Example Itinerary
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.
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.
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.
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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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Preferred Hotel
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.
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.
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!
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.
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