Great Silk Road, 12 Days Tour

Bishkek – Osh – Sary-Tash – Kashgar – Torugart – Tash Rabat –Son Kul – Bishkek (12 Days)

Travel season: July - August

Day 1: Arrival - Bishkek

Arrival at Bishkek “Manas” airport (probably early in the morning). Meet with your local guide and transfer to a hotel in Bishkek. Overnight in hotel.

Day 2: National Park Ala-Archa Visit

We explore the fascinating beauty of the national park Ala-Archa where breathtaking mountain scenery and an abundance of wildlife await us. The park offers great hiking possibilities as well as horse riding and just relaxing. We enjoy an outdoor lunch and admire the pearl of the Kyrgyz mountain range, Crown Peak. Overnight in hotel.

Day 3: Osh

After breakfast catch a flight to Osh. Upon arrival in the city, we take a half-day to discover a town that's 3000 years old! We visit one of Central Asia's best bazaars. The comfortable rooms of the 2-star Sun Rise hotel are our accommodation for the evening.

Day 4: Suleiman Hill Visit

Our visit to Osh would not be complete without a look at the famous Suleiman Hill. After lunch at the national cafe, we drive along Pamir Highway and stop at the Sary-Tash village (180km). Overnight in yurts or homestay.

Day 5: Irkeshtam

We have to get up early in the morning to reach Irkeshtam check-post at the Kyrgyz-Chinese border and go through all formalities. The altitude at the border is about 3200 meters above sea level. Here we meet our Chinese team. The driving takes us about 5 hours to arrive in Kashgar from Irkeshtam. The total distance from Kashgar to the border is 280 kilometers. Overnight in hotel.

Day 6: Kashgar

Today is spent in sightseeing in Kashgar: Id Kah mosque, the Apak Hojia Tomb, etc. We visit a local family and share local tasty lunch with this family. Overnight in hotel.

Day 7: Kashgar

We have the unique opportunity to visit the Sunday Market in Kashgar, one of the highlights of our trek. It's any photographer's dream. As many as 100,000 people come in from surrounding areas to buy and sell animals and goods.

Early in the morning, we can see streams of people in donkey carts coming into the market. There are separate areas for animals, furniture, fabric, clothing, shish kebobs, shaves with a straight razor (including scalp), fruits and vegetables, and much more. In the animal bazaar care needs to be exhibited as horses and donkeys are being "test-driven". Also in the animal bazaar, you can find cattle, sheep, goats, and camels - all in a fairly small, walled-in area. You will be free to roam the bazaar or to go along with a guide who will translate Uighur for you. Overnight in hotel.

Day 8: Torugart Pass

Today we go to the Torugart Pass. The distance from Kashgar to the Torugart Pass is about 180 kilometers. The driving takes about 6 hours. It again takes us some time to go through many Kyrgyz and Chinese customs and immigration offices. After this procedure, we find ourselves in Kyrgyzstan. Then we travel by unpaved road and reach Tash-Rabat caravanserai. We spend the night in the lovely valley nearby this monument. We end this day with a delicious dinner. Overnight in yurts.

Day 9: Song-Kul Lake

Today we step into the nomadic life at Song-Kul Lake. Here, the Kyrgyz people still live in traditional simplicity. We spend the night in the summer pastures of the mountains. If you like, you can stay in Kyrgyz yurt. We enjoy horseback riding or just hiking, spending time with always friendly Kyrgyz families, and tasting their fresh airan (yogurt) and kymys (a fermented national drink from mare's milk). Overnight in yurts.

Day 10: Bishkek

After free time at the lake, we drive to the capital of Kyrgyzstan, Bishkek. During dinner, we take the unique opportunity to listen to the Manaschi (a singer performing the national Kyrgyz epos, Manas) and see the Kyrgyz folk show. Overnight in hotel.

Day 11: City Tour Bishkek

All-day sightseeing tour in the city. Visit Manas Monument, the main national hero of the Kyrgyz people. Then excursion to the State History Museum and a walking tour around the main Ala Too Square to watch the ceremony of changing of the Guard of Honor, the Independence Monument, and main governmental buildings, and finish at the Old Square with Parliament House and the only survived in Central Asia Lenin’s Monument. Transfer to Victory Square to finish the city tour by short excursion there. Overnight in hotel.

Day 12: Departure

Transfer to the airport Manas for departure.

Price is available for a group of 2 persons

Price Includes the Following Service:

All necessary permits for all passes in China listed in the program

Insurance services especially against any sudden traffic accidents during your trip to China

Visa supporting services for Chinese visa

Twin accommodation in the hotels and homestay mentioned above – standard rooms

Transportation: car (4 seats) for groups of 2 pers., minivan (7 seats) for groups of 4 pers., minibus (15-17 seats) for groups of 5-10 pers.

Air-fare Bishkek – Osh

Meals: Breakfasts, dinners in Sary-Tash, Tash-Rabat, and Son-Kul Lake, lunch boxes on the way to Kashgar from Irkustam Pass and on the way to Tuogart Pass from Kashgar

English-speaking local Guide

Folklore Show in Bishkek

Excursions + entrance fees

Price Does Not Include:

International airfare

Kyrgyz and Chinese visa fees (if required)

Dinner with the local family in Kashgar – EUR 10 per person (have to be booked in advance)

Full board

Early check-in on day 1

Notes:

Citizens of 44 countries (the full list can be requested at ITMC) do not need Kyrgyz tourist visa support or visa.

Yurt Inn in the area of Son-Kul Lake operates from July till late August.

Accommodation in any Yurt Inn is usually 5-6 persons of the same gender in a yurt, however, if the Yurt Inn will not be fully booked by the time of the group arrival, double occupancy may be arranged without an extra fee.

Accommodation in Sary-Tash homestay is on the floor according to Kyrgyz traditions.

Weather in the area of Tash-Rabat, Son-Kul Lake, Torugart, and some other altitude areas of the Kyrgyz Republic is quite cold, therefore it is necessary to have warm jackets.

The program can be changed in regard to duration and service.