5 Stans Adventure – Turkmenistan Uzbekistan Tajikistan Kyrgyzstan Kazakhstan

Description:

At 9:00 AM, your guide and driver will meet you in the hotel lobby to begin a sightseeing tour of Almaty. This morning, you will visit several highlights of the city including Panfilov Park, Zenkov Cathedral, Republic Square, and the Almaty City Museum.
After lunch, you will take a short drive (25 km) to Chimbulak where you can visit the ski resort and ride the cable car to enjoy the amazing views of the snowy peaks of the Tian Shan Mountains. You will have some free time after that.

Overnight: hotel in Almaty

Description:

After breakfast, you will depart from Almaty and drive to Bishkek via a newly built highway. You can enjoy the beautiful natural landscapes along the way. The drive is approximately 250 km and takes around 4 hours.

Overnight: hotel in Bishkek

Description:

You will depart from Bishkek at 9:00 AM, visit Burana Tower (part of the ancient city of Balasagun, 11th–13th centuries, now a UNESCO site), and have lunch in Don Aryk village with a local Kyrgyz family. After a yurt-building demonstration, you will transfer to Bishkek airport (110 km, ~1.5h) for a 6:10 PM flight to Tashkent (1h 20 min).
Upon arrival at 6:30 PM, you will transfer to the hotel for an overnight stay.

Overnight: hotel in Tashkent

Description:

You will depart from Bishkek at 9:00 AM. The first stop will be Burana Tower, which was part of the ancient city of Balasagun (11th to 13th centuries) and is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. You will then transfer to Don Aryk village and have lunch at the home of a local Kyrgyz family.
After lunch, you can 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. You will then transfer to Bishkek airport (110 km, ~1h 30 min) to take flight to Tashkent, which departs at 6:10 PM and arrives at 6:30 PM (1h 20 min). You will then transfer to the hotel for overnight.

Overnight: hotel in Samarkand

Description:

At 9:00 AM, you will transfer to the Uzbekistan-Tajikistan border station, Jartepa (50 km, 1 h). You will go through customs and passport control on both sides and 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.
You will have lunch at the guest house next to the 4th lake, where you’ll also stay overnight.

*Please note that today’s accommodation is a homestay with a local family and will have quite basic facilities. Hot water, while normally available, is not 100% reliable. The toilet and showers are outside and shared. You may need to share a room with others in your group (especially during high season), with separate bedrooms for men and women.

In return, you’ll have a unique opportunity to learn about the Tajik culture and the area from the locals’ perspective as you share the family’s traditional meals and experience their day-to-day life.

Overnight: hotel in Penjikent

Description:

You will drive to ancient Penjikent (80 km, ~1 h 30 min), 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, you will 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, you will drive to the Jartepa border crossing (30 km, 40 min) in the late-afternoon and complete the border formalities.

On the Uzbek side, your driver will meet you and take you to the hotel in Samarkand. You will have free time in the evening and stay overnight at the hotel.

Overnight: hotel in Samarkand

Description:

At 9:00 AM, the city tour will begin with a visit to the spectacular Registan Square, followed by the Gur Emir Mausoleum, the final resting place of the Turco-Mongol emperor, Timur.
You will explore the ruins of the Bibi Khanum Mosque and Shakhi-Zinda Necropolis and 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. You will have free time before transferring to the railway station at 20:00.

You will take the high-speed Afrosiyob train departing at 21:00 and arriving in Bukhara at 22:35 (270 km, 1 h 35 min). You will transfer to the hotel for overnight.

Overnight: hotel in Bukhara

Description:

At 9:00 AM, you will start exploring the Old City of Bukhara. Highlights of the walking tour will include the Lyabi Hauz Ensemble, Magoki-Attori Mosque, Chor-Minor Madrasa, Kalyan Minaret, Kalyan Mosque, Miri-Arab Madrasa, Ulugbek and Abdulazizkhan Madrasas, Ark Fortress, Bolo-Khauz Mosque, Ismail Samani and Chashma-Ayub Mausoleums, and various trading domes.

You will have free time from 15:00 until the National Show at Nadir Divan-begi Madrasa which starts at 18:00. You will stay overnight at the hotel.

Overnight: hotel in Bukhara

Description:

You will have an early breakfast before departing at 6:30 AM for the Uzbekistan-Turkmenistan border point, Farap-Alat (100 km, 1 h 30 min). After completing the border formalities at both checkpoints, you will cross the 1.5 km neutral zone (transportation may not be available) to meet your Turkmen guide.
You will continue to Merv (300 km, 5 h 30 min), an ancient city that was a major center of international trade and crafts on the Silk Road. Merv is also home to a historical park for you to discover, with sights including the Sultan Sanjar Mausoleum, Major and Minor Kyz-Kala, Erk-Kala, Gyaur-Kala, Keshk Fortress, and others.

You will have lunch at a local restaurant. You will then transfer to Mary Airport (40 km, 30 min) to take the evening flight to Ashgabat at 18:10. Upon arrival in Ashgabat at 18:50, you will transfer to the hotel for overnight.

Overnight: hotel in Ashgabat

Description:

After breakfast, you will go on a sightseeing tour of Ashgabat. Ashgabat is the capital of Turkmenistan and 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, you will explore the archaeological site of Old Nissa (a UNESCO World Heritage Site) and Spiritual Mosque, one of the biggest mosques in Central Asia.
You will also 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. In the afternoon, you will 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”.

You will spend the night in tents. Note that at Darvaza camp you will be provided with sleeping bags, pillows, and 1- or 2-person tents. There is also an option to share a yurt with 3-5 other group members. In both cases, toilets and basic washing facilities are outside.

Overnight: hotel in Darvaza

Description:

You will have a camp-style breakfast before driving back through the Karakum Desert to the Turkmenistan-Uzbekistan border point, Dashoguz-Shavat (270 km, 4 h). After completing the border formalities at both checkpoints and crossing the 1.5 km neutral zone (transportation may not be available), your Uzbek driver will meet you to begin the trip to Khiva (60 km, 1 h). Upon arrival, you will check in to the hotel and have free time.

Overnight: hotel in Khiva

Description:

After breakfast and hotel check-out (the hotel will store your luggage safely for the day), you will 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.
In the evening, there will be a masterclass on cooking tukhumbarak (egg dumplings, characteristic of Khivan cuisine).

You will have a farewell dinner before transferring to Urgench Airport at 20:30 (30 km, 35 min). Your flight to Tashkent departs at 22:05 and arrives at 23:25 (1,093 km, 1 h 40 min). You will then transfer to the hotel in Tashkent for overnight.

Overnight: hotel in Tashkent

Description:

You will check out from the hotel at noon and have free time until your transfer to Tashkent International Airport.