The Legendary Silk Road (2023)

Departure to Ashgabat, Turkmenistan.

Arrive early in the morning and transfer to your hotel. Enjoy the remainder of the day at leisure in Turkmenistan’s extraordinary capital city, where the mountains meet the desert.

Accommodation: Grand Turkmen Hotel or similar (1 night)
Meals included: Breakfast

In the morning, visit a bustling traditional market, and then travel to the ancient Parthian city of Nisa; then take a guided tour of the National Museum in Ashgabat, and see artefacts excavated from the Nisa ruins. After lunch, take a brief tour of Ashgabat, rebuilt in recent years on the orders of President Saparmurat Niyazov, the self-proclaimed Turkmenbashi, or “great leader of all Turkmen.” Dine aboard the train, which will be your overnight home for the next two nights.

Accommodation: Onboard the Orient Silk Road Express (2 nights)
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Arrive early in the morning at the Merv, once one of the world’s largest and most magnificent cities, now an archaeological site and a UNESCO-designated World Heritage Centre. The initial impression is of disbelief: gigantic walls and ramparts stand in the middle of the desert next to the imposing ruins of ancient buildings – the Tomb of the Sultan Sanjar, the Maidens’ Castle (Kyz Kala), the historical ice houses, and others. Lunch is served in the picturesque courtyard of a local family home.

Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

The city of Bukhara, located deep in the Kyzylkum Desert, is the site of a thousand architectural monuments from the golden age of the Great Silk Route. Exotic spices, furs and silk were stored and traded in the city’s caravanserais, or roadside inns. In Bukhara’s Old Town is the Kalyan Minaret, almost 50 metres tall, and the Lyab-I Hauz Ensemble by the pond, among other sights. In a madrasa courtyard, watch a performance of local dances and a presentation of colourful national costumes with musical accompaniment. Overnight in a hotel for the next two nights.

Accommodation: Hotel Asia Bukhara or similar (2 nights)
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Bukhara’s ancient oriental spirit lives on in its unparalleled array of authentic architecture. In the morning, visit the splendid Mir-e-Arab Madrasa and the Samanid Mausoleum, one of Central Asia’s most beautiful structures. Then tour the massive Ark of Bukhara, once the local seat of government. See the Throne Room, then proceed to the last emir’s summer residence. End your stay with a visit to the world’s only women’s mosque, just outside the city.

Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Spend a final morning exploring the romantic winding streets of Bukhara, then board your private train for Khiva and enjoy the stunning landscapes: wide steppes, blue sky and distant mountains, the same natural beauty that inspired the ancients who came before you. Overnight onboard the train for the next two nights.

Accommodation: Onboard the Orient Silk Road Express (2 nights)
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Arrive after breakfast at the southern edge of the Zhetysu (seven rivers) landscape. Standing at the town wall, with its gates and bastions of mud brick, you will be transported into another world. Life pulses around the base of the Kalta Minor Minaret, just as it did in former times. Its palaces, mosques, minarets, mausoleums and madrasas represent some of the best-preserved examples of medieval oriental architecture. Enjoy lunch in the former emir’s summer palace. Leave by private train for Samarqand in the evening.

Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Explore the sights of this legendary city, starting with Registan Square, stop at the Ulug Beg Observatory and the ruins of the Bibi Khanum Mosque, and view the interior of the palatial Gur-e Amir Mausoleum. Overnight in a hotel for the next two nights.

Accommodation: Registan Plaza Hotel or similar (2 nights)
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Note: Days 10 and 11 may be swapped due to rail logistics.

Once considered the world’s most prestigious city during the rule of Timur, visit of Samarqand continues as you see the Necropolis of Shah-e Zinde, and the excavation sites at Afrosiab.

Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Note: Days 10 and 11 may be swapped due to rail logistics.

On an excursion to the surrounding mountain region, enjoy a traditional ceremony offering insight into the region’s unique folklore, and experience local daily life. Board the train and continue along the Great Silk Road to the birthplace of Timur, Shakhrisabz, a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site. See the monumental architecture of the Mongol ruler’s Great Palace from the 14th and 15th centuries. In the evening, depart for Tashkent, and enjoy a tasting of Uzbek wines. Overnight onboard your private train for the next three nights.

Accommodation: Onboard the Orient Silk Road Express (3 nights)
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

In the morning your train pulls into the Uzbek capital of Tashkent. A sightseeing tour of the city offers a closer look at this green oasis in the steppe. See the Madrassa Kukeldash, the Kavoj and Amir Timur monuments, and typical Kazakh mud brick houses. In the evening, attend a concert at a music hall (program permitting). Afterwards, your train departs for Kazakhstan.

Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Formalities at the Kazakhstan border are completed in the comfort of your compartment. Arrive in the city of Turkistan before noon. Visit the Mausoleum of Khoja Ahmed Yasawi, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the most significant examples of Timurid architecture. Afterwards, continue by train to Almaty.

Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Train arrives in Almaty after lunch. A sightseeing tour offers an overview of this green metropolis at the foot of the mighty Ile Alatau Mountains. See the imposing Zenkov Russian Orthodox Cathedral, built entirely of wood, the Wedding Palace, the Almaty Circus, and the Central Mosque. In the evening, enjoy a delicious dinner in a traditional Kazakh yurt. Stay overnight in a hotel.

Accommodation: Rahat Palace Hotel or similar (1 night)
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Catch the transfer for the return flight home. Leave the wide blue skies, open steppe and epic monuments behind, laden with unparalleled memories of the Silk Road.