OUR SIGNATURE ODYSSEY ACROSS SOVIET ASIA
September 01 ⇾ September 24
In addition to our regular group departures to Central Asia, we also offer tour services for private travel parties and lone wolves alike. As a traveller-oriented boutique operator, tailored trips and bespoke adventures are our bread and butter. Get in touch for more info on our customised journeys to Central Asia!
DAY 1 to DAY 3 – Kazakhstan / Almaty
Meet-and-greet at Almaty International Airport and transfer to our hotel of choice in central Almaty.
Over the course of the next three days, we will thoroughly explore Almaty, the former capital of Soviet Kazakhstan and one of the prettiest cities in post-Soviet Central Asia.
Needless to say, we will mostly focus our visit on the cultural, architectural and monumental heritage of the Kazakh SSR, but also find the time for exploring more traditional aspects of Almaty (picturesque food markets, shiny mosques and quaint backstreets) as well as enjoying the breathtaking mountain sceneries surrounding the city.
Overnights in Almaty.
DAY 4 TO DAY 5 – Kyrgyzstan / Bishkek
We'll leave Almaty early in the morning and head to Kazakhstan’s little brother: the unbelievably gorgeous republic of Kyrgyzstan.
We will devote two entire days to an architectural and cultural immersion into the national capital Bishkek, formerly called Frunze after the namesake Bolshevik leader Mikhail Frunze.
The list of highlights of our gallivanting around Bishkek will include traditional Central Asian bazaars, Soviet modernist shapes, USSR-made mosaics, monuments and memorials, and the usual share of offbeat sights, such as an incongruously futuristic Wedding Palace.
Overnights in Bishkek.
DAY 6 – Kyrgyzstan / Issyk-kul
Today we'll head for lake Issyk-kul, the country’s answer to its missing ocean: melancholic resorts, young pioneer camps and post-Soviet party vibes.
En route to the lake, we’ll stop at the quintessential Soviet towns of Tokmok and Balykchy and admire some of the best USSR-era bus stops scattered along the road.
If time allows, we’ll also make a non-Soviet detour south of Tokmok to visit the famed 9th-century Burana Tower and the ruins of the ancient Sogdian city of Balasagun.
In the late afternoon we’ll eventually reach the lakeside town of Cholpon-Ata, where we’ll spend the last hours of the day relaxing along the sandy shores of the Issyk-kul and plunging into its cold and slightly saltish waters.
Overnight in Cholpon-Ata.
DAY 7 to DAY 8 – Kyrgyzstan / Karakol
In the morning we’ll continue our drive along the northern shore of the Issyk-Kul and head for the market town of Karakol.
We’ll spend two days exploring Karako and the surrounding areas: bustling bazaars, Soviet memorials, Russian wooden churches bright-coloured Dungan mosques, former mining towns set against stupend natural backdrops (Enilchek and Jyrgalan)*, and melancholic USSR-era sanatoriums.
The sojourn in Karakol will also comprise a full gastronomic experience in the village of Yrdyk, home to a sizeable community of Dungans, an obscure Chinese-speaking Muslim ethnic group who fled Northwest China for the Russian Empire after failure of the Dungan Revolt (1862-1877) against the Qing dynasty.
Overnights in Karakol.
*Our gallivanting around Karakol will include a visit to either Enilchek or Jyrgalan, as to cover both we would need an extra day in the area.
Bespoke Experience • Cooking class and traditional meal with a local Dungan family in the village of Yrdyk.
DAY 9 to Day 10 – Kyrgyzstan / Kochkor
Early in the morning we'll travel west skirting the southern shore of the Issyk-Kul and heading for Kochkor via the former uranium mining town of Kajy-Say and the timeless Soviet sanatorium in Tamga, a must of every USSR-heritage trip around northern Kyrgyzstan.
Besides the routine breaks for random landscape pictures, we'll make several stops along the way to visit impressive monuments (such as the giant Gagarin’s bust in the Barksoon Valley and the iron-mash WW2 memorial near Ottuk), atmospheric Houses of Culture (true time capsules from the heydays of the Soviet Union), and picturesquely syncretic graveyards (where nomadic, Soviet and Islamic symbolisms blend together).
Once in Kochkor, we’ll spend the rest of the day walking around the dusty alleys of this pleasant bazaar town nestled in a majestic setting of high mountains and green pastures.
Overnights in Kajy-Say (Day 9) and in Kochkor (Day 10).
DAY 11 – Kyrgyzstan / KYZYL-OI
Today we’ll head up to Song Kul, an astoundingly beautiful alpine lake surrounded by impervious mountains and dotted with photogenic yurt camps of semi-nomadic Kyrgyz shepherd families.
After a rejuvenating lunch in a traditional Kyrgyz yurt, we’ll descend towards the dreamlike hamlet of Kyzyl-Oi, a remote Central Asian kishlak (rural settlement) tucked away in an isolated gorge of flaming red mountains and whitewater streams.
Overnight in Kyzyl-Oi.
DAY 12 – Kyrgyzstan / THE SOUTH
We’ll leave Kyzyl-Oi early in the morning for the longest drive of our journey following the course of the new North-South National Road up to the junction town of Kazarman.
On our way to Kazarman we’ll also indulge in a de rigueur detour to the former mining town of Ming-Kush, a captivating place where time seems to have stood still since the collapse of the Soviet Union.
We’ll then bid adieu to the wild Kyrgyz hinterlands and turn south to the Central Asian chaos of southern Kyrgyzstan, heading for the multi-ethnic market town of Jalal-Abad.
Overnight in Jalal-Abad.
DAY 13 – Kyrgyzstan / OSH
After an energising breakfast at our hotel, we’ll leave Jalal-Abad for the final destination of our USSR-heritage tour across Kyrgyzstan: the sprawling city of Osh, the country’s second largest urban agglomeration and the gateway to both the fertile Fergana Valley and the epic Pamir Highway.
We'll spend a full day touring Osh and its main Soviet and non-soviet sights such as the gargantuan Lenin Statue, the local Great Patriotic War Memorial, the exotic Grand Bazaar, the grandiose Central Mosque, and the towering Solomon's Throne with its aesthetically remarkable Soviet-era museum.
Overnight in Osh.
DAY 14 – TAJIKISTAN / FERGANA VALLEY
Morning transfer to Northern Tajikistan across Kyrgyz section of the notorious Fergana Valley, a large fertile dale spreading across three ‘stans and characterised by extreme ethic diversity and problematic border disputes.
A visible trace of the post-Soviet troubles is the large number of territorial enclaves and exclaves dotting the jigsawed territory of the valley: on our way to the Tajik border we’ll actually pass by two of them, namely Sokh and Shakhimardan, both belonging to neighbouring Uzbekistan.
In the early evening, after a quick visit to the semi-abandoned Soviet mining town of Khaydarkan, we'll eventually reach Khujand, formerly known as Leninabad, the second-largest city in Tajikistan.
Overnight in Khujand.
DAY 15 – TAJIKISTAN / KHUJAND
We’ll devote the entire day to the city’s architectural and monumental heritage: concrete apartment blocks, Soviet modernist gems, WWII memorials, Soviet mosaics and bas-reliefs, Stalinist grandeur, photogenic bazaars, ancient fortresses and mausoleums and the largest Lenin statue in Central Asia.
In the afternoon we’ll head out of town to visit the former closed cities of Buston and Ghafurov (once known as Chkalovsk and Sovietabad) and hit the beach at the Kayrakkum Reservoir, a Soviet-era artificial lake where locals like flock to in oder to escape the summer heat.
Overnight in Khujand.
DAY 16 – TAJIKISTAN / PUGUS
Travelling south towards the capital Dushanbe, we’ll first stop in Istaravshan for the gargantuan Lenin monument overlooking the city’s water reservoir and then in the picturesque village of Ayni, once home to one of the largest Soviet military bases in Central Asia.
From Ayni our path will lead us into the depths of the Anzob Tunnel and onto Sarvoda, a nostalgic mining town that harbours a large panoply of Soviet-era monuments, memorials and other relics.
In the late afternoon we’ll eventually reach the Soviet resort village of Pugus, home to a colossal modernist sanatorium nestled in an awe-inspiring setting of high mountains and forested slopes.
Overnight in Pugus.
DAY 17 – TAJIKISTAN / DUSHANBE
After a grand Soviet breakfast at our hotel, we will transfer to Dushanbe and spend the entire day touring the many USSR-era wonders and the few pre-Soviet sights of Tajikistan’s unpretentious capital.
Meals and overnight in Dushanbe.
DAY 18 – UZBEKISTAN / TERMEZ
We'll leave Dushanbe in the early morning hours and head for neighbouring Uzbekistan via the Soviet-planned city of Tursunzoda, home to what is arguably the largest aluminium processing plant in the world.
After completing the border formalities, we will proceed towards Termez, a large Uzbek town famous for being the gateway to visit Northern Afghanistan.
No need to beat around the bush: Termez is a rather dull city with little to see or do, and the main reason to stop here is to break the long haul to Bukhara or visit neighbouring Mazar-i-Sharif in Afghanistan.
And yet, even in sleepy Termez, we will be able to find a few bygone glories such as the 816-metre-long Friendship Bridge across the Amu Darya, built by the Soviets in 1981 in the heat of the Soviet campaign in Afghanistan.
Overnight in Termez.
DAY 19 – UZBEKISTAN / BUKHARA
Transfer to the ancient Silk Road city of Bukhara via the industrial town of Qarshi and the semi-arid Qashqadaryo river basin: post-Soviet melancholia at its best.
We’ll then spend the last light hours of the day touring Bukhara and its many wonders: spectacular ancient mosques, mausoleums, synagogues, antique necropolis, dusty backstreets, crumbling houses and – needless to say – Soviet art and architecture.
Overnight in Bukhara.
DAY 20 to DAY 21 – UZBEKISTAN / SAMARKAND
In the morning we’ll continue our walking tour around Old Bukhara and then transfer by train towards Samarkand, a cosmopolitan [post] Soviet city where a plethora of diverse cultures (Uzbek, Russian, Tajik, Jew, Ukrainian, Tatar, Turkmen and even Korean) blend together to form a compelling mixture of languages and culinary traditions.
Believed to be over 2,700 years old, Samarkand was once a diverse trading center along the Silk Road and at the epicentre of it all was the Registan, or “sandy place” in Tajik: comprised of arching, beige madrasas covered in bright blue mosaics, sparkling golden mosques, and sprawling courtyards, the Registan was the pulsing heart of the commercial Silk Road city throughout the Medieval Era.
Beyond its Timurid wonders, Soviet mosaics, and elegant Russian mansions, Samarkand is also known for being home to the largest community of lyuli, also known as Central Asian gypsies, and being a tour operator born out of the desire to deliver an authentic travel experience far from the overcrowded touristic paths, we will, of course, delve into the local lyuli community and go beyond the many clichés still associated with this much-misunderstood ethnic group.
Overnights in Samarkand.
DAY 22 to day 23 – UZBEKISTAN / TASHKENT
In the morning we’ll transfer to Tashkent, the national capital, and spend the last two days of our journey losing ourselves among the many Soviet-era gems of what was once the fourth-largest city in the entire USSR: kaleidoscopic socialist-era mosaics, imposing monuments and memorials, modernist concrete patterns, meandering street markets, and richly decorated metro stations.
Time permitting, we’ll also make a short excursion out of town to visit the futuristic war memorial in Istiqbol and the impressive Soviet-built solar furnace in Parkent.
Overnights in Tashkent.
DAY 24 – FAREWELL TO CENTRAL ASIA
After sharing a last Uzbek meal, we'll take care of your transfer to Tashkent International Airport.
Possible tour extensions to this itinerary include: Turkmenistan and/or Pamir Highway.
End of the tour.
3995 €
INCLUSIONS
Double/twin-room accommodation (breakfast included), private transport in Central Asia (car/minivan), all entrance fees, English-speaking guiding service, 24/7 on-site and remote assistance.
EXCLUSIONS
Single supplement, international flights, main meals (lunches and dinners), extra drinks, visa fees (if required), tips, travel insurance.
