Touring all Central Asia

If you're travelling through all the -stans be aware that Kazakhstan gets very cold. Expect -2°C daytime maximum temperatures in the shade with on average 3 hours of sunshine per day in November.

The others aren't too bad at that time of year although Kyrgyzstan gets to just 10°C max in the daytime with just 5 hours of sunshine per day.

Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan are warmer, ranging between 14 and 16°C. So that might be a good place to start!

Thanks for your response,

I don't think I would spend much time in Kazakhstan, although the country is huge, and so are travel distances. Do you recommend me to spend 1 month, 6 weeks or 2 months?

Cheers

Well, for Kyrhyztsan and Tajikistan, the main point of interest for those 2 countries lies in the mountains, and eventhough it's not impossible to go there, it gets very difficult to do it without any sort of private transport at this time of the year.
Uzbekistan would be doable.

Iran is fresh too at this time of the year. Most of the central area of the country where people are usually going lies at an altitude over 1500m. But travelling from A to B won't be a problem though.

Regarding visa requirement, you'll get all the required information for your situation here : http://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/fr/conseils-aux-voyageurs/

Thanks Laurent, for your useful information and field experience. If I decide to go to Central Asia instead of Iran, I guess I'd better head as soon as possible to the Pamir. Is the Pamir Highway still open at the beginning of November? Are there marshrutkas at this time of year?
Thanks

Edit. I've just checked and it seems the road is too snowy to be crossed. Besides, it's in summer time that locals stay under the yurts in high altitude.
Iran may be a better option after all.

I should not recommend Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan (the Pamir Highway) so late in the season.

The Pamir Highway is more or less opened year round (it doesn't snow that much in the area, the Pamir is a rather dry region). But transport is really an issue. October is OK, but later than that, it's really far from ideal. Iran would be better indeed.

As mentioned, the real highlight of Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan is the mountains. The Pamirs are the biggest issue, while it may not snow frequently, when it does it can shut the region down for days. In Kyrgyzstan, no Yurts will be available that time of year and resort places like cholpon at a will be a ghost town.

Visas and permits, though less complicated than a few years ago, still take some planning. Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan are simple enough but Tajikistan and especially Turkmenistan will either be expensive of time consuming. On the bright side, visiting Uzbekistan in the winter means you'll have all the sites more or less to yourself.

In short, heading to nature based tourist destinations in winter isn't really worth it. You could do an Iran-Turkmenistan-Uzbekistan trip which would be slightly easier in terms of visas (Iran=on arrival, Turkmenistan=transit) and being more 'site' tourism, you are less affected by winter weather.

In fact, I also think the combination Iran-Turkmenistan-Uzbekistan may be the best option at this time of year. And keep the trio Kazakhstan-Kirghyzstan-Tajikistan for a next time.
What about the airlines flying there? I know Wizzair is now operating cheap flights from Budapest to Astana, but only this year. unfortunately, just to test if this itinerary is profitable.
Which airline and how much time in advance should I apply for the flight tickets and the visas?
Flying to Kutaisi, visiting what I missed in Georgia last summer and then going by bus over Armenia to Tabriz or Tehran could be a possibility, although long and exhausting.

How long does it take to receive the transit visa for Turkmenistan? Is there a difference with a regular tourist visa? Is it so hard to get it?
I would like to play it safe before I book any flight.

Thanks,