Tour Program

Day
1
Day 1: Airport - Bishkek
Itinerary
Arrive in Bishkek and transfer to a hotel. Go on a sightseeing tour of Kyrgyzstan's capital city, visiting the following destinations: Oak Park, Ala Too Square, Bishkek's Concert Hall, Manas Statue, and Victory Square. Overnight stay at a hotel or guest house.
Meals
B _ _
Accomodation
Hotel/Guest house
Day
2
Day 2: Bishkek - Kemin - Lake Issyk Kul
Itinerary
In the morning transfer to Lake Issyk-Kul (260 km). En route visit Burana Tower, which marks the original site of the Karakhanid town, Balasagun. Eat lunch with a Kyrgyz family and watch a demonstration of how to set up a nomadic yurt (round felt tent). Continue driving to Lake Issyk Kul. Upon arrival at Lake Issyk Kul, accommodation will be at a hotel on the north shore of the lake.
Meals
B L D
Accomodation
Hotel
Day
3
Day 3: Lake Issyk Kul - Karakol
Itinerary
Drive to Karakol. On the way, stop in Cholpon Ata to visit an open air petroglyph museum said to contain drawings that date from 500 BC – 100 AD; the petroglyphs depict wolves, long-horned ibex, goats, horses, snow leopards, sacrifices and some hunting scenes. Once in Karakol, visit a wooden Russian Orthodox church, a Dungan mosque, and the Prezhevalsky Museum. Enjoy folk music during dinner. Overnight stay in Karakol.
Meals
B _ D
Accomodation
Hotel/B&B
Day
4
Day 4: Karakol - Jeti Oguz
Itinerary
In the morning drive to Jeti Oguz Gorge, a lush valley with some striking red sandstone rock formations. Break for a picnic lunch. Overnight stay at a yurt camp.
Meals
B L D
Accomodation
Yurt Camp
Day
5
Day 5: Jeti Oguz - Bokonbaevo - Kochkor
Itinerary
Start driving to the village of Kochkor along the southern shore of Lake Issyk Kul. En route stop in Bokonbaevo where you can see a falconry demonstration. Dinner and overnight stay at a local residence.
Meals
B L D
Accomodation
B&B, Local Residence
Day
6
Day 6: Kochkor - Tash Rabat
Itinerary
After breakfast visit a felt carpet workshop where you can see the process of how traditional Kyrgyz carpets are made. Transfer to Tash Rabat (245 km) near the Chinese border. Tash Rabat, an 11th century caravanserai, served as an inn for travelers along the Great Silk Road. This is a carefully restored stone building. Overnight stay in yurts.
Meals
B L D
Accomodation
Yurt Camp
Day
7
Day 7: Tash Rabat - Torugart - Kashgar
Itinerary
Breakfast. Drive to Torugart Pass early in the morning. Meet up with a Chinese travel company at the Kyrgyz-Chinese border. Drive to Kashgar. Overnight stay at a hotel.
Meals
B _ _
Accomodation
Hotel
Day
8
Day 8: Kashgar
Itinerary
In Kashgar visit the Id Kah Mosque (the largest Mosque in China) and the tomb of Yusup Hazi Hajup. Overnight stay at a hotel.
Meals
B L D
Accomodation
Hotel
Day
9
Day 9: Kashgar
Itinerary
Spend the day exploring the Sunday Market. Marco Polo wrote the following description about Kashgar during his explorations: It is an eastern Cairo where there are mountains of goods and people swarm like bees. The Sunday Bazaar is believed to be the largest outdoor market in the world.
Meals
B L D
Accomodation
Hotel
Day
10
Day 10: Kashgar - Irkyshtam - Sary Tash
Itinerary
Early in the morning transfer to the Irkeshtam border crossing. The view is spectacular; see the Pamir Mountain Range covered in snow and glaciers on the right-hand side and small hills on the left that serve as summer pastures. Arrive at the border. Transfer to the village of Sary Tash. Overnight stay at a local residence.
Meals
B L D
Accomodation
B&B, Local Residence
Day
11
Day 11: Sary Tash - Osh
Itinerary
After breakfast transfer to Osh (220 km). Right after we leave the village, we will drive up the Taldyk Pass (3,615 m asl). You will see a lot of diversity in the landscape ranging from forested mountain slopes to meadows with small rivers to gorgeous panoramas. Upon arrival in Osh, take a tour of the city. As the legend goes, Osh was founded by King Solomon ages ago and had an important position on the trading routes of the Great Silk Road. Today you will visit Suleiman Too (Solomon’s Mountain) and Osh Bazaar, a market that has been open and in operation since the times of the Silk Road. Overnight stay at a hotel or guest house.
Meals
B L _
Accomodation
Hotel/Guest house
Day
12
Day 12: Osh - Fergana - Tashkent
Itinerary
In the morning transfer to the Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan border crossing, Dostuk. Border formalities. Visit the cities of Andijan and Quva on our way. Drive to Margilan and visit the Said Akhmad-Khoja Madrasah. Today the madrasah is home to a number of craftsmen the produce handmade carpets and silk. Go for a walk in a traditional market and continue on to the Yodgorlik Silk Factory to see how silk with traditional Ikat patterns in made. Our last stop will be in the city of Kokand where you will visit the Khudoyar-Khan Palace, Jami Mosque, and Norbutabek and Kamol-Kazy Madrasahs. Leave the Fergana Valley and drive to Tashkent. The steep road* that connects the Fergana Valley to the rest of Uzbekistan runs via the picturesque mountain pass, Kamchik (2,267 m asl). Arrive in Tashkent late in the evening. Check into a hotel. Overnight stay at that hotel.
Meals
B _ _
Accomodation
Hotel
Day
13
Day 13: Tashkent - Urgench - Khiva
Itinerary
Check out of the hotel by noon. Meet up with your guide who will take you on a sightseeing tour of Uzbekistan's capital, the largest city in Central Asia. Visit the Old City section of Tashkent with the Khast-Imom Complex where the world famous Quran of Caliph Uthman–Ottoman has been preserved. In the Khast-Imom Complex visit the Madrasah of Barak-Khan, the Tilla Sheikh Mosque, the mausoleum of Saint Abu Bakr Kaffal Shashi, and the Islamic Institute of Imam al-Bukhari. Explore the Chor-Su Bazaar then take a ride on the Tashkent Metro into the city center with Amir Temur Square, Independence Square, and the Applied Arts Museum. Take the evening flight to Urgench (1,093 km, 1 h 40 min). Arrive in Urgench andtransfer to a hotel in Khiva (30 km, 35 min.). Overnight stay at the hotel. Length of the sightseeing tour: 4-5 hours
Meals
B _ _
Accomodation
Hotel
Day
14
Day 14: Khiva
Itinerary
Spend a day at a UNESCO World Heritage site, the Ichan-Kala Fortress. Visit the Mukhammad Amin Khan Madrasah, Mukhammad Rahimkhan Madrasah, Kalta Minor, Kunya-Ark, Juma Mosque, Toshkhovli Palace, Pakhlavan Makhmud Mausoleum, and Minaret of Islom Khodja. Free time in the afternoon. Overnight stay at the hotel. Length of sightseeing tour: 5 hours
Meals
B _ _
Accomodation
Hotel
Day
15
Day 15: Khiva - Bukhara
Itinerary
In the morning depart from Khiva and drive to Bukhara (480 km, 7-8 hour drive*). The Great Silk Road once ran through Bukhara and Khiva as well as the Kyzylkum Desert, exactly how the road does today**. Stop en route to enjoy views of the Amudarya River and the desert. Arrive in Bukhara late in the afternoon and check into a hotel. Take time to relax. Overnight stay at the hotel. *We recommend packing a lunch for this trip. **Some parts of the road are currently under construction.
Meals
B _ _
Accomodation
Hotel
Day
16
Day 16: Bukhara
Itinerary
Take a tour of the Old City with a guide. Visit the Lyabi Hauz Ensemble, Magoki-Attori Mosque, trade domes, Kalyan Minaret, Kalyan Mosque and Miri-Arab Madrasah, Ulugbek and Abdulazizkhan Madrasahs, Ark Fortress, Bolo-Khauz Mosque, Chor-Minor Madrasah, and the Ismail Samani and Chashma-Ayub Mausoleums. Overnight stay at the hotel. Length of sightseeing tour: 6-7 hours
Meals
B _ _
Accomodation
Hotel
Day
17
Day 17: Bukhara - Samarkand
Itinerary
Continue your sightseeing tour with a guide. Drive out of the city to Sitorai-Mokhikhosa, the summer residence of Bukhara’s last emir. Head to the Mausoleum of Bakhoutdin Naqshbandi. In the afternoon transfer to Samarkand (280 km, 4 hour drive). On the way stop by Caravanserai Rabat Malik that dates back to the 11th century. Arrive in Samarkand late in the afternoon. Check into a hotel. Overnight stay at the hotel. Length of sightseeing tour: 2-3 hours
Meals
B _ _
Accomodation
Hotel
Day
18
Day 18: Samarkand - Tashkent
Itinerary
Check out of the hotel by noon. Meet up with your guide and driver in the hotel lobby to start your tour of the city. Visit the spectacular Registan Square, remains of the Bibi Khanum Mosque, Siyob Bazaar, Ulugbek Observatory, Shakhi-Zinda Necropolis, and the Gur Emir Mausoleum, the authentic shrine of Tamerlane. At 16:00 transfer to the railway station and take the fast-speed Afrosiyob train departing for Tashkent at 17:00 (300 km). Scheduled arrival time is 19:10. Pick-up and transfer to a hotel. Overnight stay at the hotel. Duration of sightseeing tour: 6-7 hours
Meals
B _ _
Accomodation
Hotel
Day
19
Day 19: Tashkent - Airport
Itinerary
Check out of the hotel by noon. Transfer to the international airport. End of the tour.
Meals
B _ _
Accomodation
_ _ _