Bishkek To Ashgabat (31 Days) Silk Road Highlights

Days 1
Bishkek
Kyrgyzstan's leafy, relaxed capital is a largely Soviet-built city, softened somewhat by its many boulevards and tree lined streets. We have a free day here today to explore and enjoy the cafés and restaurants dotted around the city; there is no shortage of bars and nightclubs, and for those so inclined there are also a few cinemas and shopping districts.

Bishkek is also home to a number of museums, including the Kyrgyz State Historical Museum and Zoological Museum, which have exhibits that explain more about Kyrgyzstan political and natural history, and there are a number of parks and other public areas worth visiting to watch local life pass you by, the main one being Ala-Too Square, which once was dominated by a large statue of Lenin (this has now been moved to a smaller square in the city).

If we need Iran visas for our onward journey, then we may also pick these up from the embassy here.

Days 2 - 4
Bishkek to Osh
We leave Bishkek and drive through stunning mountain views and past the turquoise waters of Toktogul Reservoir, before arriving in Osh. Osh, the second biggest and the country’s oldest, city. Make sure you visit the bazaar, which has occupied the same spot for over 2000 years and used to be a major stop along the ancient Silk Road.

Days 5 - 13
Pamir Highway to Dushanbe
The next 8 days or so are spent on a spectacular (and slow at times) drive through the mountains, following one of the world’s most famous and scenic roads, the Pamir Highway. We start by heading south into the foothills and climb to our next bush camp near Sary Moghul. We should have time for some hikes here or a drive up to see some beautiful mountain lakes.

We ascend further and cross into Tajikistan and on to Karakul Lake. The heat around Osh is in the distant past now, and these are a cold and remote few days with the air noticeably thinner. The highest point of the Pamir Highway comes next, as we cross the Akbaital Pass at 4,655m and descend to Murghab, an important Soviet military station in years gone by but now mainly home to Kyrgyz inhabitants. There is a market here and yak-wool handicrafts are available.

Our journey descends gradually now through remote and beautiful scenery towards Khorog, the capital of the mountainous Badakshan region. We can visit the bazaar and botanical gardens here. We’ll follow the Panj River, with the Afghanistan border just a few hundred metres away towards Kalai Khumb. There are great mountain views from the Karon archaeological site here. We then cross the Shurobod Pass to Kulob and finally descend through lowland hills and pastures past the Nurek Dam to Dushanbe.

Days 14
Dushanbe
Dushanbe is Tajikistan’s largest city, and aptly its name means “Money” in Tajik language. It is a big showy city, in stark contrast to the East. You’ll pass a lovely day strolling through parks, admiring the fountains and the wide boulevards punctuated with grand buildings. Visit “Flag Pole Park” or the bazaar, or make the most of being in a city with restaurants specialising in various different cuisines.

Days 15 - 18
Through the Fann Mountains to Samarkand
Leaving Dushanbe behind, we drive north into Tajikistan’s other great mountain range, the Fann Mountains. Peaks of over 5000m tower above as we head to Iskanderkul Lake at 2200m. It is said to be the resting place of Alexander the Greats horse, Bucephalus. The glacial lake is a stunning spot for a hike and we aim to visit Tajikistan’s highest waterfall (40 mtrs). We’ll have another couple of days passing through the mountains, stopping for hikes, before we cross into Uzbekistan and descend out of the mountains to Samarkand.

Days 19 - 22
Samarkand to Bukhara
In Uzbekistan we will find well preserved relics from the time when Asia was a centre of empire, learning, and trade along the famous silk route. Some of its cities have abundant old architecture, mosques and minarets cloaked with the mystery of the orient dating back thousands of years.

Samarkand is the second largest city in the country and dating back about 2,500 years it's as old as Babylon or Rome. Here we have a couple of days to explore the splendid architecture such as the 15th century Bibi-Khanum Mosque which when it was built was considered to have the largest dome in the Muslim world. Today it stands next to a noisy and colourful Oriental market. No trip here is complete without a wander around the three edifices of the Registan, once Medieval Samarkand's commercial plaza and today quite possibly the most awesome sight in Central Asia.

The Kyzylkum Desert is about 300,000 sq km and lies between the Syr Darya and the Amu Darya rivers. This is a vast arid plain with a number of isolated bare mountains rising to 900 metres and we journey across it on our way to Bukhara. Time and schedules permitting, we will take the trip from Bukhara to Samarkand on one of Uzbekistan’s famous bullet trains, giving us an opportunity to travel with the locals as we pass through the arid landscape.

Bukhara, our next stop, is situated on a sacred hill, and was founded in the 13th century BC and it is home to over 350 mosques and some 100 Islamic colleges. The city is intrinsically linked to the history of the Silk Road and later ‘Great Game’ that played out in the nineteenth century between Russia and Great Britain. One of the most famous individuals involved in this historical period, the Englishman Alexander Burnes, was known as ‘Burnes of Bukhara’ and the books he authored based on his adventures in this part of Asia gave him celebrity status in Victorian England.

Bukhara today is an attractive city with narrow streets, green parks and gardens, and is a pleasure to wander around and there will be the opportunity for a bout of good humoured haggling in the bazaar.

Days 23 - 26
Bukhara to Khiva and the Aral Sea
Continuing north, we bush camp out in the desert before reaching Khiva, another town with much historical influence, that was also on the great silk route. This, our last city stop, is one of the most noteworthy of the cities and towns of Central Asia. It is a unique monument town, completely preserved in the cultural style of the region, and is a World Heritage Site for its historical significance. It has more minarets than any other place in Asia, and the Juma Mosque, which has an amazing 218 ornate carved wooden columns, is another of the main attractions. We will spend a couple of nights here to explore the ancient medressas, medinas, mausoleums and museums and soak up the unique atmosphere.

Border permits and road conditions permitting, we will then drive to the edge of where the Aral Sea used to lie. In the 1960's the Soviet Union began an intense irrigation project to boost cotton growth in the region using the then vast sea as its source. The project led to the sea shrinking to just 10% of its original size and today as we reach where its edge formerly was, we can see ships sitting incongruously in the middle of what is now a huge desert where we camp for the night.

Days 27 - 29
Aral Sea to Ashgabat
We cross the border into Turkmenistan, one of the world’s most secretive and mysterious countries, largely cut off from the outside world. Most of Turkmenistan is covered by the vast Kara-Kum (Black Sand) desert and conditions can be challenging with hot weather and some poor roads to travel along, but it is all worth it with some memorable stops along the way and also the opportunity to travel through this rarely-visited country.

Our first stop is Kunye Urgench, a UNESCO World Heritage site and ancient stop on the Silk Road; now largely abandoned we are able to bush camp near the site. It is said that the 60 metre high Kutlug-Timur minaret so impressed Genghis Khan that he specifically ordered for it not to destroyed when his Mongol hordes invaded the area in the thirteenth-century, so we are able to see it for ourselves today!

Continuing south through the desert our next stop is one of Central Asia’s most curious and impressive sights, the Darvaza Gas Crater. Also known as the ‘Door to Hell’ or ‘Gates of Hell’, this remarkable sight is the result of a Soviet-era gas exploration accident, when the ground beneath a drilling rig gave way and to prevent poisonous gas leaking out it was decided to burn it off. Originally engineers believed it would all be burned in a few days, but that was in 1971 and the field is still burning to this day. The result is a sight quite like no other as we are able to peer down into the crater and see the fire, and feel the intense heat coming from the flames. Road conditions permitting we will get to the crater in the truck and bush camp nearby in the remote desert.

Leaving Darvaza we then have around a half-day drive to reach Turkmenistan’s unique and bizarre capital city Ashgabat where we check into a hotel to wash off the sand from the desert and enjoy a well-earned bed for the night before some free time and a city tour.

Days 30 - 31
Ashgabat
Ashgabat was founded in the 1880s by the Russian Tsarist government, and sits between the foothills of the Koptedag mountains to the south, and the vast Karakum Desert to the north. The city was almost entirely destroyed following an earthquake in 1948 and rebuilt in the Soviet style. Following independence in 1991 the city has been transformed into a futuristic, and in many ways bizarre collection of unique structures and wide streets lined with marble. For many travellers, Ashgabat is one of the most mystifying and unusual cities they will ever experience – it has even been decreed that all the cars in the city must be white.

On the city tour we visit Independence Park, the Ertogrul Gazi Mozque, the Arch of Neutrality, the Turkmenbashi Mosque Mauasoleum and many other sites throughout the city. There are plenty of fantastic photo opportunities, and we will have the chance to explore some of the markets and meet the locals.

Your trip ends after breakfast on the final day. A departure airport transfer is included. If you want or need to depart Ashgabat after the final day, you will need to make the arrangements for any extra nights through us, as all your time in Turkmenistan must be booked through our local agents and covered under your visa (normally of max 7 or 10 days duration).