Central Asia Tour - 5 Stans

Arrive in Almaty. Our driver will meet you and take you to the hotel. Check in at 14:00. Free time.

Overnight in Almaty.

After breakfast, meet your guide and driver in the hotel lobby to start a sightseeing tour of Almaty. Highlights of this morning will include Panfilov Park, Zenkov Cathedral, Republic Square, and the Almaty City Museum.

After a welcome lunch, a short drive (25 km) will take you to Chimbulak. Here, visit the ski resort and ride the cable car to enjoy the amazing views of the snowy peaks of the Tian Shan Mountains.

Free time in the evening

Overnight in Almaty (B, L)

After breakfast, we drive to Bishkek, a capital of Kyrgyzstan, via a newly built highway, enjoy nature landscapes on the way (250 km, 4 hours.). Overnight at the hotel.

Free evening

Overnight in Bishkek (B)

Depart Bishkek at 09:00. Our first stop will be Burana Tower, which was part of the ancient city of Balasagun (11th to 13th centuries) and is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Next, experience a Kyrgyz national horse game called “Ulak Tartysh” (goat pulling). Ulak Tartysh (also known as Kok Boru) is a fight between two teams of horse riders for a goat carcass.

Transfer to Don Aryk village and have lunch at the home of a local Kyrgyz family. After lunch, watch a demonstration of yurt construction and even take part if you wish. The local Kyrgyz women will explain the meaning and use of each part of the yurt.

Transfer to Bishkek airport (110 km, ~1h 30 min) to take flight HY780 to Tashkent, which departs at 18:10 and arrives at 18:30 (1h 20 min). Transfer to the hotel for overnight.

Overnight in Tashkent (B, L)

Breakfast. Start the Tashkent city tour at 10:00 by visiting the Old City of Tashkent. This area encompasses the Khast-Imam Complex (famous for displaying one of the earliest copies of the Qur’an, the Holy Book of Islam), and Chorsu Bazaar, where you can haggle for spices, dried fruit, and nuts. The tour will continue to the city center to see Amir Timur Square and Independence Square and to explore the Museum of Applied Art. The city tour will take 4-5 hours, after which you’ll have some free time.

At 18:00, transfer to the railway station. The high-speed train Afrosiyob, departs at 18:50 and arrives in Samarkand at 21:00 (300 km, 2h 10 min).

Overnight in Samarkand (B)

Breakfast. At 09:00, transfer to the Uzbekistan-Tajikistan border station, Jartepa (50 km, 1 h). Go through customs and passport control on both sides, and meet your local Tajik guide and driver to drive to the Seven Lakes (80 km, ~2 h). The lakes are located in the western part of the Fann Mountains. Each lake has its own color, varying from calming turquoise to mesmerizing purple. Have lunch at the guest house next to the 4th lake, where you’ll also stay overnight.

Overnight at a guest  house in Tajikistan (B, L)

Note: Today's accommodation, a homestay with a local family, will have quite basic facilities. Hot water, while normally available, is not 100% reliable. The toilet and showers are outside and shared. You may need to share a room with others in your group (especially during high season), with separate bedrooms for men and women. In return, you'll have a unique opportunity to learn about the Tajik culture and the area from the locals' perspective as you share the family's traditional meals and experience their day-to-day life.

Breakfast. Drive to ancient Penjikent (80 km, ~1 h 30 min), the ruins of a town founded by the Sogdians in the 5th century and abandoned by Arabs in the 8th century. The foundations of houses, a citadel with a couple of Zoroastrian fire temples, and the remains of the city bazaar are visible in the excavated ruins. In the newer part of Penjikent, visit a local bazaar, a mosque, and the Rudaki Museum (Penjikent is the birthplace of Abu Abdallah Rudaki, considered by many to be the father of Persian poetry).

After a 3-hour sightseeing tour, drive to the Jartepa border crossing (30 km, 40 min) in the late-afternoon and complete the border formalities.

On the Uzbek side, your driver will meet you and take you to the hotel in Samarkand. Free time in the evening.

Overnight in Samarkand (B)

Breakfast. At 09:00, the city tour will begin with a visit to the spectacular Registan Square, followed by the Gur Emir Mausoleum, the final resting place of the Turco-Mongol emperor, Timur. Explore the ruins of the Bibi Khanum Mosque and Shakhi-Zinda Necropolis, and then take a short drive to Konigil village to find out about the traditional techniques used to make the famous Samarkand paper from mulberry bark. Free time.

At 20:00 transfer to the railway station. Take the high-speed Afrosiyob train departing at 21:00 and arriving in Bukhara at 22:35 (270 km, 1 h 35 min). Transfer to the hotel

Overnight in Bukhara (B).

Breakfast. At 09:00, start exploring the Old City of Bukhara. Highlights of the walking tour will include: the Lyabi Hauz Ensemble, Magoki-Attori Mosque, Chor-Minor Madrasa, Kalyan Minaret, Kalyan Mosque, Miri-Arab Madrasa, Ulugbek and Abdulazizkhan Madrasas, Ark Fortress, Bolo-Khauz Mosque, Ismail Samani and Chashma-Ayub Mausoleums, and various trading domes. Free time from 15:00 until the National Show at Nadir Divan-begi Madrasa, which starts at 18:00.

Overnight in Bukhara (B)

Early breakfast. Depart at 06:30 for the Uzbekistan-Turkmenistan border point, Farap-Alat (100 km, 1 h 30 min). After completing the border formalities at both checkpoints, cross the 1.5 km neutral zone (transportation may not be available) to meet your Turkmen guide.

Continue to Merv (300 km, 5 h 30 min), an ancient city that was a major center of international trade and crafts on the Silk Road. Merv is also home to a historical park for you to discover, with sights including: the Sultan Sanjar Mausoleum, Major and Minor Kyz-Kala, Erk-Kala, Gyaur-Kala, Keshk Fortress, and others.

Lunch at a local restaurant. Transfer to Mary Airport (40 km, 30 min) to take the evening flight to Ashgabat at 18:10. Upon arrival in Ashgabat at 18:50, transfer to the hotel.

Overnight in Ashgabad (B)

Breakfast, followed by a sightseeing tour of Ashgabat. Ashgabat, the capital of Turkmenistan, has recently been recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records as having more white marble buildings than any other city in the world. During the city tour, explore the archaeological site of Old Nissa (a UNESCO World Heritage Site) and Spiritual Mosque, one of the biggest mosques in Central Asia. Visit the National Museum of History, the Monument of Neutrality, Presidential Square, Ertugrul Gazi Mosque and the recently-built Independence Park. The sightseeing tour will take about 6 hours.

In the afternoon  drive through the Karakum Desert to the famous Darvaza Gas Crater (280 km, 4 h). After arriving at the crater, camp will be set up and you’ll enjoy a delicious, fire-cooked dinner near the “Gates of Hell”. 

Overnight in tents (B, D)

Camp-style breakfast. Drive back through the Karakum Desert to the Turkmenistan-Uzbekistan border point, Dashoguz-Shavat (270 km, 4 h). Following border formalities at both checkpoints and crossing the 1.5 km neutral zone (transportation may not be available), your Uzbek driver will meet you to begin the trip to Khiva (60 km, 1 h). Upon arrival, check in to the hotel. Free time.

Overnight in Khiva (B)

Breakfast and hotel check out (the hotel will store your luggage safely for the day). Spend the morning at the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Ichan-Kala Fortress. Highlights of the morning walking tour include the Mukhammad Amin Khan Madrasa, Mukhammad Rahimkhan Madrasa, Kalta Minor, Kunya-Ark, Juma Mosque, Tash-Khovli Palace, Pakhlavan Makhmud Mausoleum, and Minaret of Islom Khodja.

In the evening, there will be a masterclass on cooking tukhumbarak (egg dumplings, staple of Khivan cuisine). Farewell dinner.

Transfer to Urgench Airport at 20:30 (30 km, 35 min). Your flight to Tashkent departs at 22:05 and arrives at 23:25 (1,093 km, 1 h 40 min). Transfer to the hotel in Tashkent.

Overnight in Tashkent (B, D).

Check-out from the hotel at noon. Free time until transfer to Tashkent International Airport. Departure. End of the tour.