4 STAN tour - 5

Flight to Almaty.

Morning arrival at Almaty International Airport (ETA 02:00 am).

Migration formalities usually take 30 min to 60 min: visa/passport control and baggage claim. Come out of the terminal, the driver meets with a sign “ANUR TOUR”.

Transfer to the hotel. Arrival at the hotel. Extra night.

Resting time after the flight.

Breakfast at the hotel.

10:00 Transfer to Charyn Canyon. Sightseeing in the "Valley of Castles".

Charyn Canyon is a natural complex, unique in its kind, not only in Kazakhstan but also worldwide. It was formed during the Paleogene and resembles the Grand Canyon of the Colorado River in North America, although inferior to it in size. The height of the steep slopes of the canyon is up to 150-300 meters. Extraordinary dissection of the terrain is striking: the numerous ravines form a dense, chaotic network. Wind and water have created the beautiful "Valley of Castles", where you are always surrounded by the fancy towers composed of sedimentary rocks. The length of the valley is more than 2 km, width is 20-80 meters. For millions of years, nature has been creating a unique architecture, erecting magnificent castles carefully and slowly.

Transfer to Kolsai Lakes, easy hiking near Kolsai Lake 1 (1800 m above sea level).

Resting time in the evening. Overnight at the hotel.

Breakfast at the guesthouse.

Afternoon transfer to Almaty.

Resting time in the evening. Overnight at the hotel.

Breakfast at the hotel.

08:00 Transfer to Bishkek by car (250 km ~ 4-5hrs) to the border post "Korday". Migration formalities ( visa/ passport control usually takes 30 min~2 h).

Please note: while passing the border, one needs to be ready to handle all the luggage across the border by him/herself (~300 m).

Continue to Bishkek.

Arrival at the hotel, check-in.Short time to rest.

In the afternoon, start a Bishkek walking tour visiting:

- Oak Park - city center. It is also known as Dubovy Park - today it is one of the favorite places among tourists in Bishkek. 

- Ala-Too Square is the central square in Bishkek. It serves as a place for state events and celebrations. Philharmonic Hall – situated at the top of Rose Alley.

- Statue of Manas (Manas is a legendary Kyrgyz hero and the classic centerpiece of Kyrgyz literature).

- Victory Square, where one can see the Victory monument, a memorial that was completed in 1984. Usually, the main festival events are held in Bishkek at the eternal flame, on Victory Square, with the guard of honor, forces of the Kyrgyz garrison, and a military band.

- The State History Museum is a perfect display of the Kyrgyz people and the history of the country of Kyrgyzstan.

Resting time in the evening. Overnight at the hotel.

Breakfast at the hotel.

09:00 Start Bishkek countryside sightseeing tour, visiting:

- Ala Archa National Park (40 km from Bishkek one way);

- Burana Tower, the vertical dominant of the ancient city Balasagun, the northern capital of the Turkic linguistic state of the Karakhanids, and the small nearby museum with its collection of ancient bal-bals, carved stone figures used as monuments. 

16:40 Transfer to the airport.

18:40 Evening flight to Tashkent by HY 780 (1,5 hrs).

19:00 Arrival at Tashkent International Airport.

Migration formalities usually take 20 min to 60 min: visa/passport control and baggage claim. Come out of the terminal, the driver will meet you with a sign “ANUR TOUR”.

Transfer to the hotel. As Tashkent airport is not far from the city center, the transfer will not take a long time (usually 20 – 40 minutes, depending on the hotel location).

Arrival at the hotel. Check-in.

Resting time in the evening. Overnight at the hotel.

08:00 Meet the driver at your hotel in Tashkent or at the specified location in Tashkent.

Transfer to the Uzbek-Tajik border "Oybek" (~100 km, about 2 hr drive)

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

Meet the driver and guide on the Tajikistan side of the border and transfer to Khujand (70 km, 1 hr) – the center of the 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), and it became one of the important entrepôts on the great Silk Road.

Start sightseeing in Khujand: 

- Pushkin Square with Kamoli Khudjandi Square;

- Timur Malik’s fortress and the Sugd Museum of Archaeology and Fortification; 

- Muslihiddin memorial complex;

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

Resting time in the evening. Overnight at the hotel.

Breakfast at the hotel.

08:00 Transfer to Marguzor, the famous seven lakes - seven wonderful water mirrors full of mountain riverside drops. Each lake looks different whenever the sun changes its position. Colors may vary from deep blue to an indigo color ripple. Most of them are cold to swim even in summer. These lakes belong to the Fann Mountains system.

On the western edge of the Fan Mountains, in the valley of the river Shing, there are seven lakes, six of which are of dammed origin, besides the lake Hazorchashma. The lakes are called Marguzor, but each lake has its own name: Nezhigon, Soybean, Gushor, Nofin, Hurdak, Marguzor, Hazorchashma. The difference in level between the upper and lower lakes is 692 meters. Easy hike to the lakes.

Transfer to the land border Jartepa.

 Afternoon transfer to border post Jartepa (ETA 16:00). Border crossing usually takes 30 min-1 hr. Please note that while passing the land border, one needs to be ready to handle all the luggage across the border by him/herself.

Meet the guide and driver at the Uzbek part of the border. Transfer to the hotel in Samarkand.

Resting time in the evening. Overnight at the hotel.

Breakfast at the hotel.

09:00 Start sightseeing in Samarkand ( 6 hr)

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

- Registan Square – heart of Samarkand and a real masterpiece of Central Asian medieval architecture, the ensemble of grandiose buildings: Ulughbek Madrassa, Madrassa Sherdor, and Madrassa Tilla Kori; 

- Bibi Khanum Mosque – the biggest medieval building in the city- was one of the most magnificent mosques in the Islamic world in the 15th century. 

- Shahi Zinda Necropolis – a unique complex of mausoleums formed by standing on both sides of the cenotaph (an imaginary grave) of Abbas ibn Kussam.

Resting time in the evening. Overnight at the hotel.

Breakfast at the hotel.

Free day in Bukhara.

Optionally (can be added as extra) a countryside tour in Bukhara, visiting:

– Samanids mausoleum (9th century), a monument of early medieval architecture.

– Bakhauddin Naqshbandi mausoleum (the founder of Naqshbandi Sufi Spiritual order), located near Bukhara, the memorial complex of Bakhauddin Naqshbandi is considered one of the most significant religious places of Bukhara that attracts many visitors.

– Sitora-i Mokhi-khosa Palace - the summer residence of the last Emir of Bukhara.

14:40 Transfer to the railway station in Bukhara.

16:16 Departure for Tashkent by high-speed train "Afrosiyob"/"Sharq".

20:30 Arrival in Tashkent.

* If the train tickets from Bukhara to Tashkent are not available, the train transfer can be replaced with an evening flight from Bukhara to Tashkent.

Come out of the terminal and meet the driver. Transfer to the hotel.

Resting time in the evening. Overnight at the hotel.

Take-away breakfast/ Breakfast at the hotel.

Transfer to Tashkent International Airport.

Morning departure flight from Tashkent.

End of the tour