Lupine Travel

The 5 ‘Stans of Central Asia: Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Kazakhstan are an underappreciated world of their own. This region is home to a little bit of everything. Friendly and diverse locals, tasty food, Islamic architecture, and alpine national parks are just the beginning of what makes these five countries a must for any traveller.

Itinerary

Day One
Arrive into Ashgabat
• Arrive into Turkmenistan’s capital, Ashgabat and transfer to the hotel.
• Day spent at leisure.
• Overnight in Ashgabat.
Day Two
Darvaza ‘The Gates of Hell’
• Morning tour of Ashgabat seeing sites such as The Tower of Neutrality, Turkmenbashy Ruhy Mosque and Independence Monument.
• In the afternoon, we drive to the fiery Darvaza gas crater. We’ll go off-road across huge desert dunes to see the old craters; one filled with water and the other mud, finally arriving at Darvaza early evening. With the setting sun and glow from the crater, you can see for miles in every direction.
• Our local team will prepare dinner whilst we take this time to relax and enjoy the massive campfire-like aura of “The Gates of Hell”.
• Overnight in ger camp near the crater.
Day Three
Konye Urgench
• After breakfast at the camp we drive north to Konye Urgench; a UNESCO world heritage site containing the remains of the Achaemenid Empire’s capital, Khwarazm.
• Drive onwards to Dashoguz and have the evening at leisure.
• Overnight in Dashoguz.
Day Four
Khiva, Uzbekistan
• In the morning we’ll visit the Dashoguz bazaar before heading to the border crossing and passing through into Uzbekistan.
• After lunch we’ll take a walking tour of the city, visiting the legendary Ichan Kala fortress. This ancient site was the last resting place for caravans about to cross the desert to Persia. It contains minarets, a madrassah, mosques and mausoleums.
• Overnight in Khiva.
Day Five
Bukhara
• After free time in the morning, we depart on a 7 hour drive across the desert to Bukhara. It’s a long ride, but we’ll have a packed lunch for the journey and a stop at a Chai Khanah (Uzbek tea house) early afternoon for refreshments.
• After dinner in the city we can enjoy the atmosphere around the Lyabi-Hauz pool.
• Overnight in Bukhara.
Day Six
Journey to Samarkand
• Start with a half-day tour of Bukhara; visiting the Samanids Mausoleum, Ark Fortress, Poi Kalon complex, trading domes, the Lyabi-Hauz complex and Chor Minor.
• After lunch we drive to Samarkand, where we’ll check into our hotel and spend the rest of the evening at leisure.
• Overnight in Samarkand.
Day Seven
Samarkand Tour
• Today we’ll have a full day tour of Samarkand; taking in Registan Square, Gur Emir Mausoleum, Siab bazaar, Ulugbek Observatory, Afrasiab museum wall paintings and the Meros handicraft centre.
• We’ll have a final dinner in Uzbekistan before spending the rest of the night at leisure.
• Overnight in Samarkand.
Day Eight
Ancient Penjikent
• Early morning we’ll cross the Jartepa border from Uzbekistan and meet our Tajik guides.
• We’ll drive to ancient Penjikent where we can explore the ruins of an old Sogdian town founded in the 5th century and abandoned in the 8th century by Arabs. We’ll see the excavated ruins of house foundations, city bazaar and citadel containing Zoroastrian fire temples. Penjikent is the birthplace of Abu Abdallah Rudaki who is considered the father of Persian poetry; we will visit the museum showcasing some of his work.
• Afterwards we’ll head for lunch then drive 4 hours over to Dushanbe to spend the evening at leisure.
• Overnight in Dushanbe.
Day Nine
Day at Leisure
• Today is a well earned day of rest. We have the opportunity to relax at the hotel or head out to explore the capital city.
• Overnight in Dushanbe.
Day Ten
Tunnel of Death
• Drive to Khujand in the morning, passing through the 5 km long Anzob Tunnel a.k.a. The Tunnel of Death; a vital roadway which connects Tajikistan’s two largest cities.
• In Khujand, we’ll visit the Shikh Muslihiddin Mosque, Oriental bazaar (the biggest in Central Asia), Arbob Palace and Lenin Monument.
• After lunch we’ll head to the ancient city fortress of Timur-Malik. This castle was a vital stop on the Silk Road for many centuries.
• Later, we check into our hotel and have dinner at a local restaurant before relaxing for the rest of the evening.
• Overnight in Khujand.
Day Eleven
Fergana Valley
• After breakfast we’ll head to the border and depart Tajikistan. Due to the closure of the Tajikistan/Kyrgyzstan land border we will now take a new route via the picturesque Fergana Valley in Uzbekistan and into Kyrgyzstan via the Dostuck border near Osh.
• Arrive into Osh and check into our hotel and spend the rest of the evening at leisure.
• Overnight in Osh.
Day Twelve
Tien Shan Mountain Range
• Early start today. Prepare yourself for a twelve-hour journey north up to the capital, Bishkek. Scenic is an understatement; this drive is one of the most beautiful in Central Asia—perhaps the world. We pass huge mountains, canyons and valleys throughout the journey and cross different climatic zones as we go through the Fergana Valley and Tien Shan mountain range.
• Arrive in Bishkek early evening and check into the hotel before going for an optional meal and drinks.
Day Thirteen
Bishkek
• We will continue the scenic journey to Bishkek over the Ala-Bel and Tyua-Ashuu Passes.
• Late afternoon and evening at leisure to explore the capital.
• Overnight in Bishkek.
Day Fourteen
Ala Archa
• Drive to Ala Archa; a beautiful alpine national park in the Tian Shan mountain range.
• Take the day to hike, explore the wild scenery or relax and take in the clean air of the mountains.
• Return to the city in the early evening.
• Overnight in Bishkek.
Day Fifteen
Journey to Kazakhstan
• Off we go to the final country of the tour, Kazakhstan. We’ll have an afternoon tour of Almaty seeing the sights. We’ll visit Panfilov Park; home to the bright-yellow towers of Zenkov Cathedral and also head to see the view of the city, amongst other things.
• Early evening we’ll check-in to our hotel, before heading for a final farewell dinner.
• Ovenight in Almaty.
Day Sixteen
Tour Ends
• After two weeks of travel, our tour sadly ends today.
• You are welcome to add extra nights in Kazakhstan on request.