The Silk Road small group tour
16 day small group (max 16 people) overland tour following the Silk Road through Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan. Spend one night on a train, one in a yurt camp and 12 nights in locally-owned hotels.
Tashkent Samarkand Bukhara Kazakhstan Sauran Turkestan Almaty Issyk Turgen Gorge Bishkek Kyrgyzstan Issyk Kul Jety Oguz Gorge Karakol Boon Gorge Bishkek
Price
£3149To£3249including UK flights
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More info
From £2349 excluding flights.
Optional single supplement £310.
Minimum age 16.
Optional single supplement £310.
Minimum age 16.
Description of The Silk Road small group tour
There are roads and then there are the stuff of legends which is why this fortnight long Silk Road group tour has become an incredible experience, well-worth investigating further.
This is your chance to go on a Silk Road small group tour that features the stunning scenes once witnessed by traders and merchants making their way from Europe and into Asia.
Find out what it may have been like for Marco Polo as you venture from the Mediterranean and into China via Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan where steeped mountain slopes and ancient architectural achievements provide ever-changing scenes to accompany your tour.
Explore the unchartered tourist territory of central Asia where some of the Silk Road's most revered sites, such as Bukhara, Samarkand and the Tien Shan Mountains, come into view and nomadic herders and tribes, who still hunt with eagles, make their lives amongst some awesome settings.
As you'd hope, this 16 day Silk Road small group tour is all about experiencing one of the world's most fabled journeys overland with overnight train trips letting you explore as efficiently as possible although without missing out any of the good bits along the way.
Map
Price information
£3149To£3249including UK flights
Convert currency:
From £2349 excluding flights.
Optional single supplement £310.
Minimum age 16.
Optional single supplement £310.
Minimum age 16.
Check dates, prices & availability
Travel guides
Silks and spices gave the world brilliance and flavour, but the men who travelled the Silk Road shared the priceless gifts of art, architecture and, a...
Central Asia has a more colloquial name: the Stans. This vast region, stretching from the Caspian Sea to China, consists of Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, ...
Holiday information
Small group tours:
Small group travel is not large group travel scaled down. It is modeled on independent travel – but with the advantage of a group leader to take care of the itinerary, accommodation and tickets, and dealing with the language. It’s easy to tick off the big sights independently – but finding those one-off experiences, local festivals, travelling markets and secret viewpoints is almost impossible for someone without the insider knowledge gained from years in the field. Those with a two-week holiday, a small group tour will save valuable planning time.
Reviews
9 Reviews of The Silk Road small group tour
4.5 out of 5 stars
Reviewed on 29 Oct 2019 by Jenny Tucker
There were many highlights to this holiday from visiting the city's of Uzbekistan with their wonderful Muslim architecture, the mosaic work is amazing, to spending a night in a yurt high in the mountains. Read full reviewReviewed on 01 Oct 2019 by Graham Packer
An informative, interesting, and awe inspiring holiday. Read full reviewReviewed on 11 Sep 2019 by Val Matthews
So many 'Wow' moments would be impossible to choose just one favourite! Read full reviewReviewed on 25 Jun 2019 by Dave Hinder
The culture and architecture were memorable. The guides were very knowledgeable and gave a great history of the silk road itself. Read full reviewReviewed on 10 Jun 2019 by Hannah Bashir
Spending the night in a yurt in the Jeti-Oguz valley was a fun, unique and very comfortable experience. We also really enjoyed experiencing the train travel. Read full reviewReviewed on 20 Jun 2019 by Hema Vaghjiani
Swimming in the lake in the desert was the most memorable part of the holiday. Read full reviewReviewed on 07 Jun 2019 by Helen Wilson
Bukhara Ancient Citadel, Registan Square Samarkand and the train journey to Almaty were the most memorable parts of our holiday. Read full reviewReviewed on 28 Sep 2017 by Karen Harrison
Uzbekistan as a whole was the most interesting part of the trip. The night in a yurt in the mountains in Kyrgyzstan came a close second, with spectacular views of the Milky Way. Read full reviewReviewed on 11 Aug 2015 by Gillian Urro
It was very interesting, with an insight into post Russian life. The scenery in Kyrgyzstan was spectacular. Read full reviewResponsible Travel
As the pioneers of responsible tourism, we've screened this (and every) holiday so that you can travel knowing it will help support the places and people that you visit, and the planet. Read how below.
Planet
Accommodation and Meals:We spend 12 nights in a hotel, 1 night in a traditional yurt camp and 1 night on a sleeper train. All of our accommodation is predominantly locally owned and staffed, which is beneficial to surrounding communities. The yurt camp in the Jety Oguz gorge is also run by local people and uses very little electricity and water, so this is a reduction to our overall impact on the environment. Where meals are provided, fresh fruit, vegetables and meat are sourced at local farms and markets. Train-travel has long been a popular way of travelling around the ex-Soviet Union and so this is also a great experience and insight into a different side of Uzbek life. Where meals are provided, ingredients are locally sourced and free mealtimes are a great opportunity to support local cafes, restaurants and markets by trying some authentic cuisine. The market in Bukhara specialises in dried fruit, whilst in Kashgar there are several vendors selling dishes from homemade ice-cream, to roast lamb and steamed buns.
UK Office:
It all starts at home so we have first worked at reducing our carbon footprint in our UK Offices. Through energy conservation measures and recycling policies, we are proud to be actively reducing the waste produced and our impact on the environment. We support various projects all over the world to try and give something back to the places we visit.
People
Local Craft and Culture:In Kyrgyzstan we stop for lunch at a woman's association attached to a shop which sells traditional felt rugs and other crafts made by local women from surrounding villages. There is also the opportunity to experience local Dungan and Kyrgyz folklore (song, dance and poetry) organised by local teen-agers and to meet a local hunter who uses a Golden eagle. In China there are visits to earthenware workshops run by local families and to crafts-streets, where local tradespeople (bakers, blacksmiths, ironmongers, ice-cream makers, basket makers etc.) make and sell their wares. Whilst in Fergana, Uzbekistan, there is a visit to a local ceramic workshop and a local silk factory. Throughout the journey there are also opportunities to eat dinner with local families in their homes which might be the most valuable cultural experience on offer. The group can sample local, home-cooked food and learn about Uzbek, Dungan, Kazakh and Kyrgyz families and their different cultures.
A Fair Deal:
We work closely with our local operator to run this trip in a way that aims to reduce impacts and to give as much back as possible to the local communities. Part of this is employing local leaders, who are committed to responsible tourism and helping to preserve the way of life in their area. The leaders will give a briefing on responsible tourism issues to help you understand how you can help reduce your impact and maximise the benefits to the local community from your visit.
Group Size:
This small group tour has a maximum of 16 participants, meaning that we have a low impact on the environments and communities we visit and are able to ensure that we do not disrupt or lead to the displacement of local people. The small number also allows us to stay in unique, family-run hotels that cannot benefit from coach tours and other mass tourism due to their limited sizes.
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