In addition, if you tag our profile in your photo with the handle @thedragontrip, we might just feature it! We love to see all the fun you get up to on your adventures.
Lastly: if you don’t want to have your photos appear on our social platforms, please do email us to let us know.
Meet Your Fellow Dragons
As many of our Dragons travel solo, we want to take to make the process of meeting your fellow travellers as easy as possible. We create WhatsApp groups for every departure date in advance, meaning that you can get to know everyone on your tour before you hit the ground.
You can also like us on Facebook and join ‘The Dragon Trip: Adventure Advice‘ Facebook group – here, you’ll be in a community of past, present, and future Dragons who can all share tips and advice.
Your Welfare on Tour
Our adventure tours are a safe space where everyone is welcome. We kindly request that you show respect to your fellow adventurers, our Adventure Leader, as well as the local people and places we encounter throughout our journey. Any form of discrimination, bullying and violence is strictly prohibited, and we expect all travellers to adhere to the laws, customs, and regulations of each destination we visit. Behaviours that contradict these expectations or impede our staff’s ability to fulfil their duty of care or follow the planned itinerary, may result in the removal of the individuals involved from the trip. If you encounter any concerns during your travels, please promptly communicate with your Adventure Leader or local guide. Alternatively, you can discreetly contact the Adventure Leader via WhatsApp. They will be able to address the issue directly and help find the best solution.
Our Ultimate Packing Check List
On all of our trips you will be required to carry your own bags, so pack light.
- Passport (with a copy of the photo page)
- Insurance Details and photocopies
- Student Card (if you have one)
- Your credit/debit card (we suggest using ATMs at each country)
- Some local currency although we will take you to ATMs when we arrive in each country.
The Essentials:
- First Aid Kit (with medicine for diarrhea, paracetamol, disinfectant etc)
- Camera and charger
- T-shirts
- Shorts/skirts
- Long pants (for hiking)
- Warm rain jackets and trousers
- Waterproof shoes
- Long trousers and sleeved shirts
- Swimming costume
- Flip-flops
- Sensible walking shoes/hiking boots
- Towel
- Washbag
- Mosquito repellent
- Sunscreen
- Hat & sunglasses
- Lightweight waterproof jacket
- Earplugs (for a better sleep in the dorms)
- Locks for bags
- Waterproof backpack cover
FAQ’s
Do I need to bring power adaptors?
Yes – these are available to buy in airports or various stores before you arrive. Make sure you get adaptors that will work for all of Central Asia – most countries use types C and F.
Do I need to bring a sleeping bag?
All bedding/linen is provided at the hostels.
Who looks after our bags when we are on transport and/or excursions?
Your bags will be stored at the hostels, where they are tagged and recorded. On a couple of occasions, they will be stored at storage facilities in railway stations.
How much stuff can I bring?
We strongly recommend packing very light for The Dragon Trip. All the cities will have places you can wash your clothes, and you can easily pick up supplies.
Suitcase or backpack?
A suitcase is OK, but a backpack or holdall is much more convenient.
Will my phone work?
Your phone is unlikely to work, but it’s possible to buy a SIM out there. Wi-Fi is available in all of our hostels.
Contact Us and Emergencies
Emergency Numbers:
The Dragon Trip 24/7 emergency contact number: +84 284 458 1410
Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan & Uzbekistan:
– Police Department: 102
– Fire Department: 101
– Ambulance: 103
To read our full terms & conditions, click here.
Any questions or feedback?
Contact our London Team: info@thedragontrip.com
Please note that this email is only monitored from Monday to Friday between 9:00 and 17:30 (Friday 17:00) UK time. If you have any urgent issues, such as flight delays or last minute cancellations, please contact our Ops team.)
Contact our Ops team: mytrip@thedragontrip.com