KYRGYZSTAN - TAJIKISTAN – UZBEKISTAN

ITINERARY:

Detailed program:

KYRGYZSTAN: Kyrgyzstan is an extremely mountainous country with stunning landscapes. If you are a nature and wide-open spaces enthusiast, this place is for you! Its breathtaking mountains, wild plains, and high-altitude lakes will meet all your expectations. Moreover, this country is not yet very open to tourism, ensuring impeccable landscapes and panoramas away from mass tourism. Among the most beautiful places in this country is Lake Issyk-Kul, offering wildly beautiful landscapes. The Pamir mountain range landscapes are also worth a visit, not to mention Jengish Chokusu, the highest peak in the Tien Shan Mountains, providing a stunning view of the surrounding peaks and Lake Son-Kul. In short, there is plenty to do; trust us!

Day 1: Europe – Bichkek - Issyk koul - Tamchi: 25/05 Flight TK arrives at 09:05 Welcome at Manas airport by your guide and departure for the visit of Bishkek, the "green" capital of Central Asia. Guided tour of the city: Dostyk Square, the opera, Dubovy Park, the national museum. Lunch at the Djalal Abad cafe, then in the afternoon, we head towards Lake Issyk Kul. Lunch on the way. In the afternoon, we reach the village of Tamchi. Dinner and night in a guesthouse or under the stars on a beach by Lake Issyk Kul, the second largest mountain lake in the world. Located at 1606 m, the lake maintains a pleasant temperature that can reach 25°C.

Day 2: Tamchi – Song Koul (110 km-2h) 26/05 In the morning, we take time for a swim, then continue our journey towards the Song Kul region. Lunch in Balikchi. During the beautiful season, many families stay in the plains or in Kochkor, the capital. We discover the customs, crafts, and traditions of the Kyrgyz people. Then, we hit the road and stop in Sary Bulak to taste the fried fish from Song Kul. After that, we drive through the Toeloek valley towards the Kalmak Ashu pass (altitude 3448 m). We then walk (2h) from yurt to yurt towards Lake Song Kul, the "ultimate lake" located at an altitude of 3016 m. We experience nomadic life, ancient customs, and Kyrgyz traditions. We meet a Kyrgyz family who will welcome us for the night in their yurt. (3016m)

Day 3: Song Koul – Kazarman (180 km): 27/05 In the morning, a walk in search of petroglyphs. We then drive towards the Naryn River. We descend to the Kourtka valley, then to Ak Talaa "white fields." We take our vehicle to advance towards the riverbanks and then head to the village of Kazarman. We venture into the wildest regions of Kyrgyzstan, a paradise for wild animals: eagles, vultures, falcons, and the famous wild sheep "Marco Polo." Dinner and night with the locals. (1800m)

Day 4: Kazarman – Arslanbob (240 km): 28/05 We pass through the village of Kazarman and one of the highest passes on these Silk Road routes. We then plunge into a lush nature in the heart of the Pamir Alai chain. Short transfer to the small waterfall, and then we walk (3h) in the mountains of Arslanbob. Breathtaking panoramas of lush nature. Night with the locals. (1600m)

Day 5: Arslanbob- Osh (175 km-3h): 29/05 We descend to the Ferghana plain and drive towards the three-millennium city: Osh, the throne of King Solomon. En route, we stop to see the treasures of Uzgen, towers, and mausoleums from the 11th century. We pass by cotton fields and arrive in Osh, the ancient capital of Central Asia. We explore the vibrant bazaar and its chaikhana (tea houses), taste shashliks (meat skewers) or pilaf. We also visit the three-story yurt, Queen Kurmajan Datka, the ethnological museum, and take a walk on Solomon's Mountain. Night in a guesthouse. (1000m)

Day 6: Osh-Ferghana: Breakfast at the hotel. Transfer to the border to enter Uzbekistan, in the Ferghana Valley. 30/05

UZBEKISTAN: In this Central Asian country where the riders of Genghis Khan once roamed, traversed by merchants and philosophers, its Silk Road punctuated with caravanserais, the journey itself becomes an adventure, and the destination a pretext. Travel to a place steeped in myths and legends, where each step is a dazzling mosaic of colors and patterns. Blue arabesques of domes, green mosaics of mosques, scarlet tunics of women, and sun-yellow wool carpets...
The Silk Road Ferghana Valley – Margilan 100 km:    

Entering Uzbekistan, the start of visits. Transfer to Andijan, city tour: Juma Mosque, the bazaar, en route visit to the archaeological site of Khiva, where a large Buddha statue was discovered. Arrival in Margilan, accommodation with locals or at the hotel (Adras or Atlas Hotel B&B).

Day 7: Margilan – Rishtan – Kokand – Khujand via the Kanibadam customs - 180km.    
Breakfast. Morning visit to the "Yodgorlik" factory, where ikat silks are traditionally woven. Witness all the stages of the silk-making process, from cocoon to fabric, spread across several buildings. Journey to Rishtan, where pottery workshops are renowned. Then, visit Kokand, the former center of the Kokand Khanate, founded in the 18th century by Khan Cheibanide.
Explore the palace of the last Khan of Kokand, Khudayarkhan, dating from the late 19th century, the 17th-century Norbutabey Madrasa, and the 19th-century Djami Mosque, the largest in the city. Lunch in the city, route to Khujand via the Kokand-Konibadam customs. Evening arrival in Khujand. Hotel check-in.
TAJIKISTAN:    

Day 8: Khujand. Breakfast. Explore the city of Khujand: Visit the Timurmalik Fortress, the regional museum, Sheikh Muslihiddin Madrasa, the central mosque, and the bazaar. Dinner at a restaurant.
 
Day 9: Khujand - Artuch Village.   Arrival in Artuch Village (1850m). En route, admire the Rudaki Mausoleum. Accommodation in a guesthouse. Lunch. Departure for the Artuch mountain camp. Then, hike to Lake Chukurak at 2450m, a round trip of 4 km. Dinner and overnight stay in the guesthouse.

Day 10: Artuch Village - Seven Lakes - Padrut Village.Breakfast. Arrival at the Seventh Lake (2200m). On the way, observe the Seven Lakes. Pedestrian ascent to the Seventh Lake. Return to the guesthouse.

Day 11: Padrut Village - Penjikent – Samarkand. Breakfast. Early morning departure by car to Penjikent at the Tajik-Uzbek border, crossing at Jartepa. Customs formalities. Welcomed by the Uzbek team. Transfer to Samarkand.

First discovery of Samarkand, Uzbekistan.

Explore Samarkand, a magical and almost mythical city that captivates. Contemporary with Babylon and Thebes, the "Marakanda" of the Greeks is one of the oldest cities globally, with over 4000 years of history. It thrived in the 14th century when Emperor Tamerlane made it the "Pearl of the Orient": an exceptional city covered with palaces, monumental mosques, and medressas (Quranic schools). Samarkand was the hub of trade on the Silk Road and the main city of ancient Sogdiana. It prospered at the crossroads of major trade routes from China, Siberia, Persia, and the West, until the Mongol hordes of Genghis Khan swept through.
Samarkand's heyday came two centuries later when Tamerlane made it the capital of his empire. Today, you can admire the marvelous medressas on Registan Square, this imposing "place of sands," which was the center of the Timurid Empire, a symphony of dazzling tiles. The famous Bibi Khanum Mosque, the mausoleums of Shah-i-Zinda ("the king is alive"). Next to the imposing mausoleum of Rukhabad stands the Gour-Emir, the tomb of Tamerlane, which, in addition to the great conqueror, houses the remains of some of his sons and Olug Beg, the stargazing prince of the 15th century.

Day 12: SAMARKAND - NOURATA - YANGUIGAZGAN 270 KM 5H Breakfast at the hotel. Departure for Yanguikazagan (270 km). Lunch during visits in Nourata. Stop in Nourata to visit its historic center: the remnants of Alexander the Great's Fort with the sacred trout-filled spring, the Tchiloustoun Xs Mosque, the 16th-century Panjvakhta Mosque, the work of Abdoullakhan, the Emir of Bukhara, and the regional museum. Arrival at the yurt camp and installation under the Kazakh yurts. Camel trek in the desert and camelback ride.
Outdoor dinner at 7:00 pm. Akyn concert (Kazakh troubadour) around the fire. Night under the desert sky.

Day 13: Yanguigazgan / Aydarkoul / Bukhara (210 km)Breakfast at 8:00 am. At 9:00 am, depart for Lake Aydarkoul - walk and swim depending on the season. Picnic lunch at 1:00 pm and departure at 2:00 pm to Bukhara. En route, a stop at Kara 
Karga Pass to see Bronze Age petroglyphs. Another stop to visit the world-renowned Gijduvan pottery workshop preserved by UNESCO. Arrival in Bukhara. Dinner in the city.

Day 14: BUKHARA - INTRAMUROS Breakfast. Explore the old town of BUKHARA, the most secretive of the caravan cities with its narrow streets and monuments that will captivate visitors.

Full day dedicated to visiting the old town of Bukhara: The Po-i-Kalon ensemble, the religious center of Holy Bukhara, is an architectural complex in the center of the old town that includes the immense Kalon Mosque with its large blue dome and the Mir-i-Arab Medressa with the Kalon Minaret (12th century), the tallest of its time in the East. The Ismail Samani Mausoleum houses the oldest preserved building in Bukhara: the tomb of Ismail Samani (10th century). The Tchachma Ayyoub Mausoleum, "the source of Job," with its four domed rooms, dates from the 12th century.

Lunch in the city during the visit.

The Tchor Minor, with its four domed towers, is one of the most charming and strange buildings in Bukhara. The Liab-i-Khaouz, located on the main square, consists of three buildings: the Medressa, the Khanaka Nadir Divan-Begui, and the Medressa Koukeldach. The merchant domes belong to the civil architecture of the 16th century: Tok-i-Zargaron, the domain of jewelers, Tok-i-Toulpak Furushon, the domain of hatmakers, and Tok-i-Sarrafon reserved for money changers.

The Abdoul Aziz Khan Medressa is a beautiful example of Islamic iconography: vases, flowers, mythical birds, park landscapes...

Folkloric dinner accompanied by songs, dances, and a parade of traditional costumes in the courtyard of the Nodir Divan-Begi Medressa.

Day 15: BUKHARA - EXTRAMUROS Breakfast. Departure for a morning dedicated to the last visits to Bukhara and its surroundings. The Ark Fortress, a symbol of the emirate of Bukhara, was the fortified residence of the city's leaders for over a millennium. It included palaces, barracks, the coin mint, and the prison. Bolo- Haouz Mosque, facing the citadel, has a splendid dome with carved stalactites. Then visit the Sitorai-Makhi Khosa Palace, the summer residence of the last emir Said Alim Khan (1911). Visit the mausoleum of Baha-al Din Naqchbandi. The tomb of the city's patron saint is a major pilgrimage site. Three Hajj pilgrimages to the tomb of Baha-al Din Naqchbandi are equivalent to a pilgrimage to Mecca.

Lunch in a traditional city restaurant. Visit to a silk workshop.
Dinner at a local resident Doston's home with an initiation into pilaf preparation. Night at the hotel.
 
Day 16: BUKHARA/ KHIVA (via the Kizilkoum desert (450 km) Breakfast at the hotel at 8:00 am. Route to KHIVA through the desert landscapes with red dunes of Kyzyl Kum and along the Amu Darya, the ancient Oxus. Kebab lunch in a desert restaurant. Arrival in Khiva in the late afternoon and check-in at the hotel. First discovery of Khiva. Dinner at the Yusuf Yasaulbashi restaurant, formerly a 19th-century medressa.

Day 17: KHIVA, URGUENCH ✈ TASHKENT Khiva, a true museum city that was once one of the most important slave markets in Central Asia. Behind its walls, domes, and minarets, Khiva, twenty centuries old and the former capital of the Khorezm kingdom, has the colors of sand and turquoise. Not only does it reveal unique historical monuments, but above all, an architectural ensemble that has no equivalent in Central Asia: the visitor is suddenly transported out of time, into a world of mirages and miracles. The city gets its name from the Kheivak well, discovered, according to legend, by Sem, a son of Noah: it was an important stop for the many caravans that once crossed the Karakum Desert. Despite its venerable age, it was between the late 18th and early 20th centuries that the city took on its current appearance.

Breakfast. Discovery of the intramural city of Khiva or Itchan-Kala, a true treasure of Eastern architecture that seems to have come out of the tales of "One Thousand and One Nights": the Muhammad Amin Khan Medressa and the Kalta Minar Minaret, the Koukhna Ark Fortress, which includes the Juma Mosque, the Throne Room, and the Chancellery, the Mohammed Rakhim Khan Medressa, the Tach Khaouli, or the "Stone Palace," and its Harem, the Allakouli Khan Medressa and Caravanserai, the Friday Mosque with its 218 carved wooden columns.

Lunch in a traditional house.

In the afternoon, continue the visit with the Islam Khodja Medressa and the city's tallest minaret, the Pakhlavon Makhmoud Mausoleum, the most remarkable architectural monument, and the Sayyid Alaouddin Mausoleum, one of Khiva's oldest monuments.

Dinner.

Transfer to Urgench airport - 30 km at 7:30 pm. Flight to Tashkent at 9:10 pm. Arrival in Tashkent at 10:15 pm. Night at the hotel.

Day 18: TASHKENT  Breakfast.Discovery of the Uzbek capital. Visit the Museum of Applied Arts (former residence of Russian diplomat Polovtsev), the Khazrat Imam complex including the Barak Khan Medressa (16th century), the Kaffal Chashi Mausoleum, the Quran Museum, and the Djami Mosque. Then head to the active Koukeldosh Medressa located in the heart of the old town.

Lunch in a local restaurant.

Discovery of the new city: Independence Square, Navoi Theatre, and Amir Temur Square.
 
Visit the splendid Tashkent Metro – unique in Central Asia, where each station is sumptuously decorated according to different themes: cotton, cosmos, Uzbek poet Alicher Navoi, etc.
Farewell dinner in a typical Tashkent restaurant. Night at the hotel.

Day 19: TASHKENT visits then ✈ EUROPE Breakfast at the hotel. Then transfer to the airport and departure at 9:05 am by Turkish Airlines.