This is an incredible trip visiting 3 Stans, and all very different from each other. The scenery and hiking in Kyrgyzstan was spectacular and the Golden Eagle experience was a real highlight. Uzbekistan was such a contrast to the first 2 countries and some of the sights were breathtakingly beautiful.
All of the countries were fascinating in their own way and our guides Vitaliy and Dilshod were excellent! Both very knowledgeable and gave us great insights and the history of each place we visited.
Samarkand
Samarkand Trips
Few names are as evocative or shrouded in legend as Samarkand: the one-time capital of the Timurid Empire and one of the most important cities on the Silk Road. Here, you are dazzled by the tilework on the mosques surrounding Registan Square, often described as the most beautiful city square in the world. Then there’s the stunning fluted dome of the Gur-i-Emir and the incredible avenue of Shah-i-Zinda, where the buildings are covered in beautiful mosaics. Our Samarkand tours also reveal what life is like in Uzbekistan today, with a visit to the huge markets in the city centre, where exotic fruits, nuts and other local produce stretch out before you. This truly is a city like no other.
Samarkand Holidays
Alex Morris The Silk Road
Nickey Knight The Five Stans of the Silk Road – Almaty to AshgabatThere was a lot of bus/ travel time on this journey. Given that, I felt that some days were very poorly planned.
Examples:
One day all we did was cross the border to Turkmenistan. We started at 1:pm and it took 2 hours. The next day there was a six hour excursion to a UNESCO site. Then back to the city for lunch. Then another 5.5 hour drive out to the gas crater. Obviously the UNESCO excursion could have been done the previous afternoon if we would have crossed the border in the morning. Then we would have arrived for sunset at the camp. Instead we were driving in the dark on a very poor and dangerous road, arriving stressed. As an aside, some passengers got bed bug bites at the camp.The day we arrived in Uzbekistan we had been travelling for 9 hours. All we wanted was our hotel, a drink and some food. Sergi proceeded to say we had to go to the summer palace and a silk factory that night. The whole group was fed up and we did not enjoy either one. These activities were scheduled for the next day.
Anyway there were many days like this; it was agreed by all that we would prefer to get to our hotel in the late afternoon in order to unwind and perhaps explore on our own. There was no need for so many late check ins.
Most hotels were adequate. I did not have high expectations. Rooms were clean and comfortable. However, the breakfasts were horrendous. Cold food, empty buffet trays, very little offered.
Fiona Carter Discover UzbekistanFabulous trip. We saw the famous cities and sites, and also travelled out into more remote areas. A real insight into the geography, the culture, and the history
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