Tour Program

KAZAKHSTAN

Day 1:

After arrival at Almaty International Airport in the morning, you will transfer to Ramada Hotel or Kazzhol Hotel. The check in to the hotel starts from 2 pm onwards. You will have free time until the evening. We recommend you to visit 28 Panfilov’s Park, Memorial of Glory dedicated to Second World War, Ascension Cathedral or to go to Medeo Skating  Rink and Shymbulak Skiing Resort during your free time. You will be picked from the hotel at 07:30 pm from the hotel to be transferred to Alasha Oriental cuisine national restaurant for dinner. After dinner we drive to our hotel.

Day 2:

After breakfast at the hotel in Almaty we drive to the Almarasan Ridge to watch a spectacular performance of the Hunting Birds Show and learn about birds of prey such as falcons and eagles. We will then visit the Central Museum in Almaty before driving to Kok Tobe Mountain just outside the city centre. After lunch on the mountain at Restaurant Abai we will visit the National Museum of Musical instruments and the Kok Bazaar in Almaty. We will have dinner at a local restaurant before departing by overnight train to Turkistan.

Day 3:

On arrival in Turkistan we depart for our hotel to have breakfast. Afterwards we will visit the Museum of History, Mausoleum of Khoja Akhmet Yassawi, Mausoleum of Rabiga Sultan Begim, ethno-museum Kyluet and medieval baths, with time to shop for souvenirs. After lunch, we will drive to the historic city of Otrar, before moving on to the “ethno village” Alasha, where we will be able to watch traditional demonstrations and take part workshops. After dinner in a “yurt” (a traditional tent used by Turkic peoples) we will transfer to Shymkent by bus and check in to our hotel.

Day 4:

After breakfast at the hotel in Shymkent we depart for Taraz, en route visiting the Mausoleums of Aisha Bibi and Babaji Khatun from the 11th and 12th centuries. In Taraz we will visit the historical complex Kone Taraz and the Tortkul caravanserai. After a bus tour of the city we will have lunch at a local restaurant and then drive 340 kilometres to the Kordai customs and immigration checkpoint on the Kazakh-Kyrgyz border before crossing into Kyrgyzstan.

KYRGYZSTAN

Day 1:

After completing passport control at the Kyrgyz-Kazakh Ak-Zhol border crossing we will meet our guide and transfer to the capital city Bishkek by bus. After dinner at a local restaurant we will check in to our hotel.

Day 2:

After breakfast we depart from Bishkek to visit the 11th century Burana Tower located in the medieval town of Balasagun, the capital of Karakhanid State. Afterwards, we will watch traditional horse games and then drive for around 2.5 hours to Kochkor village. We will have lunch in the village and afterwards watch a carpet-making demonstration, with an opportunity to participate. We then leave Kochkor for a 2.5 hour drive to Naryn, where we will check in to the yurt (traditional Turkic tent)  camp. We will have dinner at the camp and spend the night in a yurt to experience the nomadic way of life.

Day 3:

After breakfast in the yurt camp we depart for Tash Rabat, a well-preserved 15th century stone caravanserai and one of the most important sites on the Silk Road. Afterwards we drive for approximately four hours to the resort town of Cholpon-Ata in the Issyk Kul region, with lunch en route. In Cholpon-Ata we will have a sunset cruise on Issyk Kul Lake, the second-largest saline lake after the Caspian Sea. Afterwards we will check in to our hotel in Cholpon-Ata where we will have dinner.

Day 4:

After breakfast and check out from the hotel in Cholpon-Ata we will visit the Petroglyphs Open Air Museum and Rukh Ordo  Cultural Center. After lunch, we will drive for around 4.5 hours back to Bishkek, where we will have a bus tour of the city. A farewell dinner with a traditional music performance will be held at a local restaurant. We will then check in to a hotel in Bishkek where we can rest for a few hours before our departure to Bishkek Manas International Airport for our return flight in the early morning.