Central Asia Group Tour 2026

Flight to Almaty.

Arrival at Almaty International Airport.

Migration formalities usually take 20 min to 60 min: visa/passport control and baggage claim. Come out of the terminal and meet the staff holding a sign “ANUR TOUR” or with your name on it.

Transfer to the hotel from Almaty airport to the city center may take about 30 min- 1 hr depending on the hotel location and traffic. Arrival in the hotel. Check-in.

Resting time in the evening. Overnight at the hotel.

Breakfast at the hotel.

09:00 Start Almaty city tour.

- Visit Panfilov's Park with Zenkov's Orthodox Cathedral, Great Patriotic War Memorial and National Musical Instruments Museum.

- Visit Central Mosque and Green Bazaar.

- Drive to Medeo world skating rink. There will be an opportunity for a short hiking tour upstairs to the top of the dam to enjoy the beautiful view of the surroundings.

Take a cable car to Chimbulak Ski Resort.

Return to Almaty.

Leisure / free time in the afternoon. Overnight.

Breakfast at the hotel.

09:00 Start driving to Bishkek on a car (250 km ~ 4-5hrs). Border crossing (~1h).

Please be ready to handle all your luggage across the border by yourself (~300 m).

Continue driving to Bishkek. Arrival, hotel check-in.

Afternoon city tour with visiting:

- State History Museum at Ala-Too Square,

- Lenin Statue;

- White House;

- Manas Monument.

Leisure / free time in the afternoon.

Overnight at the hotel.

Breakfast at the hotel.

Morning at leisure.

After standard check-out transfer to Issyk-Kul lake en route enjoying gorgeous nature view.

Leisure / free time in the afternoon.

Overnight at the hotel.

Breakfast at the hotel.

Morning at leisure, time to relax nearby Issyk-Kul lake.

Afternoon transfer to Bishkek airport for flight to Tashkent.

19:30 Departure by flight HY 778.

19:50 Arrival in Tashkent.

Leaving the terminal and meet up the driver in the meeting zone.

Transfer to the hotel.

You will have time to discuss tour details with the company representative.

Leisure / free time in the afternoon. Overnight.

09:00 Meet with a guide.

Start sightseeing tour of Tashkent (5-6 hrs) visiting old and new parts of the city:

- Amir Timur Square, founded in 1882 and originally called Konstantinovsky Square, was renamed on August 31, 1994 after the Amir Timur to honor the cultural and historical contribution of the great conqueror.
Around the Square, there is the Museum of History of Timurids, Uzbekistan hotel, Forum Palace, and famous Tashkent striking clock.

- Tashkent striking clock, one of the major symbols of Tashkent.

- Theater Square with the Opera House: State Academic Theater of Uzbekistan named after Alisher Navoi built in 1947 is one of the best opera theater of the world performs both classical and national repertoires. 

- Independence Square, the main square of Uzbekistan reflects the past, present, and future of the country. There are fountains standing for the life energy of Uzbek people, the Cabinet and the Senate, the “Eternal flame" in honor of soldiers who died during the Second World War.
- Earthquake Memorial, the composition is devoted to the tragic date of earthquake in Tashkent on April 26, 1966, and is erected in the approximate place of the earthquake epicenter. Residents still come to the monument to honor those people who took a part in the reconstruction of Tashkent;

- Khast Imam Square – a religious center of the city consisting of the Barakkhan madrasah; Kaffal Shashi Mausoleum and the library of Islamic Literature with the Holy Koran Book of the VII century (original Quran Othman). Khast Imam is one of the most significant spiritual centers in Central Asia and attracts pilgrims and visitors all over the world.

- Chorsu bazaar – the ancient bazaar of Tashkent. “Chorsu” means “four waters”, symbolically meaning the conjunction of four major parts of the old city in the bazaar where people come for trades. The bazaar beautiful blue dome, built in traditional style after the Tashkent earthquake, is often depicted in postcards and international magazines and became one of the major sights of interest both for locals and guests – one can see oriental tiled bazaar from different souvenir shops with ceramics, handicraft works, carpets and jewelry, the whole pavilion full of delirious fruits to the finest textiles and colorful fabrics.

- Tashkent Metro (the first line was launched in 1977) with beautiful train stations each decorated in thematic style with traditional ornaments and special lightning.

Overnight at the hotel.

Breakfast at the hotel

08:00 Meet the driver in your hotel in Tashkent, transfer to Uzbek - Tajik border "Oybek" (~100 km)

Border passing formalities: visa and passport control usually takes 30 min - 1,5 hr.

Meet the driver and guide on Tajikistan side of the border and transfer to Khudjand (70km, 1h.) – center of Sugd  region of Northern Tajikistan.

Khujand was the furthest point Alexander the Great reached in Central Asia, the city was named Alexandria Eschate (Alexandria the Farthest), the city became one of the important entrepots on  the great Silk Road.

Start sightseeing in Khujand: 

- Pushkin square with Kamoli Khudjandi Square;

- Timur Malik’s fortress and Sugd museum or archeology and fortification; 

- Muslihiddin memorial complex;

- Panjshanbe bazaar with distinctive decoration of the facade is the  central market in Khujand.  Panjshanbe is translated “Thursday” in Persioan,  meaning the main bazaar days was traditionally on Thursdays. 

Resting time in the evening. Overnight at the hotel.

Breakfast at the hotel.

09:00 Start driving to Penjikent through Istaravshan town (ancient name-Kiropolis). It's one of the oldest cities in Tajikistan.

Sightseeing tour in Istaravshan visiting:

- Mazar-i Sharif mausoleum;

- Kok-Gumbaz madrasa (16th century) and Kuhi Mug, the ruins of an ancient fortress.

Penjikent, a city in the Sugd province that was an ancient town in Sogdiana.

Start city tour in Penjikent visiting:

- The ruins of the old town area on the outskirts of the modern city. The Sarazm Important Bird Area (UNESCO World Heritage) lies downstream of the city on the tugay-vegetated floodplain of the river;

- The archaeological site of the ruins of old Penjikent - a walled inter-city that stood 2500-years ago - was once a Sogdian trading city on the Silk Road.

Transfer to Tajik-Uzbek border post Jartepa. Border crossing (ETA 16:00).

Meeting the driver at Uzbekistan part of the border

Transfer to Samarkand. Hotel check-in.

Leisure / free time in the afternoon.

Overnight at the hotel.

Breakfast at the hotel.

09:00 Start sightseeing program in Samarkand (6 hours):

– Gur Emir Mausoleum – a burial vault of Timur the Great and his descendants decorated with gold ornaments and considered as one of the most significant places in the world;

– Continue to the famous Registan Square – the heart of Samarkand and a real masterpiece of Central Asian medieval architecture consists of three grandiose buildings: Ulughbek Madrassa, Madrassa Sherdor, and Madrassa Tilla Kori.

Master class for cooking Samarkand pilaf in the National House.

Continue sightseeing tour visiting:

– Bibi Khanim Mosque – the biggest medieval building in the city which was one of the most magnificent mosques in the Islamic world in 15th Century;

– Shahi Zinda Necropolis – unique complex of Mausoleums  formed by standing on both sides of the cenotaph (an imaginary grave) belonging to the Muslim person named Saint Abbas ibn-Kussam;

– Ulugbek’s Observatory – the finest astronomical centers in the medieval world was built by order of Ulugbek, an outstanding scholar and astronomer;

– Samarkand bazaar – Siyab.

Dinner in the local restaurant (main dish: delicious manti).

Transfer to the hotel.

Resting time in the evening. Overnight at the hotel.

Breakfast at the hotel.

Transfer to Bukhara (270 km - 4,5 hours), en- route visiting famous Gijduvan pottery workshop where visitors are welcome for a tour around the workshop and observe the process of ceramic making and painting.

The owners demonstrate the stages of making ceramics from turning the potter’s wheel to making paints from natural ingredients, decorating the ceramics in a distinctive style, drying and firing. Take a tour around the museum-hall of ceramic masterpieces with a unique collection of the ceramic items of Gijduvan and other regions of Uzbekistan. 

By request ( extra payment), a master-class of painting ceramics, suzani embroidery and traditional bread baking.

Continue to Bukhara.

Arrival in Bukhara in the afternoon, check-in the hotel.

Resting time in the evening. Overnight at the hotel.

Breakfast at the hotel.

09:00 Meet the guide in the lobby. Start walking sightseeing program in Bukhara (5 hrs):

- Ensemble Lyabi Hauz (Nadir Divanbegi Madrassa, Khanaka, Kukeldash Madrassa and the monument of Khodja Nasreddin);

- Magoki Attari Mosque is one of the oldest mosques survived in Bukhara from the time before the Mongolian invasion;

- Abdullakhan’s Tim with numerous handicraft shops of souvenirs, ceramics, national clothes, and carpets;

- Caravanserai Sayfuddin (the Center of Handicraft Development of Bukhara);

- Trading domes or so called covered bazaars Toki Sarrofon, Toki Telpak Furushon, and Toki Zargaron preserved from the XVI century and these bazaars were the centers for trade of silk, jewelry and even for money exchange. Today as well, visitors can purchase different souvenirs of a wide range from small souvenir magnets to the famous Bukhara carpets;

- Ulugbek and Abdulazizkhan Madrassas or so-called Kosh (pare) madrassas opposite each other with the distinctive style of facade ornamental decoration;

- Poi Kalon Square with Kalon Minaret and Mosque, Mir Arab Madrassa – the heart of Bukhara, a monumental complex impresses the imagination;

- Ark Fortress – the oldest citadel dating back to I century BC where one can feel the history of the great fortress covered in beautiful legends and myths.

Resting time in the evening. Overnight at the hotel.

Breakfast at the hotel.

08:30 Start driving to the Uzbek-Turkmen border (BP Alat - Farab).

Border formalities on both sides, meeting with a representative of Turkmenistan travel company. Transfer to Mary.

En-route visit to the Ancient Merv (UNESCO). Sightseeing in the historical park:

- Visit Sultan Sanjar Mausoleum, Mohammed bin Said Mausoleum;

- Medieval castles – “Kesk” fortresses (6-7 centuries) and others.

Return to Mary. Visit the History Museum of Merv region.

19:20 evening flight to Ashgabat.

20:00 arrival in Ashgabat.

Transfer to the hotel. Check in to the hotel.

Overnight at the hotel.

Breakfast at the hotel.

09:00 Start Ashgabat city tour:

- Ertogrul Gazy Mosque, Independence Park with Monument of Independence (it's a 118m column that considers the highest building in the country);

- Neutrality Arch - a unique composition that rotates slowly after the sun;

- National Museum, where you can see more than 166 unique expositions from Ancient Merv and Nissa.

A trip to ancient Nissa (18 km from Ashgabad) that is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Visit the ruins of the ancient city (the date of foundation is I millennium BC - I millennium BC).

-Turkmenbashi Mosque-Mausoleum. It is considered the biggest in Central Asia (10 thousand people).

There are beautiful gardens and fountains near the mosque.

Transfer to the hotel.

Free time in the afternoon.Overnight at the hotel.

Breakfast at the hotel.

Transfer to Ashgabat International Airport.

Transfer to the airport for morning/midday departure flight.

End of the tour.

Breakfast at the hotel.

Transfer to Ashgabat International Airport.

Transfer to the airport for morning/midday departure flight.

End of the tour.