3-stans tour in Central Asia: 17 days

Flight to Dushanbe.

Arrival at Dushanbe International Airport (ETA 08:00).

Migration formalities usually take 20 min to 60 min: visa/passport control and baggage claim. 

Come out of the terminal and meet the driver and guide holding a sign “ANUR TOUR” or with your name on it.

Transfer to the hotel to drop off the bags. Standard check-in (14:00).

Start Dushanbe sightseeing tour visiting:

- Tajik National Museum of Antiquities with the biggest Buddha in Nirvana.

The Museum consists of 22 exhibition halls with departments of nature, antiquity and the Middle Ages, modern history, fine and applied arts.

- Tajik flagpole-one of  the world's tallest flagpoles (165-meter flagpole);

- Main square of Dushanbe. The Monument of Ismoili Somoni-the forefather of the Tajik Nation located on the main square. A 40-meter-high monument built to the memory of Ismaili Saman-Khuda, founder of the Samanid dynasty;

- Mehrgon Bazaar - one of the biggest markets of Dushanbe;

- Gissar Fortress- the remains of the Bukhara Emirate Beck’s palace. Its thick walls once guarded a pool, garden, and palace, while the fortress itself overlooked a noisy market and caravanserai. The place was famous as a center of commerce during the Silk Road. You will also be able to visit the Old Medressa (Madrasai Kuhna) of the 16th- 17th century with a museum inside, the new Madrassa of the 17th- 18th  century, as well as Caravan Saray.

Transfer to the hotel.

Resting time in the evening. Overnight at the hotel.

Breakfast at the guesthouse.

Transfer to Khorog, a small, beautiful town surrounded by rocky mountains.

Enjoy the gorgeous natural sights, and en route, you will meet the Pamir people.

One can notice the difference in the appearance of Tajik people and Pamir locals.

They have fair skin, blonde or light brown hair, and sky - blue eyes.

Isolation from other regions by mountain ranges made the traditions of the local people quite different from those of the Tajik people. 

Easy hiking in the Pamir Mountains. 

Resting time in the evening.

Dinner and overnight at the guesthouse. 

Breakfast at the guesthouse. 

Morning at leisure.

Transfer back to Kalai Khum (~337 km) with light hiking, sightseeing, and photo stops en route.

Arrival in Kalai Khum.

Resting time in the evening.

Dinner and overnight in the guesthouse.

Breakfast at the hotel.

09:00 Transfer to Khujand (300 km - 5 hours). 

Khujand was the furthest point Alexander the Great reached in Central Asia; the city was named Alexandria Eschate (Alexandria the Farthest). The city became one of the important trade centers of the Great Silk Road.

Start of the excursion program: 

- Pushkin Square with Kamoli Khudjandi Square;

- Timur Malik’s fortress and Sugd museum;

- Muslihiddin memorial complex;

- Panjshanbe bazaar (Khujand’s central market that has many stores offering different kinds of goods and services. The name Panjshanbe comes from the Persian language, meaning “Thursday”. Panjshanbe is considered one of the oldest markets in Tajikistan. The Silk Road, which passes through Khujand city, has always made Panjshanbe crowded with traders and tourists.

- Arbob Palace (Arbob Palace had particular significance in 1992, when it was the place for the meeting of the Tajik Soviet ministers, which officially declared independence from the Soviet Union. Also, it was the site where the Tajik flag was chosen.

Transfer to the hotel.

Resting time in the evening. Overnight at the hotel.

Breakfast at the hotel.

09:00 Transfer to the border "Patar Andarxan" (135 km - 2 hours). Border crossing takes about 30 min-1 hr,

Meet the driver on the Uzbekistan side of the border.

Transfer to Kokand and meet the guide.

Kokand (mentioned as Khavakand or Kokan, derived from a tribal name) is an ancient city that, due to its favorable location, was one of the convenient fortified points of caravan routes on the Great Silk Road.

Nowadays, Kokand is a modern town at the crossroads of Tashkent, the Fergana Valley, Andijan, and the other route to Khujand (Tajikistan) and is considered one of the most important pre-border points.

Start a sightseeing tour around Kokand, visiting:

- Khudoyar-Khan Palace of the 19th century is listed in the world heritage of UNESCO, at present days houses Kokand Regional History Museum, that exibits a unique collection of more than 3000 artefacts from the ancient, khanate, and tsarist periods of the region.

- Norbut-Biy Madrassah, the largest madrassa in Kokand. The madrassa was built in the XVIII century by captured architects as well as the famous Bukharian architect Usto Muhammed Salih Kasim, so the design and construction are quite typical of some monuments of the XVIII Century in  Bukhara.

- Modari Khan Mausoleum (Modari-khan means "Mother of Khan”)  was built in 1825 by order of the widow of Umarkhan,  famous poetess Nodira, to honor the tomb of her mother-in-law. Since then, the mausoleum has become the family mausoleum where most of the female members of the Khan family were buried.

- Rishton (50 km west of Fergana) is famous all over the world for its pottery that is decorated according to ancient tradition that is more than 800 years. Masters hand down their trade secrets from father to son. The unique red clay ceramic masterpieces are decorated with naturally made ultramarine, turquoise, and azure ornaments known as blue glaze "ishkor",

- Workshop of the famous potter Rustam Umarov, where visitors are welcome to observe the finest Rishtan ceramics in wonderful handmade and painted tea sets and lagans and beautifully decorated jugs and vases.

Transfer to Fergana.

Resting time in the evening. Overnight.

Breakfast at the hotel.

09:00 Meet the guide in the lobby.

Continue sightseeing in the Fergana Valley:

- Fergana is a relatively young city that was founded as a strategic fortified point in Turkestan in 1876 during the tsarist period of the region. The town was initially called New Margilan, further in soviet period renamed Fergona in 1924. Nowadays, Fergana is a flourishing, beautiful town and, despite its young history, has become the central point of the Fergana Valley.

- Visit Ahmad Al-Fargoni monumental complex ;

- Continue to Margilan. Margilan (“Marg” from Persian green grass, “lon”- “place“) was an inhabited settlement in the Fergana Valley since the IV- III centuries BC; the town was well known for its crafts and finest silk fabrics from the Great Silk Road period up to now.

- Said-Ahmad Hodji Madrasah, where craftsmen produce original silk carpets,

- Silk factory Yodgorlik, where visitors are welcome to observe the process of silk manufacture with traditional decoration “ikat”.

Transfer to Andijan to visit

- Bobur Literary Museum with a unique collection of literary works of Zahiriddin Muhammad Bobur, an outstanding  ruler and the founder of the Mogul Empire,

- Art and Literature Museum,

- Memorial park complex on the Bog-I Shamol named after Zahiriddin Muhammad Bobur is one of the most beautiful places in Andijan, popular among the locals and the visitors of the city.

Resting time in the evening. Overnight.

Breakfast at the hotel.

09:00 Transfer to the Uzbek-Kyrgyz border  Dostyk (ETA 09:00)

Border crossing formalities (40 min- 1, 5 hrs, depending on the customs formalities and tourist flow). Meet the guide and driver.

Transfer to Osh, Osh is the oldest city in Kyrgyzstan,  for a sightseeing tour visiting.

- Suleiman Mountain. Suleiman Too (Suleiman is the prophet Solomon -Suleyman in the Quran; “Too is “mountain”. The museum is the only UNESCO sight of the whole mountain, with many sacred places in caves and paths. It is quite unusual – the museum with rare artifacts is located in the largest cave of the mountain. Besides, there are several caves, rocks, and niches, each with its name. The locals and pilgrims believe every spot of the mountain is sacred and come here to follow the rituals and pray for a better life and good health; couples come to pray to be blessed with a child. It is believed that every spot of the mountain is sacred. There is a watching platform with beautiful panoramic views of the city and surroundings.

- Osh Bazaar, a colorful bazaar with more than 2000 years of history, plays an important role in the Great Silk Road as a major landmark. Nowadays, visitors may take a walk around and enjoy shopping in the shops for national clothes, embroidery, handicrafts, and souvenirs.

-  Main Square with Lenin statue. Kyrgyz people are very respectful of the history of the Soviet period and kept the monument to Lenin in the main cities, as the country's major developments were made during soviet time.

Transfer to the hotel.

Resting time in the evening. Overnight.

Breakfast at the hotel.

09.00 Start Bishkek sightseeing tour visiting:

- Oak Park, the city center. It is also known as Dubovy Park; today it is one of the favorite places among locals and tourists in Bishkek. 

- Ala-Too Square is the central square in Bishkek. It serves as a place for state events and celebrations. Philharmonic Hall – situated at the top of Rose Alley.

- Statue of Manas (Manas is a legendary Kyrgyz hero and the classic centerpiece of Kyrgyz literature).

- Victory Square, where one can see the Victory monument, a memorial completed in 1984. Usually, the main festival events are held in Bishkek at the eternal flame on Victory Square with the guard of honor, forces of the Kyrgyz garrison, and a military band.

- The State History Museum is a perfect display of the Kyrgyz people and the history of the country of Kyrgyzstan.

- Visit the colorful central bazaar and TSUM (Department Store). 

Transfer to Issyk-Kul Lake (~ 2 hours, 260 km), en route visiting

-En-route stop at Burana Tower (11th-century minaret) and an open-air museum of Balbans (stone warriors), which marks the original site of the Karakhanid town, Balasagun;

- Issyk-Kyl lake is one of the most wonderful lakes in the world, located in the north-eastern part of the Kyrgyz Republic. Issyk Kul is translated as “Hot Lake” and is considered one of "the pearls of Central Asia". Due to the salty water, Lake Issyk Kul possesses curative qualities. There are many activities that entertain people on the beach: windsurfing, scooters, aqua parks, parachutes, and rides on boats and ships. In winter, there are also spots for alpinism where people enjoy incredible landscapes.

Resting time in the evening. Overnight at the hotel.

Breakfast at the hotel.

09:00 Transfer to Karakol en-route visiting

- Ancient stone inscriptions (dating back to 800 B.C.). These petroglyphs were made more than 2,000 years ago by shamans. They depict wolves, long-horned ibex, goats, horses, snow leopards, sacrifices, and some hunting scenes.

Arrival in Karakol; start a light sightseeing tour visiting

- The wooden Russian Orthodox church;

- Dungan mosque is one of the most famous places in Karakol town. The most interesting thing is that it is built without a single metal nail. More than 100 years ago, there was a Chinese master who lived in this town. Dungans are people from China who are Muslim. The construction was made of bricks and wood and decorated with various ornaments.

- Museum of N.M. Przewalski (Russian explorer of the Asian continent).

Resting time in the evening. Overnight at the hotel.

Breakfast at the hotel.

09:00 Transfer to Jeti Oguz gorge.

- Jeti Oguz gorge is famous for its red rock formations, that have the name Seven Bulls – Jeti Oguz. One can see Broken Heart Mountain there, one of the most popular places among locals and visitors. By request, a light hiking tour to go on a top of a mountain (20 minutes) to see a panoramic view of the gorge.

- Continue to Bokonbaevo village, to stop for a local eagle-hunting show. The eagles are fed to hunt hares and foxes (a traditional way of nomadic hunting). After the excursion, transfer to Bishkek.

Arrival in Bishkek in the afternoon.

Resting time in the evening. Overnight at the hotel.

Breakfast at the hotel.

Transfer to Manas International Airport. 

Morning departure flight from Bishkek.

End of the tour.