Cornelius Amann
October 06, 2026
5/5
Central Asia: Almaty, Bishkek, Samarkand and Bukhara
15 days across Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan: Almaty and Charyn Canyon, Bishkek and Issyk-Kul, Osh and the Fergana Valley, then Tashkent, three nights in Samarkand and two in Bukhara.
15 days · Almaty to Tashkent · up to 12 guests
Bukhara gold embroidery on show at a crafts festival in Kokand Photo: UzbekistanWikiEditor, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:BuxoroZardo%27zligi.jpg)
The facts
At a glance
- Length
- 15 days, 14 nights
- Start and end
- Almaty to Tashkent
- Group size
- 7 to 12 guests
- Longest drive
- 6 h on day 2
- Activity level
Moderate
Walks of 4 to 6 km on most days on paving, steps and gravel: about 6 km down to the river in Charyn Canyon and back up, about 150 m of stone steps on Sulayman-Too, easy valley walking at about 1,700 to 2,000 m near Issyk-Kul, and long mornings on foot in Samarkand and Bukhara. Two days run to five and a half or six hours in the vehicle and one more pairs a long drive with a flight. Every walk has a shorter version or a seat in the van.
- Meals included
- 14 breakfasts, 10 lunches, 6 dinners
- Room of your own
- + CAD 1,245 (estimated price)
- Season
- May to June and September to October
Highlights
Why this trip
- Walk down through the Valley of Castles in Charyn Canyon to the river, with lunch by the water
- Burana Tower and its carved balbals, then two nights on the north shore of Issyk-Kul
- A one-hour flight over the Tian Shan to Osh instead of two days on the road
- Sulayman-Too at 8 am, then into Uzbekistan for silk weaving in Margilan and potters in Rishtan
- The Registan at opening and at dusk, with three nights in Samarkand
- Shah-i-Zinda before the crowds, and dinner in a Samarkand family's home
- Two nights in Bukhara, from the Ismail Samani Mausoleum to a farewell dinner in the old town
What makes this trip different
Short drives, all published
Every drive is listed day by day. The longest is 6 h, on day 2.
Free time is part of the plan
Free time and choices are marked on the days they fall.
Solo without the penalty
A room of your own is + CAD 1,245 (estimated price).
Day by day
Itinerary
The longest drive is 6 h, on day 2.
Tap any stop on the map to open that dayClick any stop on the map to open that day
Arrive in Almaty
Almaty International Airport to your hotel in central Almaty
- Dinner
- Stay in Almaty
- Drive about 30 min
Fly into Almaty International Airport (ALA), about 20 km north-east of the centre, where a driver meets you in the arrivals hall.
Evening
Plan to land by about 3 pm to reach the evening briefing; the latest arrival time is confirmed with your final itinerary. Almaty was Kazakhstan's capital until 1997 and is still its largest city, laid out on a grid of tree-lined streets that climb gently towards the snow peaks of the Trans-Ili Alatau. If you arrive early, walk the pedestrian stretch of Panfilov Street or sit in a cafe under the plane trees. In the early evening your See Sight Tours guide meets the group for a short briefing on the fifteen days ahead: the two land borders, the flight to Osh, what to pack for mountain evenings and Uzbek summer afternoons, and how the days are paced. Then we sit down together to a welcome dinner of Kazakh and Central Asian dishes at a local restaurant.
Included
- Pick-up at Almaty International Airport (ALA)
- Welcome briefing with your guide
- Welcome dinner
Free time: Free until the evening briefing
Charyn Canyon
Almaty to Charyn Canyon and back
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Almaty
- Drive about 6 h
Today is the longest road day of the trip, about six hours there and back, and we keep it because no hotel of our standard sits near the canyon. We leave at 8 am and drive about three hours east across the steppe, with a coffee stop on the way. Charyn Canyon was cut by the Charyn River through layers of red and ochre sandstone, and its best-known stretch, the Valley of Castles, is lined with eroded towers.
Afternoon
From the rim we walk down a gravel path between them to the river, about 3 km each way on a gentle grade, and stop for a sit-down lunch by the water, which breaks the day in the middle. The light is flat at noon and warmer in the afternoon, so we take our time on the climb back to the rim.
Evening
We are back in Almaty by about 6 pm, and the evening is free.
Included
- Charyn Canyon: the Valley of Castles walk to the Charyn River with your guide
- Sit-down lunch by the river
- Charyn national park fee
Easier option: Stay at the rim viewpoints instead of walking down, or skip the day and spend it in Almaty: the Green Bazaar, the Kasteev art museum or the Kok-Tobe cable car.
More active option: Walk further along the river below the Valley of Castles before lunch.
Free time: Evening free in Almaty
Activity: About 6 km on foot on a gravel path with a steady climb back to the rim. Charyn is hot and shadeless at midday in summer; bring a hat and water. On summer weekends the canyon is busy with day visitors from Almaty, so we schedule this day on a weekday where dates allow.
Almaty on foot, then across the border to Bishkek
Almaty to the Korday border crossing, then Bishkek
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Bishkek
- Drive about 4 h
Morning
We spend the morning on foot in central Almaty while the city is cool. Panfilov Park is home to the Ascension Cathedral, a tall wooden Orthodox church finished in 1907 that survived the 1911 earthquake; a few blocks away the Green Bazaar sells dried fruit, nuts, horse-meat sausage and kurt, the hard salted cheese balls of the steppe.
Afternoon
After a sit-down lunch we drive west to the Kyrgyz border at Korday, about three hours away. Your guide crosses with the group: we take our bags through Kazakh exit and Kyrgyz entry, usually about an hour, and our Kyrgyz vehicle and driver wait on the far side. Kyrgyzstan is one hour ahead of Kazakhstan, so set your watch forward.
Evening
Bishkek is about half an hour beyond the border, and we arrive in the early evening, with dinner free.
Included
- Almaty walking tour with your guide: Panfilov Park, the Ascension Cathedral and the Green Bazaar
- Sit-down lunch in Almaty
- Korday border crossing with your guide
Free time: Evening free in Bishkek
Activity: Expect about an hour at the border, longer on busy days, carrying your own bags for a short distance. Pack a small bag for the crossing with your passport and anything you need for the afternoon.
Bishkek: Ala-Too Square and Osh Bazaar
Bishkek on foot, with Ala Archa as an option
- Breakfast
- Stay in Bishkek
- Drive about 30 min
Bishkek is a young city with wide Soviet avenues lined with trees, and it is easy to explore on foot.
Morning
We start mid-morning at Ala-Too Square, where the equestrian statue of Manas, the hero of Kyrgyzstan's national epic, stands in front of the State History Museum, and we go inside for an hour on the nomad past and the Soviet years. From there we walk through Oak Park, planted with oaks in the 1890s and dotted with sculpture, and along Erkindik Boulevard.
Afternoon
After lunch at your own pace we take a short drive to Osh Bazaar, the city's biggest market, where your guide shows you dried apricots, felt, Kyrgyz kalpak hats and the bread stalls.
Evening
The rest of the afternoon and the evening are free, the first long free stretch of the trip and a good moment to rest before the lake.
Included
- Bishkek walking tour with your guide: Ala-Too Square, the Manas monument, Oak Park and Erkindik Boulevard
- State History Museum
- Osh Bazaar with your guide
Optional experiences
- Half day in Ala Archa National Park, about 40 km south of Bishkek, with an easy valley walk, priced at booking
Free time: Afternoon and evening free
Activity: About 4 km on foot on city pavements.
Burana Tower and on to Issyk-Kul
Bishkek to Burana Tower, then the Boom gorge and Cholpon-Ata on the north shore of Issyk-Kul
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Stay in Cholpon-Ata
- Drive about 4.5 h
We leave at 8:30 and drive east along the Chuy valley for about an hour to Burana Tower, the stump of an 11th-century minaret that marks the site of Balasagun, a Karakhanid city on the Silk Road, now part of a UNESCO World Heritage listing for the Silk Roads. Around it stand dozens of balbals, carved stone figures from Turkic graves, and a small site museum. Then the road climbs through the narrow Boom gorge, where the Chuy River cuts through the mountains, and comes out at Balykchy on the western tip of Issyk-Kul, at about 1,600 m one of the largest mountain lakes in the world.
Afternoon
We stop for lunch on the north shore and reach Cholpon-Ata by mid-afternoon, about four and a half hours of driving in all, broken in two by Burana and lunch.
Evening
The late afternoon is free for a swim or a walk on the shore, with the snow peaks of the Terskey Ala-Too across the water, and dinner is at the hotel.
Included
- Burana Tower, the balbals and the site museum with a local guide
- The Boom gorge
- Sit-down lunch on the north shore
- Dinner at the hotel
Free time: Late afternoon free by the lake
Activity: Burana's inner stair is steep, narrow and dark; climbing it is optional.
A day on Issyk-Kul
Cholpon-Ata petroglyphs, then the Grigorievka gorge and back
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Stay in Cholpon-Ata
- Drive about 1.5 h
A slower day by the lake.
Morning
In the cool of the morning we walk among the Cholpon-Ata petroglyphs, an open field of boulders above the town carved with ibex, hunters and snow leopards, the oldest thought to date from the Bronze Age; the low morning sun picks out the carvings best. Then we drive about forty minutes east to the Grigorievka gorge, Chon-Ak-Suu, a green valley of spruce and meadow where herders graze horses in summer.
Afternoon
We walk up the valley along the river for an hour or two at an easy pace and stop for a picnic-style lunch cooked by a local family at the meadows, not a box from a shop. We are back in Cholpon-Ata by mid-afternoon, with time to swim; the water is fresh in May and June and in September and October, so a swim is short and bracing.
Evening
Dinner tonight is with the group at a restaurant on the shore.
Included
- Cholpon-Ata petroglyphs with your guide
- Grigorievka gorge walk
- Lunch with a local family in the gorge
- Dinner in Cholpon-Ata
Optional experiences
- A boat trip on Issyk-Kul from Cholpon-Ata, priced at booking
Easier option: Stay in the valley floor near the vehicle at Grigorievka, or spend the day at the hotel and the beach.
More active option: Walk further up the Grigorievka valley, about 8 to 10 km in all, with your guide.
Free time: Mid-afternoon onward free
Activity: Easy walking at about 1,700 to 2,000 m; take the first climb slowly.
Back to Bishkek and fly to Osh
Cholpon-Ata to Manas International Airport, Bishkek, then a flight to Osh
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Osh
- Drive about 4.5 h
The road from the lake to the south of Kyrgyzstan crosses two high passes and takes a long day or more, so we fly instead.
Afternoon
After breakfast we drive back west along the shore and through the Boom gorge to Bishkek's Manas International Airport, about four and a half hours with a sit-down lunch on the way, which is why this day runs past our usual driving cap. If a summer flight from Issyk-Kul's own airport at Tamchy runs on your dates, we take it instead and the drive shrinks to under an hour; we confirm this when we book. The flight to Osh takes about an hour over the Tian Shan ranges, with mountains and reservoirs below.
Evening
A driver meets us at Osh airport for the short ride into town, and the evening is free for a walk to the river or a plate of Osh plov.
Included
- Drive from Cholpon-Ata to Manas International Airport (FRU)
- Sit-down lunch on the way
- Flight from Bishkek to Osh (OSS) with your guide
- Transfer to your hotel in Osh
Free time: Evening free in Osh
Activity: Domestic flights carry tighter baggage limits than international ones; we tell you the allowance when we book the seats.
Sulayman-Too, then into Uzbekistan's Fergana Valley
Osh to the Dostuk border crossing, then Margilan and Fergana
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Stay in Fergana
- Drive about 3 h
Osh is one of the oldest towns in Central Asia, and its centre is Sulayman-Too, a rocky hill that has been a place of pilgrimage for centuries and became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2009. We climb it early, at about 8 am, before the heat and the crowds: a stepped path of about twenty minutes leads past shrines and worn rock to a small mosque at the top, with a view over the town and the Fergana Valley. Then a short visit to the Jayma Bazaar, and we drive the few kilometres to the Dostuk border. Your guide crosses with the group into Uzbekistan, where our Uzbek vehicle and driver wait; clocks go back one hour.
Afternoon
Lunch is in Andijan, then we continue to Margilan, where a silk workshop still dyes and weaves ikat by hand, from the boiling of cocoons to the loom.
Evening
We reach Fergana, a quiet town of tree-lined avenues, in the late afternoon; dinner is with the group.
Included
- Sulayman-Too with your guide, early in the morning
- Jayma Bazaar
- Dostuk border crossing with your guide
- Sit-down lunch in Andijan
- Silk workshop in Margilan
- Dinner in Fergana
Easier option: Walk the lower paths of Sulayman-Too instead of climbing to the top.
Free time: Short free time before dinner
Activity: Sulayman-Too has uneven stone steps and about 150 m of climb. Allow one to two hours at the border, carrying your own bags for a short distance.
Rishtan, Kokand and over the Kamchik pass to Tashkent
Fergana to Rishtan and Kokand, then over the Kamchik pass to Tashkent
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Tashkent
- Drive about 5.5 h
This is the third day that runs past our driving cap, about five and a half hours in all, because the only road out of the Fergana Valley to Tashkent crosses the Kamchik pass, at about 2,270 m. We split it into three short legs. First, about an hour west to Rishtan, where potters have worked the local red clay for centuries; in a family workshop you see the blue and green ishkor glazes mixed from plant ash and pots painted by hand.
Afternoon
Then on to Kokand, capital of a khanate until the Russians took it in 1876, for the tiled facade and courtyards of the Khudayar Khan Palace and a sit-down lunch.
Evening
In the afternoon the road climbs out of the valley through the Kamchik pass and runs down through the Angren valley to Tashkent, about four hours with a tea stop, and we arrive in the early evening. Dinner is free.
Included
- Rishtan ceramics workshop
- Kokand: the Khudayar Khan Palace with your guide
- Sit-down lunch in Kokand
- Drive over the Kamchik pass
Free time: Evening free in Tashkent
Activity: The Kamchik road has police checkpoints where passports are checked, and photography is not allowed at them; your guide will tell you when.
Old Tashkent, then the fast train to Samarkand
Tashkent's old town and metro, then the Afrosiyob high-speed train to Samarkand
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Samarkand
- Drive about 30 min
Morning
Tashkent was largely rebuilt after the 1966 earthquake, so its old core is small, and a morning covers it well. We start at the Khast Imam complex, whose library holds a Quran manuscript traditionally linked to the Caliph Uthman, and walk on to Chorsu Bazaar, under its great green dome, for bread, spices and dried fruit.
Afternoon
Then a few stops on the Tashkent metro, where each station is decorated differently, from ceramic panels to chandeliers, before lunch of plov, the dish Tashkent is known for. In the afternoon we take the Afrosiyob high-speed train to Samarkand, a little over two hours, with reserved seats.
Evening
After checking in near the old centre we walk to the Registan at dusk, when its three madrasas glow as the lights come on; the evening is free.
Included
- Tashkent walking tour with your guide: the Khast Imam complex, Chorsu Bazaar and a metro ride
- Plov lunch in Tashkent
- Afrosiyob high-speed train from Tashkent to Samarkand, reserved seats
- The Registan at dusk
Free time: Evening free in Samarkand
Activity: Train times change by season; we confirm them with your final itinerary. Bags go on racks in the carriage, so pack a case you can lift.
The Registan, Gur-e-Amir and Bibi-Khanym
Samarkand's centre on foot
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Samarkand
- Drive about 30 min
Morning
We go to the Registan at opening, when the square is quiet and the morning light falls on the Sher-Dor madrasa, with its tiger-and-sun mosaics. Inside the three 15th- to 17th-century madrasas your guide explains how the square was built and restored, and there is time in the gilded prayer hall of the Tilla-Kori. Then Gur-e-Amir, the ribbed blue dome over the tomb of Amir Timur, Tamerlane, and his descendants, including his grandson Ulugbek.
Afternoon
After a sit-down lunch we walk to Bibi-Khanym, the vast Friday mosque Timur built after his Indian campaign, and the Siyob Bazaar behind it, where you can try fresh non bread, halva and dried apricots.
Evening
The afternoon is free from about 3 pm, when the heat is strongest; many guests return to the Registan in the evening.
Included
- Samarkand walking tour with your guide: the Registan and its three madrasas at opening, Gur-e-Amir, Bibi-Khanym Mosque and Siyob Bazaar
- Sit-down lunch in Samarkand
Free time: Afternoon and evening free
Activity: About 5 km on foot over the day, much of it on paved squares and steps.
Shah-i-Zinda, Ulugbek's Observatory and the Russian new town
Shah-i-Zinda, the Afrosiab hill and Ulugbek's Observatory, then the new town
- Breakfast and dinner
- Stay in Samarkand
- Drive about 30 min
Shah-i-Zinda is best at opening, before tour groups and pilgrims fill the lane, so we are there first thing. A stairway leads up into a narrow street of mausoleums from the 14th and 15th centuries, faced with glazed and carved tilework in blues and turquoise. From there it is a short drive to the Afrosiab hill, the site of pre-Mongol Samarkand, and its museum, which keeps a 7th-century Sogdian wall painting of an embassy to the king. Ulugbek's Observatory is nearby: the curved trench of the 15th-century sextant is all that survives of the instrument he used to map the stars.
Afternoon
Lunch is free. In the late afternoon we walk the tree-lined boulevards of the Russian-era new town and look inside St Alexis Cathedral, built for the Russian garrison in 1911.
Evening
Tonight a local family welcomes us to their home for dinner.
Included
- Shah-i-Zinda at opening with your guide
- Afrosiab Museum
- Ulugbek's Observatory
- Walk through the Russian-era new town and St Alexis Cathedral
- Dinner with a local family
Easier option: Skip the late-afternoon walk and rest at the hotel before dinner.
Free time: Middle of the day free
Activity: The Shah-i-Zinda stairway has about 40 steps. Dress modestly at Shah-i-Zinda and the cathedral: covered shoulders and knees, and a scarf for women in the cathedral.
Fast train to Bukhara and an evening at Lyabi-Hauz
Samarkand to Bukhara on the Afrosiyob high-speed train, then the old centre on foot
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Bukhara
- Drive about 30 min
Morning
A free morning in Samarkand, then the Afrosiyob train west to Bukhara, about an hour and a half, with reserved seats.
Afternoon
Lunch is a sit-down meal near the station or in the old town, depending on the train time. Bukhara's historic centre is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and more of it survives at street level than in Samarkand: lanes of mud-brick houses, small mosques and the domed bazaars that once sold jewellery, hats and money. We check in near the centre and set out on foot in the late afternoon, when the heat eases. Lyabi-Hauz is a 17th-century pool shaded by old mulberry trees and flanked by madrasas; from there we walk through the trading domes to the Magoki-Attari Mosque, partly sunk below today's street level, and the Ulugbek and Abdulaziz Khan madrasas facing each other across a lane.
Evening
The evening is free.
Included
- Afrosiyob high-speed train from Samarkand to Bukhara, reserved seats
- Sit-down lunch
- Bukhara walk with your guide: Lyabi-Hauz, the trading domes, Magoki-Attari, the Ulugbek and Abdulaziz Khan madrasas
Free time: Morning in Samarkand and the evening in Bukhara free
Bukhara from the Samanids to the emirs
Bukhara's old town and the Ark on foot
- Breakfast and dinner
- Stay in Bukhara
Morning
We start early at the Ismail Samani Mausoleum, a small 10th-century tomb whose patterned brick changes with the low morning light, and the nearby Chashma-Ayub. Then the Bolo-Hauz Mosque, with its porch of tall carved wooden columns reflected in the pool, and the Ark, the walled citadel of the emirs of Bukhara until 1920. Mid-morning we reach the Po-i-Kalyan ensemble: the 12th-century Kalyan Minaret, the Kalyan Mosque and the Mir-i-Arab madrasa, which still teaches.
Afternoon
Before the free afternoon we visit a gold-embroidery workshop, where artisans work gold thread into velvet as Bukhara's court tailors did. In the late afternoon your guide walks those who want to the four small towers of Chor Minor.
Evening
We end the trip with a farewell dinner together in the old town.
Included
- Bukhara walking tour with your guide: the Ismail Samani Mausoleum, Chashma-Ayub, Bolo-Hauz, the Ark and the Po-i-Kalyan ensemble
- Gold-embroidery workshop
- Chor Minor
- Farewell dinner
Optional experiences
- A folklore and fashion show in the Nadir Divan-Begi madrasa in the evening, priced at booking
Free time: Afternoon free
Activity: About 6 km on foot, on paving and uneven lanes. Lunch is on your own: try a chaikhana by Lyabi-Hauz.
Fast train to Tashkent and home
Bukhara to Tashkent on the Afrosiyob high-speed train, then Tashkent International Airport
- Breakfast
- Drive about 1 h
Morning
After breakfast we take the morning Afrosiyob train from Bukhara back to Tashkent, a little under four hours, with reserved seats.
Afternoon
A driver meets the group at the station and takes you to Tashkent International Airport (TAS), about 20 minutes away, arriving in the early afternoon.
Evening
Most international flights from Tashkent leave in the evening or at night, and the arrangements are timed to your flight. If you would rather fly home from Bukhara's own international airport, or stay on in Tashkent for another night, tell us when you book and we arrange the transfer and room. If you want more of Uzbekistan, our Silk Road trip adds Khiva, the walled city on the far side of the Kyzylkum desert, and the Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan trip spends longer in the mountains.
Included
- Afrosiyob high-speed train from Bukhara to Tashkent, reserved seats
- Drop-off at Tashkent International Airport (TAS)
Activity: Book a flight leaving after about 5 pm from Tashkent. For an earlier flight, we arrange a transfer to Bukhara airport (BHK) or a flight to Tashkent instead.
- Almaty2 nights
- Bishkek2 nights
- Cholpon-Ata2 nights
- Osh1 night
- Fergana1 night
- Tashkent1 night
- Samarkand3 nights
- Bukhara2 nights
- Tashkentend
- Overnight stop
- Day trip
- By boat or train
Wildlife and weather: May to June and September to October bring warm days in the cities and cool evenings by Issyk-Kul, which sits at about 1,600 m. July and August often pass 40 C in Samarkand and Bukhara and 30 C at Charyn, so we do not run then; winter closes the mountain roads and cools the lake.
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Before you book
Right for you?
Good for you if you want
- Travellers who want the Silk Road cities and the mountains in one trip
- A first visit to Central Asia, with the borders, flight and trains handled
- Time in Samarkand and Bukhara, not a day each
- Solo travellers who want a small group and a fair single price
Not for you if you want
- Step-free access: canyon paths, stone steps and uneven old-town lanes
- Travellers who want luxury hotels in every town; Osh and Fergana have fewer choices
- Trekking, yurt camps or high-altitude nights; this trip sleeps in hotels
- Travellers who do not want any day with five or more hours in a vehicle
Book flights after we confirm your seat.
14 nights
Where you'll stay
Your hotels are named in your trip confirmation.
- Almaty2 nights
- Bishkek2 nights
- Cholpon-Ata2 nights
- Osh1 night
- Fergana1 night
- Tashkent1 night
- Samarkand3 nights
- Bukhara2 nights
One price
What's in the price
Included
Accommodation
- 14 nights in central hotels of a 3-star-plus standard: 2 in Almaty, 2 in Bishkek, 2 in Cholpon-Ata on Issyk-Kul, 1 in Osh, 1 in Fergana, 1 in Tashkent, 3 in Samarkand near the Registan and 2 in Bukhara near Lyabi-Hauz
- Rooms shared, or your own for a supplement
- Hotels named when we confirm your dates
Transport
- Pick-up at Almaty International Airport (ALA) and drop-off at Tashkent International Airport (TAS)
- Our own air-conditioned vehicle and driver in Kazakhstan, in Kyrgyzstan and in Uzbekistan, including station and airport transfers
- Flight from Bishkek (FRU) to Osh (OSS)
- Reserved seats on the Afrosiyob high-speed train from Tashkent to Samarkand, Samarkand to Bukhara and Bukhara to Tashkent
- The Korday and Dostuk border crossings with your guide
Your guide
- A See Sight Tours guide with the group, with licensed local guides where required, including at Burana Tower
- Your guide meets you on day 1 and travels with you on the flight and the trains
Activities
- Almaty: Panfilov Park, the Ascension Cathedral and the Green Bazaar
- Charyn Canyon: the Valley of Castles walk to the river, with the park fee
- Bishkek: Ala-Too Square, the Manas monument, the State History Museum, Oak Park and Osh Bazaar
- Chuy valley: Burana Tower, the balbals and the site museum
- Issyk-Kul: the Cholpon-Ata petroglyphs and the Grigorievka gorge walk
- Osh: Sulayman-Too and the Jayma Bazaar
- Fergana Valley: a silk workshop in Margilan, a ceramics workshop in Rishtan and the Khudayar Khan Palace in Kokand
- Tashkent: the Khast Imam complex, Chorsu Bazaar and a metro ride
- Samarkand: the Registan and its three madrasas, Gur-e-Amir, Bibi-Khanym, Siyob Bazaar, Shah-i-Zinda, the Afrosiab Museum, Ulugbek's Observatory and St Alexis Cathedral
- Bukhara: Lyabi-Hauz, the trading domes, Magoki-Attari, the Ulugbek and Abdulaziz Khan madrasas, the Ismail Samani Mausoleum, Chashma-Ayub, Bolo-Hauz, the Ark, the Po-i-Kalyan, Chor Minor and a gold-embroidery workshop
- All entrance fees for included sights
Meals
- 14 breakfasts
- 10 lunches, all sit-down, including a family-cooked lunch in the Grigorievka gorge and plov in Tashkent
- 6 dinners: a welcome dinner in Almaty, two dinners on Issyk-Kul, dinner in Fergana, dinner with a family in Samarkand and a farewell dinner in Bukhara
Not included
- International flights to Almaty and from Tashkent
- Visa fees, if your passport needs a visa
- Travel insurance
- Meals not listed above
- Drinks
- Tips for your guide, drivers and hosts
- Optional activities: Ala Archa, a boat trip on Issyk-Kul and the Bukhara folklore show
- Photo fees where a site charges them
- Excess baggage on the domestic flight
- Personal expenses
Extras
- Room of your own
- CAD 1,245 (estimated price)
When you can go
Dates and prices
Pick your start date when you request to book. We check that date and confirm it in your quote.
Prefer to travel without a group or guide? Ask us about arranging hotels, transport and city tours for you to travel independently.
Before you book
Booking terms
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Business addresses
See Sight Tours Trips (USA): 3172 N Rainbow Blvd, Las Vegas, NV 89108, United StatesSee Sight Tours Trips (Canada): 5305 50 Avenue, #1091, Red Deer, AB T4N 4B6, Canada+1-888-961-6584Guest reviews
What guests say
Reviews from guests on our day tours.
Jane
October 06, 2026
5/5
Susan
October 06, 2026
5/5
Tom L
October 05, 2026
5/5
MandL83
October 05, 2026
5/5
Darren O
October 05, 2026
5/5
Good to know
Questions
What does the Three Stans trip price include?
Fourteen nights in central hotels, 14 breakfasts, 10 lunches and 6 dinners, airport transfers at both ends, our own vehicle and driver in each country, the Bishkek to Osh flight, reserved seats on three high-speed trains, your See Sight Tours guide throughout, local guides where sites require them, and the entrance fee for every sight on the day plan, including Charyn Canyon.
How big is the group?
The small-group trip runs with 7 to 12 guests, so everyone fits in one vehicle with window seats, crosses the borders quickly together and sits around one table at lunch. Other Three Stans trips run to 16.
Who leads the trip?
A See Sight Tours guide leads the group, with licensed local guides where sites or local rules require them, such as at Burana Tower. A local vehicle and driver meet us in each country, and we confirm how guiding is arranged across the two borders when we confirm your dates.
How fit do I need to be?
Moderate. You walk 4 to 6 km on most days, on paving, steps and gravel: down into Charyn Canyon and back up, up Sulayman-Too in Osh and around the old towns. Two days run to five or six hours in the vehicle. Every walk has a shorter version or a seat in the van.
How do the border crossings work?
There are two, both by road. Kazakhstan to Kyrgyzstan at Korday on day 3, and Kyrgyzstan to Uzbekistan at Dostuk near Osh on day 8. Your guide crosses with you, you carry your bags through each post, usually one to two hours, and a new vehicle and driver wait on the far side.
Do I need a visa for Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan?
Canadian passport holders can currently visit all three without a visa: up to 30 days in Kazakhstan, 60 in Kyrgyzstan and 30 in Uzbekistan. Rules differ by passport and change, so we check yours when you book. Your passport needs blank pages for six border stamps.
Why is there a flight in the middle of the trip?
The road from Issyk-Kul to Osh crosses two high passes and takes a long day or more. A one-hour flight from Bishkek saves that day for Sulayman-Too and the Fergana Valley. The flight is in the price, and your guide flies with you.
When is the best time to go?
May to June and September to October. Charyn and the mountains are green or golden, and Samarkand and Bukhara are warm rather than baking. July and August often pass 40 C in Uzbekistan. Issyk-Kul is fresh for swimming in both seasons.
I am travelling solo. What does a single room cost?
A room of your own costs CAD 1,245 more, about 20 percent of the price, shown up front. If you would rather share, ask us about sharing a twin room with another solo guest on your departure; we tell you before you book whether that is possible.
How does booking work?
Choose a start date and send a request to book. We check availability and provide the final quote, itinerary and booking terms before you accept. No payment is taken when you send the request. Prices are per person sharing a room, with taxes, from CAD 6,220 for the small group.
Can we travel privately or on our own dates?
Yes. The trip also runs as a private trip for your party only, on a date you choose, from CAD 11,195 per person. If you would rather travel independently on your own dates, ask us from the dates section for a quote: we can book the same hotels, trains, flight and local guides.
Is Central Asia safe to travel in?
Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan are generally calm for visitors, and the cities on this route see many travellers. We check official travel advice before each departure, avoid border areas that are closed to foreigners and change the route if a crossing is not working.
See Sight Tours has been providing travel services across North America since 2006. Operating in 20 cities across Canada and the USA, the company specializes in small group tours that offer personalized, high-quality experiences for travelers.
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