Example Itinerary
Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan Highlights
- Duration
- 9 days / 8 nights
- Price Per Person
-
Terms & Conditions
Price is based on double or twin hotel room occupancy and includes accommodation, transfers, car/driver, English-speaking guide, activities and entrance fees, breakfasts and some casual lunches while touring. Flights and optional special activities will be quoted separately. Most personal expenses, including dinners, alcoholic beverages, spa treatments and gratuities can be paid on the spot while traveling. Prices may vary depending on season, choice of accommodation and other factors.
- Interests
- Heritage
- Destinations
- Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan
For a short but sweet introduction to Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, this nine-day itinerary highlights the best that these countries have to offer, from the Charyn Canyon to the Petroglyphs of Tamgaly in Kazakhstan to the glamour of Tashkent and Samarkand in Uzbekistan. Starting and ending in two major cities, this trip is an excellent overview of Central Asia on its own, or a perfect addition to a larger trip.
This itinerary is an example. It’s designed to inspire you and provide you with thoughtfully curated ideas. You can choose to do this exact itinerary or completely personalize it. All trips are 100% bespoke.
Highlights
- Ulugh Beg Observatory: Built in the 1420s, this fascinating observatory brought about new discoveries in mathematics and astronomy, and is housed in a beautiful tiled building.
- Ancient History: Explore ancient Otrar, a settlement dating back to the 8th century, which was key in linking Kazakhstan with China, Europe, Siberia, Ural and the Middle East.
- Great Outdoors: The 50-mile-long Charyn Canyon, located just outside of Almaty, is an impressive landscape sculpted by the Sharyn River and makes for a challenging and rewarding trek.
Day-by-Day
Day 1
MapAlmaty
Welcome to Kazakhstan! On your first day, arrive in Almaty – the country’s largest city – first thing in the morning. After being picked up at the airport and transferred to your hotel, settle in and then enjoy a tour of the city, including the State Historical Museum. Enjoy lunch at a traditional restaurant, and more exploring followed by dinner and overnight at your hotel.
Hotel Options
Day 2
MapAlmaty
Today, you will take a day trip to Charyn Canyon (around 4 hours), one of the most spectacular sites in the area. Enjoy lunch en-route and views of the 50 mile-long canyon – located along the Charyn River – before returning to Almaty for dinner and the night.

Day 3
MapAlmaty
Your third day includes a daylong excursion to the Petroglyphs of Tamgaly (around 2.5 hours), a UNESCO world heritage site featuring 5,000 petroglyphs from the Bronze, Iron and Medieval ages. Enjoy dinner at your hotel back in Almaty before boarding an evening train to Taraz.
Day 4
MapTaraz
Enjoy a full day in Taraz, a large city in the southern Jambyl Province of Kazakhstan. Take a city tour, which includes a visit to the Historical Museum, visit local shops and restaurants, and enjoy an overnight stay at your hotel.

Day 5
MapShymkent
After breakfast, you will be transferred by road to Shymkent (around 3 hours), one of the largest cities in the country and the capital city of the South Kazakhstan Province. On the way, visit the Aisha-Bibi and Babadji-Khatun mausoleums, and once in town, enjoy lunch, a city tour, dinner and an overnight stay.
Hotel Options
Day 6
MapTashkent
This morning, you will depart from Shymkent. Your first stop is the town of Turkestan, some 3 hours away, where you can visit the ancient settlement of Otrar and the Hodja Ahmed Yassavi mausoleum. After lunch at a traditional restaurant, you will cross the border into Uzbekistan, where you will stay overnight in the capital city of Tashkent - a 4-hour drive.
Hotel Options

Day 7
MapSamarkand
Today, you will head into Samarkand, the second-largest city in Uzbekistan (around 4.5 hours' drive), where you will visit the Registan and enjoy several local sites and restaurants before enjoying an overnight stay.
Hotel Options
Day 8
MapSamarkand
Spend the day taking in the sites of Samarkand: visit Gur-Emir, the mausoleum of Asian conqueror Tamerlane, enjoy a trip to the Ulugbek observatory and explore the city before once again staying overnight.

Day 9
MapDeparture
On your final day, you will return to Tashkent and take a tour of the large, modern city before checking out of your hotel and departing from the city airport in the evening. Enjoy a safe journey home or to your next exciting destination!

Exclusively Asia
With Remote Lands you'll travel with people who have made Asia the solitary focus of their own lifelong adventure. As our guest, you'll discover Asia on a journey that is completely, authentically your own, adapted from our own remarkable experiences and adventures over the years.
With Remote Lands you'll travel with people who have made Asia the solitary focus of their own lifelong adventure. As our guest, in the continent that our north American founders Catherine and Jay have adored and explored for decades, you'll discover Asia on a journey that is completely, authentically your own, adapted from our own remarkable experiences and adventures over the years.
Travelogues
An Asia-focused magazine brought to you by Remote Lands - a platform for adventure, luxury, and authenticity from experts and explorers around the continent.
Four Can’t-Miss Cities in Kazakhstan
- Author
- Travelogues
Kazakhstan, a landlocked nation of endless steppes and highlands. It’s a treasure of natural wonders, but don’t forget these four cities on your Central Asian journey.
Beyond Borat: What to See in Kazakhstan
- Author
- Travelogues
We tend to think that Kazakhstan is a whole lot better than “very nice” and here are a few reasons to go.
Trekking the Wild Side of Kazakhstan: Undiscovered, Untamed and Unreal
- Author
- Remote Lands
Do as Kazakhstan’s nomadic people once did (and in many cases still do) and explore this breathtaking country by foot. Strap on your walking boots and join us on a whistlestop tour of some of the highlights of hiking in Kazakhstan.
What Others Say
Here is a small selection of the kind words our clients have said about us recently.

Party of four from Missouri & Tokyo
We appreciated traveling in remote areas...the slice-of-life experiences made the trip worthwhile.

A California father and son
Also unforgettable was our experience driving through Beijing in an old fashioned motorcycle side car followed by lunch with a local family in their traditional hutong house.