Following the break-up of the USSR, Kyrgyzstan soon earned a reputation as the most hospitable and least repressive of the newly emerged central Asian republics. Unlike some of its neighbours, it has actively encouraged foreign tourism and has pursued a policy of supporting community projects with an emphasis on adventure tourism. The Bradt guide details all the services and experiences the country offers including trekking, mountaineering, horseriding and wildlife-watching. Historical sites, cultural activities and background on the Kyrgystan people are all covered by this definitive guide.

This new title from Bradt tells the inspiring and emotional story of Ishbel Holmes, also known as 'World Bike Girl', a Scottish-Iranian woman who became a champion racing cyclist in spite of having been abandoned by her family, and who set off on the adventure of a lifetime despite her lack of experience, money or equipment. Ishbel Holmes was determined to cycle the world but her journey took a completely unexpected turn when, despite her initial instincts not to, she rescued a street dog in Turkey. Ishbel was lost and alone when she started on her epic trip, but in Lucy found a companionship never previously known. Between the two there formed a deep bond and their relationship was followed and supported by thousands of readers online, before becoming a media sensation overnight when Ishbel put out a plea for help to transport Lucy to an animal shelter three hundred miles away. This heart-rending tale is about more than just the relationship between a woman and her dog. It is a testimony to the human spirit, overcoming present-day challenges and churning up long-buried and painful memories from Ishbel's earlier life. It is also a tale of adventure, one person's determination to cross an unfamiliar country by bike and the unforgettable scenes that greet her on the Turkey-Syria border and into Syria itself. And it is a loving portrait of Lucy, the street dog that was determined not to let Ishbel go and whose dogged persistence helped to break down the barriers around her heart and in so doing change her life in ways she had never imagined. Ultimately, this is a tale of love and healing, a modern fable that touches the soul and reminds us all of the need to belong.

Kazakhstan is vast – the ninth-largest country in the world – yet there is relatively little information available in English about the attractions of this remarkable country. With the Kazakh government seeking to promote the development of tourism, publication of the Bradt guide is timely. Located between Russia and China, the state of Kazakhstan possesses an incredible diversity of natural beauty; this guide includes arrangements for visiting natural parks and reserves and special features such as singing sand dunes and the Sharyn Canyon - Asia’s equivalent of the Grand Canyon. Key historical and archaeological sites are also given due prominence, Kazakhstan having been inhabited since the Stone Age.

A guide to visiting Yemen that provides an overview of the country's geography, climate, history, government, culture, politics, religion, and education and offers information on accommodations, transportation, entertainment, shopping, nightlife, attractions, restaurants, and sights.

This award-winning foreign correspondent’s vivid account of Central Asia’s recent history “reads like a novel but is the stuff of hard-won journalism” (Gary Shteyngart, author of Absurdistan). Here are the stories of two revolutions, a massacre of unarmed civilians, a civil war, a drug-smuggling highway, brazen corruption schemes, contract hits, and larger-than-life characters who may be villains, heroes, or possibly both. Restless Valley is a gripping, contemporary chronicle of Central Asia from a veteran journalist with extensive experience in the region. Both Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan have struggled with the challenges of post-Soviet, independent statehood, and both became entangled in America’s Afghan campaign when the United States built military bases within their borders. Meanwhile, the region was becoming a key smuggling hub for Afghanistan’s booming heroin trade. Through the eyes of local participants—the powerful and the powerless—Shishkin reconstructs how Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan have ricocheted between extreme repression and democratic strivings; how alliances with the United States and Russia have brought mixed blessings; and how Stalin’s legacy of ethnic gerrymandering continues to incite conflict today. “The weird, the strange, the corrupt, and the grand are all evident . . . [Shishkin] relentlessly pursues and then tells the stories of the most corrupt and powerful and also the most sincere and admirable characters who inhabit these mountains.” —Ahmed Rashid, The New York Review of Books

Borneo's biodiversity is among the richest in the world.The first guide to focus on Malaysian Borneo and Brunei, this book gives full details on where and how to see the island's colourful flora and fauna. Tropical rainforest and rivers cover over 70% ofMalaysian Borneo, and this lush habitat is home to hundreds of unique species, from the jelly green snake and bearded pig to the proboscis monkey. Trek through one of the region's national parks or catch a glimpse of an orang-utan. Traditional rural lifestyles,tribal influences and ethnic variety also offer the visitor a rewarding cultural experience; take part in island festivities, spend the night in a longhouse or shop in the bustling markets. Borneo can provide for adventure travellers, divers and even sunbathers.Over 27,000 UK visitors travelled to Borneo in 2007, up 10% on the previous year.

From balafon players in the laidback town of Bobo-Dioulasso to masters of horsemanship further north - plus internationally recognised film, jazz, hip hop and craft festivals - landlocked Burkina Faso, in the heart of west Africa, has something to offer everyone. This new edition of the only English-language guidebook to Burkina Faso leads visitors on camel safaris from desert markets to dramatic waterfalls and spectacular sandstone rock formations, past the extraordinary architecture of 16th-century Mossi, Lobi stone ruins and Koro's hillside caves. Sports fans can even witness the cycling race, Tour du Faso, in this magical country, one of Africa's best-kept secrets.

Iain Campbell has been fascinated by mountains for as long as he can remember. In his new book, he tells the story of a journey following the course of the Indus River from its mouth in the mudflats of Karachi through the Karakorum, Kashmir and the Himalayas to its source in Ladakh on the Indian side of the Tibetan plateau, where it springs from the 'Lion's Mouth' on Mount Kailash. His narrative paints an insightful, honest and heartfelt portrait of Pakistan, a country that through all his wanderings of the deserts and mountains of Asia kept drawing him back, and a place which combines a rich religious heritage with some of the most spectacular mountains in the world. Engrossing and eye-opening, Iain Campbell's account of his travels through this mesmerising land will appeal to travellers, mountaineers, trekkers, wilderness enthusiasts, anyone interested in the culture and history of the subcontinent, and fans of quality travel writing.

Travel Guide.