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Travel to Central Asia |
Five Stans
21 days/20 nights
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Day 1: Almaty Arrival in Almaty, the former capital city of Kazakhstan, which is located in the heart of Eurasia. Almaty is situated on the site of an ancient Silk Road oasis, and today is the major commercial center of Kazakhstan. Upon your arrival you will be met and assisted by your English-speaking guide. Transfer to your hotel. Time at leisure. Lunch at a local restaurant. In the afternoon we visit Panfilov Park, Zenkov Wooden-Constructed Cathedral, and the Museum of National Instruments. Dinner and overnight at hotel. Day 2: Almaty Full-day sightseeing tour of Almaty and its surroundings. After breakfast visit State National Museum, St. Nicholas Cathedral, and Green Bazaar. Lunch at a local restaurant. In the afternoon we visit the Kok-Tube Hill (TV Tower), which is at an altitude of 1130 meters above sea level; the world-renowned Medeo ice skating rink constructed in 1972, and; Chimbulak Gorge to enjoy the panoramic view of the city. Dinner at a local restaurant and overnight at your hotel in Almaty. Day 3: Almaty - Issyk Kul Lake - CholponAta After breakfast depart for Issyk Kul Lake driving through scenic landscapes and the high mountains of the Tian Shan Range of Northern Kyrgyzstan. After having completed the border crossing formalities we will enter into Kyrgyzstan to reach Issyk Kul Lake, an ancient stop on the Silk Road. It is the second largest mountain lake in the world after Lake Titicaca. Dinner and overnight at hotel. Day 4: Bishkek Today we drive to Bishkek. Crossing through the Boom Gorge, we reach the 11th century Burana minatert/watch tower in the Chui Valley. At present this tower is 82 feet high but originally stood at 148 feet. It is all that remains of the ancient city of Balasagun. We continue to Bishkek, the capital city of Kyrgyzstan and one of the largest cities in Central Asia. Its multinational population of more than 800,000 people consists of at least 80 different nationalities. Bishkek is situated at an altitude of 700-900 meters above sea level. Sightseeing tour of the city includes the Central Museum and bazaar. Dinner at a local restaurant and overnight at hotel. Day 5: Bishkek - Tashkent Morning transfer to the airport for your scheduled flight to Tashkent, the capital city of Uzbekistan. Meet and assist upon your arrival in Tashkent. Transfer to your hotel. Time at leisure. Dinner and overnight in Tashkent. Day 6: Tashkent - Fergana Morning drive to Fergana, located in the southern fertile Fergana valley. En route visit Kokand on the crossroads of ancient Silk Road trade routes. Visit the Khudayar Khan Palace, Juma Mosque, and Dahmai Shahon Mausoleum. Continue to one of the greenest cities of Uzbekistan, Fergana. En route visit Rishtan, a town famous for its pottery workshops. Dinner and overnight at the hotel. Day 7: Fergana - Margilan - Rishton and Kokand Departure to Margilan. According to legend it was founded by Alexander the Great and was an important stop on the Silk Road. Visit the Yudgorlik Silk factory. Return to Fergana to visit the Uzbekistan State Museum. Later we visit the Rishtan village to see the famous private pottery workshops. Visit the ancient settlement of Kuva, dating back to 4-3 centuries B.C. Dinner and overnight in Fergana. Day 8: Fergana - Tashkent After breakfast drive to Tashkent, the capital city of Uzbekistan. Enjoy an independent evening for rest or exploration. Dinner and overnight at the hotel. Day 9: Tashkent - Samarkand Transfer to Samarkand, the second largest city in Uzbekistan. The city is most noted for its central position on the Silk Road between China and the West. Samarkand became a UNESCO site in 2001. Visit the Registan Square. The three Medresehs of the Registan are: The Medreseh of Ulughbek (1417-1420), the Medreseh Shir-Dor (1619-1636), and the Medreseh Tilla-Kori (1646-1660). Dinner and overnight at the hotel. Day 10: Samarkand - Day trip to Penjikent After breakfast we drive to Uzbek-Tajik border and enter Tajikistan. Drive to Penjikent to visit the ancient Sogdian ruins from the 5th century and the archaeological museum. Lunch and drive back to Samarkand. Day 11: Samarkand Samarkand is one of the oldest inhabited cities in the world, prospering from its location on the trade routes. This full-day sightseeing of Samarkand's treasures is nothing short of amazing. Visit Ulughbek Observatory, one of the most advanced observatories dating back to the 15th century. Visit the excavation of the ancient core of Samarkand on the Hill of Afrosiab and the mysterious architectural complex Shakhi-Zindeh (11-15th c.). Continue to the lavishly restored Mausoleum of Guri Emir, or Tamerlane, the Asian conqueror, dating from the 14-15th c. Lastly, we visit Bibi-Khonum Mosque, built by the conqueror to commemorate his victorious Indian campaign. Overnight at same hotel. Day 12: Samarkand to Bukhara via Shakhrisabz The ancient city of Shakhrisabz (which means Green City) is covered by orchards and vineyards. This is the hometown of Temarlane where he built numerous palaces, mosques, and mausoleums. UNESCO has added Shakhrisabz to the list of world heritage sites. Visit the ruins of Ak-Saray Palace (14-15th c.), Dor-ut Saodat complex, Kok Gumbaz Mosque (15th c.), and much more. Continue to Bukhara. Overnight at the hotel. Day 13: Bukhara Bukhara (UNESCO site), located on the Silk Road, has been a center of trade, scholarship, culture, and religion for over 5000 years. Bukhara pales a bit in comparison to Samarkand but still has its share of important buildings, spanning a thousand years of Central Asian architecture. Among the most notable sites of Bukhara are the Citadel Ark (4th c. BC), Samanides Mausoleum (9th c.), Chashma Ayub1 (4th c.), Bolo-Hauz Mosque (early 20th c.), Coumpol Bazaar, the Medreseh Nodir-Divan-Beghi, the complex of Lyabi-Khauz (14-17th c.), Minaret Kalon (12th c.), and others. Overnight at the hotel. Day 14: Bukhara Today we visit Bahouddin Nakshbandi Mausoleum, one of Sufism's most important shrines from the 16-19th c. Continue to summer residence of the last emir to the Sitorai-Mokhi-Hossa from the 19th c. Overnight at the hotel. Day 15: Bukhara - Turkmenabad - Mary Drive from Bukhara to the ancient oasis of Mary via the modern industrial city of Turkmenabad in Turkmenistan. Meet and assist at Farap border check point. En route visit the Mausoleum of Talkhatan Baba XII built in 1095 AD, a masterpiece of Seljuk architecture. Arrival in Mary, an industrial center and the second largest city of Turkmenistan. Mary, once known as "the Pearl of the East," is a group of sites which was inhabited throughout ancient times. Accommodation in Mary. Overnight. Day 16: Mary - Ashgabad Drive about 28 km from Mary for sightseeing in the ancient fertile oasis city of Merv (UNESCO). Merv dates back over 4000 years as a location of succeeding civilizations and became an important way station on the Great Silk Road between the 2nd and 13th centuries when it was sacked by the Mongols. The site is vast, holding the archeological remains of five cities. Return to Mary. In the afternoon drive to Ashgabad. Upon arrival check in to the hotel. Overnight. Day 17: Ashgabad Although Ashgabad prospered on the trade routes with Silk Road merchants traveling over the mountains into Persia, it never achieved the status of Khiva or Bukhara. In 1948 it was leveled by a huge earthquake so that the Ashgabad of today is a completely modern creation. Our sightseeing tour of Ashgabad includes visits to the National Museum of History and Ethnography of Turkmenistan and Old Nisa, an ancient Parthian settlement and the ruins of Anau, declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2007. Overnight at hotel. Day 18: Ashgabad - Dashaguz - Khunya Urgench - Khiva Early morning fifty-minute flight from Ashgabad to the northern city of Dashaguz. From Dashaguz drive to Kunya Urgench, an important UNESCO site and home to numerous monuments dating from the 11th to 16th centuries. In Kunya Urgench we visit historic sites including the Mausoleums of Turebek-Khanym, Sultan Tekesh, Sultan II Arslan, Najmad-din-Kubra, and Sultan Ali. The architecture of this area was influential in neighboring countries in subsequent centuries. Return to Dashaguz. Cross the border into Uzbekistan to reach Khiva. Overnight in Khiva. Day 19: Khiva Legend has it that Khiva dates back to the time of Noah, but throughout history it has been associated with Silk Road slave caravans, barbaric cruelty, and terrible, dangerous journeys across deserts and steppes. The inner city ancient complex of Ichan-Kala is surrounded by walls with eleven gates built in the 10th century and later restored by the Russians who have had a role in Khiva's history from the 1800's. The architectural complex from the 12-19th centuries is the home of at least fifty historic monuments. Ichan-Kala was residence of the last Khan and includes Khodja Mausoleum, Mohammed Amin Khan Madrassah, Kunya-Ark Castle, Kalta Minor Tower, Tash-Hovli Palace, and Juma Mosque. Overnight at the hotel. Day 20: Khiva - Tashkent Transfer to Urghench airport for your flight to Tashkent. Tashkent lost much of its architectural history in a huge earthquake in 1966. It has the fourth biggest Russian population after St. Petersburg, Moscow, and Kiev. Today the city has a decidedly Russian feel with many wide tree-lined boulevards and oversized twentieth century Soviet-style buildings. Sightseeing includes Independence Square, Navoi Theater, Barak-Khan Madrasah, the Kaffal-Shashi Mausoleum, Kukeldash Madrasah, and Chorsu Bazaar. Overnight at the hotel. Day 21: Tashkent departure Breakfast at the hotel. Transfer to the airport for your flight to the next destination. TOUR PRICE: Land Cost Per Person: (double occupancy)
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