Modi's SCO Summits and Central Asia Push: Why Uzbekistan and Georgia Are 2026's Best-Value Offbeat Destinations

India joined the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation as a full member in 2017 and PM Modi has engaged directly with Central Asian heads of state at every subsequent summit. India has signed bilateral agreements with Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan covering culture, connectivity, and trade. The practical output for Indian travellers: Uzbekistan's e-Visa is available online, Georgia is visa-free, and Azerbaijan requires a simple 3-day online application.

Three countries with extraordinary history, affordable prices, and almost no Indian tourist crowds. This is Central Asia and the Caucasus, and 2026 is the year to go.

Uzbekistan — The Silk Road Heart

Samarkand, Bukhara, and Khiva are among the most visually spectacular cities in the world. The Registan in Samarkand — three madrassas arranged around a central plaza, their facades covered in turquoise and gold tilework — is one of the great architectural ensembles of any civilisation. Bukhara has been a Silk Road trading city for 2,500 years, and its old city core feels largely unchanged. Khiva is smaller, entirely walled, and feels like an open-air museum.

For Indians, Uzbekistan carries a particular resonance — Timur (Tamerlane), who built Samarkand, had significant historical connections to the Indian subcontinent through the Mughal dynasty. The cultural thread between Central Asia and India is not a tourism construct; it is historically real.

Entry: e-Visa on arrival for Indians, available at Tashkent International Airport. Fee: approximately ₹2,000. Processing at the airport: under 30 minutes. See our Uzbekistan destination guide for full itinerary and planning details.

Georgia — Visa-Free and Underrated

Georgia is visa-free for Indian passport holders for up to 365 days — the most generous visa policy extended to an Indian passport anywhere in the European region. Tbilisi is one of the most charming small cities in the world: cobbled lanes in the old city, wine bars in converted bathhouse courtyards, sulfuric hot springs under the city itself, and the Caucasus mountains as a constant backdrop.

Kazbegi — a 3-hour drive from Tbilisi — is one of the most dramatic mountain landscapes in Asia. The Gergeti Trinity Church perched above the valley with Mount Kazbek behind it is one of those genuinely photographic moments that lives up to its photographs.

Georgia is small enough to cover its key highlights in 6 days without feeling rushed. See our Georgia travel guide for a full day-by-day itinerary.

Azerbaijan — Baku and Beyond

Baku's old city is a UNESCO site surrounded by glass towers — an unusual juxtaposition that makes it feel like nowhere else. The city sits at the edge of the Caspian Sea and has invested heavily in tourism infrastructure over the past decade. The Flame Towers, the carpet museum, and the old city walls are half a day each; the drive to Gobustan for ancient petroglyphs and mud volcanoes fills another day.

Entry: ASAN e-Visa online, processed in 3 working days, approximately ₹2,500. See our Azerbaijan destination page for details.

The Silk Road Circuit

The circuit we arrange most often: Tashkent → Samarkand → Bukhara (Uzbekistan, 5 nights) + Tbilisi → Kazbegi (Georgia, 3 nights) + Baku (Azerbaijan, 2 nights). 10 nights, three countries, total cost for two including all flights: ₹1,60,000–2,00,000. One of the best value multi-country international trips currently available to Indian passport holders.

Why Go Now

India's active engagement in the SCO is not just diplomatic positioning — it signals a long-term investment in Central Asian connectivity. Over the next 5 years, direct flight routes between Indian cities and Central Asian capitals are expected to multiply significantly. The time to visit these places is before that happens — before Indian tour groups, before inflated prices, and before the authentic atmosphere is replaced by staged tourist infrastructure.

To plan a Silk Road or Caucasus trip, WhatsApp our travel team or start planning here.