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. This evening your tour leader ensures a big welcome by arranging a group dinner together.

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)

Begin the day in Karakol, where timber houses and wide streets recall the era of Tsarist Russia, and our tour leader guides us to the 1886 Holy Trinity Church, the nail-free Dungan mosque (1899), and the local bazaar for a glimpse of everyday life.

We then travel west (five to six hours total driving today), skirting the southern shore of Issyk Kul Lake. This vast body of water – 43mi by 112mi (70km by 180km) and close to 2,300ft (700m) deep – never freezes thanks to a mix of salinity and geothermal activity.

Partway around the shore, we stop in Bokonbaev for a demonstration of berkutchi, the traditional art of hunting with golden eagles. This centuries-old skill is passed between generations, and your tour leader interprets the techniques and significance of this partnership between bird and handler. A little farther on, in Kyzyl Tuu village, we meet craftspeople who specialise in making yurts; here we watch how the wooden frame is assembled – an intricate process still used by nomadic families.

Our day ends in the Chon-Kemin Valley, a quiet stretch of farmland and forested slopes, where we settle into our guesthouse and enjoy the mountain setting.

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)

Journey four hours into the agricultural heartland around Khujand, a city with a long and eventful past. Thought to be among the oldest in Central Asia, it has seen Alexander the Great, Arab armies, and Genghis Khan pass through.

Our tour includes the Museum of Archaeology, the Sheikh Maslikhiddin Mosque and the lively Payshanba bazaar. If time allows, we also call in at the Arbob Palace – once the Urumkhodjaev family estate and inspired by the grandeur of Peterhof near St Petersburg.

We then drive (five to six hours) to Penjikent via Istaravshan. Founded by the Persian king Kier in the sixth century, Istaravshan is known for traditional crafts and old-town layout. We stop at 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)

Board the train to Bukhara this morning, travelling on the Afrosiyob high-speed service when schedules permit (just under two hours). It’s a smooth introduction to one of the Silk Road’s most storied cities.

On arrival, we visit the Sitorai-Mokhi-Khosa Palace, once the summer retreat of the emirs of Bukhara. Its reception halls and private rooms are decorated with elaborate frescoes, stucco panels and finely carved woodwork, reflecting a period when local craftsmanship blended with Russian influences in surprising ways.

Accommodation: Hotel Sultan (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: Hotel Sultan (or similar)

Drive through the Kyzylkum desert to the arid plains of Khorezm, a drive of about six to seven hours. These were once densely populated marshland, inhabited by Messagetae Scythians, nomadic horseback archers who fought to retain the land, even defeating Cyrus the Great, a Persian emperor in 529 BCE.

Along the way, we stop at Ayaz-Qala, an imposing hilltop fortress from the sixth century; if time allows, we also visit some of the other castles in the area before heading to Khiva, a further two hours away.

Accommodation: Malika Khorezm (or similar)

The walled Itchan Kala is Khiva’s meticulously preserved old city. Here, our tour leader takes us to: the tiled base of the never-completed Kalta Minar; the Kunya-Ark, the 12th-century fortress that once housed the Khiva khans; and the serene mausoleum of Pakhlavan Makhmud, Khiva’s patron poet-saint.

We continue to the Islam Khoja minaret and madrasah and the atmospheric Juma Mosque, whose roof is carried by 218 carved wooden columns. Further highlights include the richly decorated Tash Khauli palace complex and Allakuli Khan Madrassah.

Along the way, we step into artisan workshops to see how Khiva’s crafts endure today, learning about the techniques behind wool and silk carpets, embroidery, ceramics and intricate wood inlay.

Accommodation: Malika Khorezm (or similar)

We travel north to the Shavat border post (approximately one hour), where we say goodbye to our Uzbek tour leader before beginning the border formalities. After Uzbek exit procedures, a short bus ride across no-man’s land (five minutes; please bring US$1 to pay for the bus) brings us to the Turkmen checkpoint. Entry fees are also payable here, and the overall process typically takes around two hours.

On the Turkmen side, we continue by road for about two hours to Kunya Urgench via Dashoguz. Known as Old Urgench, this was once the capital of Khorezm and an important centre within the Achaemenid Empire. Today, it preserves an extraordinary collection of monuments from the 11th to 16th centuries: elegant mausoleums, the remains of a vast mosque, the gates of a caravanserai and, rising above the plain, a 200ft (60m) minaret that hints at the scale and ambition of the medieval city. Our tour leader helps trace how these structures shaped later architectural traditions in Iran, Afghanistan and Mughal India.

After visiting the site, we return (one hour) to Dashoguz for the night.

Accommodation: Hotel Dashoguz (or similar)

Catch a morning flight south to Ashgabat, swapping desert plains for the white-marble capital of Turkmenistan. On arrival, we visit the Ertogrul Gazi Mosque, one of the city’s landmark places of worship, whose four minarets and spacious interior reflect the architectural style of Ottoman-era mosques. From here, we continue to the national museum, where our tour leader helps piece together the region’s long and layered history through archeological finds from ancient Merv, Nisa and the wider Khorezm world.

Our final visit is a local farm known for breeding Akhal-Teke horses. Celebrated for their distinctive metallic sheen and long-distance stamina, they remain an enduring emblem of Turkmen national heritage.

After, we drive (up to four hours) to Mary, a contemporary city that serves as the gateway to ancient Merv.

Accommodation: Margush or Mary Hotel (or similar)

After breakfast, we visit the World Heritage site of Merv, once among the largest cities on Earth. We move between key surviving areas, including the windswept remains of crumbling towers and walls, to gain a sense of the scale that so impressed medieval travellers.

Later, we return to Mary to look around the modern town, including the Juma Mosque and the small Russian Orthodox Church, before driving back to Ashgabat.

Accommodation: Hotel Sport (or similar)

Explore Ashgabat today, where much of the city was rebuilt in the post-Soviet era, creating a surreal skyline often described as “Pyongyang meets Las Vegas”.

Our daytime visits include Turkmenbashi Mosque, the Magtymguly Monument, the Earthquake Memorial, the Alem Ferris Wheel, the Neutrality Arch and the Constitution Monument. We stroll through Independence Park before stopping at the Wedding Palace viewpoint for a wide look over the city.

In the afternoon, we travel to Nisa (Turkmenistan), capital of the Parthian Empire 2,000 years ago, where the excavated mudbrick complex hints at its former power.

We then return to Ashgabat for a short night tour (40 minutes) to see the city lit up after dark.

Accommodation: Hotel Sport (or similar)

Our adventure comes to an end in Ashgabat.