If you love hiking, learning about new cultures, and experiencing pristine and diverse landscapes, this G Adventures trip would be right up your ally. Everything was carefully organized so that we had time each day to hike, to explore, to travel, and to rest. I am a vegetarian and there were non-meat options at every meal, and our guide, Dina, was intentional about finding restaurant options that catered to everyone's dietary restrictions. I've done 4 G Adventures trips, and this is by far my favorite.
This was a wonderful tour in an amazing part of the world, with stunning varied scenery, friendly people, and beautiful ancient buildings. Our G Adventures tour was excellent, and this company will be the first I consider for future travels.
My quibbles with this trip are very minor and I've told explore (update the itinerary please!) but fundamentally I loved this trip. Met lovely people. Saw amazing places and scenery. Food a bit meh but that's not why you go to either Kyrgyzstan or Uzbekistan. I loved the differences between the countries. Kyrgyzstan was unbelievably beautiful and Uzbekistan had amazing buildings.
Small Group TourSmall group tours usually have 8-12 participants and maximum up to 18 travelers
Accommodation
Guest House, Hotel, Hut, Resort
Age Range
16-99 yrs
Operated in
english
Destinations
Tashkent, Bishkek, Arslanbob, Os
Tashkent, Bishkek, Arslanbob, Osh, Tashkent, Khiva, Bukhara, Yangikasgan, Karakol, Samarkand, Kochkor, Song Kul Lake, Suusamyr Valley, Toktogul Resevoir, Djalal-Abad
This was an exciting way to visit a part of the world that is less travelled to. I would recommend this tour for people that are outdoorsy, active, and adventurous. Almost all meals and activities are included for this tour which is great.
Very impressed and exceeded our expectations. Great group of like minded people that were on our tour and we all got on so well. With ages spanning over 30 years that’s a pretty pleasing result!!
Discover Central Asia on this overland journey from the capital of Kyrgyzstan through Uzbekistan, to Tajikistan and Ashgabat. Take in the tranquil landscape of Son-Kol Lake, hike up the Sulumain-too Mountain in Osh and scale the ancient city walls of Tajikistan’s Panjakent. Explore the ancient mosques in Samarkand, see the eternal fire from the Gates of Hell and discover the sci-fi-like architecture in Ashgabat. Share a home-cooked lunch with a Tajik family, bargain in the bustling bazaars and learn about the region’s history with a local leader by your side.
We waited a long time for this trip to reappear and it didn't disappoint. It packs a lot into the three weeks and covers a lot of ground by bus, train and an internal flight. Not for the faint-hearted, sometimes challenging, but very rewarding to visit these emerging countries.
Altogether we had 4 tour leaders/guides who worked hard to make this trip go smoothly for everyone.
We enjoyed our trip to Kyrgyzstan, it was very relaxing and the scenery was amazing. The highlight was the night in the yurt camp which was lovely, very remote and we even had snow overnight. The homestays and meals in local houses were very good too.
DIY picnics by the river were a nice touch.
On the down side, this trip involves a lot of travelling, sometimes on poor roads, which could be broken up better. We arrived early afternoon in some places and because most of the accommodation was on the outskirts of a town, there wasn't really anything to see or do once we arrived. One of our group thought the hotel at Toktogul Reservoir was like the one in 'The Shining'! The swimming pools had been closed for years and everything was just a little dated.
Some of the walks were not that interesting and seemed to be there to fill the time and there was also a lot of litter in many areas which wasn't pleasant.
There were descriptions in the itinerary about various places we didn't actually visit, for example Osh sounded lovely but we didn't even stop there.
Having said all that, we did enjoy the holiday, but there just were not enough highlights to maximise each day.
Vast deserts, rolling steppe, fertile valleys and majestic mountains form the backdrop to the five former Soviet republics of Central Asia, which are commonly known as the Five Stans. Among this changing and varied landscape are traditional villages, ancient towns and modern cities, which tell a tale of advancing Greek and Persian armies, marauding Mongolian hordes, traders selling wares along the Silk Road, philosophers, astronomers, Communist experiments and post-Soviet eccentrics. Journey past giant burning gas pits, intricately tiled mosques, alpine lakes bordered by yurt camps, grand monuments, rural villages and colourful markets on this epic trip through the heart of Central Asia.
About this trip: We have two versions of this trip. One starts in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, and ends in Almaty, Kazakhstan, and the other runs in reverse. Apart from the direction of travel, the two itineraries are similar - the main difference is the route taken through Kyrgyzstan and the accommodation there. This itinerary runs from Almaty, Kazakhstan, to Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, includes Chon-Kemin and Bishkek and stays in guesthouses and hotels rather than yurts. The other itinerary runs from Turkmenistan to Kazakhstan, includes Son Kul Lake and there are three nights staying in yurts in Kyrgyzstan.
Both itineraries include a night in a yurt in Turkmenistan.
No words or photos can really do justice to this trip, but, to give you an idea, it went straight into my top 3 trips ever, alongside Zim/Bots/Namibia and Falklands/S Georgia/Antarctica, even though I has a bad case of travellers' tummy.
To see all five Stans in Central Asia, this epic trip will start in the grand Ashgabat of Turkmenistan, explore Samarkand in Uzbekistan, then head to Tajikistan, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. See the best of the Silk Road and deep dive into the fascinating history, captivating landscapes and beautiful culture that’s intertwined throughout this region. You'll stay in yurts near Lake Issyk-Kul, explore Registan Square in Samarkand and watch the eternal flame of Darvaza Crater – a 70-m-wide hole in the Karakum Desert known as ‘The Gates of Hell’. From wide open plains full of wild horses to homestays and dinners with locals, there’s so much to see, do and learn in this region – so why not spend 24 days uncovering all you can, with a local leader by your side?
This guided Uzbekistan tour begins in the fertile Fergana Valley – the centre of traditional crafts – and continues across the country via all the main Uzbek cities, which were key points on the Great Silk Road and, as a result, were highly prosperous urban areas.
The Fergana Valley is the land of wise artisans, who have carried through centuries the secrets of skillful ancient masters specialized in producing silk and original ceramics. There you will visit a silk-weaving factory in Margilan, where the famous khan-atlas, a handmade silk, is produced following ancient technologies, and the village of Rishtan, Uzbekistan’s main pottery. Rishtan’s unique blue ceramics is highly popular among tourists, who often buy it as souvenirs.
The tour culminates in Samarkand and Bukhara – Uzbekistan’s two most famous cities, historical and cultural reserves boasting colossal architectural masterpieces of the Tamerlane's time and earlier historical periods.
You will also visit the Nuratau Mountains and immerse into the traditional life and culture. Unique folk traditions have been preserved almost unchanged there. You will see millstones for grinding grain, watch how carpets are hand-woven, try the freshest, eco-friendly products, national local dishes at homestay and enjoy freshly baked flatbread from tandoor oven. On the wild slopes of the Nurata Mountains, you can see rare animals listed in the Red Book — Severtsov’s argali, golden eagle and black vulture included in the Red Book.
The locals are very open and genuinely hospitable. You cannot see anywhere else, either in Samarkand, Bukhara or any other place, the handmade souvenirs such as local people sell.
This tour starts and ends in the capital of Kyrgyzstan, Bishkek and takes you around the northern and southern shores of Issyk Kul Lake.
Visit the naturally beautiful Ala Archa Gorge and enjoy stunning scenic views. Learn more about the country on a guided city tour of Bishkek. Drive to the second largest alpine lake in the world – Issyk Kul Lake— which never freezes. Get acquainted with traditions and culture of nomadic people: visit yurt maker and eagle hunter houses and learn more about how the famous carpets are created and try to make your own carpet.
For more details on what you will see and do, please see the itinerary.
