Breakfast. At 09:00, your guide and driver will meet you in the hotel lobby to start a sightseeing tour of Almaty. Highlights of this morning will include Panfilov Park, Zenkov Cathedral, Republic Square, and the Almaty City Museum. After a welcome lunch, a short drive (25 km) will take you to Chimbulak. Here, visit the ski resort and ride the cable car to enjoy the amazing views of the snowy peaks of the Tian Shan Mountains. Free time.

Stay overnight in Almaty

After breakfast depart Almaty and drive to Bishkek via a newly built highway, enjoy nature landscapes on the way (250 km, 4 h.). Upon arrival check-in at the hotel.

Start sightseeing tour in Bishkek: visit Oak Park, Ala-Too Square, Statue of Manas. See Philharmonic Hall and Victory Monument – bright examples of Soviet architecture.

Duration of sightseeing tour: 2-3 hours

Stay overnight in Bishkek

Breakfast. Depart Bishkek at 09:00.

The first stop will be Burana Tower, which was part of the ancient city of Balasagun (11th to 13th centuries) and is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Next on the agenda will be experiencing a Kyrgyz national horse game called “Ulak Tartysh” (goat pulling). Ulak Tartysh (also known as Kok Boru) is a fight between two teams of horse riders for a goat carcass. Transfer to Don Aryk village and have lunch at the home of a local Kyrgyz family.

After lunch, watch a demonstration of yurt construction and even take part if you wish.

Local Kyrgyz women will explain the meaning and use of each part of the yurt.

Transfer to Bishkek airport (110 km, ~1h 30 min)

Take flight HY780 to Tashkent, which departs at 18:10 and arrives at 18:30 (1h 20 min).

Arrive Tashkent, transfer to the hotel and check in.

Stay overnight in Tashkent

Breakfast. Start the Tashkent city tour at 10:00 by visiting the Old City of Tashkent. This area encompasses the Khast-Imam Complex (famous for displaying one of the earliest copies of the Qur’an, the Holy Book of Islam), and Chorsu Bazaar, where you can haggle for spices, dried fruit, and nuts.

Then take a ride on Tashkent Metro to the city center to visit Applied Arts Museum and walk through Navoi Theater to Amir Timur Square where you will end Tashkent city tour.

The city tour will take 4-5 hours, after which you’ll have some free time.

At 18:00, transfer to the railway station. Take the high-speed train from Afrosiyob to Samarkand, departs at 18:50 and arrives in Samarkand at 21:00 (300 km, 2h 10 min).

Arrive Samarkand, transfer to the hotel and check in.

Stay overnight in Samarkand

Breakfast. At 09:00, the city tour will begin with a visit to the spectacular Registan Square, followed by the Gur Emir Mausoleum, the final resting place of the Turco-Mongol emperor, Timur. Explore the Bibi Khanum Mosque and Shakhi-Zinda Necropolis, and then take a short drive to Konigil village to find out about the traditional techniques used to make the famous Samarkand paper from mulberry bark. Free time.

Duration of sightseeing tour: 6-7 hours

Stay overnight in Samarkand

Breakfast. At 10:00 am, transfer to the Uzbekistan-Tajikistan border point, Jartepa (50 km, 1 h).

Upon arrival at the customs and passport control on both sides, kindly proceed to the exit of the border control area. At that point, our guide/driver will be waiting for you with the sign with your name.

Meet your local Tajik guide and driver to drive to ancient Penjikent (80 km, ~1 h 30 min), the ruins of a town founded by the Sogdians in the 5th century and abandoned by Arabs in the 8th century. The foundations of houses, a citadel with a couple of Zoroastrian fire temples, and the remains of the city bazaar are visible in the excavated ruins.

In the newer part of Penjikent, visit a local bazaar, a mosque, and the Rudaki Museum (Penjikent is the birthplace of Abu Abdallah Rudaki, considered by many to be the father of Persian poetry).

After a 3-hour sightseeing tour check in the hotel. Free time.

Stay overnight in Penjikent

Breakfast. Drive to the Seven Lakes (80 km, ~2 h). These lakes are located in the western part of the Fann Mountains. Each lake has its own color, varying from calming turquoise to mesmerizing purple.

Have lunch at the guest house next to the 4th lake. Those who would like to enjoy the view from the 7th lake there is an opportunity to have a hiking tour from the 6th lake up to the 7th lake.

In the afternoon, drive to the Jartepa border crossing (120 km, 2 h 30 min). Complete the border formalities.

On the Uzbek side, your driver will meet you and transfer to Samarkand. Free time in the city.

At 20:45 transfer to the railway station. Take the high-speed from Afrosiyob to Bukhara, train departing at 21:43 and arriving in Bukhara at 23:25 (270 km, 1 h 35 min). Transfer to the hotel and check in.

Stay overnight in Bukhara

Breakfast. At 10:00, start exploring the Old City of Bukhara.

Highlights of the walking tour will include: the Lyabi Hauz Ensemble, Magoki-Attori Mosque, Chor-Minor Madrasa, Kalyan Minaret, Kalyan Mosque, Miri-Arab Madrasa, Ulugbek and Abdulazizkhan Madrasas, Ark Fortress, Bolo-Khauz Mosque, Ismail Samani and Chashma-Ayub Mausoleums, and various trading domes.

Free time from 15:00 until the National Show at Nadir Divan-begi Madrasa, which starts at 18:00.

Stay overnight in Bukhara

Early breakfast. Depart at 06:30 for the Uzbekistan-Turkmenistan border point, Farap-Alat (100 km, 1 h 30 min).

Upon arrival, complete border formalities. After the customs and passport control at both checkpoints, kindly proceed to the exit of the border control area. At that point, our guide/driver will be waiting for you with the sign with your name.

Continue to Merv (300 km, 5 h 30 min), an ancient city that was a major center of international trade and crafts on the Silk Road. Merv is also home to a historical park for you to discover, with sights including: the Sultan Sanjar Mausoleum, Major and Minor Kyz-Kala, Erk-Kala, Gyaur-Kala, Keshk Fortress, and others.

Lunch at a local restaurant. Transfer to Mary Airport (40 km, 30 min).

Take the evening flight to Ashgabat at 18:10. Upon arrival in Ashgabat at 18:50, transfer to the hotel.

Stay overnight in Ashgabat

Breakfast, followed by a sightseeing tour of Ashgabat.

Ashgabat, the capital of Turkmenistan, has recently been recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records as having more white marble buildings than any other city in the world. During the city tour, explore the archaeological site of Old Nissa (a UNESCO World Heritage Site) and Spiritual Mosque, one of the biggest mosques in Central Asia. Visit the National Museum of History, the Monument of Neutrality, Ertugrul Gazi Mosque and the recently-built Independence Park. The sightseeing tour will take about 6 hours.

In the afternoon, we will drive through the Karakum Desert to the famous Darvaza Gas Crater (280 km, 4 h).

After arriving at the crater, camp will be set up and you’ll enjoy a delicious, fire-cooked dinner near the “Gates of Hell”.

Note: At Darvaza camp you will be accommodated at a yurt or there is an option to have 1- or 2-person tents. In both cases, toilets and basic washing facilities are outside.

Stay overnight in Darvaza

Camp-style breakfast. Drive back through the Karakum Desert to the Turkmenistan-Uzbekistan border point, Dashoguz-Shavat (270 km, 4 h). Following border formalities at both checkpoints, your Uzbek driver will meet you to begin the trip to Khiva (60 km, 1 h). Upon arrival, check in to the hotel. Free time.

Stay overnight in Khiva

Breakfast and hotel check out (the hotel will store your luggage safely for the day).

Spend the morning at the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Ichan-Kala Fortress. Highlights of the morning walking tour include the Mukhammad Amin Khan Madrasa, Mukhammad Rahimkhan Madrasa, Kalta Minor, Juma Mosque, Tash-Khovli Palace, Pakhlavan Makhmud Mausoleum, and Minaret of Islom Khodja.

Farewell dinner then Transfer to Urgench Airport at 20:30 (30 km, 35 min).

Take flight to Tashkent departs at 22:55 and arrives at 00:15+1 (1,093 km, 1 h 40 min).

Arrive and Transfer to check in the hotel

Stay overnight in Tashkent

Check out the hotel till noon.

Transfer to the airport for your departure flight home.

GUARANTEED DEPARTURE FROM ALMATY

• Price is per person / sharing double/twin room
• Price is for land arrangements only (escorted / shared / join-in tour for maximum 16 participants’)
• Price is subject to change without prior notice. Terms and Conditions Apply
• Price is subject to availability and confirmation at the time of booking.
• FLIGHTS ARE NOT INCLUDED (can be quoted and arranged separately)

Inclusions:

~ Accommodation based on twin/double room sharing throughout the tour, breakfast included [Economy Hotels];

~ Transportation throughout the tour, including airports/train stations pick up and drop offs;

~ Sightseeing tour program with English speaking different local guides in each city;

~ Tour leader to accompany group of 6 and more travelers in each country;

~ Entrance fees to sights as per itinerary;

~ Economy class tickets for flights: Bishkek-Tashkent, Mary-Ashgabat, Urgench-Tashkent;

~ Economy-class tickets for trains: Tashkent-Samarkand-Bukhara (on rare occasions when the high-speed train is unavailable, we will replace this with the most-comfortable class of regular train);

~ Visa support for Uzbekistan triple entry visa;

~ Visa support for Turkmenistan tourist visa;

~ E-visa to Uzbekistan (triple entry) and e-visa to Tajikistan;

~ National folklore show in Bukhara on Day 9;

~ Meals: welcome lunch in Almaty on Day 2, lunch at home of a local family in Don-Aryk on Day 4, lunch at Seven Lakes on Day 7, lunch in Mary on Day 10, camp style dinner at Darvaza on Day 11, dinner in Khiva on Day 13

Remarks:

~ Please note that itinerary and prices are subject to change due to airline and train schedule changes, currency fluctuations and other unforeseeable events.

For inquiries and bookings please

email us INFO@F56.COM or call us +852 2521 0571