20D 5Stans of Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan

The tour starts with a ride to the well known Medeu Gorge (1690 meters above sea level) due to the highest mountain skating rink in the world and the dam. Brief walk around with a chance to take your mountain-view pictures and breath the fresh pine-tree air, then you will take a cable car to Shymbulak ski resort area. There you will go down the back way by cable car. Further your mountain adventure continues at the top of Kok-Tobe hill, where the tallest TV tower in the world is located (if to count from the sea level) and where you will get by the picturesque winding mountain road on the park eco-cars. After lunch, the city part of the tour begins, and the first thing you will go to Almaty Museum, where you can get to know the history of the southern capital of Kazakhstan. Then you  will visit one of the oldest Almaty parks - Park of 28 Panfilov Guardsmen for one of the most beautiful wooden buildings in the world - Zenkov Cathedral. Next point of interest is a popular place for town people - the Green Bazaar, where it is impossible to refrain from shopping. It is the great chance to experience an atmosphere of the real eastern market, its colors, smells and crowds. The tour ends with the dropping you off at your hotel. Night is in a hotel.

Charyn Canyon is one of the unique natural monuments of Kazakhstan. The canyon is about 12 million years old and surprises with its vertical cliffs created by wind, sun and rain. It will take about 3 hours to reach the canyon. Meanwhile, you will know a lot of interesting history and nature about Kazakh people, their life and traditions. You will be impressed with the beauty and splendor of the canyon. You can admire the grand panorama and then have a walk through the maze of the Castles Valley with its inaccessible walls overhanging you. Anyone who has ever been to the Charyn Canyon falls in love with it forever! Back to the city. Dinner. Overnight in the hotel.

Trans-Ili Alatau - Issyk Gorge lies along the Kuldja tract, where hundreds of years ago the trade caravans travelled. On the way you will visit the State Historical and Cultural Museum Reserve “ISSYK”, where you will see the expositions dedicated to the history and culture of the Saka period including a copy of Golden Man and golden items, ancient ceramics, weapon, elements of horse equipment, as well as the model of Saka burial mound. After lunch you will visit the beautiful mountain lake Issyk with an altitude of 1756 meters above sea level, located in the valley with the same name. On the lake you will enjoy the majestic beauty of its turquoise water surface and the Issyk Gorge, as well as listen to the details of the natural disaster of 1963. Also at the lake you will have a picnic and free time for recreation at nature. Return to the city. After dinner is transfer to airport for your flight to Bishkek. Night is a hotel. 

The first half of the day is dedicated to a guided Bishkek City Tour. The tour includes the visiting Pobeda Square (Victory Square), Duboviy Park (Oak Park), Central Ala-Too Square, Old Square, National Philharmonic, and many other places of interest. After traditional lunch you will be transferred to Issyk Kul Lake. On route visiting of Burana Tower (an 11th century minaret) and an open air museum of Balbals (stone warriors). Issyk Kul Lake is the second largest alpine lake in the world (1608m.above sea level). The lake is called "the pearl of Central Asia". Your dinner and night is in a hotel.

You will drive to beautiful Grigorievskoe gorge. This area is part of the national park. Here you will enjoy the magnificent mountains covered with snow tops and slopes grown by blue and green pine trees. Then we continue our way along the northern shore of the lake to the town of Karakol. You will visit the Dungan mosque. One of its highlights is the fact that it was built in a Chinese style without using a single metal nail. The mosque will be followed by a visit to an old wooden Orthodox Church. The night is spent in a hotel.

Jeti Oguz gorge is famous for its red rocks formations that have a name Seven Bulls – Jeti Oguz. Also you will see there the Broken Heart Mountain. If you want, it is possible to go up to top of a mountain (20 minutes) to see a panorama of the gorge. Then we continue our trip and have a break in Bokonbaeva village, where we will meet a local eagle-hunter. He hunts hares and foxes with the help of eagles. It is an ancient kind of hunting animals preserved from generation to generation. You will find out a lot of interesting facts about it. After this visit we will continue our way to Bishkek. Night is in a hotel. 

You will catch a flight to the city of Osh. In Osh city you will have a walk and will get to visit a famous and special place – Suleiman Mountain. Suleiman (Solomon’s Mountain) is situated in the city center and it is viewed as a place of pilgrimage by local Muslims according to the legend that biblical prophet Solomon (Suleiman, in the Koran) was buried at the foot of it. It is not a real city tour without visiting our Asian Bazaar. We will show it to you today and you will be able to take a lot of photos there. Night is in a hotel.

Today we will drive to Tajik border. The road runs over mountains and high passes. On the way you will drive via Batken region. Tajik guide will meet you on the border then to Khujand city. It is the second largest city of Tajikistan. It is located on the Syr Darya River at the mouth of the Fergana Valley. The population of the city is 149,000. It is also the capital of the northernmost province of Tajikistan, now called Sughd. You will visit in the afternoon a Cultural Palace of Khujant. At this place the first president of Tajikistan was chosen. Also we will go to see Central Mosque that is situated in the middle of the city. Night is in a hotel. 

We will explore Fannsky Gory (Fann Mountains) today. The road to the lakes goes over pass Shahriston (3 378 m). They are one of Central Asia's most popular hiking areas. You will do a day trip to the Seven Lakes (Marquzor Lakes), about 60 km south of Panjakent. At this place you will have time to talk a short hiking. There road goes along a gorge where 7 lakes are located. They are situated on different altitudes and have different colors. Also you will meet local people that live at that area. It will be very interesting to see their way of life. Night is in a home stays.

In the morning we will drive to Penjakent. The city of Penjakent ("five villages") is located in Khujand area of Tajikistan in a picturesque Zeravshan river valley. The five villages originated during the remarkable history of 5th-8th centuries AD. Penjikent in that time was one of the most important cultural and crafts centers of Sogd. It was even named "Central Asian Pompeii". It was a superbly fortified well-organized city with a ruler's palace, two temples, markets, rich dwelling houses decorated with numerous paintings, wooden and clay statues of ancient gods. The ruins of this ancient city were found only in the last century. Today the tourists can see the remains of dwelling houses and office buildings, the citadel with the palace, the house of craftsmen, and fire worshipers church. Night is in a hotel. 

Today visit Samarkand via Tajik-Uzbek border Jartepa. Samarkand is located in the valley of the river Zerafshan. As the second largest city of Uzbekistan, it is of the same long history as 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 back to 15-17th centuries. The main highlight of Samarkand is that no person can stop admiring its beauty and majesty. Architectural complex of Shakhi-Zindeh represents a big collection of mausoleums 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. Walking around the observatory Ulughbek created in 1437 the “Zidji Guragoni" catalog,  you will get some information about 1018 celestial bodies. 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. Night is in a hotel. 

On the way to Bukhara, we will stop over at Gijduvan village to visit famous private pottery workshop. Gijduvan ceramics school has its deep roots. The skills have been passed down from generation to generation. Today Gizhduvan is home for the sixth generation of potters from Narzullayevs family which glorified Gijduvan school ceramics all over the world. Gijduvan School of ceramics is distinguished by a geometric pattern. Green and blue colors prevail in decoration of products. Afterwards we continue driving to Bukhara. Night is in a hotel. 

Today you will have a full day of sightseeing tour in the fascinating city of Bukhara. At first you will visit the most ancient citadel in Bukhara dating back to the 4th century named Citadel Ark which served as a palace for several dynasties of Bukhara Empire. Then you will see Samanids mausoleum, a real masterpiece of architecture of 9th -10th century. Then continues to Chashma Ayub, meaning Job's well and Bolo-Hauz mosque, known as the mosque of forty columns built in honor of Bukhara governor Abu-Fayud Khan. 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 up with visiting Poi Kalon complex, the unique sample of architectural art of Bukhara. It consists of three structures built in the 12th - 16th centuries. They are Kalon minaret, Kalon mosque and Mir Arab Madrasah. Night is in a hotel. 

Khiva, the most ancient city in Uzbekistan full of history and fascinating sites.  Its history is inextricably connected with the history of the legendary Khorezmshah’s State with its capital in Urgench. In the 10th century Khiva was a major trading center on the Silk Road. All the caravans had a stop here on their round way to China. From dawn to dusk, endless stream of camels with baggage passed them. Now we have most of this unique city preserved and cherished to pass to our next generation. The road from Bukhara to Khiva goes through famous Kizilkum desert. On the way we will enjoy the view to Amu Darya river, the deepest river in Central Asia, formed by the confluence of the Panj and Vakhsh in Tajikistan) and flowing into Aral See. Upon arrival in Khiva you will have free time. Night is in a hotel. 

Today you will have a wonderful sightseeing tour in the oldest city of Uzbekistan. It will be inside of Ichan-Qala, the inner city in Khiva round with strong walls. Centuries aged buildings, palaces, mosques, Madrasahs, Mausoleums, Minarets, Caravan-Sarais and Bathhouses transformed Ichan-Qala into unique city-monument. Ichan-Qala consists of over 400 traditional dwelling houses and about 60 architectural monuments. In 1969 Ichan-Qala was designated a historical and architectural conservation area. The most remarkable sites in it are the Kunya-Ark fortress dating back to 17th century, found by Muhammad Arang Khan, Kalta Minor minaret and Tash Khouvli palace, an incredible sample of Khorezm architectural mastership of 1830s. Night is in a hotel. 

Meet the group at Shavat/Dashoguz border in the morning at 09:00-10:00 to Turkmenistan, and then visit the architectural monuments of Kone-Urgench, Khorezm capital 10th -12th centuries. During the tour we visit the Mausoleum of Najm al-Din al-Kubra, Tyurabek-Khanum, Il-Arslan, Tekesh Ibn Hadzhibey, inspection highest minaret in Central Asia KutlykTimur. Then drive to the most unique site in Central Asia-Darvaza - Gas crater. Arrival is in Darvaza before sunset. Enjoy barbeque dinner near the burning gas crater; watch and make photos of the crater during the night time. Night is in a hotel. 

After lunch, the group will travel to the village of Bagir to visit the Parthian Fortresses of Nissa. On the way you will visit Ruhy Mosque. Then Horse farm for exploring the pride of the Turkmen people - Akhal-Teke horses, to have great time on traditional tea party.

This day we will explore the capital of Turkmenistan. Ashgabat was founded in 1881. The city is located to north of the border with Iran at the Kopet Dag foothills. The city Ashgabat was named after a Persian word “eshg” which means love and “abad”, (menas populated and well-maintained). After breakfast the group will visit National museum. After visiting Lenin Monument, then by walking see Russian bazaar, where to experience the beauty of Turkmen carpets and silver ornaments, souvenirs. After lunch the half day will be devoted to sightseeing in the capital of Turkmenistan. Visit new parks, a huge complex with fountains and statues of the great men of antiquity, visit museums and mosques. Overnight is at hotel.

Today you will end your enjoyable Central Asia Tour, be transferred based on your flight schedule. Wish you a pleasant journey home!