Chinese Turkestan & Central
Asia
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"We loved all parts of the trip: scenery, cities, people, customs, border crossings - especially with our great MIR Tour Manager, Yulia. Lots of favorites! Visiting families and their hospitality, fascinating musical and dance performances, bargaining in the markets. I loved the mountains we traveled through and the yurt stay. Samarkand has been a place I always wanted to visit and I was not disappointed."
D. & J. Goodell
Ben Lomond, CA
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 Silk, spices, tea, precious metals and jewels, carefully lashed to pack camels, made their way from one world to another along the old Silk Road. Follow in the footsteps of early explorers who plied these trade routes connecting East with West.
Days 1-6: Almaty, Urumqi, Kashgar, Taklamakan Desert
Assemble in Almaty, Kazakhstan's most important city, before heading into Western China. Here, Kashgar won renown for its Silk Road trade and vibrant bazaars. The Sunday bazaar in Kashgar is still as exciting as in ancient times. Spend an afternoon on camelback skirting the Taklamakan Desert, a wild and uninhabited region that claimed the lives of many Silk Road travelers.
Days 7: Turogart Pass, Tash Rabat
After driving over the 12,000-foot Turogart Pass into Kyrgyzstan, overnight near Tash Rabat, a 10th century stone caravanserai.
Days 8-13: Lake Issyk-Kul, Bishkek, Osh, Fergana Valley, Tashkent
Enjoy the beauty of high-altitude Lake Issyk-Kul. Visit Kyrgyzstan’s capital, Bishkek, and spend the night in private
homes in Osh. Enter the Fergana Valley, heart of Central Asian silk production, then fly to Tashkent for a night.
Days 14-21: Samarkand, Penjikent, Bukhara, Khiva
Continue through the fabled Uzbek cities of Samarkand, Bukhara and Khiva, finding gorgeous mosques and madrassahs decorated with brilliant blue tiles. Cross the border into Tajikistan on a day trip to explore the ruins of Penjikent.
Days 22-24: Tashauz, Ashkabad, Nisa
Fly to Turkmenistan’s capital, Ashkabad, where gleaming new government buildings meld with traditional bazaars. Visit the ancient Parthian site of Nisa before celebrating the journey with a farewell dinner.
Trip Details
| Length of Trip: |
24 days |
Departures: |
2 |
| Dates: |
May 12-June 4, 2010 |
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August 25-September 17, 2010 |
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| Land Tour Cost: |
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| 5-12 travelers |
$7,495** |
| Partial Single Supplement |
$895 |
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| No Hidden Costs! |
| **Land tour cost includes internal flight costs which are subject to change; see the Descriptive Daily Itinerary for details. |
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MIR Signature Features
- Bargain at the legendary Sunday market in Kashgar
- Skirt the Taklamakan Desert on camelback
- Sip tea in the chaikhana (tea houses) of Bukhara
Map - Click to Enlarge
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| Days 1-2: |
Almaty |
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| Day 3: |
fly to Urumqi |
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| Day 4: |
fly to Kashgar |
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| Day 5: |
drive to Shache |
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| Day 6: |
return to Kashgar |
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| Day 7: |
drive across Turogart Pass to Tash Rabat |
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| Day 8: |
drive to Lake Issyk-Kul |
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| Day 9: |
drive to Bishkek |
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| Day 10: |
fly to Osh |
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| Day 11: |
drive to Fergana Valley |
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| Day 12: |
Fergana Valley |
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| Day 13: |
fly to Tashkent |
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| Day 14: |
drive to Samarkand |
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| Days 15-16: |
Samarkand with day trip
to Penjikent |
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| Day 17: |
drive to Bukhara |
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| Days 18-19: |
Bukhara |
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| Day 20: |
drive to Khiva |
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| Day 21: |
Khiva |
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| Day 22: |
drive to Tashauz,
fly to Ashkabad |
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| Days 23-24: |
Ashkabad with day trip to Nisa |
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| Almaty |
Tien-Shan Mountain Range, Panfilov Park, Zenkov Cathedral |
| Urumqi |
Capital of the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region of China, Xinjiang Regional Museum, Red Hill |
| Kashgar |
Aidkah Mosque, Abakh Hoja Tomb, Kashgar Sunday Market, Old Town |
| Shache |
Taklamakan Desert, Bactrian camel ride |
| Torugart Pass |
12, 000 foot pass at the Sino-Kyrgyz Frontier |
| Tash Rabat |
Overnight in a yurt in the alpine setting |
| Buryan Tower |
The only remaining watchtower on the Silk Road in Kyrgyzstan |
| Osh |
Jayma Bazaar, Babur's House |
| Fergana Valley |
Margilan Sunday Market, ceramics master in Rishtan Village, Kokand |
| Samarkand |
"Crossroads of Culture" (UNESCO World Heritage Site) Registan, Shah-i-Zinde, Bibi-Khanum Mosque, Uleg Bek Observatory |
| Penjikent |
Shakristan, Rudaki Museum |
| Bukhara |
"Historic Centre of Bukhara" (UNESCO World Heritage Site) Lyab-i-Khauz Plaza, Kukeldash Madrassah, Kalon Mosque and Minaret, Ark Citadel, Zindan Prison, Ismael Samani Mausoleum
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| Khiva |
Ichon-Qala (UNESCO World Heritage Site), Kyzyl Kum Desert, Amu Darya River, Tash-Hauli Palace, Dzhuma Mosque, Kunya Ark |
| Ashkabad |
Tolkuchka Oriental Bazaar, Museum of Carpets and Textiles, Turkmen jewelry studio
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| Nisa |
Parthian Kingdom of Nisa (UNESCO World Heritage Site), Kopet-Dag Mountains |
Suggested Extensions
Consider a post-tour extension to Iran on MIR's Essential Iran Private Trip.
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