There’s always plenty of debate over the countries people should visit at least once in their lifetime. It often depends on what someone is looking for – culture, food, weather, nature or adventure.
But according to one travel expert, there’s one destination that stands out above all others – even if it’s a place most people wouldn’t expect. Speaking on the Travel Secrets The Podcast, adventurer and broadcaster Countess Alexandra Tolstoy named Kyrgyzstan as the number one country everyone should try to visit.
She said: “I know not everyone’s gonna go there, but I’m just gonna say why – if they could, they absolutely should.”
Tolstoy, who has spent over two decades travelling and working in Central Asia, explained why the landlocked country left such a lasting impression on her.
The travel expert continued: “Kyrgyzstan is a nomadic country. So when people think about nomads, it’s like every day is changing, but that doesn’t happen at all.
“They actually live in a village in the winter and then they spend the summers up high in the Alpine pastures.”
Of all the places she’s travelled, Tolstoy said Kyrgyzstan has “really kept this incredibly rich but yet simple life where they have everything they need – and they are the happiest people that I’ve seen.”
She added: “I’ve spent a lot of time there. I’ve worked with the same shepherds for 25 years, seen them grow, and work with their children now.
“They’ve really nailed something that we in the West are losing more and more – and that is what happiness is.”
For Tolstoy, the key lies in a way of life that’s closely connected to nature and community.
“What makes daily life rewarding and not complicated? It’s being close to nature. It’s having a really close community.”
This story originally appeared on Express.co.uk
