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."
Deborah & Jerome 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 in 2009: |
2 |
| Dates: |
May 13-June 5, 2009 |
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August 26-September 18, 2009 |
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Departures in 2010*: |
2 |
| Dates: |
May 12-June 4, 2010 |
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August 25-September 17, 2010 |
| *2010 dates subject to change; please call 800-424-7289 for more information about 2010 departures |
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| Land Tour Cost in 2009: |
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| 6-12 travelers |
$7,295** |
| Partial Single Supplement |
$950* |
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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
- Traverse 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
You may wish to extend your travels with a visit to Iran at the conclusion of this tour. The August 26 departure is specifically designed to coincide with the September 20 departure of our Ancient Persia, Modern Iran tour. The Central Asia tour ends in Ashkabad, Turkmenistan and you can drive overland from Ashkabad to Tehran. Likewise, Chinese Turkestan & Central Asia can be combined easily with our Essential Iran package which has Sunday departures in 2009 and covers the highlights of Iran's most famous cities.
MIR can also arrange independent tours to the Trans-Caucasus. From Ashkabad you can readily fly across the Caspian Sea to Baku in Azerbaijan and continue to Georgia and Armenia. It is also possible to combine this program with our Siberia, Mongolia & Tuva: Ancient Songs & Stories August 8-23, or our Essential Ukraine which has daily departures in 2009.
Some photos on this page courtesy Peter Guttman
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