Alexandra Tolstoy is an explorer, entrepreneur and broadcaster whose work has centred for more than two decades on Central Asia. At the age of twenty-five she rode 5,000 miles along the Silk Road on horseback and camel as part of an expedition retracing the historic trading route across Central Asia... Read more
Alexandra Tolstoy is an explorer, entrepreneur and broadcaster whose work has centred for more than two decades on Central Asia.
At the age of twenty-five she rode 5,000 miles along the Silk Road on horseback and camel as part of an expedition retracing the historic trading route across Central Asia and into China. What began as an adventure became the starting point for a lifelong relationship with the region.
Over the following years she returned repeatedly to Kyrgyzstan, drawn by its vast mountain landscapes and enduring nomadic culture. From these journeys she gradually built Alexandra Tolstoy Travel, a specialist luxury expedition company bringing travellers from around the world into the remote mountains of the Tien Shan.
Building a business in Kyrgyzstan has meant operating in a place with very little existing tourism infrastructure. It has required navigating language and cultural differences, building trusted partnerships with local communities, and developing relationships with government institutions in a young and emerging economy. In recognition of her work promoting the country internationally, Alexandra has been appointed an official tourism ambassador for the Kyrgyz Republic.
The business continues to evolve, with new journeys including winter expeditions combining horseback travel and back-country skiing in the Tien Shan, as well as routes expanding across Central Asia.
Alongside her travel work she has written about her journeys, presented the BBC television series Horse People with Alexandra Tolstoy, and recently executive produced and presented the documentary Beyond the Silk Road with the actor Dominic West.
She is also the founder of Tolstoy Dacha, a design project inspired by the craftsmanship and folk traditions of the regions she travels through.
Alexandra has built a substantial international following on social media, with more than 145,000 people following her journeys and work in Central Asia on Instagram.
Drawing on more than two decades of experience travelling and building a business across Central Asia, Alexandra offers a rare perspective on risk, judgement and entrepreneurship in unfamiliar territory – and on what becomes possible when curiosity leads us beyond the map.