ORIENT EXPRESS Silk Road Almaty to Tashkent

Just as Silk Road merchants did centuries ago, you arrive in Almaty, Kazakhstan’s vibrant capital city, welcomed by the cool midnight air. A bus whisks you away to your well-appointed hotel, where you spend the first night of what will be an unforgettable journey. Dreams of your Silk Road adventure begin to fill your head as you lie down to rest. Tomorrow you will wake early to explore this legendary city.

Overnight: Rahat Palace Hotel (or similar).

In the morning, you enjoy a sightseeing tour of this green metropolitan city at the foot of the mighty Ile Alatau Mountains. You see the imposing Zenkov Russian Orthodox Cathedral, built entirely of wood, the Wedding Palace, the Almaty Circus, and the Central Mosque. At midday you are served a Kazakh welcoming lunch in a traditional yurt. You depart aboard your private train in the afternoon. Porter service guarantees the transfer of your large luggage directly to your train compartment. You are welcomed aboard the train with a drink or refreshment and a short informative talk.

Overnight on board. Meals included: breakfast (B), lunch (L) and dinner (D).

As the morning sun find its way into your compartment, you see that you are arriving at the greater Lake Issyk-Kul area. You immediately realize that you are now in the midst of great natural beauty. Your first stop in this lush region is Cholpon-Ata, where you enjoy a boat ride on Lake Issyk-Kul, one of the largest lakes in the world. The breathtaking views of this enormous lake make you feel as if you’re at sea. After your day by the lake, you are ready for the comfort of your private train. Once on board, you depart for Bishkek. A nightcap and good conversation prepare you for the next day’s adventure.

Overnight on board (BLD)

Today you find yourself in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan’s capital and largest city. Like Almaty, it is situated at the foot of a mountain range, the Tian Shan. You now begin to realize that Central Asia will never let you down. There is so much to see here, that you already have the feeling that you’ll be back again. Your guide takes you through the city, explaining everything clearly as you go. You visit the National Historical Museum then take a ride outside the city to the Ala Archa National Park. As the sun sets, you are ready to board your private train for Turkestan.

Overnight on board. (BLD)

You arrive in Turkestan after having breakfast on board. You visit the Mausoleum of Khoja Ahmed Yasawi, which was built in 1394 and is one of the most significant examples of Timurid architecture (UNESCO World Heritage Site). Afterwards your private train continues its journey, crossing the Kazakh-Uzbek border towards Samarqand. Border formalities are completed in the comfort of your compartment.

Overnight on board. (BLD)

Today is spent visiting the sights of this famous historic city, which during the rule of Timur was considered the world’s most beautiful and prestigious city. The Necropolis of Shah-e Zinde (the living Shah), the excavation sites at Afrosiab (with a museum tour), and Registan Square are certainly among the most notable architectural ensembles in Central Asia. It is also historically important, as the site where many Uzbek women burned their veils (paranjas) in 1917, to signal their arrival in a new era.

Overnight: Registan Plaza Hotel (or similar). (BLD)

Your day in this fascinating city includes a tour of a silk carpet manufactory, a visit to an Uzbek craftsman’s family to see paper being made from mulberry bark, stops at the Ulug Beg Observatory and the ruins of the Bibi Khanum Mosque, and viewing the interior of the palace-like Gur Emir Mausoleum.

Overnight: Registan Plaza Hotel (or similar). (BLD)

After breakfast your train is on its way into the past. The Greek heritage has been preserved in this inaccessible mountainous region and cultural influences of the Bactrians and the Kushan Empire also survive here. Fire worship and shamanism are still practiced here in the form of rituals and myths seldom found elsewhere. Trade caravans once travelled through these narrow mountain gorges and the armies of Alexander the Great, Genghis Khan, and Timur (or Tamerlane) also passed by here. A traditional ceremony offers you first-hand insight into the region’s unique folklore. Your journey then continues along the Great Silk Road aboard your train to the green city of Shakhrisabz, the birth place of Timur. Your sightseeing here includes the monumental architecture of the brutal Mongol ruler’s great palace from the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. In the evening you depart for Bukhara on your private train. On board you are invited to a tasting of Uzbek wines.

Overnight on board. (BLD)

Located in the middle of the Kyzylkum Desert, Bukhara has some one thousand architectural monuments recalling the golden age of the Great Silk Route. Exotic spices, furs, and especially silk were stored and traded then in the city’s caravanserais. In Bukhara’s Old Town (UNESCO World Heritage), you see the almost fifty-metre tall Kalyan Minaret and the Lyab-I Hauz Ensemble by the pond. In a madrassa courtyard you watch a performance of local dances, and a presentation of colourful national costumes with musical accompaniment.

Overnight: Hotel Asia Bukhara (or similar). (BLD)

Bukhara, which also bears the by-name Sherif (the noble one), has preserved its ancient oriental countenance in its extensive, unparalleled collection of authentic architecture. In the morning, we drive you to the splendid Mir-e-Arab Madrassa and the Samanid Mausoleum, one of Central Asia’s most beautiful architectural treasures. Afterwards you tour the massive Ark Citadel, a city within a city that was once the seat of government of Bukhara’s former rulers. There you view the Throne Room, after which you visit the last emir’s Summer Residence.

Overnight: Hotel Asia Bukhara (or similar). (BLD)

The morning is yours to explore Bukhara or spend as you please. Your train departs for Khiva in the west around noon. Overnight on board. (BLD)

Overnight: On board (BLD)

Today you will visit the oasis of Khiva, a fairy tale from 1001 Nights – in stone. Standing at the mighty town wall with its gates and bastions of mud brick you feel transported into another world. On your sightseeing tour of the oasis you have a chance to take in its exotic atmosphere. Its palaces, mosques, minarets, mausoleums, and madrassas (Muslim religious schools) represent one of the best preserved ensembles of medieval oriental urban architecture in the world.

Overnight on board. (BLD)

Your private train arrives in the early morning at the Uzbek capital of Tashkent. On your sightseeing tour of the city you are able to have a look at this green oasis in the steppe and see the Madrassa Kukeldash, the Kavoj and Amir Timur monuments, and the typical Kazakh mud brick houses. You end your day, and your journey, with a farewell dinner this evening.

Overnight: Hotel Grand MIR (or similar). (BLD)

On your last day of your legendary Silk Road adventure, you check out of your hotel and catch a transfer to the airport for your flight home. On the way, you look back on the marvelous journey that you’ve just completed. The beautiful landscapes, impressive monuments and unforgettable experiences you have enjoyed on the legendary Silk Road will be memories that last a lifetime.