68 wanderlust.co.ukApril 2020Shutterstock; DreamstimeTOP EMERGING DESTINATION
Kyrgyzstan
Would you look at that? Kyrgyzstan didn’t
just win this most feet-itching of categories,
it scored a perfect 100%. Those of you who
visited were utterly blown away. Though we’re
hardly surprised – we love Kyrgyzstan, from its
rich nomadic culture to its excellent activity
potential, from its massive mountains to its
appealingly low prices. While Silk Road fave
Uzbekistan – top of this list last year – has
perhaps made the transition from ‘emerging’
to ‘emerged’, lesser-visited Kyrgyzstan remains
the sort of destination you can still brag about
around the water-cooler. You’ll ind fewer
other tourists here, despite Joanna Lumley’s
best e¤ orts. It’s the more secret but no less
spectacular strand of the Silk Road, if you like.
It’s good to see even more o¦ beat Tajikistan
nudging into the top ive too. If you’re the sort
who thinks Kyrgyzstan has become over-
touristed, then the Pamir-ruptured reaches and
remote cultural sites here – UNESCO-listed
Sarazm, Hissar Fortress, Khulbuk castle – might
be for you. In 2018 Tajikistan welcomed around
1.2 million visitors (a massive rise from just
413,000 in 2017) compared to Kyrgyzstan’s
3 million and Uzbekistan’s 6.4 million.
Sadly Iran, which has retained its second
place with an even higher satisfaction rating
than it scored in 2019, is currently deemed
o¤ -limits by the FCO. A huge pity for this most
historic and hospitable of countries. Let’s hope
the situation changes for the better soon.RANKINGS
1 Kyrgyzstan 100.00
2 Iran 96.36
3 Uganda 94.67
4 Bolivia 94.55
5 Tajikistan 94.29⊳
⊳