The Silk Road Experience
- Bishkek Departure

DAY 1: BISHKEK – KYRGYZSTAN

All amazing adventures begin somewhere – and on this trip you’ll kick off in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. No matter when you arrive, you’ll be met at the airport by a welcoming face who will drive you to your accommodation. Meet your fellow travellers in the hotel before heading out for lunch and then take a casual stroll around Bishkek city with your expert guide.

Get to know the Kyrgyzstan capital (originally named ‘Pishpek’) a bit more personally today. Memorials mark the turning points of its more recent, Soviet-influenced history. You’ll soon learn that it’s the traditional bazaars, friendly locals, leafy boulevards and parks, and the ‘modern’ Soviet-style architecture that fuse together and make this eclectic city tick.

Tonight is the group’s welcome dinner! You’ll head out to one of our favourite local restaurants and ‘break bread’ with your new trip mates.

INCLUDED: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
ACCOMMODATION: B Hotel (or similar), Kyrgyzstan

DAY 2: BISHKEK

Kick off your first full day in Kyrgyzstan, by getting out in nature. It’s an hour’s drive to Ala Archa National Park in the mountains just south of Bishkek. Enjoy a relaxed walk, inhale that fresh mountain air while not forgetting to snap a few dozen pics as you gawk at this crazy, wild scenery all around you, and pause for lunch.

Tonight, you’ll be welcomed into a local Kyrgyz family’s home for dinner. Roll up your sleeves and get to work, helping the family whip up a meal that’s chock full of traditional favourites like katama bread, fried to crispy perfection and filled with savoury onions.

INCLUDED: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
ACCOMMODATION: B Hotel (or similar), Kyrgyzstan

DAY 3: BURANA

Today you’ll really start to ‘feel’ ancient Kyrgyzstan. Right from the get-go, you’ll be interacting with its past, as the group stops at the medieval Burana Tower – the last remnant of the lost Silk Road city of Balasagun, once considered the centre of the world. Afterwards, continue making your way to your final destination of the day, Chon Kemin.

Enjoy lunch at the guesthouse and some free time to mill around or rest before you and your Fencox crew watch a centuries-old, traditional horse sport in a skilful game that appears similar to polo – only it’s often called ‘Goat’… and you’re about to find out why! Get to meet the horses after the event and take the opportunity for a photo or two with them. After a full day of immersion in Kyrgyz culture, relax back at your cosy guesthouse with a hearty dinner. You might even be treated to local stories from your hosts!

INCLUDED: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
ACCOMMODATION: Kemin Guesthouse (or similar), Kyrgyzstan

DAY 4: ISSYK KUL

You’re off to one of the largest high-altitude lakes in the world this morning, Issyk Kul. But first, enjoy a tasty lunch while a local yurt-building family shares some of their ‘yurt building’ secrets with you. Who knows – you may just want to build your own yurt when you get back home! The afternoon has a few surprises in store as you explore the beautiful Kyrgyz countryside on the way to the lake. Learn more about the traditional art of shyrdak, Kyrgyz felt carpet-making, this afternoon in the lakeside town of Bokonbayevo. 

Tonight is a very special stay. Remember those yurts you got to see up close at lunch? You’ll be sleeping in one for the next few nights! This Yurt camp has a few more mod cons than the ones you inspected earlier, with a hot shower available in the shared block and beautiful views of the lake. You may also want to warm up your vocal chords for this evening…

INCLUDED: Breakfast, Picnic, Dinner
ACCOMMODATION: Nomad Lodge Yurt Camp (or similar), Kyrgyzstan

DAY 5: KAJI-SAI

By now, it’s day five and you’ll be fully in the rhythm of rural Kyrgyzstan. The hustle and bustle of the West will feel like a different universe as you contemplate the spectacular countryside, miles away from any distractions.

After breakfast, it’s time to meet the eagle hunter and his fine feathered friend on your way to the village of Kaji-Sai. You’ll get the chance to see this ancient hunting tradition in action before grabbing lunch with a local family, followed by a folkloric performance. Oh, and bring your swimsuit if you’re up for a pleasant surprise afterwards! 

Break up the drive back to your yurt camp by stopping at Skazka Canyon. These unusual rocky landscapes gave this area its name, which means “fairytale.” You’ll admire the whimsical red rock formations before joining up with a local chef to learn how to cook manty, meat dumplings that are the perfect hearty dish after a hike.

INCLUDED: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
ACCOMMODATION: Nomad Lodge Yurt Camp (or similar), Kyrgyzstan

DAY 6: KARAKOL

Continue along the southern shore of Lake Issyk Kul to the town of Karakol. En route, you’ll visit Barksoon Gorge with its mixed flora bursting with colours. This is one of our faves with views that never end – imbibe the lake… a waterfall… and the surrounding mountain peaks. Pinch yourself to make sure you’re not dreaming!

On the way back to Karakol, take a diversion into the side valley of Jety Oguz, famous for its two red rock formations called “Seven Bulls” and “The Broken Heart”. You’ll be gathering around your guide to hear the legends behind their interesting names. If you’re thinking this picture-perfect region is a must-do spot for a picnic lunch, you’d be right! 

Back in Karakol, you’ll dine at the Dastorkon, another favourite restaurant of ours. It’s traditional and oh-so unique.

INCLUDED: Breakfast, Picnic Lunch, Dinner
ACCOMMODATION: Hotel 78 (or similar), Kyrgyzstan

DAY 7: KARAKOL

There’s lots to see during your city walk of Karakol this morning, including the wooden Russian Orthodox Church, which has been standing since 1885. Karakol is the fourth largest city in Kyrgyzstan and has a real multicultural feel.

This afternoon is all about enjoying Mother Nature’s gifts, when you meet up with a small producer of local honey, then make time for a soothing soak at a hot spring before dinner.

Tonight, you’ll dine with a Uighur family. All in all, a very interesting day – and more to come… Kazakhstan awaits!

INCLUDED: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
ACCOMMODATION: Hotel 78 (or similar), Kyrgyzstan

DAY 8: CHARYN CANYON – KAZAKHSTAN

This morning, the group will head directly to the Kazakh border. Kazakhstan is the largest country by area of the Silk Road, and while it has a reputation for broad open spaces, you’ll start in the picturesque mountain region of the South East.

First up, a designated stop at Charyn Canyon. Somewhat smaller than its US doppelganger (you’ll understand when you’re there), many do say it’s much more attractive in certain parts. We’ll let you decide! A walk down to the river (three kilometres) where a picnic lunch is waiting, before hitting the road again towards Almaty.

All in all, today’s been a bit of a road trip kind of a day, so there are no plans for tonight besides dinner in the city and then a deep, comfortable sleep. Tonight’s hotel is brand new, an indication of the revival efforts towards this historic part of the Silk Road.

INCLUDED: Breakfast, Picnic Lunch, Dinner
ACCOMMODATION: Hotel Kazzhol Park (or similar), Kazakhstan

DAY 9: ALMATY

Almaty is the cultural and business capital of Kazakhstan. In the early afternoon, you’ll take a walk of the city, visiting Panfilov Park and the unique Zenkov Cathedral. Then later, perhaps you might buy some fresh fruit and veggies at the Green Bazaar. By the way, Almaty means ‘the place with apples’. It’s thought that apples originate from here! Tonight is a special dinner, but also a tearful one as it’s time to say goodbye to your Kyrgyz/Kazakh guide. Don’t fret! You’ll be meeting up with your Tajik/Uzbek guide tomorrow.

INCLUDED: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
ACCOMMODATION: Kazzhol Hotel Park (or similar), Kazakhstan

A DEEP DIVE INTO CULTURE

For each Stan you’re exploring, you’ll have an expert local guide with you as well as your overall trip leader – except for when your trip leader is showing you their own country, of course! This means that every step of the way, you’ll have someone there who can translate any of your questions, explain the customs and help you understand the local culture on a much deeper level. Take advantage of this, by all means and hit them up for local tips while you’re at it! By this stage you and your Silk Road travel buddies will surely have picked up some Kazakh words or phrases. Try and communicate with the locals if you dare – they’ll absolutely love that!

DAY 10:  DUSHANBE – TAJIKISTAN

Rise and shine bright and early for your morning flight to Tajikistan. A country that has been described as ‘mountains upon mountains upon mountains’, you simply will not forget this! Can you believe it’s only been 10 days and you’ll have already explored three countries?

It’s only a short flight to Dushanbe, Tajikistan’s largest city. After checking into the hotel, hit the streets, exploring the city with your Tajik guide. Start at the Navruz Palace. Conceived of as a spectacular tea house, the owners got carried away and ended up with a monument of total excess. Described by one person as ‘opulence gone wild,’ it is now used for the reception of foreign guests, international conferences and fancy weddings. 

After popping in to the Museum of Musical Instruments, you’ll grab dinner at a traditional restaurant in the heart of the city. Kurutob is the national dish and who could say no when its name directly translates to “bread salad”?

INCLUDED: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
ACCOMMODATION: Atlas Hotel (or similar), Tajikistan

DAY 11: DUSHANBE

Dushanbe is an absolute treasure of a city with just 800,000 people and a relaxed pace. A local expert guide will join the group to visit the National Museum of Antiquities, Rudaki Park and a few other sights around the city. You’ve also been invited inside a mosaic master’s workshop. This type of behind-the-scenes exposure to an ancient craft that’s iconic throughout the whole Silk Road is rare. Learn the ropes of this intricate craft and get to know what a local craftsman’s life is like, before heading back to the hotel for a bit of rest and relaxation before dinner.

Tomorrow you’re going back on the road for more exploration – this time to the wondrous Tajik mountains, with a chance to meet some locals and enjoy Tajik hospitality. They’re looking forward to meeting you!

INCLUDED: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
ACCOMMODATION: Hotel Atlas (or similar), Tajikistan

DAY 12: ISKANDERKUL LAKE

Road trip! Today is a three-hour drive as you make your way deeper into the Tajik mountains.

The drive itself though, turns into a major highlight as you wind your way through the rugged valleys and mountains of Tajikistan. A stop at Iskanderkul Lake (named after Alexander the Great) for lunch, before a leisurely afternoon after you’ve checked into your simple lakeside accommodation.

Soak up the mountain scenery, or stretch those legs and take a short hike to a nearby waterfall. The pristine air will wake up your appetite. Tonight’s dinner is at the cottages and if you feel like company later, you can hang out with your fellow Fencoxers… by now you’re all well and truly comfortable together!

INCLUDED: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
ACCOMMODATION: Simple cottages with private bathrooms, Tajikistan (or similar)

DAY 13: PANJAKENT

Wave goodbye to your peaceful hideaway along the shores of Lake Iskandar this morning. After breakfast, you’ll make your three-hour way to the “City of Five Villages”, better known as Penjakent. 

Once a thriving Silk Road hub, you’ll have the chance to discover the central bazaar piled high with textiles, wonky vegetables and spices, teeming with locals ticking off the day’s errands. The 5th-century ruins of the ancient city also wait for you on the outskirts of town. A Sogdian civilisation called these now-crumbling villas, Zoroastrian temples, necropolis and fire altars home – and as you tread the bronze-age streets amongst it all, you’ll be forgiven if you’re catching your breath because you’re feeling like you’re literally walking back-in-time!

INCLUDED: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
ACCOMMODATION: Hotel Panjakent Plaza (or similar), Tajikistan

DAY 14: SEVEN LAKES

Channel your inner Silk Road caravanner this morning, it’s all bumpy roads on the way to the Seven Lakes. We won’t sugarcoat this journey – if you’re prone to carsickness you might want to ‘bags’ the front seat and pop an anti-nausea tablet at brekkie – but we can promise that this gnarled road is worth the jolt! Enjoy the iridescent lakes and fresh mountain air before settling into lunch at a family-run guest house along the waterfront. 

It’s almost time to say goodbye to Tajikistan, but first, make a pit stop in UNESCO Sarazm. Founded in the 4th century, this outpost is rumoured to be the first settlement in Central Asia. Celebrate two weeks on the Silk Road by arriving in your fourth country of the trip, Uzbekistan! Cross the border as travellers have for thousands of years – by foot.

Don’t fret about having to hop back on the bus, you’re almost to your day’s end destination – a legendary city where you’ll get to unpack and stay awhile.

INCLUDED: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
ACCOMMODATION: Hotel Sandhill Samarkand (or similar), Uzbekistan

DAY 15:  SAMARKAND – UZBEKISTAN

Good morning Samarkand! Described as a “Crossroads of Cultures”, you’ll discover this city that was once the heartbeat of the Timurid Empire with a local guide. While, yes, Samarkand is possibly the most visited city on the Silk Road, exploring it is a crucial chapter in the story of this ancient highway.

Prepare to be wowed at your first stop of the day, the Bibi Khanum Mosque. This masterpiece of Timurid architecture can hold up to 10,000 worshippers at a time and is intricately carved and tiled. You’ll see Registan Square, the city’s focal point with towering madrassas, and visit the Gūr-e Amir, the mausoleum of Timur himself, an important ruler who ushered in the renaissance that made Samarkand so iconic. Cheers to your day at a wine-tasting, Uzbek style, this evening with the group! You’re more than just comfortable now, after two weeks on the road you’re starting to feel like old friends.

INCLUDED: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
ACCOMMODATION: Hotel Sandhill Samarkand (or similar), Uzbekistan

DAY 16: SAMARKAND

Fill up on Uzbek breakfast staples like nonushta, a traditional flatbread that’s slathered in kaymak, a hearty yoghurt, and served with a piping hot cup of tea. You’ll need the energy for another day of soaking up Samarkand.

If you thought the tilework you saw yesterday was impressive, wait until you catch a glimpse of Shah-i-Zinda today. Important Timurid figures are buried in this necropolis, including the Prophet Muhammads cousin (according to legend). You’ll also pit stop at the Ulugh Beg Observatory, built by Timur’s grandson – a visionary who was lightyears ahead of his Western counterparts. 

But your day of ancient delights isn’t over just yet. Pop into a local paper mill to learn more about the art of mulberry bark papermaking. You’ll wrap up the day at the home of local woman, Farida Apa, for dinner. Grab your knives and get to chopping as you learn to make plov, a traditional dish made from meat, rice and veggies.  

INCLUDED: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
ACCOMMODATION: Hotel Sandhill Samarkand (or similar), Uzbekistan

DAY 17: BUKHARA

Watch as Samarkand’s minarets, madrassas and mausoleums disappear. You’ll zoom through the countryside on Uzbekistan’s comfy high-speed train to another Silk Road stunner, pulling into Bukhara’s station in just three hours. Check in to your hotel and rest up before heading out to see this wonder of Medieval Islamic architecture. Founded over 2,000 years ago, the intricate mosaics and carved stone is a feast for the eyes. Wander the alleyways as you uncover gem after gem, including the Poi Kalon complex and trading domes.   

There’s art galore inside the studio of a master of miniature painting. Davlat Toshev has been perfecting his craft for decades, practising this painstaking artform on homemade paper, much like Bukharians have for centuries.

INCLUDED: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
ACCOMMODATION: Hotel Amelia (or similar), Uzbekistan

DAY 18: BUKHARA

You’ll have a bit more down time today, just after you finish checking off a few unmissable sites in Bukhara. The Ark Fortress is the morning highlight, a 5th-century citadel that is Bukhara’s oldest building and essentially a city within a city. The rest of the afternoon is free to spend however you wish, but we’ll meet back up for a walk through the historic centre of town with a local archaeologist as evening falls. 

Makshuma Niyazova received her PhD in 2007 and has spent years studying the city. During a short stroll and over dinner, she’ll explain the rituals and history of this ancient Silk Road city. Feel free to ask her any question you like – about history, definitely, but also about what life is like for a professional woman in modern Uzbekistan.

INCLUDED: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
ACCOMMODATION: Hotel Amelia (or similar), Uzbekistan

DAY 19: KHIVA

Amble along the backroads of Uzbekistan today as you make your way through the Kyzylkum Desert to the city of Khiva. It’s an arduous journey – no doubt – but you’ll make a stop for lunch to stretch your legs and admire the lunar landscapes. Eventually, Khiva will appear on the horizon and you’ll pull into town just in time for dinner in the Itchan Kala, also known as Old Town.

INCLUDED: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
ACCOMMODATION: Hotel Asia (or similar), Uzbekistan

DAY 21: TASHKENT

It’s been three weeks travelling the Silk Road and time to make your way to your last stop of the trip. No more long car rides for you, because you’re catching a flight to Tashkent. A stark contrast to the Silk Road cities dripping in ancient architecture that you’ve been exploring, Uzbekistan’s capital is all things modern – with a bit of Soviet influence mixed in too. 

Meet Tashkent through your taste buds at lunch before coming face to face with Independence Square. This sprawling monument is a symbol of freedom for the Uzbek people who declared independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. Your expert guide might also happen to include some chance meetings with local artists in Tashkent’s eclectic artists’ corner – locally known as ‘Broadway’ – with its pockets of traditional Uzbek and modern street art.

INCLUDED: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
ACCOMMODATION: Hotel Inspira-S Tashkent (or similar), Uzbekistan

DAY 22: TASHKENT

You might be wondering where all the beautiful Timurid buildings are in Tashkent. Many were destroyed in the 1966 earthquake that devastated the city. Spend your final day of the trip – ah! – seeking out some of the only historic buildings that survived the quake. Does the architecture at the Khast Imam Complex look familiar? The library here holds what is thought to be the oldest Quran in the world. 

Hop on the Tashkent Metro next. If you thought metro stations had to be dirty and boring, well, the Uzbeks would like to have a word with you! You’ll pop up at the famous Chorsu Bazaar, almost resembling a giant, turquoise tortoise. Head inside the shell to reveal what lies beneath – oodles of stalls selling everything from mushrooms to textiles. Tonight is your farewell dinner, savouring one last Central Asian meal with the group and reminiscing on this life-changing trip.

INCLUDED: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
ACCOMMODATION: Hotel Inspira-S Tashkent (or similar), Uzbekistan

DAY 23: FAREWELL, FRIENDS

Kyrgyz yurts. Kazakh steppes. Tajik mountains. Uzbek history. Just think that you’ve lived it for yourself and now have countless stories to tell! You will have witnessed each country’s precious culture, rich history and unique heritage. Whenever anyone mentions the Silk Road, you’ll be able to say… ‘I’ve been there!’

And, you’re all the more richer for having bonded with your newfound travel buddies after starting out as a solo adventurer. As you make a final swap of contact details and vow to continue on with the group Whatsapp, who knows… you may even see another trip in your future!

INCLUDED: Breakfast