

Along Central Asia’s Silk Road [On request, singles: waitlist only]
May 02 - 18, 2023
Length: 17 days
Region(s): Asia & the Pacific
Activity Level:
Type: 
Land, Small Group Tours
Encounter an exotic mélange of culture and religion, art and architecture, on this tour of Central Asia’s ancient Silk Road connecting East and West.
Operated by Odysseys Unlimited
Operated by Odysseys Unlimited
Tour Highlights
- Encounter an exotic mélange of culture and religion, art and architecture, on this tour of Central Asia’s ancient Silk Road connecting East and West.
- Get inspired by tales of trade and treasure as you are embraced by the welcoming people of Central Asia.
- Discover Kyrgyzstan’s delightful capital, Bishkek, with a panoramic tour of this former Soviet republic’s largest city.
- Travel to the village of Burana to see its 11th-century tower and ancient “balbal” stone statues.
- Enjoy lunch in the home of a Kyrgyz family and experience traditional Kyrgyz culture at a yurt-making demonstration.
- In Tamgaly Gorge, admire the Tamgaly Petroglyphs, a UNESCO site dating to the Bronze Age.
- Spend a day touring Russian-accented Almaty, Kazakhstan’s largest city, ascending a nearby mountain for panoramic views and attending a falconry demonstration.
- Explore Uzbekistan’s capital, Tashkent, home of one of the world’s oldest surviving Qurans as well as vast Chorsu Bazaar.
- Tour Khiva’s “inner city,” another UNESCO site, which reveals this Uzbek city’s storied past as a major Silk Road trading post.
- Journey through the desert to a lakeside yurt camp for a traditional barbecue dinner and an Uzbek folkloric performance.
- In ancient Bukhara, watch silk weavers at work and visit a Sufi miniaturist’s home to learn about his craft and savor a traditional plov lunch.
- Visit one of the most sacred pilgrimage sites for Central Asian Muslims: the Memorial Complex of Naqshband, housing the mausoleum of the 14th-century Sufi theologian.
- Set out for a ceramics workshop in a village where potters have been crafting pottery using traditional methods for more than a century.
- Experience another legendary Silk Road stop, Samarkand, with its vast Registan Square and the magnificent 15th-century Bibi-Khanym mosque.
- At this cultural crossroads visit the Gur Emir Mausoleum, Tamerlane’s tomb, and the Afrasiyab Museum with its ancient artifacts.
- Returning to the Uzbek capital, call on the studio of renowned ceramicist Akbar Rakhimov and watch the master at work.
- Elimination of Penalty on Tour Deposits (2023) As a final initiative, Odysseys Unlimited has decided to waive the $200 per person penalty associated with tour deposits. Effective immediately, each guest’s $500 per person deposit will be fully refundable up until the final payment due date: 95 days prior to tour departure.
- For Information about Odysseys Unlimited’s COVID-19 Health and Safety Protocols, please check out our attached document listed under the Additional Resources.
Along Central Asia's Silk Road | May 2 – 18, 2023
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