15-Day Central Asia Immersion of Five Stans

Upon arrival in Bishkek, your local guide and driver will meet you at the airport and take you to your hotel. Enjoy the rest of the day on your own.

In the morning, you will be driven out of the city to the Ala Archa National Park (40KM). The park is located in the region's largest gorge where you will enjoy seeing beautiful mountains, snowcapped peaks, a dry riverbed, and stunning waterfalls.

After lunch, you will be driven back to Bishkek for a city tour. You will pass the city landmarks of Victory Square, Kyrgyz National Opera and Ballet Theater, and Ala-Too Square with the Manas statue.

Clean rivers and green mountains of the Ala Archa National Park.

After breakfast, you will be driven to Cholpon-Ata (265KM), a town on the northern shore of Issyk-Kul Lake. On the way, you will have the chance to visit and climb up the Burana Tower, which offers a panoramic view of the historical site and is rare in nomadic culture. You will also discover the nearby open-air museum of Balbas with its many carved stone figures.

Burana Tower

In the afternoon, you will take a 1-hour boat trip on the world's second-largest alpine lake, Issyk-Kul Lake. There, you can enjoy a glass of champagne and taste the local fresh fruits while appreciating the surrounding snowcapped mountains.

You will stay overnight in a resort in Cholpon-Ata on a full board basis.

After breakfast, you will visit the Museum of Petroglyphs where you can enjoy walking among the rocks and admiring the petroglyphs from hundreds of years ago.

After returning to Bishkek, you will visit Osh Bazaar where you will have an authentic Kyrgyz experience and find lavish dry fruits, homemade honey, and colorful candies.

Visit the local Bazaar, a way to get close to the local life.

You will take an early evening flight to Almaty. On arrival, your guide and driver will take you to your hotel for your overnight stay.

In the morning, you will start your Almaty city tour with a visit to the Central State Museum of Kazakhstan. As you enjoy a walk through Panfilov Park, visit the colorful Zenkov Cathedral and the Kazakh Museum of Folk Musical Instruments where you can see a collection of unusual musical instruments.

The colorful Zenkov Cathedral.

You will stop at the local favorite Green Bazaar and look for some traditional Kazakh foods.

After lunch, you will take a cable car ride up to the Kok-Tobe Hill and you will enjoy the panoramic view of Almaty's skyline.

After breakfast, you will be transferred to the airport to take a morning flight to Dushanbe, which is the capital of Tajikistan.

Your guide and driver will meet you at the airport and drive you to a local restaurant for lunch.

You will visit the beautiful and modern National Museum of Tajikistan to get an overview of the nation's long and complex history. It was built with an elliptical roof and giant atrium. Outside the museum, you will find the sculpture of Cyrus the Great along with many other sculptures. There are three must-sees there: the murals from ancient Panjakent and Sarazm, the 10th-century wooden mihrab, which is a masterpiece of wood carving, and a replica of a 13-meter-long reclining Buddha (to see the real one, you can visit the National Museum of Antiquities instead).

Then, you will walk along the pathways in the extensive Rudaki Park and enjoy the beautiful canopy of mature trees and flower gardens alongside lakes and fountains.

A view of Dushanbe city

You will depart early in the morning and start your journey from Dushanbe to Samarkand. You will pass Iskanderkul (135KM), which has another name - the Lake of Alexander the Great. Listen to your local guide tell the story about how the lake got this name.

Iskanderkul, the Lake of Alexander the Great

After you arrive in Penjikent (150KM), you will visit the Penjikent Ancient Settlement, which are the ruins of old Sogdian town. From there, you can still find a citadel with two Zoroastrian fire temples, extensive yards, workshops, markets, and the foundations of houses. You will be surprised to see the picturesque and colorful wall paintings that have survived for over 1,300 years in ruins.

After the visit, you will be driven to the Uzbekistan-Tajikistan border. After dealing with the border pass formalities, which will take about an hour, you will continue driving to Samarkand (62 KM) with your new guide and driver.

Samarkand is a historical city known for its intricately beautiful mosques and mausoleums. After breakfast, you will visit the resting place of Timur, the Gur-e-Amir Mausoleum, and enjoy the splendid building. Then, you will visit the magnificent trade and crafts square, the Registan Square, which has three madrasahs surrounding it.

Registan Square

You will be driven to the Islamic world's largest mosque, the Bibi-Khanym Mosque, where you will discover its decorated structure. Next, you will visit a mysterious and unique monument, Shakhi-Zinda Necropolis, which has a combination of various architectural styles, methods, and decorative craftsmanship.

Enjoy the various architectural styles at Shakhi-Zinda Necropolis.

You will depart early in the morning to go to the railway station and take the high-speed Afrosiyob train to Bukhara (09:50 - 11:19).

Upon arrival at the train station in Bukhara, your guide and driver will meet you to start your Bukhara city tour.

You will visit the Ark of Bukhara, which was once a former governmental center and is now a collection of museums and mosques, and Bolo-Khaouz Mosque to discover its skillful wood carvings and amazing ceiling paintings. Afterward, you will explore Bukhara with a walking tour, starting from the Kalon Minaret. It is one of the rare monuments that survived the destructive wrath of Genghis Khan who destroyed most of the monuments of Central Asia. You can walk through the Trading Domes and spend some time searching for souvenirs. Next, you will visit the Lyabi-Khauz Ensemble, including Nadir Divan-Beghi Madrasah, Kukeldash Madrasah, and Divan-Beghi Khanaka.

Kalon Minaret

The last stop for the day will be Chor Minor, which has four minarets.

After breakfast, you will travel to Khiva (450KM) through the Kyzylkum Desert during a long drive of over 7 hours.

You will have the chance to visit the Sitorai Mokhi-Khosa complex on the way. It was known as being the summer residence of Bukhara's last Emir.

You will arrive in Khiva in the late afternoon and enjoy the rest of the day on your own.

Sitorai Mokhi-Khosa complex, a combination of Uzbek and Imperial Russian architectures.

Khiva, known as an open-air museum, is full of historical and architectural monuments. It was divided into two parts, Ichan Kala (the inner city for the Khan's palace, high officials, and rich people) and Dishan Kala (the outer city for ordinary people).

You will have a full day to explore Khiva. The most popular sites are the blue-tiled Mohammed Amin Khan Madrasah and Kalta Minor Minaret, Mohammed Rakhim Khan Madrasah, the tomb of Sayid Allauddin (a well-known Sufi), Juma Mosque, which has 212 beautiful carved wooden pillars, Tash Khauli (Stone Palace), Pakhlavan Makhmud Mausoleum (in honor of the famous poet, craftsman, and fighter), Islam Khodja complex, which includes the tallest building in Khiva, and the ancient fortress Kunya-Ark where you can get panoramic views of old Khiva.

A panoramic view of the Ichan Kala.

The morning is free for you to enjoy your last moments in Khiva so you can explore any sites you haven't already visited or do some shopping.

After lunch, you will be transferred to the Uzbekistan-Turkmenistan border, Shavat-Dashoguz (60KM). After the border formalities have been completed (about 1? hours) you will walk through the 1.5-kilometer neutral zone (transportation is not available) and meet your guide and driver from Turkmenistan. They will drive you to the Darvaza Gas Crater (also known as the Door to Hell), which is located in the middle of the Karakum Desert (270KM), to camp for the night. Your sleeping bag, pillow, and tent will be provided.

The Darvaza Gas Crater has been on fire continuously since 1971.

You will witness the fiery Darvaza gas crater and enjoy a fire-cooked meal. In the evening, gaze at the bright stars, which you won't be able to see in the cities.

After a simple breakfast, you will be transferred to Ashgabat (280 KM), which is the capital of Turkmenistan. On the way, you will stop near the community of Erbent, which consists of single-story buildings and yurts. You can admire the golden sand dunes that stretch out to the horizon before you reach Ashgabat.

Camels graze near the community of Erbent

The rest of the day is free for you to explore Ashgabat.

Ashgabat is a city with white marble buildings and grandiose national monuments. You will visit some of Turkmenistan's landmarks: The Gypjak Mosque, the Ashgabat National Museum of History, the Arch of Neutrality, and Independence Park.

After lunch, you will be driven out of the city to visit an archaeological site, the Parthian Settlement of Nisa (21KM) and learn more about the history of Turkmenistan.

Arch of Neutrality

After checking out from your hotel, you will be driven to the airport for your flight back home.