Central Asia Group Tour 2025-2027

Arrive in Almaty. Our driver will meet you and take you to the hotel. Check in at 14:00. Free time. Overnight at the hotel.

Breakfast. At 09:00, your guide and driver will meet you in the hotel lobby to start a sightseeing tour of Almaty. A short drive (25 km) will take you to Chimbulak. Here, visit the ski resort and ride the cable car to enjoy the amazing views of the snowy peaks of the Tian Shan Mountains. After a welcome lunch continue your city tour. Highlights of this day will include Panfilov Park, Zenkov Cathedral, Republic Square, and the Almaty City Museum. Free time in the evening. Overnight at the hotel.

After breakfast, at 09:00 depart Almaty and drive to Bishkek via a newly built highway, enjoy nature landscapes on the way (250 km, 4 h.). Upon arrival check-in at the hotel. Start sightseeing tour in Bishkek: visit Oak Park, Ala-Too Square, Statue of Manas. See Philharmonic Hall and Victory Monument – bright examples of Soviet architecture. Overnight at the hotel.
Duration of sightseeing tour: 2-3 hours

Breakfast. Depart Bishkek at 09:00. The first stop will be Burana Tower, which was part of the ancient city of Balasagun (11th to 13th centuries). Next on the agenda will be experiencing a Kyrgyz national horse game called “Ulak Tartysh” (goat pulling). Ulak Tartysh (also known as Kok Boru) is a fight between two teams of horse riders for a goat carcass. Transfer to Don Aryk village and have lunch at the home of a local Kyrgyz family. After lunch, watch a demonstration of yurt construction and even take part if you wish. Local Kyrgyz women will explain the meaning and use of each part of the yurt. Transfer to Bishkek airport (110 km, ~1h 30 min) to take flight to Tashkent, which arrives in the evening (1h 20 min). Transfer to the hotel for overnight.

Breakfast. Start the Tashkent city tour at 10:00 by visiting the Old City of Tashkent. This area encompasses the Khast-Imam Complex (famous for displaying one of the earliest copies of the Qur’an, the Holy Book of Islam), and Chorsu Bazaar, where you can haggle for spices, dried fruit, and nuts. Then take a ride on Tashkent Metro to the city center to visit Applied Arts Museum and walk through Navoi Theater to Amir Timur Square where you will end Tashkent city tour. The city tour will take 5-6 hours, after which you’ll have free time. Overnight at the hotel.

Early in the morning get “a take-away breakfast” from the hotel and transfer to the railway station. The high-speed train Afrosiyob departs Tashkent and arrives in Samarkand (300 km, 2h 10 min). Upon arrival in Samarkand meet your driver with the guide. Your city tour will begin with a visit to Gur Emir Mausoleum, the final resting place of the Turco-Mongol emperor, Timur. Continue to the spectacular Registan Square, explore the Bibi Khanum Mosque and Siyob bazaar. After lunch break continue to Shakhi-Zinda Necropolis, then take a short drive to Konigil village to find out about the traditional techniques used to make the famous Samarkand paper from mulberry bark. Overnight at the hotel.
Duration of sightseeing tour: 6-7 hours

Breakfast. At 9 am transfer to the Uzbekistan-Tajikistan border point, Jartepa (50 km, 1 h). Upon arrival at the customs and passport control on both sides, kindly proceed to the exit of the border control area. At that point, our guide/driver will be waiting for you. Meet your local Tajik guide and driver to drive to the Seven Lakes (80 km, ~2 h). These lakes are located in the western part of the Fann Mountains. Each lake has its own color, varying from calming turquoise to mesmerizing purple. Have lunch at the guest house next to the 4th lake. Those who would like to enjoy the view from the 7th lake there is an opportunity to have a hiking tour from the 6th lake up to the 7th lake. In the late afternoon transfer to the hotel in Penjikent. Check in and overnight.
Note: As we travel to the more remote and authentic region of the Fann Mountains, the tourist infrastructure is simpler. We will be staying in the best available local hotel, Soviet-era building. Please expect more basic amenities compared to the larger cities – it's all part of the adventure!

Breakfast. Drive to ancient Penjikent, the ruins of a town founded by the Sogdians in the 5th century and abandoned by Arabs in the 8th century. The foundations of houses, a citadel with a couple of Zoroastrian fire temples, and the remains of the city bazaar are visible in the excavated ruins. In the newer part of Penjikent, visit a local bazaar, a mosque, and the Rudaki Museum (Penjikent is the birthplace of Abu Abdallah Rudaki, considered by many to be the father of Persian poetry). After a 3-hour sightseeing tour drive to the Jartepa border crossing. Complete the border formalities. On the Uzbek side, your driver will meet you. Transfer to Bukhara (270 km, 4-5 hrs.). Upon arrival transfer to the hotel, check in and overnight.

Breakfast. At 09:00, start exploring the Old City of Bukhara. Highlights of the walking tour will include: the Lyabi Hauz Ensemble, Chor-Minor Madrasa, Kalyan Minaret, Miri-Arab Madrasa, Ulugbek and Abdulazizkhan Madrasas, Ark Fortress, Ismail Samani and Chashma-Ayub Mausoleums, and various trading domes. Free time from 15:00 until the National Show at Nadir Divan-begi Madrasa, which starts at 18:00. Overnight at the hotel.

Breakfast. Free time. At 14:00 departure for the Uzbekistan-Turkmenistan border point, Farap-Alat (100 km, 1 h 30 min). Upon arrival border formalities. After the customs and passport control at both checkpoints, kindly proceed to the exit of the border control area. At that point, our guide and driver will be waiting for you with the sign with your name. Transfer to Turkmenabat Airport (50 km, 1h) to take the evening flight to Ashgabat at 20:00. Upon arrival in Ashgabat at 20:50 have a night city tour, transfer to the hotel for overnight.

Breakfast, at 9 am start a sightseeing tour of Ashgabat. Ashgabat, the capital of Turkmenistan, has recently been recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records as having more white marble buildings than any other city in the world. During the city tour, explore the archaeological site of Old Nissa (a UNESCO World Heritage Site) and Spiritual Mosque, one of the biggest mosques in Central Asia. Visit the National Museum of History, the Monument of Neutrality, Ertugrul Gazi Mosque and the recently-built Independence Park. The sightseeing tour will take about 6 hours and the afternoon will feature a drive through the Karakum Desert to the famous Darvaza Gas Crater (280 km, 4 h). After arriving at the crater, camp will be set up and you’ll enjoy a delicious, fire-cooked dinner near the “Gates of Hell”. Overnight in yurts.
Note: We'll travel in 4x4 vehicles across the rugged Karakum Desert. The route is unpaved, so expect a bumpy and thrilling ride – it's the only way to get to this incredible, remote location.
At the camp, we'll enjoy an authentic stay in yurts with basic, shared outdoor washing and toilet facilities, putting us right in the heart of the desert landscape.

Camp-style breakfast. Drive through the Karakum Desert to the Turkmenistan-Uzbekistan border point, Dashoguz-Shavat (270 km, 4 h). Following border formalities at both checkpoints, your Uzbek driver will meet you to begin the trip to Khiva (60 km, 1 h). Upon arrival, check in to the hotel. Free time. Overnight at the hotel.

Breakfast and hotel check out (the hotel will store your luggage safely for the day). Spend the morning at the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Ichan-Kala Fortress. Highlights of the morning walking tour include the Mukhammad Amin Khan Madrasa, Mukhammad Rahimkhan Madrasa, Kalta Minor, Juma Mosque, Tash-Khovli Palace, Pakhlavan Makhmud Mausoleum, and Minaret of Islom Khodja. Farewell dinner. Transfer to Urgench Airport (30 km, 35 min). Get on the flight to Tashkent (1,093 km, 1 h 40 min). Upon arrival in Tashkent transfer to the hotel for overnight.

Check-out from the hotel at noon. Free time until transfer to Tashkent International Airport. Departure. End of Central Asia group tour.