5 Stans tour: the long road through Central Asia in 22 days

5 Stans tour at a glance

Countries

• Kyrgyzstan
• Kazakhstan
• Tajikistan
• Uzbekistan
• Turkmenistan

Length

22 days / 21 nights

Style

Silk Road & desert

Price

from $3490 per person (10–11 travellers, 3*)

Silk Road itinerary, day by day

1. Day 1

   Bishkek, arrival

   We meet you in Bishkek early in the morning and take you to the hotel to rest (early check-in is included). After breakfast we drive about 45 km south to Ala-Archa Gorge, a national park in the Tien Shan foothills, for a gentle walk on the mountain trails. In the afternoon we return to Bishkek to see Ala-Too Square, the changing of the guard at the National Flagstaff, and the monuments to Lenin, Freedom and Manas the Great. The evening is free. Overnight in Bishkek.

   Meals: breakfast

2. Day 2

   Bishkek – Burana Tower – Bishkek

   After breakfast we drive into the countryside to the Burana Tower, an 11th-century minaret and one of the few surviving landmarks of the ancient city of Balasagun. We walk the open-air site with its stone balbals (ancient Turkic grave markers). Lunch is with a local family nearby, followed by a Kok-Boru demonstration, the Kyrgyz national horseback game. In the afternoon we return to Bishkek. Overnight in Bishkek.

   Meals: breakfast, lunch

3. Day 3

   Bishkek – Kochkor village – Naryn, 320 km by road

   After breakfast we drive toward Naryn through widening highland valleys. In Kochkor, the centre of Kyrgyz felt-making, we join a hands-on master class on making shyrdaks (felt rugs). After lunch we continue into the mountains and arrive by evening in Naryn, at more than 2,000 metres above sea level. Overnight in Naryn.

   Meals: breakfast, lunch

4. Day 4

   Naryn – Tash-Rabat caravanserai – Naryn, 220 km by road

   After breakfast we take a day trip to Tash-Rabat, a 15th-century stone caravanserai among high mountains and meadows that once sheltered Silk Road traders arriving over the passes from China. We explore its stone chambers, have a picnic-style lunch, and return to Naryn for the evening. Overnight at the hotel.

   Meals: breakfast, lunch

5. Day 5

   Naryn – Bokonbaevo village – Tamga (Issyk-Kul), 230 km by road

   After breakfast we continue toward the southern shore of Issyk-Kul, one of the largest alpine lakes in the world. In Bokonbaevo village we meet eagle hunters and watch a falconry demonstration. Lunch on the way. Then we visit Fairytale Canyon (Skazka), with its clay towers and castles shaped by wind and time. By evening we reach Tamga village near the lakeshore. Dinner and overnight at a yurt camp (twin yurts with private en-suite bathrooms).

   Meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner

6. Day 6

   Tamga – Djety-Oguz Gorge – Karakol, 90 km by road

   After breakfast we drive to Djety-Oguz Gorge (“Seven Bulls”), named for its seven red sandstone cliffs above the spruce forest, and take an easy walk along the river. We continue to Karakol, at the eastern end of Issyk-Kul, to see the wooden Dungan Mosque, built without a single nail, the Russian Orthodox Cathedral and the Przhevalsky Museum. The evening is free. Overnight at the hotel.

   Meals: breakfast, lunch

7. Day 7

   Karakol – Kegen land border – Charyn Canyon – Almaty, 380 km by road

   After an early breakfast we leave Karakol around 8:00 for the Kazakh border at Kegen. Across the border we drive through wide valleys and passes and stop at Charyn Canyon, about 150 km long with cliffs up to 300 metres high, for a walk through the Valley of Castles. By evening we reach Almaty and check into the hotel.

   Meals: breakfast, lunch

8. Day 8

   Almaty

   Breakfast at the hotel, then a full day in Almaty: the Green Bazaar, Panfilov Park with the wooden Zenkov Cathedral, and the Memorial of Glory and Eternal Flame. We ride up Kok-Tobe Hill and come down by the Almaty cableway. After lunch we head to Medeo, the world’s highest ice-skating rink, and take the cable car at Shymbulak Ski Resort up to 3,200 metres. Overnight in Almaty.

   Meals: breakfast

9. Day 9

   Almaty – Dushanbe by evening flight

   A slow morning in Almaty at your own pace: the bazaar again, or a walk along the Arbat pedestrian street. Check-out is at 12:00, and luggage can stay at the hotel. At the agreed time we transfer to the airport for the evening flight to Dushanbe, where we meet you and take you to the hotel.

   Meals: breakfast

10. Day 10

    Dushanbe

    After breakfast we visit the National Museum of Tajikistan, home to the “Buddha in Nirvana”, one of the largest clay Buddhas in Central Asia, the Botanical Garden and the Oriental Bazaar. After lunch we drive about 30 km to the Hissar Fortress and the Madrasah Kukhna. We return to Dushanbe in the evening. Overnight at the hotel.

    Meals: breakfast

11. Day 11

    Dushanbe – Iskanderkul Lake – Penjikent, 235 km by road

    In the morning we drive north through the mountains toward Penjikent and stop at Iskanderkul Lake, named after Alexander the Great, for time on the turquoise shore. In Penjikent we visit the ancient settlement of Sarazm, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the local museum, then check into the hotel. Overnight in Penjikent.

    Meals: breakfast

12. Day 12

    Penjikent – Khujand – Oybek land border – Tashkent, 460 km by road

    After breakfast we drive north to Khujand, Tajikistan’s second-largest city, in the Fergana Valley. A short city tour takes in the Archaeological Museum, the Shaikh Muslihiddin Mosque and Madrasah, and Payshanba Bazaar. We continue to the Oybek border, where our Uzbek guide and driver meet us, and drive on to Tashkent. Hotel check-in and rest.

    Meals: breakfast

13. Day 13

    Tashkent – Samarkand by evening train, 2 hours

    We spend the day in Uzbekistan’s capital: Khast-Imam Square with its madrasahs, mosques and mausoleums, and the domed halls of Chorsu Bazaar. After lunch we walk through Independence Square and Amir Temur Square and ride the Tashkent Metro, each station designed in its own style. In the evening we take the train to Samarkand and transfer to the hotel. Overnight in Samarkand.

    Meals: breakfast

14. Day 14

    Samarkand

    After breakfast we start at Registan Square, framed by the Ulugbek, Sher-Dor and Tilla-Qori madrasahs, then visit the Gur-e Amir Mausoleum, resting place of Tamerlane and his dynasty. After lunch we see the Bibi-Khanym Mosque, once one of the largest in the Islamic world, walk the Shah-i-Zinda Necropolis with its blue-tiled mausoleums, and end at the Ulugbek Observatory. Overnight in Samarkand.

    Meals: breakfast

15. Day 15

    Samarkand – Bukhara, 280 km by road

    After breakfast we drive to Bukhara across the Kyzylkum plains, once a caravan route between oases. In the old town we begin at the Po-i-Kalyan Complex and its minaret, then visit the Miri-Arab Madrasa, the Magoki-Attori Mosque and the Ulugbek Madrasa, and finish at Lyabi-Hauz Square, where mulberry trees shade the pool. In the evening we check into the hotel.

    Meals: breakfast

16. Day 16

    Bukhara

    Breakfast at the hotel. We visit the Ismail Samani Mausoleum and the Chashma Ayub Mausoleum, linked with the legend of the Prophet Job, walk through the local bazaar, then see the Bolo-Khauz Mosque and the Ark Citadel with its old Zindan prison. In the afternoon we drive out to the Sitorai Mokhi-Khosa Palace, summer residence of the last emir, and the Mausoleum of Bakhouddin Naqshbandi. In the evening a local family welcomes us for a plov master class and a homemade dinner. Overnight at the hotel.

    Meals: breakfast, dinner

17. Day 17

    Bukhara – Khiva, 460 km by road

    After breakfast we set off on a long drive across the Kyzyl-Kum Desert and along the Amudarya River. We stop for lunch on the way and reach Khiva, a walled medieval city, with free time for its lanes, workshops and craft shops. Overnight in Khiva.

    Meals: breakfast

18. Day 18

    Khiva

    After breakfast we explore Ichan-Kala, Khiva’s walled inner city and a UNESCO World Heritage Site: the Pakhlavan Mahmud Mausoleum, the Kunya-Ark Fortress and the Islam Hajji Minaret. After lunch we visit the Tash Khauli Palace, the Juma Mosque with its 200 carved wooden columns, the Muhammad Aminkhan Madrasah and the Avesta Museum. Back to the hotel in the evening.

    Meals: breakfast

19. Day 19

    Khiva – Shavat land border – Darwaza, 360 km by road

    In the morning we drive to the Shavat border, where our Turkmen guide and driver meet us, and cross the desert toward the Darwaza Gas Crater, arriving before sunset. We have a BBQ dinner near the crater and, after dark, walk closer to the edge to see it burning against the night sky. Overnight in shared twin yurts at the desert camp in the Karakum Desert.

    Meals: breakfast, dinner

20. Day 20

    Darwaza – Ashgabat, 300 km by road

    After breakfast at the camp we cross the Karakum Desert toward Ashgabat, stopping at the nearby mud and water craters. In Ashgabat we begin with the Sunday Bazaar, the stables of the Akhal-Teke horses, Turkmenistan’s national symbol, and the Ertogrul Ghazi Mosque, inspired by Ottoman architecture. Then to the hotel to rest.

    Meals: breakfast

21. Day 21

    Ashgabat

    After breakfast we visit the National Museum, Independence Park, the Rukhnama Monument and the Neutrality Arch, and the Wedding Palace viewpoint over the white-marble skyline. Outside the city we see Nissa, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and former capital of the Parthian Empire, and end the day at the Turkmenbashi Mosque-Mausoleum. Back to the hotel to rest.

    Meals: breakfast

22. Day 22

    Ashgabat, departure

    Breakfast at the hotel. At the scheduled time, transfer to Ashgabat International Airport for your departure flight.

    Meals: breakfast

We may adjust the order of visits and activities, such as museums and sites, if the weather or other circumstances call for it. If we do, we plan the change around your comfort and keep the overall journey intact.

Add a short Almaty trip

Optional private trips from Almaty that you can add before or after this tour. We plan them with you and include them in your quote.

Turgen Gorge & Assy Plateau, 2 days

2 days / 1 night

from $364 per person (4–6 travellers)

Charyn Canyon, Kolsai & Kaindy Lakes, 2 days

2 days / 1 night

from $468 per person (4–6 travellers)

Day tour

Bogdanovich Glacier day hike

1 day

from $104 per person (4 travellers)