Silk Road holidays, Central Asia
| country: | China, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan |
| location: | Silk Road |
| departures: | 2010: 31 Jul |
| price: | £2895 (21 days) excluding international flights. |
| vouchers: | Gift vouchers can be used with this holiday |
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the amazing things you'll be doing
This unique tour takes you on an epic cultural journey along the Old Silk Road through some of Central Asia’s most spectacular mountains, lively bazaars and ancient towns.
Traversing parts of Kyrgyzstan, China, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, the route offers adventure and culture in equal measure. Riding horses or walking on a day trek around Son Kul Lake or the ancient caravanserai of Tash Rabat will give you a chance to witness the Tien Shan Mountains at their most beautiful, while wandering through the gargantuan sites of Samarkand or sleepy Bukhara will take you back to the heyday of the Silk Road.
For those with the sense of adventure, an interest in history and culture – and a good amount of energy – it is a trip you will remember for a very long time to come.
Traversing parts of Kyrgyzstan, China, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, the route offers adventure and culture in equal measure. Riding horses or walking on a day trek around Son Kul Lake or the ancient caravanserai of Tash Rabat will give you a chance to witness the Tien Shan Mountains at their most beautiful, while wandering through the gargantuan sites of Samarkand or sleepy Bukhara will take you back to the heyday of the Silk Road.
For those with the sense of adventure, an interest in history and culture – and a good amount of energy – it is a trip you will remember for a very long time to come.
day-by-day itinerary
| Day 1: | Depart UK. London Heathrow to Bishkek. |
| Day 2: | Bishkek. Arrive in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan at 01.10 and transfer to the Asia Mountain Hotel or the best available alternative. Breakfast at 10.45 followed by a trip into town to visit the excellent museum and a wander round the Osh bazaar. At about 15.00 we will take a trip up into nearby mountains for late lunch at the fabulous 12 Chimneys open-air restaurant – generally regarded as the best place to eat. Early evening back to town. |
| Day 3: | Son Kul Lake. After breakfast, 8-hour drive in converted ex-Soviet Ural to Son Kul Lake, arriving late afternoon. Meet Noorgul and her charming family and ‘check in’ to their nomad yurt camp on the side of this spectacular 3,000m glacial lake. Traditional dinner with vodka toasts. Sleep in Yurts. |
| Day 4: | Son Kul. Free to explore this beautiful region, either on foot or horseback. We will make up some pack lunches and go wandering off for the day. Anyone wanting to can hang out around the camp, watching the nomads go about there traditional life or watch the extraordinarily varied bird life on the lake. There might even be a game of Kok Baru (Buzkashi) to watch in the afternoon. For dinner we will either have delicious fish from the lake or lamb. |
| Day 5: | Silk Road. Around eight in the morning we will drive to the famous Silk Road Caravanserai of Tash Rabat, through one of the most spectacular regions of the Tien Shan, the Mountains of Heaven. Arrive afternoon and settle into the cosy yurts. Dinner with Jergal, the caretaker and his charming family. Sleep in the yurts. |
| Day 6: | Tash Rabat. Having checked out the 11th century caravanserai, we will either walk or ride on a fabulous route (6 hours on horseback, 8 on foot) from the caravanserai on a circuit through the beautiful mountains. Travelling through valleys, across rivers and over a 3,600m pass, - at which point China is only 35kms away – in our opinion in is one of the most spectacular day treks in the region. We will take pack lunch and Nazira, Jergal’s daughter, will show us the way. Those wanting a more laid back day can simply walk among the valley which is lush and green, groaning with horses, yaks and sheep and the nomads who live by them. Traditional dinner again, in the yurts. |
| Day 7: | Torogourt Pass. Cross into China. Here we will say goodbye – temporarily – to the Ural and transfer to a smart coaster minibus for the 160km journey down to Kashgar. Arriving here we will check into the excellent new international wing of the Chini Barg Hotel – behind which is old British consulate – and have dinner at the hotel’s outdoor Chinese restaurant. |
| Day 8: | Kashgar. Free time to explore this most famous of all Silk Road Oases. In the morning we will take a look at the new town – with all its Communist statues, buildings and memorabilia – before visiting the green-tiled Aba Khoja tomb and the small Silk Road museum. After lunch at a traditional Uyghur home we will have a 3-hour break before heading into the old town, a world barely changed from the heady days of the old Silk Road, echoing that of the Arabian Nights. We will end the day’s tour by having tea on the second floor balcony of one of the old chaikhanas, watching the street market below us. Dinner out at John’s Café. |
| Day 9: | Yakshambe Bazaar. Kashgar and the famous Yakshambe Bazaar or the Sunday Market. In the morning we will first visit the town’s famous mosque before going the animal market. Here we will spend the morning watching the locals trade everything from woodwork and iron wear to sheep, donkeys, cattle, horse and camels before having lunch at a traditional Uyghur restaurant. In the afternoon we will visit the covered bazaar, believed to be the biggest in Central Asia. Evening out in old town and then the first of two free dinners where clients will be free to choose themselves where they wish to eat – this meal will be at clients expense. |
| Day 10: | Irkishtam Pass. Drive out of Kashgar due west, along the main artery of the Old Silk Road to the Irkishtam Pass. This is a stunning drive through an area of outstanding natural beauty, with multicoloured sedimentary sandstone flanking our route. At the Irkishtam Pass we will cross back into Kyrgyzstan where the Ural, driver and local guide will be waiting. We will then continue on towards Sari Tash along another staggering road, this time with the high Pamirs rising to the south and stay the night with a local family either in their yurt or in their cosy house. |
| Day 11: | Lenin Peak. The following morning you will rise to views of snowy, Lenin Peak, which at 7134m is the second highest mountain in the Pamirs. After breakfast we will drive on another extraordinary road over the 3554m Tol Dek Pass (though by this stage you might be suffering from beauty fatigue!) and on into the Ferghana Valley and the ancient town of Osh. This Silk Road town is so old it celebrated its 3000th birthday a couple years ago. It is a place steeped in history and claims to have the best bazaar in all Central Asia – something we will check out. Here we will stay with a family in their small and charming guesthouse. |
| Day 12: | Ferghana Valley. After breakfast say goodbye to the Ural again, cross the border into Uzbekistan where we will be picked up and driven through the Ferghana Valley. On the way we will stop in Kokand to check out the Amirs 19th Century Palace before continuing on to the Tajik border. After a pack lunch we will cross into Tajikistan, pick up jeeps and continue on to Khodjent. Here will have a ‘Home Stay’ with traditional Tajik family, having dinner served by them in the local way. For those wishing to there will also be a chance to have a swim in the famous Syr Darya river. |
| Day 13: | Panjikent. After a look around Kokand and Uraturbey we will continue on one of the most spectacular days of the trip as we drive through the Fan Mountains, part of the Pamir Alays, over the Sakiristan Pass, have lunch in a picturesque roadside café and on the ancient town of Panjikent. Once again we will stay with a local family. On both of these last two days there will be plenty of time for photography. In Panjikent there will be a chance for a swim in the town’s municipal pool before having supper at the home. |
| Day 14: | Samarkand. In the morning we will visit the 2,000-year-old ruins of Panjikent. For most this is a real highlight of the trip as we wander freely around this amazing ancient town that was once home to 20,000 people during the early days of the Silk Road. With luck the St. Petersburg Hermitage’s Dr Boris Makasdi or Dr Vladimir Skoda – who have excavated the site for 45 and 30 years respectively – will be there to answer your questions and show us around. We will have lunch and then continue on for the 70km journey back over the border into Uzbekistan and on to Samarkand. Once checked into charming guesthouse we will visit the Registan, famous scene of Tamerlane’s court before going out to dinner at open-air restaurant. |
| Day 15: | Samarkand. All day in this amazing town, wandering freely through the gargantuan sights. In the morning we will visit Tamerlane’s tomb, followed by another, more thorough look at the Registan. After that we will visit the Bibi Khanym mosque and the town’s excellent bazaar before having lunch at good local restaurant. After a rest we will visit Uleg Bek’s observatory and finally take a stroll down the Shah-i-Zindar – the street of the dead. Dinner at local restaurant. |
| Day 16: | Bukhara. After breakfast drive along the Royal Road to Bukhara, stopping during the 4-hour journey for tea and a look at on old caravanserai. Arrive in Bukhara and check into guesthouse superbly located in the Labi Hauz, the 17th century pool and eating area. Afternoon free to wander through the quiet mellow streets. Second free dinner at clients expense. |
| Day 17: | Kolan Mineret. All morning for sightseeing. We will start at the Ismaili Samani mausoleum, continue via the Jama Majid (or the mosque of forty pillars) to the Ark where Connoly and Stoddard – two luckless British officers – met their deaths while playing the Great Game. From here we will visit (and climb if you wish) the Kolan Mineret and the beautiful mosques and madrasses that lie beneath it. En route we will also see silk weaving, knife making and metal engraving. We will then have lunch at the Labi Hauz before once again having a free afternoon for shopping and generally relaxing in this most characterful of the old Silk Road towns. Dinner with traditional dancing in open-air town house. |
| Day 18: | Khiva. Drive to Khiva and check into the converted madrassa in the heart of the old town. After lunch and rest we will have a short sightseeing program to view some of Khiva must colourful and sumptuous sites, including the Kukhna Arc and the Mohammed Khan madrassa. Dinner will be had open-air in the courtyard of the madrassa. |
| Day 19: | Kalta Minor. More sightseeing of this amazing town with a climb up the Kalta Minor minaret, exploring the Jama Majid mosque with its amazing wooden pillars and the Alloquli Khan Madrassa, Bazaar and caravanserai. After lunch we will transfer to the airport for a 15.45 departure to Tashkent. After checking in and a rest we will go out to dinner at a very nice restaurant by the canal. |
| Day 20: | Return home. Early morning flight to UK. |
travellers' tales
Most memorable? It has to be Kyrgyzstan. The landscape, the people, sleeping in yurts - even the food. All fantastic. (more)
what this trip includes
Trips are on full board basis, and include transport as outlined in itinerary, twin-share accommodation, mineral water and entrance fees. how this holiday makes a difference
 In Central Asia we have developed unique relationships with many of the semi-nomadic peoples of the region and through our form of interactive, socially conscience tourism have helped them adapt to the modern, changing world by providing important income opportunities. With Sogan Bai, an eagle hunter from the shores of Lake Issyk Kul, or Noorgul, a shepherdess from the pristine Son Kul, or Nazira and her family at Tash Rabat, we have been responsible for introducing them to the homestay market, helping them to provide good, clean and interesting accommodation which in term allows them to educate their children, improve their standard of living and look after their ill. The wonderful thing about this kind of interactive tourism is that everyone gains – the nomads financially and us with the wonderful welcome and experience they give us. On our horse treks, we work exclusively with the fine horse-man Anar Bek, who along with his family and members of the local community, ensure that the horses we trek with are well treated, well fed and well looked after. Wherever possible we stay in locally owned accommodation, eat in locally owned establishments and purchase supplies from the local nomads. When you take one of our trips, we make a contribution to “Carbon Clear” – an organisation who work with hundreds of organisations to measure their carbon footprint and reduce their carbon emissions. We also support several NGOs around the world, all carefully selected to improve the standard of living for the communities we visit. |
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