Five Stans Silk Road Journey

Arrive in Ashgabat, the capital of Turkmenistan – by law, we arrange arrival transfers for everyone in the group; please see the Joining Instructions in the Trip Notes for details. There are no planned activities today, as many flights arrive late at night or early tomorrow morning. If you want extra time in Ashgabat, you can book pre–tour hotel nights through your sales representative.

After what for many will have been a late night or early morning arrival, we meet for a welcome briefing at 11am before beginning our exploration of Ashgabat. This marble–clad city, often compared to Pyongyang meets Las Vegas, presents a surreal skyline of grand monuments and vast boulevards. We take a half–day tour visiting Ertogrul Ghazi Mosque, Independence Park, the Neutrality Arch, the Constitution Monument, the Alem Ferris Wheel, Halk Hakydasy Memorial Complex and the Wedding Palace overlooking the city, plus the national museum. After dark, we enjoy a short city tour by night of around 40 minutes, and this evening our tour leader hosts a group dinner to mark our first day together.

After an early breakfast, we drive up to four hours to Mary, a contemporary city that serves as the gateway to ancient Merv. In the early afternoon, we continue to this vast World Heritage site, once among the largest cities on Earth, moving between key surviving areas – from crumbling towers to weathered walls – to appreciate the scale that so impressed medieval travellers. Later, we return to Mary to explore the modern town, including the Juma Mosque and a small Russian Orthodox church.

We return to Ashgabat, arriving in the early afternoon with time to visit the Magtymguly Monument, dedicated to the 18th–century poet who helped shape Turkmen literary identity. We then continue to Nisa, once a capital of the Parthian Empire, whose power stretched from present–day Iraq to Pakistan more than 2,000 years ago. Our final stop is a local farm renowned for breeding Akhal–Teke horses – celebrated for their metallic sheen and long–distance stamina – before we transfer to the airport for our evening flight to Dashoguz.

After breakfast, we drive for about two hours to Kunya Urgench, once the capital of Khorezm under the Achaemenid Empire and now a World Heritage site preserving monuments from the 11th to 16th centuries. Our tour takes in mosques, caravanserai gates, fortresses and mausoleums, culminating at the 195ft (60m) Gutlug Timur Minaret, whose craftsmanship influenced architecture across Iran and Afghanistan and later elements of Mughal design in India. We then return two hours to Dashoguz and continue about 20 minutes to the Shavat border post, where we say goodbye to our Turkmen tour leader and complete formalities – including a short shuttle across no–man’s–land, which costs US$1 in cash – before meeting our Uzbek leader and continuing to Khiva, aiming to arrive around 6pm.

Within the walls of Itchan Kala, Khiva’s meticulously preserved old city, we explore highlights including the tiled base of the never–completed Kalta Minor, the Kunya–Ark fortress that once housed the khans, and the serene mausoleum of Pakhlavan Makhmud, the city’s patron poet–saint. We continue to the Islam Khoja minaret and madrasah and the atmospheric Juma Mosque, whose roof rests on 218 carved wooden columns, then visit the richly decorated Tash Khauli palace complex and the Allakuli Khan Madrassah. Along the way, we step into artisan workshops to see enduring crafts – wool and silk carpets, embroidery, ceramics and intricate wood inlay.

After breakfast, we drive about two hours into the arid plains of Khorezm, once marshy lands inhabited by the Massagetae Scythians – famed horseback archers who resisted successive empires and defeated Cyrus the Great in 529 BCE. Our main stop is Ayaz–Qala, a sixth–century hilltop fortress with sweeping views of the steppe; depending on timing, we may also visit nearby castles before continuing to Urgench, about 1hr 30min away. In the afternoon, we board a train to Bukhara, a 6hr 30min journey across the Kyzyl–Kum desert that typically uses Soviet–era carriages with four–berth compartments, so bring snacks and water. We arrive late into Bukhara and head straight to our hotel. Please note: timings and itinerary may vary depending on train schedules.

The old centre of Bukhara evokes 2,000 years of trade and travel between the Mediterranean and China, and we spend the day exploring its treasures, including the Lyabi Khauz ensemble with the oldest reflective pool in Central Asia. We also visit Chashma–Ayub Mausoleum, the Mausoleum of the Samanids, the Ark Citadel, the Poi Kalyan complex with its 157ft (48m) Kalyan Minaret, the Kalyan Mosque with 288 domes over its galleries, the Nodir Divanbegi Madrasah and Chor–Minor.

This morning, we delve further into Bukharan history at the Sitorai–Mokhi–Khosa Palace, the emirs’ summer residence, noting the intricate ganch plasterwork, carved wood panels and richly painted reception rooms that once hosted courtly gatherings. In the afternoon, we take the train to Samarkand – when schedules allow, the high–speed Afrosiyob service covers the journey in just under two hours.

Samarkand dazzles with blue–tiled monuments and a 2,500–year history shaped by Alexander the Great, Genghis Khan and Tamerlane. We explore Registan Square, framed by the madrassahs of Ulugh Beg, Sher–Dor and Tilya–Kori, then visit the Gur–Emir Mausoleum, burial place of Tamerlane, his sons and his grandson Ulughbek, and the 1420 Ulugbek Observatory. We continue to the oversized Bibi Khanum Mosque and the Shakhi Zinda necropolis, where mausoleums date to the 14th and 15th centuries, and finish at the Siab Bazaar with its paper factory – the order of visits may vary.

We drive to the Tajik border early this morning, cross into Tajikistan and meet our local guide for a 20–minute transfer to Penjikent. Our first stop is the World Heritage site of Sarazm, which dates back 5,500 years. In Penjikent, we tour the Museum of Rudaki – father of Persian poetry – and ancient Penjikent, the ruins of a fifth–century Sogdian town abandoned in the eighth century, where we explore the remains of houses, a citadel with Zoroastrian fire temples and a bazaar.

We venture into the Fann Mountains, driving about 50 miles/80km to the Seven Lakes (Haf Kul) in the Shing Valley along a sometimes bumpy, narrow road. The high mineral content gives the lakes striking colours. We enjoy a walk to Hazorchashma Lake and a picnic lunch in the village of Nofin before returning to Penjikent.

Leaving the Fann Mountains, we head into the industrial and agricultural heartland around Khujand – about four hours’ drive. En route, we visit Istravashan, founded by the Persian king Kier in the sixth century, and call at the bazaar. In Khujand, believed to be one of Central Asia’s oldest cities, we tour the Museum of Archaeology, Sheikh Maslikhiddin Mosque and the Payshanba bazaar and, if time allows, Arbob Palace – the Urumkhodjaev family country estate modelled on Peterhof.

We return to Uzbekistan via the Andurkhan border crossing, say goodbye to our Tajik crew and rejoin the Uzbeks. The total drive to Ferghana town is about five hours, broken by several visits: in Kokand, former capital of the 19th–century Kokand Khanate, we explore Khudoyar–Khan Palace (1871), the Norbuta–Biy Madrassah and the Modarikhon Mausoleum; in Rishtan, home to potter dynasties, we visit a ceramics studio to watch masters at work – if you wish, you can buy earthenware; and in Margilan, we tour a silk factory to learn about the material that gave its name to the greatest trade route in history. We arrive in Ferghana town for the night.

We transfer to the Kyrgyz border this morning and say goodbye to our Uzbek leader. After formalities at the Dustlik crossing, we meet our Kyrgyz leader and head into nearby Osh, Kyrgyzstan’s second–largest city. We visit sacred Sulayman Mountain – a holy Muslim site and reputed burial place of the prophet Sulayman (Solomon) and the central point on the Silk Road – where the paved walk to the top has steps and can be tiring in the heat, but the views, a small museum and a 15th–century church make the effort worthwhile. On the way to Jalal–Abad, we stop at Uzgen to see the old minaret and neighbouring mausoleums and visit a rice bazaar; with a history of more than 2,000 years, Uzgen flourished in the Karakhanid epoch as a major trading and handicrafts centre.

We leave Jalal–Abad and transfer about 1hr 30min to Arslanbob Nature Reserve. The village of Arslanbob sits in the mountains at around 5,250ft (1,600m) – the top and bottom of the village vary considerably in altitude – and is surrounded by an ancient walnut forest believed to be the largest in the world. We take a leisurely walk with a picnic in the surrounding countryside – around four hours including lunch and stops – and walking shoes or boots are recommended. If you prefer not to join, you are free to opt out. After, we return about 1hr 30min to our guesthouse in Jalal–Abad.

Leaving the gorges behind, we make the long journey to the upland pastures around Son Kul Lake, set at 9,895ft (3,016m). The drive takes around nine hours and includes stretches of rough road – a new route is under construction, though its opening date is uncertain. Son Kul is one of Kyrgyzstan’s most celebrated mountain landscapes, where herding families bring their sheep and cattle to the jailoo in summer. We spend the night in a yurt camp, a comfortable, modernised take on nomadic living, with Western–style toilets and a dedicated shower yurt; hot water is available when the generator runs, usually morning and evening, though it can be intermittent.

Today is for soaking up the beauty of Son Kul. You can opt for a 2hr to 2hr 30min walk into the nearby hills – the slopes are quite steep and it may not be for everyone – with a few petroglyphs to admire at the top.

Our journey first takes us to Kochkor, Kyrgyzstan’s key centre for felt handicrafts, where we visit a workshop and can participate in making national carpets. From Kochkor, we travel through the central Tien Shan, driving through picturesque canyons and gorges along the southern shores of Issyk–Kul – the world’s second–largest salt lake, about 70km by 180km and nearly 700m deep – which never freezes, even in winter. At Bokonbaev village, we observe a traditional form of falconry – hunting with eagles – which remains integral to the nomadic lifestyle and is showcased at national competitions.

This morning, we continue to Karakol, first visiting Barskoon Gorge, known for high waterfalls and dense spruce forests and once visited by Yuri Gagarin. We hike to the Bowl of Manas waterfall, then continue to Djety Oguz Gorge to view the Seven Bulls and Broken Heart rock formations before driving on to Karakol – about 2hr 30min of driving in total today. The town’s atmosphere recalls Tsarist Russia, and we tour old Russian–style houses, a Russian Orthodox church dating to 1886, a wooden Dungan mosque from 1899 built without nails and the Karakol bazaar. This evening, we enjoy a home–cooked meal with a Uygur or Dungan family.

We cross the Kyrgyz–Kazakh border today and, after procedures that may take one to two hours, travel along the picturesque Karkara valley, where mountain flowers attract many beekeepers. We continue towards the Charyn River, where dramatic erosion has created an impressive landscape; we pause to observe the beginnings of Charyn and Moon Canyons from different viewpoints, take a short walk and time for photographs, then head to the Black Canyon. There is time for a picnic lunch in the canyon – you can buy your picnic from a supermarket earlier in the day – before continuing to Almaty, with an expected arrival around 5pm after about six hours of driving.

With the Tien Shan as a backdrop, Almaty is a beautiful, leafy city with a café culture and a distinctly European feel, and we have the whole day to explore. After breakfast, we set off on a city tour visiting Zenkov Cathedral (Ascension Cathedral) in Panfilov Park – made entirely of wood without the use of nails – the Great Patriotic and Civil War monuments and eternal flame, and the Museum of National Instruments.

Our adventure ends in Almaty after breakfast. If you would like a little longer here, you can arrange an extension through your sales representative.