Silk Road Caravan Journey

Arrive in Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan and gateway to the Tien Shan. At around 12.30pm we meet the leader and your fellow travellers, then set out on an afternoon tour taking in Ala Too Square, Parliament House, the White House, the Lenin statue and the Manas Monument. We round off with a relaxed welcome dinner at a local restaurant – a first taste of Kyrgyz cuisine. If you would like extra time in Bishkek, you can arrange pre tour hotel nights through your sales representative.

En route to Chon Kemin Gorge we pause at the 11th century Karakhanid Burana Tower, a Unesco World Heritage site and the first minaret of its kind in Central Asia – you can climb to the top, though it is dark inside and the stairs are steep and narrow. We explore the wider complex with reconstructions of mausoleums, a citadel site, balbals, petroglyphs and a small museum, then continue to the Ak Beshim ruins to see the remains of Chumysh Fortress, a Nestorian monastery, Christian churches and two Buddhist temples, plus rock paintings and burial mounds. We then drive on to Chon Kemin National Park – a quiet valley of villages and farmlands framed by mountains and fir forest – a fine place to sit with a pot of tea.

We follow the Tien Shan along the south shore of Issyk Kul, the second largest salt lake in the world at 43mi by 112mi (70km by 180km) and almost 2,300ft (700m) deep – its name means Hot Lake and it never freezes, even in winter. If you wish, you can stop in Bokonbaev to watch traditional eagle hunting (approximately US$120 per group). We visit Barskaun Gorge for a short walk to a waterfall, then drive to Djety Oguz. Tonight we stay in a yurt camp with six sleeping yurts for four to five people each and a communal dining yurt; there is a shower and three Western style flush toilets, hot water on request, and a generator providing electricity for about three hours in the evening – an atmospheric insight into a nomadic way of life. April and October departures stay at Almaluu Yurt Camp near Lake Issyk Kul rather than in Djety Oguz; we still visit Djety Oguz, though the order of activities over today and tomorrow will differ slightly to suit the season.

This morning we walk in Djety Oguz – the Valley of Seven Bulls – named for the seven striking red rock formations. We spend about two hours walking out of the gorge through fir forest, yurt settlements and grazing lands; if you feel energetic, you can take an optional hike to a waterfall, though the trail can be slippery and is not advisable in wet weather. We continue to Karakol for a tour of old Russian style houses, the Russian Orthodox church, the wooden Dungan mosque and the bazaar, then enjoy a home cooked dinner with a local Uygur or Dungan family.

Today we cross from Kyrgyzstan into Kazakhstan and travel along the flower strewn Karkara valley. We head to the Charyn River where erosion has carved the beginning of Charyn and Moon Canyons – after a short walk and time for photographs we continue to the Black Canyon and enjoy a picnic lunch in the canyon (you can buy your picnic at a supermarket earlier). We then drive on to Almaty, arriving at about 5pm.

We leave Almaty for Esik to stretch our legs and explore. We visit the Esik burial mounds and the Esik State Historical and Cultural Museum on the site of the celebrated Golden Man discovery – a Saka prince found in an intact tomb dating to the fourth century BCE. We continue to Issyk Lake within Issyk Gorge at 5,775ft (1,760m), set among forests and wildflower pastures, and walk down the concrete staircase to the southern shore. We return to Almaty for the night.

With the Tien Shan as a backdrop, we spend today discovering Almaty, a leafy city with a lively cafe culture. We visit Zhenkov Cathedral (Ascension Cathedral), built entirely of wood without nails, Panfilov Park, the Monument of Panfilov’s 28 Guardsmen, the Great Patriotic and Civil War monuments and eternal flame, and the Museum of National Instruments. After the tour we transfer to the station, say farewell to our leader for Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan, and meet our Uzbekistan leader. We travel overnight towards Tashkent – either by sleeper train all the way, around 16 hours, or by sleeper to Shymkent, around 11 hours, then by road to the Kazakh–Uzbek border, where formalities typically take 1–2 hours, and onwards by road for about 40 minutes to Tashkent. Rail travel here is a great way to cover the 620mi (1,000km), watch the landscape change and meet local people; we use four berth compartments that are reasonably comfortable rather than luxurious.

We usually arrive in Tashkent between mid morning and early afternoon and take a short city tour. Across today and tomorrow we visit Independence Square, flanked by public buildings and fountains, and the Old City with the Hast Imam complex and bazaar. Much of Tashkent was rebuilt after 1960s earthquakes in Soviet style, with broad boulevards and plenty of fountains to temper the summer heat.

We continue exploring Tashkent today and usually include a ride on the impressive metro. In the evening we board a fast train to Samarkand, a city with 2,500 years of history shaped by Alexander the Great, Genghis Khan and Tamerlane, who made it his capital in the 14th century. At its heart is Registan Square, framed by the grand madrasahs of Ulughbeg from the 15th century and Sherdor and Tilya Qori from the 17th century – a focal point on the Silk Road from Istanbul to Peking (now Beijing).

Over the next day and a half we visit the highlights of Samarkand – Registan Square, the Gur Emir Mausoleum, resting place of Tamerlane, his sons and his grandson Ulughbek, the Bibi Khanum Mosque, and Shakhi Zinda, the Living King necropolis with mausoleums from the 14th and 15th centuries. We browse Siab Bazaar to sample fruits, nuts and other local produce, and visit the necropolis, Ulugbek’s Observatory and a paper factory where traditional methods are still in use.

We continue our exploration of Samarkand before taking an evening fast train to Bukhara, the best preserved medieval city in Central Asia and a Unesco World Heritage site with more than 2,000 years of history.

We spend two full days discovering Bukhara and nearby sights. Our city tour takes in the Lyabi Khauz complex from the 16th and 17th centuries with the oldest pool of its kind in Central Asia, surrounded by madrasahs and a khanaka for travelling sufis, including the largest madrasah in the city, the 15th century Kukeldash. We continue to the Poi Kalyan complex with the 12th century Kalyan minaret at 157ft (48m), the vast 15th century Kalyan Mosque with galleries topped by 288 domes, and the only active madrasah in Bukhara, the 16th century Miri Arab. We also visit the Samanid Mausoleum, the oldest Islamic monument in Central Asia and burial place of the 10th century emir Ismail Samani, and the Ark, a fifth century citadel and the oldest building in the city.

We make a late night or very early morning start to catch the train from Bukhara to Urgench. This service is slower and older than earlier trains but has compartments with beds; the six hour journey crosses the Kyzylkum desert and arrives mid morning. From Urgench we drive for about one and a half hours to Toprak Qala, a 2,000 year old ruined city fortress dramatically set with the Sultan Vais mountains behind. The settlement began in the first century BCE under Kushan patronage and was later devastated by Turkish raids that led to depopulation in the sixth century; three large round towers and an impressive part of the citadel remain, while parchments and paintings found here are now in the Hermitage Museum in St Petersburg. We also visit Qizil Qala, once an important oasis with many surviving structures, and Ayaz Qala, an imposing sixth century hilltop fortress, before continuing to Khiva for the night.

We take a walking tour of Khiva’s beautifully preserved old city, a living museum. We visit the khan’s former residence, the Kunya Ark fortress from the 12th century, the tiled base of the never completed Kalta Minar – planned to be taller than any minaret in Bukhara – and the serene mausoleum of Pakhlavan Makhmud, the city’s patron saint, with its tiled courtyard where wedding parties and pilgrims often come to pay respects and draw water from the well. We also see the Juma mosque, its hall supported by 218 finely carved wooden columns.

Our journey ends in Khiva this morning. Land only travellers may join the group transfer to Urgench airport timed for the Turkish Airlines flight to Istanbul, or you can remain in Khiva. If you would like to extend your trip, please speak with your sales representative.