Central Asia is so jam-packed with historical and natural sights that it would literally take years to explore it all. We guess that you are rather short on time, but still want to see as much as possible. That’s why we’ve put together this 14-day trip across five countries to offer the most to travelers. The best Central Asia Group Tour 2024 with fixed dates is the best way to see the most interesting places in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. If you want to prolong your trip, we are happy to offer an extension with the Small Group Tour to the South Caucasus.
Experience the urban charm of Almaty or the serene beauty of Kolsay Lakes and Charyn Canyon through tailored pre-tours in Kazakhstan.
Explore glittering Astana or nature art at Charyn Canyon with pre-tours in Kazakhstan.
Participants should be in good health, comfortable walking 4-6 hours daily at a moderate pace, managing stairs and short ascents. Rest assured, we'll ensure plenty of breaks to enjoy the journey together.
Day 1, Mo: Almaty – Arrival (Kazakhstan)
Arrive in
Almaty. Our driver will meet you and take you to the hotel. Check in at 14:00. Free time. Overnight at the hotel.
Day 2, Tu: Almaty (Kazakhstan)
Breakfast. At 09:00, your guide and driver will meet you in the hotel lobby to start a sightseeing tour of Almaty. Highlights of this morning will include
Panfilov Park,
Zenkov Cathedral, Republic Square, and the Almaty City Museum. After a welcome lunch, a short drive (25 km) will take you to Chimbulak. Here, visit the ski resort and ride the cable car to enjoy the amazing views of the snowy peaks of the Tian Shan Mountains. Free time. Overnight at the hotel.
Day 3, We: Almaty – Bishkek (Kazakhstan/Kyrgyzstan)
After breakfast depart Almaty and drive to
Bishkek via a newly built highway, enjoy nature landscapes on the way (250 km, 4 h.). Upon arrival check-in at the hotel. Start sightseeing tour in Bishkek: visit
Oak Park,
Ala-Too Square, Statue of Manas. See
Philharmonic Hall and Victory Monument – bright examples of Soviet architecture. Overnight at the hotel.
Duration of sightseeing tour: 2-3 hours
Day 4, Th: Bishkek – Burana – Don Aryk – Bishkek – Tashkent (Kyrgyzstan/Uzbekistan)
Breakfast. Depart Bishkek at 09:00. The first stop will be
Burana Tower, which was part of the ancient city of
Balasagun (11th to 13th centuries). Next on the agenda will be experiencing a Kyrgyz national horse game called “Ulak Tartysh” (goat pulling). Ulak Tartysh (also known as Kok Boru) is a fight between two teams of horse riders for a goat carcass. Transfer to Don Aryk village and have lunch at the home of a local Kyrgyz family. After lunch, watch a demonstration of yurt construction and even take part if you wish. Local Kyrgyz women will explain the meaning and use of each part of the yurt. Transfer to Bishkek airport (110 km, ~1h 30 min) to take flight to
Tashkent, which arrives in the evening (1h 20 min). Transfer to the hotel for overnight.
Day 5, Fr: Tashkent – Samarkand (Uzbekistan)
Breakfast. Start the Tashkent city tour at 10:00 by visiting the
Old City of Tashkent. This area encompasses the
Khast-Imam Complex (famous for displaying one of the earliest copies of the Qur’an, the Holy Book of Islam), and
Chorsu Bazaar, where you can haggle for spices, dried fruit, and nuts. Then take a ride on
Tashkent Metro to the city center to visit
Applied Arts Museum and walk through
Navoi Theater to
Amir Timur Square where you will end Tashkent city tour. The city tour will take 4-5 hours, after which you’ll have some free time. At 18:00, transfer to the
railway station. The high-speed train
Afrosiyob![](/images/info.svg)
, arrives in
Samarkand around 21:00 (300 km, 2h 10 min). Transfer to the hotel for overnight.
Day 6, Sa: Samarkand (Uzbekistan)
Breakfast. At 09:00, the city tour will begin with a visit to the spectacular
Registan Square, followed by the
Gur Emir Mausoleum, the final resting place of the Turco-Mongol emperor, Timur. Explore the
Bibi Khanum Mosque and
Shakhi-Zinda Necropolis, and then take a short drive to
Konigil village to find out about the traditional techniques used to make the famous Samarkand paper from mulberry bark. Free time. Overnight at the hotel.
Duration of sightseeing tour: 6-7 hours
Day 7, Su: Samarkand - Penjikent (Uzbekistan/Tajikistan)
Breakfast. At 10:00 am, transfer to the Uzbekistan-Tajikistan border point, Jartepa (50 km, 1 h). Upon arrival at the customs and passport control on both sides, kindly proceed to the exit of the border control area. At that point, our guide/driver will be waiting for you with the sign with your name. Meet your local Tajik guide and driver to drive to
ancient Penjikent (80 km, ~1 h 30 min), the ruins of a town founded by the Sogdians in the 5th century and abandoned by Arabs in the 8th century. The foundations of houses, a citadel with a couple of Zoroastrian fire temples, and the remains of the city bazaar are visible in the excavated ruins. In the newer part of
Penjikent, visit a local bazaar, a mosque, and the Rudaki Museum (Penjikent is the birthplace of Abu Abdallah Rudaki, considered by many to be the father of Persian poetry). After a 3-hour sightseeing tour check in the hotel. Free time. Overnight at the hotel.
Day 8, Mo: Penjikent – Seven Lakes - Samarkand – Bukhara (Tajikistan/Uzbekistan)
Breakfast. Drive to the
Seven Lakes (80 km, ~2 h). These lakes are located in the western part of the
Fann Mountains. Each lake has its own color, varying from calming turquoise to mesmerizing purple. Have lunch at the guest house next to the 4th lake. Those who would like to enjoy the view from the 7th lake there is an opportunity to have a hiking tour from the 6th lake up to the 7th lake. In the afternoon, drive to the Jartepa border crossing (120 km, 2 h 30 min). Complete the border formalities. On the Uzbek side, your driver will meet you and transfer to Samarkand. Free time in the city. At 20:45 transfer to the railway station. Take the high-speed Afrosiyob train departing at 21:43 and arriving in
Bukhara at 23:25 (270 km, 1 h 35 min). Transfer to the hotel for overnight.
Day 9, Tu: Bukhara (Uzbekistan)
Breakfast. At 10:00, start exploring the Old City of Bukhara. Highlights of the walking tour will include: the
Lyabi Hauz Ensemble,
Magoki-Attori Mosque,
Chor-Minor Madrasa,
Kalyan Minaret,
Kalyan Mosque,
Miri-Arab Madrasa,
Ulugbek and
Abdulazizkhan Madrasas,
Ark Fortress,
Bolo-Khauz Mosque,
Ismail Samani and
Chashma-Ayub Mausoleums, and various
trading domes. Free time from 15:00 until the
National Show at Nadir Divan-begi Madrasa, which starts at 18:00. Overnight at the hotel.
Day 10, We: Bukhara – Mary – Merv – Ashgabat (Uzbekistan/Turkmenistan)
Early breakfast. Depart at 06:30 for the Uzbekistan-Turkmenistan border point, Farap-Alat (100 km, 1 h 30 min). Upon arrival border formalities. After the customs and passport control at both checkpoints, kindly proceed to the exit of the border control area. At that point, our guide/driver will be waiting for you with the sign with your name. Continue to Merv (300 km, 5 h 30 min), an ancient city that was a major center of international trade and crafts on the Silk Road.
Merv is also home to a historical park for you to discover, with sights including: the
Sultan Sanjar Mausoleum, Major and Minor
Kyz-Kala,
Erk-Kala,
Gyaur-Kala, Keshk Fortress, and others. Lunch at a local restaurant. Transfer to Mary Airport (40 km, 30 min) to take the evening flight to
Ashgabat at 18:10. Upon arrival in Ashgabat at 18:50, transfer to the hotel for overnight.
Day 11, Th: Ashgabat – Darvaza Gas Crater (Turkmenistan)
Breakfast, followed by a sightseeing tour of Ashgabat. Ashgabat, the capital of Turkmenistan, has recently been recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records as having more white marble buildings than any other city in the world. During the city tour, explore the archaeological site of
Old Nissa (a UNESCO World Heritage Site) and
Spiritual Mosque, one of the biggest mosques in Central Asia. Visit the National Museum of History, the
Monument of Neutrality,
Ertugrul Gazi Mosque and the recently-built
Independence Park. The sightseeing tour will take about 6 hours and the afternoon will feature a drive through the
Karakum Desert to the famous
Darvaza Gas Crater (280 km, 4 h). After arriving at the crater, camp will be set up and you’ll enjoy a delicious, fire-cooked dinner near the “Gates of Hell”. Overnight in tents.
Note: At Darvaza camp you will be accommodated at a yurt or there is an option to have 1- or 2-person tents. In both cases, toilets and basic washing facilities are outside.
Day 12, Fr: Darvaza Gas Crater – Khiva (Turkmenistan/Uzbekistan)
Camp-style breakfast. Drive back through the Karakum Desert to the Turkmenistan-Uzbekistan border point, Dashoguz-Shavat (270 km, 4 h). Following border formalities at both checkpoints, your Uzbek driver will meet you to begin the trip to
Khiva (60 km, 1 h). Upon arrival, check in to the hotel. Free time.
Day 13, Sa: Khiva – Urgench – Tashkent (Uzbekistan)
Day 14, Su: Tashkent – departure (UZB)
Price includes:
- All transfers: 1-2 pax by Sedan type car, 3-7 pax on minivan/van, 8-16 pax by 20 seat bus;
- Accommodation based on double/twin room sharing, breakfasts included;
- Sightseeing tour program with English speaking different local guides in each city;
- Tour leader to accompany group of 6 and more travelers in each country;
- Entrance fees to sights as per itinerary;
- Economy class tickets for flights: Bishkek-Tashkent, Mary-Ashgabat, Urgench-Tashkent;
- Economy-class tickets for trains: Tashkent-Samarkand-Bukhara (on rare occasions when the high-speed train is unavailable, we will replace this with the most-comfortable class of regular train);
- Visa support for Uzbekistan triple entry visa;
;
- Visa support for Turkmenistan tourist visa;
- E-visa to Uzbekistan (triple entry) and e-visa to Tajikistan;
- National folklore show in Bukhara on Day 9;
- Meals: welcome lunch in Almaty on Day 2, lunch at home of a local family in Don-Aryk on Day 4, lunch at Seven Lakes on Day 7, lunch in Mary on Day 10, camp style dinner at Darvaza on Day 11, dinner in Khiva on Day 13.
Price doesn't include:
- Surcharge for staying in a single room;
- Full board (lunches and dinners);
- Hotel charges for additional services;
- A tax of 2 USD per night in Turkmenistan, paid to the hotel upon check out;
- Consular fees for Turkmenistan tourist visas (80 USD) and migration tax (14 USD);
- Consular fees for Uzbekistan tourist visa at Tashkent International Airport (60-80 USD);
- Visa support for Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan tourist visas;
- Personal travel insurance;
- Tips to local guides and drivers;
- International flight tickets before and after the tour.
Dates & Prices, per person
From:
To:
Deadline:
Status:
Price:
Mar 18, Mon
Mar 31, Sun
Feb 19
Completed
US$ 3,550
Apr 1, Mon
Apr 14, Sun
Mar 4
Completed
US$ 3,950
Apr 15, Mon
Apr 28, Sun
Mar 18
Completed
US$ 3,950
Apr 29, Mon
May 12, Sun
Apr 1
Completed
US$ 3,950
May 13, Mon
May 26, Sun
Apr 15
Completed
US$ 3,950
May 27, Mon
Jun 9, Sun
Apr 29
Completed
US$ 3,950
Jun 3, Mon
Jun 16, Sun
May 6
Completed
US$ 3,950
Jul 22, Mon
Aug 4, Sun
Jun 24
Completed
US$ 3,550
Aug 5, Mon
Aug 18, Sun
Jul 8
Completed
US$ 3,950
Aug 12, Mon
Aug 25, Sun
Jul 15
Completed
US$ 3,950
Aug 19, Mon
Sep 1, Sun
Jul 22
Completed
US$ 3,950
Sep 2, Mon
Sep 15, Sun
Aug 5
Ongoing
US$ 3,950
Sep 9, Mon
Sep 22, Sun
Aug 12
Sold out
US$ 3,950
Sep 16, Mon
Sep 29, Sun
Aug 19
Sold out
US$ 3,950
Sep 30, Mon
Oct 13, Sun
Sep 2
Sold out
US$ 3,950
Oct 14, Mon
Oct 27, Sun
Sep 16
Available
US$ 3,950
Nov 4, Mon
Nov 17, Sun
Oct 7
Available
US$ 3,550
Single supplement: US$ 500
From:
To:
Deadline:
Status:
Price:
Mar 17, Mon
Mar 30, Sun
Feb 17
Available
US$ 3,950
Mar 31, Mon
Apr 13, Sun
Mar 3
Available
US$ 3,950
Apr 14, Mon
Apr 27, Sun
Mar 17
Available
US$ 3,950
Apr 28, Mon
May 11, Sun
Mar 31
Available
US$ 3,950
May 12, Mon
May 25, Sun
Apr 14
Available
US$ 3,950
May 26, Mon
Jun 8, Sun
Apr 28
Available
US$ 3,950
Jun 2, Mon
Jun 15, Sun
May 5
Available
US$ 3,950
Jul 21, Mon
Aug 3, Sun
Jun 23
Available
US$ 3,950
Aug 4, Mon
Aug 17, Sun
Jul 7
Available
US$ 3,950
Aug 11, Mon
Aug 24, Sun
Jul 14
Available
US$ 3,950
Aug 18, Mon
Aug 31, Sun
Jul 21
Available
US$ 3,950
Sep 1, Mon
Sep 14, Sun
Aug 4
Available
US$ 3,950
Sep 8, Mon
Sep 21, Sun
Aug 11
Available
US$ 3,950
Sep 29, Mon
Oct 12, Sun
Sep 1
Available
US$ 3,950
Oct 13, Mon
Oct 26, Sun
Sep 15
Available
US$ 3,950
Nov 3, Mon
Nov 16, Sun
Oct 6
Available
US$ 3,950
Single supplement: US$ 500
100% guaranteed departures – even if there is only 1 traveler.
Group size: 1-16 persons
Please note that itinerary and prices are subject to change due to airline and train schedule changes, currency fluctuations and other unforeseeable events.
Accommodation
Kazzhol Park / Mercure or similar
yurts / or a tent upon request
Tour Request
Central Asia Group Tour Reviews
Author: Fred |
Rating: 5
07 June 2024
I just wanted to thank you for a wonderful trip! I was so pleasantly surprised with Astana and all the cities we visited. I loved Bukhara, Samarkand, and the seven lakes. The places we visited were amazing! The artwork of the mosques and madrasas were just incredible.
The border crossings were a bit painful, but thanks to you and your very clear instructions everything went extremely smoothly! We had no issues with any border crossings.
It was an incredible trip, and I would do it again!
Visited May 2024
Author: Doris |
Rating: 5
28 May 2024
The trip was absolutely wonderful. The guides were well informed and very helpful. The hotels were great. I think that there needs to be a little bit more downtime for refreshments and a little rest on the day tour.
I love going to the desert and the yurt was great. I realize that the only way to get there is that grueling ride But all in all, I would give this trip an A
Thank you for being so involved in our trip. I will definitely recommend this to anyone.
Visited May 2024
Author: Kym |
Rating: 5
27 May 2024
Thank you for your great work on this tour. The logistics worked very well.
Visited May 2024
Author: Judy |
Rating: 5
07 May 2024
I can not praise Advantour enough for such an amazing trip. I am eyeing the Caucus tour and whenever I am ready, I will definitely book with you guys. It was nice meeting you and once again, thanks for everything!
Visited April 2024
Author: Martin Hobbs |
Rating: 5
28 April 2024
Hi Anvar
Thank you for your email regarding the tour. My daughter Maddy and I returned home after a an almost 30 hour travel time involving 3 flights, but it certainly was worth it to be able to experience Central Asia in the way we did.
In all honesty, we have nothing to be critical about the tour. Everything was excellent ranging from your quick and informative communication responses, tour guides, hotels, food, itinerary, transport etc etc - all very pleasing. My expectation of Central Asia was very different to what we experienced. We were surprised on how advanced the countries are in most respects.
We would certainly recommend your tour company to anyone. In fact a friend of mine has your contact details already and appears to be keen to experience Central Asia in the same way that Maddy and myself did.
Thank you to yourself and Advantour for structuring the Central Asia tour the way you have.
Visited April 2024
Author: Seah B. |
Rating: 5
24 April 2024
All good things must come to an end. All too soon, this tour of 5 Central Asian nations draws to a memorable close. Thanks to everyone who made this trip so enjoyable
Visited October 2023
Author: Ivan |
Rating: 5
24 April 2024
It was a great trip, pretty well organized. Loved your country so definitely coming back!! Also want to go Georgia and Azerbaijan.
Visited October 2023
Author: Sarah L. |
Rating: 5
22 April 2024
The tour was absolutely amazing!! All of the guides did a great job, spoke very good English and were very knowledgeable about history.
Visited March 2024
Author: Cesar |
Rating: 5
30 May 2023
I would like to say thank you for all your hard work putting this trip together. Everything went flawless from beginning to end. We couldn't have asked for anything more.
Author: Marsha |
Rating: 5
25 May 2023
Thank you so much for the wonderful trip through the Stans. We really enjoyed the itinerary. We especially appreciated all the hard work that went into arranging hotels, guides, sightseeing when we decided not to attempt to enter Turkmenistan. The extra days spent in Uzbekistan were amazing. Our Hotel in the Ichan-Kala complex was an incredible place to stay and we loved being able to walk around the sights by the fortress. The folklore fashion/music performance was a highlight. Uzbekistan women are so fashionable and we loved seeing what they wore as they went about their daily business.
Author: Arthur |
Rating: 5
09 May 2023
Firstly, I would like to say I am very happy with the services and tour which had been provided by Advantour.
One point; Kyrgistan was for me after all too short, I would suggest an evening flight or a second night at the hotel. As well, I was with the breakfast in Sofia Int. (Bishkek) not so happy. They shall provide more fresh food/bread options.
All guides and driver were reliable, helpful, knowledgeable and very kind!
Turkmenistan, border entering & exit was quite interesting, to be frankly. But it went well.
Thank you very much as well for all the information, specially about bordering Turkmenistan.
Author: Lynnette Sch. |
Rating: 5
03 July 2019
From Australia
Date of experience: 13 May, 2019
Thank you, Advantour, for a well organized 14 day tour, it went smoothly.
Samarkand was the highlight for me. Tajikistan scenery was beautiful.
Guides were good, Alex had the best English and managed the group timings etc best; shame we had to change guides, but Sanjar had good information!
Glad to have seen the 5 Stans, but Uzbekistan is where I highly recommend to come.
Thanks again for your professional arrangement of this tour!
Author: Deborah & Yeral P. |
Rating: 5
03 July 2019
From the USA
Date of experience: 13 May, 2019
Thanks for a wonderful vacation.
We had a great time.
We enjoyed having a smaller group and our guides Alex and Sanjar, were awesome.
All of the local guides and drivers were excellent.
Thanks again for a wonderful adventure.
Debbie & Yeral P.
Author: Ziya & Sophie H. |
Rating: 5
03 July 2019
From Great Britain
Date of experience: 22 April, 2019
Thank you, Advantour, for arranging the tour. We found your communications were excellent, timely and quick.
Regarding the trip.
Almaty, the hotel was ok, bit disorganized was not able to cope with the Chinese group at breakfast time.
Bishkek, the guide is ok, interesting and worth having it.
Tashkent, good flight, city tour bit short and rushed, a lot of spare time before catching the train, we were struggling to kill the time.
Train to Samarkand, good experience, the hotel was ok. The city tour was fine and the visit to all the sites, good learning and experience.
Tajikistan, the best part of the tour, very scenic and very interesting country and people,
Bukhara tour of the old city and sites were good, the show was good.
Turkmenistan:
Ashgabat, what an experience, somewhat unique city, the hotel was excellent, the food was very good, site seeing was very good. Drive to Darwaza was comfortable and better than we expected.
Camping was comfortable and viewing the gas crater was an experience.
Drive through the Karakum was interesting and speed at which we had gone through was surprising (guide here was very helpful)
Khiva - very good sightseeing tour, best guide of the tour as he was very knowledgeable which made the tour very interesting.
Thank you again for arranging our trip!
ZIYA & SOPHIE
Author: Linda S. |
Rating: 5
03 July 2019
From the USA
Date of experience: 08 April, 2019
I enjoyed the trip a lot and signed up for this tour based on the great experience I had last year when I used Advantour to go to Azerbaijan, Armenia and Georgia and what people on that tour had said about the `Stan tour. The hotels (great locations, clean and friendly staff), transportation (comfortable and on time), guides and itinerary were very good overall. The guide in Turkmenistan was the best, she spoke great English, was energetic and very informative.
Advantour is a great company and I will recommend your tours to anyone. Thank you for all your coordination and support ensure this was a great tour.