The Silk Road

Fly overnight to Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, arriving the following morning.

Flights arrive into Bishkek this morning, where we’ll be met and driven to our hotel (early check-in included).

Following time to rest, this afternoon we spend a couple of hours visiting the main city sites, including Ala Too Square, Parliament House, the White House, the Lenin Statue and the Manas Monument.

Accommodation: Hotel Garden, Hotel Bridges or Hotel Plaza

The adventure begins in Bishkek. We have a city tour this afternoon, spending a couple of hours visiting the main city sites, including Ala Too Square, Parliament House, the White House, the Lenin Statue and the Manas Monument.

You can check in to the hotel from 10am.

Accommodation: Hotel Garden, Hotel Bridges or Hotel Plaza

On the way to Chon-Kemin Gorge, we stop at an 11^th-century Karakhanid minaret – Burana Tower, a Unesco World Heritage site and the first minaret of its kind in Central Asia. You can climb to the top of the tower. Take care, it’s quite dark inside and the stairs are steep and narrow.

Nowadays, it is a complex that includes the tower itself, reconstructions of mausoleums found on the site, remains of a citadel, collection of balbals (gravestones used by nomadic Turkic peoples), petroglyphs (stone carvings) and a small museum.

We will also visit Ak Beshim ruins, the remnants of an ancient city. We’ll see the remains of Chumysh Fortress, a Nestorian monastery, a complex of Christian churches and two Buddhist temples. There are also rock paintings and burial mounds.

Following our visit, we continue to Chon-Kemin National Park, a quiet valley with several small villages and farmed lands surrounded by magnificent mountains and fir forest. It is a wonderful place to be, to sit on the doorstep with a pot of tea.

Accommodation: Guesthouse Kemin (or similar)

We continue our journey through the Tien Shan mountains along the southern side of Issyk Kul Lake. The second largest salt lake in the world, it measures 43mi by 112mi (70km by 180km) and reaches almost 2,300ft (700m) deep. The name translates to Hot Lake, as it never freezes over, even in the depths of winter. It’s surrounded by a mixture of forest and meadow with a backdrop of mountains and glaciers.

Optional excursion (approximately US$120 per group): Stop at Bokonbaev village to observe a traditional form of falconry found throughout Central Asia – hunting with eagles. Eagle hunting plays a key role in the nomadic lifestyle here and can also be seen during national competitions.

Next, we visit Barskaun Gorge and take a hike to a waterfall. We then visit Djety Oguz, which translates to the Valley of Seven Bulls, named after the distinct seven red-coloured rocks in the gorge. We can learn about the local legends behind the name as we walk out of the beautiful gorge (approximately two hours) through fir forest, yurt settlements and grazing lands. If you’re feeling energetic, there is also the option to hike to a waterfall. The trail can be slippery, so this is not advisable in wet weather.

Tonight we stay in a yurt camp, made of six sleeping yurts (each accommodating four to five people) and one communal/dining yurt. There is a shower and three Western-style flush toilets but hot water for washing must be requested specifically. There is also a generator for electricity for three hours in the evening. Spending a night in a yurt camp is a fantastic experience and a small insight into the centuries-old way of life for many nomadic people in Central Asia.

Accommodation: Yurt Camp, Djety Oguz

April and October departures: we will stay in Almaluu Yurt Camp close to Lake Issyk Kul, rather than a camp in Djety Oguz. We will still visit Djety Oguz, but due to the different location of the yurt camp, the order of activities today and tomorrow will differ slightly in these months. Almaluu is better suited than Djety Oguz for these cooler months.

We enjoy a morning walk in the Djety Oguz Gorge. We continue to the city of Karakol, where we enjoy a sightseeing tour taking in old Russian-style houses, a Russian Orthodox church, a wooden Dungan mosque, and Karakol bazaar. Tonight, we enjoy a home-cooked meal at a local Uygur or Dungan family home.

Accommodation: Amir Hotel, Green Yard Hotel or Matsunoki Hotel  (or similar)

Today we cross the Kyrgyz-Kazakh border and, after border procedures, travel along the picturesque Karkara valley, where mountain flowers attract many beekeepers. We head towards Charyn Canyon, where the dramatic erosion caused by the Charyn river has created an impressive landscape. We then continue to Almaty.

Accommodation: Plaza Hotel or Kazzhol Hotel (or similar)

Today is a long day with considerable driving as we head out of Almaty to stretch our legs and explore the countryside.

We begin by heading to Esik. We visit Esik Burial Mounds and the Esik State Historical and Cultural Museum. The mounds are one of the largest archaeological sites of the Scythian-Saka period. The site dates to the 4th century, BC. The museum is on the site of one of Kazakhstan’s most impressive archaeological finds – the tomb of the Golden Man – where a Saka prince was found in an intact tomb.

We continue to Turgen Gorge, known for its beautiful natural scenery and waterfalls (some as tall as 130ft/40m), stopping at a supermarket en route to buy food for a picnic lunch. Along the way, we’ll make a short photo stop near several Scythian burial mounds, with the Ile-Alatau Mountain Range in the distance.

Arriving at the gorge by late morning, we walk for around 45 minutes (0.8mi/1.3km) on a rocky/sandy trail following the river to Bear Waterfall. After exploring the gorge, we drive to a shady spot for a picnic lunch, before continuing by road for approximately 1hr 45min to Issyk Lake (or Esik Lake), not to be confused with Issyk Kul Lake in Kyrgyzstan, which we visit earlier in the trip. Amid thick forests and wildflower pastures, this alpine lake is 5,775ft (1,760m) above sea level within the Issyk Gorge. We walk down the concrete staircase to explore the southern shore of the lake. Finally, we return to Almaty for the night.

Accommodation: Plaza Hotel or Kazzhol Hotel (or similar)

Almaty is a beautiful city backed by the Tien Shan mountains and we have the whole day to explore it. With leafy streets and a cafe culture, the former Kazakh capital has a distinctly European feel. After breakfast, we visit several sites, including Zhenkov Cathedral (Ascension Cathedral), made entirely of wood and without the use of nails; Panfilov Park; the Monument of Panfilovs 28 Guardsmen; the Great Patriotic and Civil War monuments and eternal flame; and one of the museums (National History Museum or Museum of National Instruments).

After the tour, we drive to the train station. Here we say goodbye to our tour leader who has been with us throughout Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan and meet our Uzbekistan leader who’ll be with us for the remainder of the trip.

We travel overnight from Almaty to Tashkent. We leave Almaty in the evening and depending on train timetables, we’ll either travel by sleeper train all the way to Tashkent, a journey of about 16 hours, or we’ll travel as far as Shymkent by sleeper train, a journey of about 11 hours, then continue by road for two hours to the Kazakh-Uzbek border, then following the border crossing which typically takes 1-2 hours, continue for another 40 minutes to Tashkent.

Travelling on trains through this region is a great way to cover large distances (almost 620mi/1,000km in this case), see the changing landscape, and mingle with local people. We use four-berth compartments on this sleeper train, which is reasonably comfortable but not luxurious.

Accommodation: Sleeper train (four-berth compartment)

We usually arrive in Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan between mid morning and early afternoon. We’ll have a short tour of the city. Over the course of today and tomorrow we’ll visit sites including: Independence Square, which is flanked by public buildings and water fountains, and the Old City with its mausoleums (Hast Imam complex) and bazaar. Tashkent was largely destroyed by earthquakes in the 1960s and was rebuilt in true Soviet style with pleasant leafy boulevards and lots of fountains to keep the heat down in summer.

Accommodation: Gabrielle International hotel, Medina Hotel (or similar)

We continue our exploration of Tashkent today.

In the evening, we catch a fast train to Samarkand. The city is steeped in history, dating back 2,500 years and impacted by figures such as Alexander the Great, Genghis Khan and Tamerlane, the latter made it the capital of his empire in the 14th century. A central position on the Silk Road meant it was an important stop on the route from Istanbul to Peking (now Beijing). At its heart is Registan Square, which is flanked by the three grand madrasahs (Islamic colleges) of Ulughbeg (15th century), Sherdor and Tilya Qori (both 17th century).

Accommodation: Malika Prime, Diyora (or similar)

Over the next day and a half, we visit key sights in and around Samarkand, including: the Registan Square, Gur Emir Mausoleum, burial place of Tamerlane, his sons and his grandson, Ulughbek. The Bibi Khanum Mosque and Shakhi Zinda – the Living King necropolis – with its series of mausoleums dating to the 14th and 15th centuries. Siab Bazaar to try fruits, nuts and other local produce.

We also visit the Necropolis and Ulugbek’s Observatory and a paper factory where traditional methods are used.

Accommodation: Malika Prime, Diyora (or similar)

We continue our  exploration of Samarkand tour.

In the evening, we take a fast train to Bukhara. The best-preserved medieval city in Central Asia, this Unesco World Heritage site dates back more than 2,000 years.

Accommodation: Kavsar Hotel or Grand Nodirbek (or similar)

We have two full days exploring Bukhara and nearby sights.

Our city tour takes us to the Lyabi Khauz complex, built in the 16th and 17th centuries. It’s home to the oldest pool of its kind in Central Asia, surrounded by madrasahs and a khanaka (lodging house for travelling sufis), including the largest madrasah in Bukhara, the 15^th-century Kukeldash Madrasah.

We continue to the Poi-Kalyan religious complex with its 157ft (48m) tall 12^th-century Kalyan minaret – the symbol of Bukhara; the large Kalyan Mosque (15th century) with galleries topped by 288 domes; and the only active madrasah in the city, Bukhara Miri-Arab (16th century). Next is the Samanid Mausoleum, the oldest piece of Islamic architecture in Central Asia and burial site of the 10^th-century emir, Ismail Samani. Finally, we visit the Ark, a fifth-century citadel and the oldest building in Bukhara.

Accommodation: Kavsar Hotel or Grand Nodirbek (or similar)

A late night/very early morning start sees us head to Bukhara station where we catch our train to Urgench. This train is slower and older than the ones we’ve taken earlier in our time in Uzbekistan. The journey takes about 6 hours, and sees us across the Kyzylkum desert, arriving mid morning. From Urgench, we drive for about an hour and a half to the 2,000-year-old ruined city fortress of Toprak-Qala, dramatically located with the Sultan Vais mountains as a backdrop. The settlement began in the first century BCE under Kushan patronage and was later devastated by Turkish raids that led to the depopulation of the town in the sixth century. Three large round towers and an impressive portion of the citadel remain, but the parchments and paintings found there are now in St Petersburg’s Hermitage Museum. We also visit Qizil-Qala, formerly an important oasis with an impressive amount of remaining buildings, and finally Ayaz-Qala, an imposing hilltop fortress from the sixth century. We later drive to Khiva to spend the night.

Accommodation: Malika Khiva (or similar)

We have a walking tour of Khiva today, we’ll visit the living museum that is the perfectly restored old city. See the khan’s old residence, the Kunya-Ark 12th century fortress, the tiled base of the never completed Kalta Minar, (which was originally planned to be taller than any minaret in Bukhara) and the beautiful mausoleum of Pakhlavan Makhmud (Khiva’s patron saint) with its tiled courtyard. Many wedding parties and pilgrims come to visit the tomb and drink the water from the well in the courtyard. Also visit the Juma mosque – supported by 218 wooden carved columns.

Accommodation: Malika Khiva (or similar)

We’ll be driven to Urgench airport this morning and fly back to London via Istanbul.

Our adventure ends in Khiva this morning. Land only travellers may join our group transfer to Urgench airport which is timed to fit with the Turkish Airlines flight to Istanbul, or you may remain in Khiva.