15 Days Great Silk Road from Kashgar to Tashkent

Today you will take the flight to Kashgar, lies at the western end of the Tarim Basin, in a fertile oasis of loess and alluvial soils watered by the Kashgar River and by a series of wells.

Upon arrival, meet your guide at the airport, then take you to downtown hotel and check in

Today you will enjoy a full day excursion of Kashgar. Pay a visit to Id Kah Mosque, the largest Mosque in China and the most sacred mosque for the locals to practise their Islamic activities at 09:00. Continue the visiting to Old Town at 10:30 with the open ceremony of Maxilap show. Come and join the exciting movement in this well-preserved Uighur residential area. Our speciality: Relaxing in the Hundred-years Tea house, taste the local rose tea and nang-bread!

Continue to visit the Handicraft street, it gathered hundreds of handicraft workshops, which has become a boutique exhibition for handicraft in Kashgar and Central Asia.

The tour starts with the nice buffet in the hotel, drives about 4hrs to Karakul Lake where the herds of livestock around the lakeside are reflected in lake Kirghiz herdsmen usually settle down and graze their herds before shuttling you onward to Kashgar. Stay and explore its peculiar folk customs of Tajik nationality. Taste snack and milk tea provided by local herdsman and spend your rest of day at leisure.

Driving back to Kashgar. On the way, you will visit the Stone Fortress. The city is oval in shape and the city walls were built with sun-dried bricks on stone foundation. It is 1285 meters in circumference outside. Walking around the pastureland to see Local Tajiks customs.

Then take the soft sleeper train to Kuqa

Our first stop is Kizil Grottoes, located on the northern bank of the Muzat River 65 kilometers west of Kuqa and the earliest major Buddhist cave complex in China. Walk through the caves and enjoy Buddhist cultural feast across centuries.

Afternoon, drive to Aksu with about 3hours driving.

Today is another day to explore Buddhist culture in Kuqa.

Enjoying a delicious breakfast, drive to Subashi Ruins, considered a religious place and reflecting its past glory. There you can experience an exotic sight more than one thousand years ago.

Drive about 3hrs back to Aksu and take the train to Turpan, an ancient city with special local cultural and ethnic characteristics along the Silk Road.

With an early start today at 08:00. Drive all the way to Oasis Turpan that we will pass by the wind power station and vast Gobi desert in 3hrs.

Our first stop is Bezkilik Thousand Buddha Caves located in the center of  Flaming Mountains. Then continue to Tuyoq Valley, an ancient oasis-village. We will have lunch in the local Uighur family before exploring this traditional village surrounded by the impressive grape trellis and the stories of the adventurers all of the world.

Today's tour end up with the 2hrs's exploration of Jiaohe Ruins, resembles Pompei, but 300 years older, a Chinese archaeological site found in the Yarnaz Valley, 10 km west of the city of Turpan and a natural fortress located atop a steep cliff on a leaf-shaped plateau between two deep river valleys where you can experience the way of life of the Uighur ancestors.

After visiting, transfer you to the next stop Urumqi for overnight stay

We will drive 1.5 hours to entrance of the Heavenly Lake about 08:30, following is the 40-minutes shuttle bus twisting through the picturesque Tianshan mountains to the edge of the Lake. Either Trek around the lake, enjoy the boating cruise, or even take the cable car to the explore the Maya Mountain for the incredible view of Bogoda Peak.Lunch will be arranged in the Yurt of the local Kazakhs.

Drive back to Urumqi and head to Xinjiang Regional Museum, where are many archaeological treasures of the Silk Road and Xinjiang's minority cultures. You will learn about the history of Xinjiang and its peculiar ethnic customs.

Say goodbye to Urumqi and take a night flight about 3hrs to the capital city of Uzbekistan-Tashkent. Check in the hotel and have a good rest.

In the morning you will have a direct transfer to domestic airport for your flight to Bukhara (09.15-10:25). Upon arrival you will be transferred to the hotel to have some rest.

In the afternoon you will meet your guide in a hotel. You will an interesting city tour in Bukhara that includes Citadel Ark (4th c. BC), Samanides Mausoleum (9-10th c.), Chashma Ayub(14th c.), Bolo-Hauz Mosque (beginning of the 20th c.), Coumpol bazaar, Medreseh Nodir-Divan-Beghi, and complex Lyabi. Night is in a hotel. 

Today you will have a full day of sightseeing tour in the fascinating city of Bukhara. Then you have a chance to walk along the shopping domes and visit one of the most famous madrasahs of Bukhara called Nodir Divan Begi which is also a part of Lyabi House Ensemble, famous central sightseeing of Bukhara. The tour will end with visiting Poi Kalon Complex, the unique sample of architectural art of Bukhara. It consists of three structures built in the 12th - 16th centuries: Kalon minaret, Kalon mosque and Mir Arab Madrasah. Night is in a hotel.

In the morning we will start our drive towars Samarkand. The city is most noted for its central position on the Silk Road between China and the West, and for being an Islamic centre for scholarly study. In the 14th century it became the capital of the empire of Timur. In 2001, UNESCO added the city to its World Heritage List as Samarkand – Crossroads of Cultures. 

On the way we will stop at Gijduvvan Village and visit private pottery workshop. After it we will visit Imam Al Bukhary Memorial Complex at Chelak village. Upon arrival in Samarkand you will check in in a hotel and have free time for rest.

Samarkand is situated in the valley of the river Zerafshan. It is the second largest city of Uzbekistan and is of the same age as the city of Babylon or Rome. Today you will visit its most outstanding sights such as Registan square, Shakhi-Zindeh, Mausoleum Guri Emir and Bibi Khanum Mosque. 

Registan Square, a complex of three fascinating Madrasahs dating back to 15-17th centuries, is the main highlight of Samarkand that no person can stop admiring its beauty and majesty. Architectural complex of Shakhi-Zindeh represents a big collection of mausoleums dating back to 11th-15 centuries being a part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Bibi Khanum Mosque was built in honor of favorite Tamerlane's wife, after his successful campaign in India. Overnight is at the hotel.

Today you will continue exploring Samarkand city. You will visit Ulughbek Observatory, built in 15th century by Ulughbek, one of the most famous Samarkand rulers and scientists. Working in observatory, Ulughbek created in 1437 the“Zidji Guragoni”catalog, which had information about 1018 celestial bodies. Unfortunately, he was killed by order of his own son. After it you can walk along the Local Broadway surrounded by souvenir shops, teahouses, sweets and workshops.

Then you can visit National Bazaar Siab, oriental bazaar, where it is easy to find Uzbek traditional handmade products and local sweets. Also you will see carpet factory, a unique handmade carpet factory where over 400 women sew carpets without using traditional techniques. Afternoon transfer to Tashkent (350 km, 4.5 hrs drive or alternative is by train). Night is in a hotel.

Today you will visit Independence square which is the main square of the country, erected as a symbol of victory over fascism in World War II. Then you will have a chance to walk along the Local Broadway, a walking street between independence square and Amir Timur square. Further you can take a ride in famous Tashkent metro, among the most beautiful subways in the world. First line was opened in 1977. 

Then you will visit the old part of the city which includes: Chorsu Bazaar, Kukaldash Madrasah and Hast Imam complex that consists of several madrasahs, mosques and mausoleum. The highlight of its exhibits is the Othman Quran which is the world's oldest Quran copy dating back to 8th. Quran belonged to Othman Ibn Affan, the Third Caliph (of the four righteous Caliphs who succeeded the prophet Muhammad). Othman was killed by non-muslims in 8th century. His blood spred over the Quran that you still can see on its pages.

Today you will end your enjoyable tour, we will arrange the airport transfer for you. Wish you a pleasant journey home.