Hiking adventures and high-altitude dining: Exploring Uzbekistan's Western Tian Shan mountain range

The Tian Shan is a large system of mountain ranges in Central Asia, which stretches 2,900km eastward from Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan. In 2016, the Western Tian Shan ranges, with their exceptionally rich biodiversity and landscapes, were included in the UNESCO World Heritage list. 

In this episode of Explore, our correspondent Galina Polonskaya hikes one of the Western Tian Shan mountains, Maly Chimgan, with a legendary local mountaineer, Grigory Trebisovsky. On their way to the top, Grigory shows Galina local juniper trees which are said to be an indicator of fresh air. 

Galina explores other highlights from this region, which is located just a couple of hours' drive away from Tashkent. She visits the Obi Rakhmat grotto, discovered by archeologists in the 1960s, with local researcher Pavel Novik. Archaeological findings from this grotto prove that pre-historic people lived in the region 50,000 years ago. 

In this episode, Galina also tastes a salad intended to give energy for long hiking tours in a unique place - a restaurant located at 2,290m altitude. The eatery is the highest spot in Uzbekistan and Central Asia where you can have a delicious dinner with incredible views.