Silk Road tour, cities of the Silk Road
Experience a quartet of the most wonderful of the ancient cities of the Silk Road – plus one of Central Asia's most unusual natural wonders.
Samarkand Bukhara Shakhrisabz (birth place of Timur) Ashgabat Merv Khiva Darvaza gas crater Konya Urgench Crossing Oxus – Amudarya River Bronze Age Margush Tashkent
Price
£4175To£4450 excluding flights
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Price includes all activities/equipment, tour leaders, local guides and drivers, meals, transport, accommodation and entrance fees as outlined in the itinerary.
Optional Single Supplement: from £515.
Please note some itineraries are reversed.
Optional Single Supplement: from £515.
Please note some itineraries are reversed.
Description of Silk Road tour, cities of the Silk Road
This outstanding trip takes in four of the most important cities of the old Silk Road, and is perfect for culture and history buffs. Starting in Uzbekistan you experience the atmospheric splendour of Samarkand, Bukhara and Shakhrisabz (birth place of Timur) – as well as the quirky modern marvel that is the curiously named Turkmen capital – and carpet-making centre - of Ashgabat (the City of Love).
In Turkmenistan you'll also delve the ancient civilisations centred on the Silk Road town of Merv, set within a fertile valley that cradled some of humanity's earliest civilisations. Dubbed “Queen of Cities”, landmark early towns here include Erk Kala (founded in the 6th century BC), complemented by a host of incredible later settlements dotted with epic structures, from 5000-year-old citadels to the medieval Mausoleum of Muhammed Ibn Zeid.
The trip also takes in the fantastic Uzbekistan cities of Khiva – most remote of Central Asia's Silk Road cities – plus Tashkent. Both remain bustling and colourful Central Asian beacons offering majestic mosques and unforgettable bazaars.
There's a chance to experience one of Central Asia's most unusual natural wonders too, with a night camping in the sand dunes that cradle bizarre gas craters - Darvaza is the largest and most famous – where boiling black water and mud geysers spout from deep within the earth.
Map
Price information
£4175To£4450 excluding flights
Convert currency:
Price includes all activities/equipment, tour leaders, local guides and drivers, meals, transport, accommodation and entrance fees as outlined in the itinerary.
Optional Single Supplement: from £515.
Please note some itineraries are reversed.
Optional Single Supplement: from £515.
Please note some itineraries are reversed.
Check dates, prices & availability
Travel guides
Discover the ancient paths that used to bring riches across the world, and are still just as treasure-filled.
Not at all staid and boring, history tours bring the past to life, and cast modern destinations in new lights.
Holiday information
Small group tour, ideal for solos & couples:
Small group travel is not large group travel scaled down. It is modelled on independent travel – but with the advantage of a group leader to take care of the itinerary, accommodation and tickets, and dealing with the language. It’s easy to tick off the big sights independently – but finding those one-off experiences, local festivals, travelling markets and secret viewpoints is almost impossible for someone without the insider knowledge gained from years in the field. Those with a two-week holiday, a small group tour will save valuable planning time.
Pricing:
The currency converter above works on today’s interbank exchange rate. We do take bookings in a variety of currencies, but the rates are often set months in advance and may therefore differ from those shown above which are for guidance purposes only. Please enquire for details.
Reviews
2 Reviews of Silk Road tour, cities of the Silk Road
4.5 out of 5 stars
Reviewed on 20 Oct 2018 by David Finbow
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
It's hard to single out one activity.......Camping by the Darvasa gas crater, the off-road drive to the Gonur Depe archaeological site or the wacky city of Ashgabat would be my top 3.
2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
1. Don't forget your camera. 2. Be prepared for a fairly monotinous, high carb diet. 3. Leave plenty of room in your luggage for souvenirs.
3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
Not really, other than supporting the local economy. Other travellers in the group had booked direct with the holiday company so weren't aware of Responsible Travel at all.
4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
Very good. The sites visited in both Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan were excellent. James, the tour leader worked hard with the local guides to ensure the whole trip was a memorable experience for everyone.
Reviewed on 26 Sep 2017 by Sara Warren
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
The hospitable and very friendly people wherever we went - smiling faces all the way. Also the sheer vastness of Kyrgyzstan, which I loved - the dramatic mountain passes, the shepherds bringing their animals down from the high pastures. Uzbekistan brought me back to present day - and other tourists (!) - but Bukhara was the city which I loved most - it had an air of tranquillity about it.
2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
Go with an open and flexible mind - and a pair of crocs when visiting drop toilets at night (a tip I read about before I went and which proved most useful). Then I left my crocs at Tash Rabat! Just go prepared to accept opportunities if the chance arises - we were able to go to the ballet in Tashkent and on our return to
the city at the end of the holiday we travelled on the Metro (built by the Russians and very beautiful) and then visited the State Circus. Only dogs and horses used, otherwise all human acts.
3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
I hope that my holiday benefited local people by our inter-action with them, particularly in the bazaars and markets. Our support of local craft work and homestays/restaurants.
4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
I have wanted to visit Central Asia for many years - and to sleep in a yurt! Neither disappointed and I had a wonderful holiday, and am left with memories of such very friendly people and fantastic scenery. Now to get to grips with over 1,000 photos!!!
Responsible Travel
As the pioneers of responsible tourism, we've screened this (and every) holiday so that you can travel knowing we've worked to maximise the benefits of your holiday to local people and places, and minimise any negative impacts.
Planet and people
We are very aware of the economic, ecological and ethical impact tourism can have on ancient cultures and fragile environments. We realise that taking clients through such a region can have a negative impact on the environment if not handled responsibly and as such, on all of our trips we go to great lengths to minimise the negative and accentuate the positive… after all, there are also many good things that the traveller can bring.By keeping the group size to a maximum of 12, we can also minimise the human impact on the fragile sites we visit – particularly important as this trip visits some delicate ecosystems.
In Central Asia we ave developed unique relationships with many of the semi-nomadic peoples of the region and through our form of interactive, socially conscience tourism have helped them adapt to the modern, changing world by providing important income opportunities. With Sogan Bai, an eagle hunter from the shores of Lake Issyk Kul, or Noorgul, a shepherdess from the pristine Son Kul, or Nazira and her family at Tash Rabat, we have been responsible for introducing them to the homestay market, helping them to provide good, clean and interesting accommodation which in term allows them to educate their children, improve their standard of living and look after their ill.
The wonderful thing about this kind of interactive tourism is that everyone gains – the nomads financially and us with the wonderful welcome and experience they give us. On our horse treks, we work exclusively with the fine horse-man Anar Bek, who along with his family and members of the local community, ensure that the horses we trek with are well treated, well fed and well looked after. Wherever possible we stay in locally owned accommodation, eat in locally owned establishments and purchase supplies from the local nomads.
We also support several NGOs around the world such as the Hope Foundation, A-Cet and Adopt-A-Minefield, which are all carefully selected to improve the standard of living for the communities we visit.
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