The Five Stans of the Silk Road - Almaty to Ashgabat

Our tour of the Five Stans starts in Almaty. The former Kazakh capital has the Tien Shan mountains as its backdrop and is the most European city in Central Asia with leafy streets and a cafe culture.

After an early check-in to our hotel, we have time for rest before lunch and setting off on a city tour around 1pm. Visit a number of sites, including Panfilovs Park, home to the Piously-Voznesenskiy Orthodox Cathedral (1907), which was built without any nails; a memorial to victims of the Second World War and the Republic Square, plus the National History Museum and the Museum of National Instruments.

Accommodation: Kazzhol Hotel (or similar)

After breakfast, we transfer to Medeo Gorge, around 15mi (25km) from Almaty at 2,000m (6,560ft) above sea level, which hosts the world’s highest mountain skating rink and the largest ski resort in the region. Along the way, we stop by a well-known dam that protects the city from avalanches and mudslides, which commonly cascade from the slopes. We also take a cable car to the top to enjoy a panoramic view of the Tien Shan mountains (sometimes the cable car is closed for maintenance; when this occurs, we’re usually able to travel up to the base station by electric vehicle but not get to the top).

After, we return to Almaty and take another cable car at Kok-Tobe recreational area to the top of Kok-Tobe hill to enjoy panoramic views of Almaty and the city’s surroundings.

After returning to our hotel mid-afternoon, we have free time to relax before an early start for the next leg of our tour tomorrow.

Accommodation: Kazzhol Hotel (or similar)

After an early start, we head towards the Black Canyon and Charyn River, where the dramatic erosion caused by the river has created an impressive landscape. We have some time to observe the beginning of Charyn and Moon Canyons from different viewpoints, as well as a short walk and time for photographs. We’ll eat a picnic lunch in the canyon (you can buy your picnic from a supermarket earlier in the day).

We cross the Kazakh-Kyrgyz border, a checkpoint that may take up to two hours for processing. After border formalities, we proceed to Karakol along the picturesque Karkara valley, famous for its mountain flowers that attract many beekeepers. We expect to check into our hotel in Karakol around 5pm. There are about six hours of driving today.

Accommodation: Hotel Amir (or similar)

Karakol town takes us back to the times of Tsarist Russia. Our tour of the town takes in old Russian-style houses, a Russian Orthodox church dating to 1886, a wooden Dungan mosque (1899) made without nails, and Karakol bazaar.

From Karakol, we continue through the Tien Shan mountains along the northern shore of Issyk Kul Lake to the town of Cholpon-Ata. Issyk Kul is the second largest salt lake in the world, measuring 43mi by 112mi (70km by 180km) and almost 2,300ft (700m) deep. The name translates as Hot Lake, as it never freezes over, even in the depths of winter. It’s surrounded by a mixture of forest and meadow with a backdrop of mountains and glaciers. More than 100 streams and rivers flow into the lake but none flow out, which is said to be explained by the underwater tectonic activity in the lake.

We reach the resort town of Cholpon-Ata and visit nearby petroglyphs, a large open-air collection of rock carvings sometimes referred to as a Stone Garden, which covers some 104 acres (42ha) and contains a number of prehistoric stone structures. We also visit the Nomadic Civilization Museum, which exhibits the rich history and culture of the Altai nomads.

We then continue to Chon Kemin, a quiet valley of small villages and agricultural land with mountains and fir forests beyond. There are about five hours of driving today.

Accommodation: Kemin Guesthouse (or similar)

After breakfast, we head to Bishkek, the modern capital city and industrial centre of Kyrgyzstan. Along the way we stop at an 11th-century Karakhanid minaret – Burana Tower, a UNESCO World Heritage site and the first minaret of its kind in Central Asia. You can climb to the top of the tower. Take care, it’s quite dark inside and the stairs are steep and narrow. We visit the museum complex, including the tower itself, reconstructions of mausoleums found on the site, remains of a citadel, balbals (gravestones used by nomadic Turkic peoples) and petroglyphs.

After arriving in Bishkek, we check into our hotel.

Accommodation: Hotel Bridges (or similar)

Bishkek, at the foothill of the magnificent Kyrgyz Ala-Tau mountains, is a city of many green parks and marble-faced public buildings combined with numerous Soviet heritage buildings and houses. It is laid out in a grid pattern, with most streets flanked on both sides by narrow irrigation channels that water the innumerable trees. The city is believed to be the greenest in Central Asia with more trees per head of population than any other.

After breakfast, set out on a sightseeing tour that takes us to the main city sites, including the State History Museum; the Kyrgyz National Museum of Fine Arts; Ala-Too Square, the most important square in the country; and Oak Park, one of the oldest parks in Bishkek.

Accommodation: Hotel Bridges (or similar)

We have an early start today before a long but scenic drive along the spectacular Bishkek-Osh highway through the central Tien Shan mountains to Jalal-Abad. We drive through picturesque canyons and gorges and around Toktogul Reservoir with its cascade of hydroelectric power stations.

We continue over Ala-Bel (3,120m/10,235ft) and Tyua-Ashuu (3,050m/10,005ft) mountain passes, along the picturesque Suusamyr mountain valley. In summer, the valley is dotted with hundreds of yurts, and serves as a pasture for countless herds of cattle. Here, local people produce Kyrgyz national drink, kumus (fermented mare’s milk), sour cheese and butter that they sell along the road. There are about nine hours of driving today.

Accommodation: Hotel Goodnight Jalal-Abad (or similar)

We leave the city and head for Arslanbob Nature Reserve (approximately 1hr 30min drive). The village of Arslanbob is in the mountains at around 1,600m (5,250ft) – though 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 go for a walk and picnic lunch in the surrounding countryside. The walk takes around four hours (including lunch and stops) and requires walking shoes/boots. The pace is leisurely but if anyone prefers not to join, you are free to opt out.

Afterwards, we head back to our guesthouse (approximately 1hr 30min drive) in Jalal-Abad for the night.

Accommodation: Hotel Goodnight Jalal-Abad (or similar)

Head to Osh, Kyrgyzstan’s second largest city. Along the way, we make a sightseeing stop at Uzgen, with a history dating back over 2,000 years — it is claimed to be a site of numerous citadels built at various times since the 1st century BCE. It was an important centre of trade routes between the Fergana and the northern territories of Central Asia. Uzgen became a highly developed town in the Karakhanid’s epoch and developed into a large trading and handicraft centre. We visit an old minaret, nearby mausoleums, and a rice bazaar.

We continue to Osh and visit the sacred Sulayman Mountain, a holy Muslim site and burial place of the prophet Sulayman (Solomon), and the central point on the Silk Road. The walk to the top of Sulayman Mountain is paved with some steps and can be tiring in the heat but the views over the city and valley below, small museum and 15th-century church are worth the effort.

A short drive gets us to our next border crossing to Uzbekistan, and country number three on our tour. The crossing at the Dustlik border crossing point can take about 1hr 30min. We meet our Uzbek leader on the other side and drive for approximately two hours (62mi/100km) to Fergana town where we check into our hotel and spend the night.

Accommodation: Hotel Asia Fergana (or similar)

Transfer from Ferghana to Khujand (approximately a five-hour drive), but we make a couple of stops along the way. The first of these is at Margilan where we visit a silk factory and learn about the material which has given its name to the greatest trade route in history.

From here, continue to the small village of Rishtan, famous for potter dynasties and ceramics masters. We visit a ceramics studio and witness a demonstration of the craft before having the opportunity to buy some of the earthenware. Our final stop is Kokand, which was the capital of the 19^th-century Kokand Khanate. We visit the Khudoyar-Khan Palace (1871) home to a museum, the Norbuta-Biy Madrassah and the Modarikhon Mausoleum.

From Kokand, we transfer to Uzbekistan-Tajikistan border; after border formalities, we meet our Tajik guide and drive to Khujand, where we check into our hotel.

Accommodation: Khudjand Delux Hotel (or similar)

Leaving the Fann Mountains, we head into the industrial and agricultural heartland around the city of Khujand (about four hours’ drive).

We start with a visit to Khujand. While not the most attractive of cities, it has a complex history. Believed to be one of the oldest in Central Asia, it was attacked by Alexander the Great, Arab invaders and Genghis Khan, as well as being an important Silk Road stop. There are still traces of the glory days and we take in a tour of the sites, including the Musuem of Archaeology, Sheikh Maslikhiddin Mosque, the Payshanba bazaar and, if time, Arbob Palace – the Urumkhodjaev family country estate, a copy of the Russian tsarist palace of Peterhof.

After, we transfer (five to six hours) to Penjikent via Istaravshan. The town was founded by the Persian king Kier in the sixth century, and we visit the bazaar before continuing to Penjikent for the night.

Accommodation: Panjakent Plaza Hotel (or similar)

Make a trip into the heart of the Fann Mountains. We drive (50mi/80km) to Seven Lakes (or Haf Kul in Tajik) in the Shing Valley, taking a sometimes bumpy and narrow road. The high mineral content in the water gives the lakes an unusual colour. We have time to enjoy the mountains, with a walk to Hazorchashma lake and a picnic lunch in Nofin village before driving back to Penjikent.

Accommodation: Panjakent Plaza Hotel (or similar)

In Penjikent, we set out on a tour (three to four hours) that takes us to the Museum of Rudaki (Rudaki is considered by many to be the father of Persian poetry and he was born in Penjikent) and ancient Penjikent – ruins of old Sogdian town founded in the fifth century and abandoned in the eighth century. We also explore the remains of houses, a citadel with Zoroastrian fire temples and a bazaar in the excavated ruins.

After, we drive to Sarazm, one of Central Asia’s ancient settlements, dating back 5,500 years and now a World Heritage site. Next, we travel to the Uzbek border, re-enter Uzbekistan and drive to Samarkand where we check into our hotel for the evening.

Accommodation: Malika Diyora (or similar)

Spend the day exploring Samarkand. Samarkand is steeped in history, dating back 2,500 years and impacted by Alexander the Great, Genghis Khan and Tamerlane, who made it the capital of his empire in the 14th century. Its central position on the Silk Road meant it was an important stop on the route from Istanbul to Peking (now Beijing).

At its heart is the grand Registan Square flanked by the three grand madrasahs of Ulughbeg, Sherdor and Tilya Qori. We visit the grand square and the Gur Emir Mausoleum, burial place of Tamerlane, his sons and his grandson, Ulughbek. The Ulugbek Observatory was built in 1420 by Tamerlane’s grandson who was not just a ruler but also a well-known astronomer. We move onto the oversized Bibi Khanum Mosque and Shakhi Zinda – the ‘Living King’ necropolis – with its series of mausoleums dating back to the 14th and 15th centuries.

Our final visit is to the exotic Siab Bazaar with its fresh and dried fruit and nuts and other local food produce, and a paper factory. The exact order of visits may vary.

Accommodation: Malika Diyora (or similar)

Today, we drive (four to five hours) from Samarkand to Bukhara via Gijduvan. In Gijduvan, we visit the house of a famous dynasty of pottery masters, the Narzullaevs. We continue to Bukhara and explore the Sitorai-Mohl-Hosa Palace, the summer palace of the Bukhara emirs. The interior of the palace rooms is richly decorated with magnificent paintings, stucco and wood carvings.

Accommodation: Kavsar Hotel (or similar)

Today is spent exploring Bukhara. The best-preserved medieval city in Central Asia, this World Heritage site dates back more than 2,000 years. Our tour takes us to the Samanid Mausoleum, the oldest piece of Islamic architecture in Central Asia and burial site of the 10^th-century emir; Mazar Chashma Ayub mausoleum, a sarcophagus over an ancient sacred spring; Ark Fortress, a fifth-century citadel and the oldest building in Bukhara.

Next is the Poi-Kalyan religious complex with its 48m (157ft) Kalyan minaret dating to the 12th century and the symbol of Bukhara, and the only active madrasah in the city, Bukhara Miri-Arab; the large Kalyan Mosque (15th century) with its galleries topped by 288 domes.

We then visit Lyabi Khauz complex, built in the 16th and 17th centuries, home to the oldest pool of its kind in Central Asia. The pool is surrounded by madrasahs and a khanaka (lodging house for travelling sufis), including the largest madrasah in Bukhara, the 15^th-century Kukeldash Madrasah.

Accommodation: Kavsar Hotel (or similar)

This morning, we transfer (seven to eight hours) to Khiva through the Kyzylkum desert and enjoy scenic photo stops in the desert and on the banks of the Amu Darya River.

After arriving in Khiva, we check into our hotel and have the evening free to relax or explore.

Accommodation: Malika Khorezm, Khiva (or similar)

After breakfast, we head to the arid plains of Khorezm. These were once densely populated marshland, inhabited by Messagetae Scythians. These nomadic horseback archers fought to retain the land, even defeating Persian emperor Cyrus the Great in 529 BCE. We visit the 2000-year-old ruined city fortress of Toprak-Qala, which is backdropped by the Sultan Vais Mountains. The settlement began in the first century BCE under Kushan patronage and was later devastated by Turkish raids that led to the depopulation of the town in the sixth century. There are still three large round towers and an impressive portion of the citadel that still remain, but the parchments and paintings found there are now in St Petersburg’s Hermitage Museum. We also visit Qizil-Qala, formerly an important oasis with an impressive number of remaining buildings, and Ayaz-Qala, an imposing hilltop fortress dating from the sixth-century. We later return to Khiva for the night.

Accommodation: Malika Khorezm, Khiva (or similar)

After breakfast, we enjoy a walking tour of Khiva with a local guide. We visit the Ichan Kala, an open-air living museum that is the perfectly restored old city; the coloured tiled base of the never completed Kalta Minar; the 12^th-century Kunya-Ark fortress, the former residence of the Khiva khans; and the beautiful mausoleum of Pakhlavan Makhmud (Khiva’s patron saint) with its tiled courtyard.

We also visit Islam Khoja minaret and madrasah (1908), the Juma mosque, which is supported by 218 wooden carved columns, Tash Khauli palaces, and Allakuli Khan. We also explore artisan workshops where we see technology behind the production of Khiva wool, silk carpets, embroidery, ceramics, and wood inlay.

After, we drive to the Shavat border post, where we say goodbye to our Uzbek leader. After Uzbek border control, we need to take a five-minute bus journey across no-man’s land. Please have US$1 to hand to pay for the bus, plus the Turkmenistan entry fees (see Visa section). The border crossing may take approximately two hours.

From the border, we drive to Dashoguz, the capital city of northern Turkmenistan’s Dashoguz Province, and check into our hotel.

Accommodation: Hotel Dashoguz (or similar)

The region around Dashoguz was part of the Silk Road trade routes that connected East and West. This morning, we visit Kunya-Urgench on the left bank of the Amu Daria River (approximately two hours’ drive from Dashoguz). Kunya-Urgench, also known as Old Urgench, was the capital of the Khorezm region, part of the Achaemenid Empire. The old town contains a series of monuments mainly from the 11th to 16th centuries, including a mosque, the gates of a caravanserai, fortresses, mausoleums and a 60m (200ft) high minaret. The monuments testify to outstanding achievements in architecture and craftsmanship whose influence reached Iran and Afghanistan, and later the architecture of the Mogul empire of 16th-century India.

After, we return to Dsahoguz, then head into the Karakum Desert, a four-hour drive in 4x4s along rough roads to a massive burning gas crater known as the Door to Hell in a remote part of the Darvaza region.

In the 1970s, Soviet engineers looking for natural gas deposits came across this area. Attempting to assess the amount of gas present they set up a drill. The drill collapsed, exposing a big crater and seeping methane gas into the air. The engineers decided to set the gas alight in the belief that it would burn off within a few weeks. More than 45 years later, it is still burning.

We stay in yurts very nearby and have a barbecue dinner. After, we can walk the few minutes back to the crater and see it burning by night – an unforgettable experience.

Accommodation: Darwaza Yurt Camp

After breakfast, we drive (four hours) in 4x4s, mostly on rough roads, to Ashgabat. We visit the National Museum of Turkmenistan and explore the ruins of the Parthian Fortress of Nisa, about a 20-minute drive away. Nisa, the former capital of the Persian Parthian Empire, controlled much of the region from Iraq to Pakistan 2,000 years ago.

Accommodation: Hotel Sport (or similar)

Ashgabat holds the record for the most white-marble buildings in the world. In the post-Soviet era, successive Turkmen leaders built these impressive buildings as a show of the country’s strength and they make for a surreal experience. Ashgabat has been described as Pyongyang meets Las Vegas, and you can see why.

We enjoy a half-day city tour, including Ertogrul Ghazi mosque, Independence Park, the Neutrality Arch, Constitution Monument, Alem Ferris Wheel, Magtymguly Monument, Halk Hakydasy Memorial Complex, and Wedding Palace, which looks over the city from a hilltop.

Accommodation: Hotel Sport (or similar)

Our adventure comes to an end in Ashgabat.