Intro
Some things in life go well together. Combining Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan in one 14-day journey are two such things. Contrast medieval desert citadels strung along old Silk Roads with towering mountains and alpine lakeside towns of the Tien Shan in this Central Asian double whammy of a tour.
Starting in the Uzbek capital, we head south to Khiva on the Turkmen border. Over the red desolate expanse of the Kyzylkum desert to Bukhara, the most complete, living example of a medieval city anywhere in Central Asia. Follow one great Silk Road caravanserai with another every inch its equal. Samarkand is one of the great destinations for romantics of travel. Seat of the old Timurid empire, this UNESCO-nominated World Capital of Cultural Tourism has attained almost mythic stature.
Leave Uzbekistan's Islamic geometry for one of the planet's most mountainous countries, Kyrgyzstan. Branching out from its quirky capital, Bishkek, traverse Central Asia's immense mountains in search of Issyk Kul, central Asia's great alpine lake, and one the Earth's deepest. Then beyond to the cinematic landscapes of Ala Archa, with its Seven Bulls rock face, and Skazka, with its wind-sculpted fairy chimneys of red sandstone.
Enduring elegance of crumbling Islamic, medieval architecture meets the mystical might of Central Asia's jagged massifs on this eye-catching tour.
TOUR HIGHLIGHTS
- UNESCO-listed Ichin Kala in Khiva
- The red sands of the inhospitable Kyzylkum desert
- Bukhara's near-perfect Medieval Islamic preservation.
- Sublime monuments in Samarkand, World Tourism Capital 2023
- Osh: the ancient middle of the Silk Road.
- Majesterial beauty of earth's 7th deepest lake
- Eagle Hunting of Bokonbaevo
- Remarkable rock formations at Jety-Oguz gorge
- The mighty Tien Shan range behind Bishkek
Places Visited
Tashkent - Khiva - Bukhara - Kyzylkum Desert - Samarkand - Osh - Osh Women - Bishkek - Ala Archa Gorge - Issyk Kul Lake - Karakol
What's Included
Arrival & departure transfers
Ground transport with driver
Domestic Airfares (in economy):
Tashkent – Urgench • Osh – Bishkek
Train Fares (2nd-Class):
Tashkent – Samarkand • Tashkent – Andijan
Accommodation
H/B Meals (refer to itinerary for meal plan)
English-speaking guides
Entrance fees to sites & parks