Tour to 4 Four STANS of Asia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan
The Central Asia tour includes visits to Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan.
Also called the Four Corners of Asia tour, this is a combined tour; it is possible to remove or add countries to the list. This special tour requires time for preparation. This tour can be arranged for larger groups.
The entire tour lasts 20 days. Accommodations are in 4-star hotels, with 5-star hotels available upon request. Throughout the tour, all landmarks are visited, including both architectural and natural attractions.
Comfortable transportation and the services of a guide and translator are provided throughout the entire route, and a combination of services is also available.
- Distance of the route:
3000 км
- Season time:
May - September
- Best time:
July - September
- Group size:
20 persons
- Days & nights:
19 days - 18 nights
Tour itinerary:
Breakfast in the morning, then we leave for the Kok-Tobe cable car station, located on Dostyk Avenue near the Palace of the Republic. We take the funicular up to the top of Kok-Tobe Mountain (1130 m), the ascent takes 5 minutes (1.7 km). On the mountain we visit the mini zoo, where you can see birds of prey, pheasants and peacocks, as well as deer and llamas, then walk to the monument dedicated to the band "The Beatles", after that we will go to the souvenir shop and art gallery.
After walking along Kok-Tobe Mountain, we go down to the bus station and drive to the Medeo tract, the road takes 30 minutes with a length of 20 km. We take a 15-minute cable car ride from Medeo to the Cimbulac Ski Resort. The length of the lift is 4.6 km, which makes this the third cable car in the world.
During the funicular ride, you can enjoy a beautiful view of the mountains of the Northern Tien Shan, as well as mountain peaks such as Shkolnik Peak - 3800 m, Amangeldy peak — 4000 m, Abai Peak — 4010 m, Nursultan Peak (formerly Komsomol Peak) — 4376 m. Annual ascents are held at Nursultan Peak as part of the mountaineering Olympiad. And if you look down, you can see the Medeo, the world's largest alpine winter sports complex, located at an altitude of 1,691 meters above sea level.
Arriving at the resort of Cimbulak, we will walk to the observation deck with a beautiful view of the mountains, and then switch to the third cable car (it consists of two parts, with a total length of 3.2 km, the ascent takes 30 minutes), and climb to the Talgar pass (3200 m). After reaching the pass, we stroll through its surroundings and enjoy the panorama of the city of Almaty, the mountains of the Trans-Ili Alatau and the Malo-Almaty gorge. Then we will have a picnic with champagne. After an active holiday, we return to the city, where we will have a delicious dinner, rest and sleep.
Breakfast. We leave Almaty to the Charyn Canyon (Charyn Canyon). The route from the city to the canyon is about 200 km long. Along the way, we will encounter many villages and villages, which were once German settlements. Most of the route runs along the Kuldzhinsky highway (A351 highway).
You can also make several sightseeing stops along the way, for example, at the Berkutchi Museum (located 160 km from Almaty). In the museum we will see Golden Eagles and the national breed of hunting dogs "Tazy" or "Kazakh Greyhound". After that, we will drive through the Kokpek gorge with a length of 11 km and get to the Syugatinsky valley.
In total, we will have to cover 11 km along a dirt road and we will see the majestic Charyn Canyon (Charyn Canyon). A short walk through the canyon and its surroundings. Let's have a picnic on Charyn. Then we drive through the village of "Kegen" and reach the checkpoint "Kegen" - this is the Kazakh-Kyrgyz border. Border control between Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan.
After that, we cross the San Tash pass and arrive at a hill of stones called the Tamerlane Stones. A short walk and the story "The Legend of Tamerlane". Now we are closer to our goal – to the administrative center of the Issyk-Kul region, the city of Karakol! After passing through the village of Tyup, we arrived at the last point. Check-in at the Amir Hotel, dinner and overnight.
Our route will run through the village of Jety-Oguz, the resort of Jety-Oguz of the same name, and the final point on the way will be the Kok-Zhaiyk tract, 39 km away. Unforgettable excursions to the Jety-Oguz gorge or the red rocks of the "Seven Bulls" made of sandstone and the "Broken Heart" await us.
Great lunch in the yurt. After that, an easy walk to the "Valley of Flowers" and return to the city of Karakol. In the city of Karakol, we will visit the Holy Trinity Orthodox Church, the Dungan mosque and the local bazaar. For dinner, we'll try traditional cuisine at a local cafe. Overnight at the Amir Hotel.
Breakfast. After that, we go on an excursion to the Przewalski Museum, which is on our way to Bulan-Sogota. The museum is located 12 km north of the city of Karakol, and we will visit the grave of Nikolai Przhevalsky, the monument, and the museum itself, in honor of the great traveler of the 19th Century.
Further along the northern shore of Lake Issyk-kul, after 115 km we reach the village of Grigoryevka and turn towards the Grigoryevsky Gorge. We will have great walks in the vicinity of the gorge, as well as visit the shepherds' yurts located in a clearing near the Chong-Aksu River.
Next, we will go to Bulan-Sogota for accommodation at the Issyk-Kul Hotel (Aurora). We will have lunch at the restaurant on the territory of the Issyk-Kul hotel complex (Aurora). After lunch, we will leave for the city of Cholpon Ata, where we will visit the yacht club and organize a yacht trip on Lake Issyk-Kul. After a walk on Lake Issyk-Kul, we return to the Issyk-Kul (Aurora) hotel of the same name for dinner and overnight.
We have breakfast and drive towards the city of Cholpon Ata and take an excursion with rock paintings under the city. After that, transfer from Cholpon-Ata to the village of Balykchi, from there we drive to the village of Tokmok and reach the Burana Tower (222 km). Sightseeing tour to the ancient city of the kingdom of the "Karakhanids". At the end, we arrive in Bishkek and check into the Alpinist Hotel. Sleepover.
We have breakfast and drive towards the checkpoint "Chaldavar" or checkpoint "Novovskresenovka" - 92 km away. Passage of the Kyrgyzstan–Kazakhstan border zone. Further from the checkpoint we drive through the village of "Merke" to the settlement of "Akyrtas" - 248 km on the way.
In the ancient settlement "Akyrtas" we will have an excursion to the museum and a visit, directly, to the settlement itself. "Field lunch". From the settlement "Akyrtas" we drive towards the city of Taraz, the road is only 50 km. Upon arrival in Taraz, we check into a hotel and begin a city tour.
We will visit the mausoleum of Daut-Bek (13th century), as well as the local history museum of the city (the museum's collection includes more than 30,000 exhibits, the museum houses the only collection of stone statues in Kazakhstan (XV - X centuries). At the end of the day, we will visit the city bazaar, after which we will have dinner and an overnight stay at the hotel.
We have breakfast and drive out of the city of Taraz to the village of Aisha-Bibi. There we will visit the mausoleum of the same name "Aisha-Bibi", as well as "Babaji-Khatun" (11th-17th centuries). Then, through the village of Aksu, we reach the village of Sairam (it is 169 kilometers away).
In the early Middle Ages (IX - XII centuries), the city of Ispijab was located on the site of Sairam, the center of the district of the same name, which was part of Transoxiana. We are waiting for an excursion tour of the monuments of the village, visiting the mazar of the parents of the outstanding poet and religious mystic Khoja Akhmet Yassawi - Karashash ana (18th century), Ibrahim ata (13th - 19th centuries), Abdel Aziz Baba (15th - 19th centuries), Khoja Talig (13th - 19th centuries), Mirali Baba (late 19th - 20th centuries), the medieval minaret of Khizr (13th - 19th centuries).
After the tour, we drive to the city of Shymkent, upon arrival in the city of Shymkent, we have lunch at a restaurant in the city and drive to the village of Temirlan, where we visit the Haji Mukan Museum. Next we go to the village of Ekpindi, where we will see the "Red Bridge", which was built in 1886. Next, from the village of Yekpindi, our path runs through the village of "Tortkol" and at lunch we arrive in the village of "Schaulder", where we have a delicious lunch and attend an excursion to the Otrar Museum, which will tell us the story of the excavations of the ancient settlement of the same name.
From the village of "Shaulder" we drive to the settlement of "Otrar" through the village of "Kogan". In the Otrar settlement, we will visit the excavations and see a medieval bathhouse, a residential area, a mosque and fortress walls. After Otrar, we will visit the Arstanbab Mausoleum. Next, we will visit the Arstanbab mosque and arrive in the city of Turkestan, where we will stay in a hotel, have dinner and spend the night.
We have breakfast and go on an excursion to the mausoleum of Ahmed Yasawi. We visit the historical museum of Azaret Sultan, the cultural and ethnographic center, the archaeological museum, the Darvaza Gate (XVIII - XIX centuries), the mausoleum of Yessimkhan (XVI century), the mausoleum of Rabiya Sultan Begim (late XV century), the khanaka mausoleum of Ahmed Yasawi (XII - XIV centuries), the mosque of Zhuma (1878), the Hilovat underground mosque (XII - XV centuries), the eastern baths (XVI - XVIII centuries), Bolshoy Hilvet (XII century), Chillakhan (XIV century), the excavations of the Kultobe settlement (XIV century), hilvet Aulie-Kumchik-ata (XII century). Lunch at a local cafe.
After lunch transfer: Turkestan – Shymkent - Zhibek Zholy checkpoint/Gyusht Kuprik (Kazakh-Uzbek border and customs post), arrival in Tashkent, accommodation in a hotel, dinner and overnight.
The day will consist of guided tours of the capital of Uzbekistan. First of all, we will visit the Kukeldash Madrasah and the Hast Imam Square in the old city, which consists of the Barak Khan madrasah, as well as the Tillya Sheikh mosque and the Kafal Shashi mausoleum, there is also the Chorsu bazaar and Peoples' Friendship Square, in addition to all this, the Abul Kasim madrasah and the Museum of decorative and Applied arts are located there.
We will have lunch at a local restaurant. As part of the tour, we will visit Amir Temur Square, which was originally passable, as well as Independence Square, where various administrative buildings with many fountains are located, then we will visit the Navoi Opera and Ballet Theater and the Historical Museum. We have dinner and spend the night at the hotel.
We have breakfast and move to Samarkand, along the way, stopping to take photos at the colorful rural bazaars and markets that are located along the road. Upon arrival in Samarkand, we check into the Afrosiyab hotel.
We have lunch at a local restaurant and go for a walk to Registan Square, which is a former market square, and it is surrounded on three sides by beautiful madrasahs: Ulugbek, Sherdor and Tillya-Kari, built in the XV - XVII centuries. Then we have dinner and spend the night in a hotel.
The day will consist entirely of city tours. First we will visit Gur Emir, translated into Farsi – the grave of the Emir, the mausoleum of Timur and the Timurids, then the Bibi Khanim mosque, both built in the 15th century. Then we will proceed to Siab bazaar, then to the necropolis of Samarkand rulers and nobility - Shahi Zinda.
We will have lunch at the national house, and then visit the Ulugbek Observatory, the ruins of Afrasiab, and a museum with fragments of 17th-century frescoes. We return to the hotel, have dinner, and relax.
We have breakfast and leave, along the way, after 270 km, we stop in the city of Shakhrisabz. We will have a city tour, which includes a tour of Tamerlane's grandiose ruined residence – Ak Sarai (White Palace), the Friday Mosque – Kok Gumbaz (Blue Dome), the "Meditation House" of the memorial complex of Tamerlane's ancestors – Dorut Tilavat.
We will also explore the remains of the Dorus Siadat Timurid dynastic tomb, including Timur's crypt - this underground room was opened only in 1963. We have lunch at the national house and drive to Bukhara (300 km). We stop at the Bukhara Palace Hotel, check in, have dinner, and spend the night.
After breakfast, we leave for a guided tour of Bukhara. First of all, we will visit the Poi Kalon complex with the minaret of the Mir Arab Madrasah and the Kalon Jumi mosque, then we will visit three domed bazaars – jewelry (Taki Zargaron), headwear bazaar (Taki Telpak Furushon) and currency exchange bazaar (Taki Sarrafon).
We will stop at the Magok-I-Attori mosque, in the Lyabi House ensemble, which consists of three madrasahs. We will have lunch at a local restaurant, and then we will go to the folklore program at the Nadir Divan Begi Madrasah. We return to the hotel and have dinner.
After breakfast, we continue exploring the city. We will stop at the Ark fortress, which is the most ancient architectural and archaeological monument of Bukhara, then we will visit the Bolo Nauz Mosque, the mausoleum of Ismail Samani, the Chashma Ayub complex. We have lunch at a local restaurant, then drive to the summer palace of the last Emir – Sitor-I-Mokhi and Chor Minor. We have dinner at the hotel and spend the night.
We have breakfast and leave for Khiva. Our road will go through the Kyzyl-Kum desert. On the way, we will stop on the banks of the Amu Darya River to take pictures of the picturesque landscapes. Lunch is on the way. Upon arrival in Khiva, we check into the hotel. We have dinner and relax.
We have breakfast and go on a tour of Khiva. First we will visit the Ichan Kala minaret, it is located in the inner city, then the Muhammad Amin Khan Madrasah, 260 students studied there at that time, the Kelte Minor, Kunya Ark, the mausoleum of Pahlavan Mahumda, it is one of the most beautiful places in the city, the Madrasah and the Minaret of Islam Khoja, Tosh Hovli, Ala Kuli Khan Madrasah. We have lunch at a local restaurant. We return to the hotel, have dinner, spend the night.
Breakfast. Departure from Khiva, we reach the Turkmen-Uzbek border "Shavat checkpoint", then the procedure for passing the border of the states. After the border, we pass through the city of Dashoguz, and move to the historical and cultural museum-reserve, which is included in the UNESCO Kunya-Urgench World Heritage List (141 km). We will visit in Kunya Urgench: the mausoleum of Nadzimetdin Kubra (XII - XIII centuries), the mausoleum of the Mongolian princess Torebeg Khanum (Turabekh Khanum, XII – XIV centuries), the minaret of Mamun (X – XI centuries), the minaret of Kutlug Timur (XII – XIV centuries), at the moment it is the tallest brick minaret in all of Central Asia, the mausoleum of Tekesh - Khorezmshah (12th century) with a minaret of the 14th century, the fortress of Ak - Kala (Akgala) (I – III centuries).
We will have lunch in Kun Urgench and return to Dashoguz (94 km). Then we drive to Dashoguz airport. We are flying Dashoguz – Ashgabat for a duration of 50 minutes. Arrival in Ashgabat, transfer to the Nisa Hotel, dinner, rest.
We wake up and have breakfast and immediately leave for the airport of Ashgabat and fly to the south of Turkmenistan to the city of Mary. Upon arrival, we are met at the airport of the city and we drive to the village of Bayram Ali. There we will have a guided tour of the Ancient Merv Historical and Cultural Park. After visiting the ancient architectural monuments, we will visit the ancient settlement of Abdullah Khan Kalla, which is located just outside the village of Bayramali.
We will also visit the legendary citadel of Erk-Kala with an area of 12 ha of the Achaemenid era. We will walk through the medieval fortress "Giaur-Kala", where the ruins of Christian monasteries and Buddhist temples are located. During the heyday of the Great Seljuk state, by order of Sultan Melik Shah, there was a Sultan's Fortress, known as Sultan Kala, in the shape of an irregular square. The mausoleum of Sultan Sanjar is located in the Shahriyar Ark citadel. The mausoleum of Muhammad ibn Zeid in the suburban territory of the Seljuk capital. After a tour of the ancient city of Merv, we drive back to Mary for lunch.
After a long lunch, we return for an excursion to the ancient city of Merv. At the end of the tour in the city of "Merv" we return to the city of "Mary" for a further flight to the city of "Ashgabat". Upon arrival in the city of Ashgabat, we are met at the airport and checked into a local hotel.
After breakfast, we will go to the oriental bazaar "Tolkuchka", also known as the Sunday market "Tolkuchka". The modern name "Altyn Asyr" means "The Golden Age". After the bazaar, we go to one of the restaurants in Ashgabat for lunch.
And then we go on a wonderful city tour and the first point of visit will be the historical and cultural reserve "Nisa". After the Nisa settlement, we will visit the monument to the victims of the Ashgabat earthquake that occurred in 1948 (the earthquake was 10 on the Richter scale).
We will also visit the State Museum of the cultural center of Turkmenistan. Also, the museum of the Turkmen carpet, which was founded in 1993, the oldest exhibit of the museum dates back to the 17th century and here we will see the world's second largest carpet with an area of almost 301 square meters, handmade carpet and weighs more than a ton!
At the end of the day, we will have a soulful dinner accompanied by a folklore concert.
The end of the tour, departure from the city of Ashgabat.
Photogallery:
