Bishkek To Ashgabat (31 Days) Silk Road Highlights
Bishkek To Ashgabat (31 Days) Silk Road Highlights
Bishkek To Ashgabat (31 Days) Silk Road Highlights
31 Days Starting in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan and ending in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan
Visiting: Osh, Khujand, Fann Mountains, Dushanbe, Kunye Urgench, Darvaza Gas Crater, Ashgabat
Tour operator:
Tour code:
486
Specialist Group:
Singles Solo
Guide Type:
Fully Guided
Group size:
1 - 10
Age range:
18-80
Special diets catered:
Please advise requests
Tour operated in:
EnglishTrip Styles:
Interests:
Activities:
Tour Overview
Embark on a 20-day adventure from Bishkek to Ashgabat, traversing the historic Silk Road through Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan. Experience the breathtaking mountain scenery and alpine lakes of Kyrgyzstan, explore the ancient bazaar in Osh, and journey through the silk-producing Fergana Valley. Marvel at the scenic Fann Mountains and the high peaks and lakes of Tajikistan. Immerse yourself in the vibrant bazaars and majestic fortresses of Dushanbe, and discover the ancient medressas, mausoleums, and mosques in Khiva, Bukhara, and Samarkand. Witness the surreal sight of ships marooned in the desert at the Aral Sea and visit the awe-inspiring Darvaza Gas Crater. This adventure tour offers a mix of camping and simple accommodations, providing a unique and unforgettable experience.
Highlights
Itinerary
Day 1 : Bishkek To Osh
Location: Osh
We leave Bishkek and drive through stunning mountain views and past the turquoise waters of Toktogul Reservoir, before arriving in Osh. Osh, the second biggest and the country’s oldest, city. Make sure you visit the bazaar, which has occupied the same spot for over 2000 years and used to be a major stop along the ancient Silk Road.
Day 2 : Osh To Fergana Valley
We enter Uzbekistan and arrive in the Fergana Valley, known for its silk production and the area that gave the name to one of the greatest routes in history.
Day 3 : Fergana Valley To Khujand
Location: Khujand
Continuing west we arrive at Khujand – although today the city is not one of the most picturesque, it has had an important role in the history of the Silk Road and was one of the furthest points reached by Alexander the Great. It is said in this area that he wept, saying he had no further territory to conquer. We have time to visit the Fortress and Panjshanbe Market (one of the largest covered markets in Central Asia).
Day 4 : Khujand To Fann Mountains
Location: Fann Mountains
We drive south into the Fann Mountains, one of Tajikistan’s great ranges (the other being the Pamirs). Peaks of over 5000 meters slip by as we head to Iskanderkul Lake at 2200 meters. It is said to be the resting place of Alexander the Greats horse, Bucephalus. The glacial lake is a stunning spot for a hike and we aim to visit Tajikistan’s highest waterfall (40 meters).
Day 5 : Fann Mountains
Location: Fann Mountains
We continue exploring the Fann Mountains, enjoying the stunning scenery and possibly more hikes around the area.
Day 6 : Fann Mountains To Dushanbe
Location: Dushanbe
We continue south to Dushanbe - Tajikistan’s largest city, and aptly its name means “Money” in the Tajik language. It is a big showy entry to the country, in stark contrast to the East. You’ll pass a lovely day strolling through parks, admiring the fountains and the wide boulevards punctuated with grand buildings. Visit “Flag Pole Park” or the bazaar, or make the most of being in a city with restaurants specialising in various cuisines!
Day 7 : Fann Mountains To Dushanbe
Location: Dushanbe
We continue south to Dushanbe - Tajikistan’s largest city, and aptly its name means “Money” in the Tajik language. It is a big showy entry to the country, in stark contrast to the East. You’ll pass a lovely day strolling through parks, admiring the fountains and the wide boulevards punctuated with grand buildings. Visit “Flag Pole Park” or the bazaar, or make the most of being in a city with restaurants specialising in various cuisines!
Day 8 : Dushanbe To Bukhara
Location: Dushanbe
From Dushanbe, we drive westwards and we re-enter Uzbekistan. In Uzbekistan, we will find well-preserved relics from the time when Asia was a centre of empire, learning, and trade along the famous silk route. Some of its cities have abundant old architecture, mosques and minarets cloaked with the mystery of the orient dating back thousands of years.
Day 9 : Dushanbe To Bukhara
Samarkand, the second-largest city in the country. The history of Samarkand is about 2,500 years old and it's as old as Babylon or Rome. Here we have a couple of days to explore the splendid architecture such as the 15th-century Bibi-Khanum Mosque which when it was built was considered to have the largest dome in the Muslim world. Today it stands next to a noisy and colourful Oriental market. No trip here is complete without a wander around the three edifices of the Registan, once Medieval Samarkand's commercial plaza and today quite possibly the most awesome sight in Central Asia.
Day 10 : Dushanbe To Bukhara
The Kyzylkum Desert is about 300,000 sq km and lies between the Syr Darya and the Amu Darya rivers. This is a vast arid plain with several isolated bare mountains rising to 900 metres and we journey across it on our way to Bukhara. Time and schedules permitting, we will make the trip from Bukhara to Samarkand by train, allowing us to travel with the locals as we pass through the arid landscape.
Day 12 : Bukhara To Aral Sea
Accommodation Name: Bush camp
Continuing north, we bush camp out in the desert before reaching Khiva, another town with much historical influence, that was also on the great silk route. This, our last city stop, is one of the most noteworthy of the cities and towns of Central Asia. It is a unique monument town, completely preserved in the cultural style of the region, and is a World Heritage Site for its historical significance. It has more minarets than any other place in Asia, and the Juma Mosque, which has an amazing 218 ornate carved wooden columns, is another of the main attractions. We will spend a couple of nights here to explore the ancient madrassas, medinas, mausoleums and museums and soak up the unique atmosphere.
Road conditions permitting, we will then drive to the edge of where the Aral Sea used to lie. In the 1960s the Soviet Union began an intense irrigation project to boost cotton growth in the region using the then vast sea as its source. The project led to the sea shrinking to just 10% of its original size and today as we reach where its edge formerly was, we can see ships sitting incongruously in the middle of what is now a huge desert where we camp for the night.
Day 13 : Bukhara To Aral Sea
Accommodation Name: Bush camp
Continuing north, we bush camp out in the desert before reaching Khiva, another town with much historical influence, that was also on the great silk route. This, our last city stop, is one of the most noteworthy of the cities and towns of Central Asia. It is a unique monument town, completely preserved in the cultural style of the region, and is a World Heritage Site for its historical significance. It has more minarets than any other place in Asia, and the Juma Mosque, which has an amazing 218 ornate carved wooden columns, is another of the main attractions. We will spend a couple of nights here to explore the ancient madrassas, medinas, mausoleums and museums and soak up the unique atmosphere.
Road conditions permitting, we will then drive to the edge of where the Aral Sea used to lie. In the 1960s the Soviet Union began an intense irrigation project to boost cotton growth in the region using the then vast sea as its source. The project led to the sea shrinking to just 10% of its original size and today as we reach where its edge formerly was, we can see ships sitting incongruously in the middle of what is now a huge desert where we camp for the night.
Day 14 : Bukhara To Aral Sea
Accommodation Name: Bush camp
Continuing north, we bush camp out in the desert before reaching Khiva, another town with much historical influence, that was also on the great silk route. This, our last city stop, is one of the most noteworthy of the cities and towns of Central Asia. It is a unique monument town, completely preserved in the cultural style of the region, and is a World Heritage Site for its historical significance. It has more minarets than any other place in Asia, and the Juma Mosque, which has an amazing 218 ornate carved wooden columns, is another of the main attractions. We will spend a couple of nights here to explore the ancient madrassas, medinas, mausoleums and museums and soak up the unique atmosphere.
Road conditions permitting, we will then drive to the edge of where the Aral Sea used to lie. In the 1960s the Soviet Union began an intense irrigation project to boost cotton growth in the region using the then vast sea as its source. The project led to the sea shrinking to just 10% of its original size and today as we reach where its edge formerly was, we can see ships sitting incongruously in the middle of what is now a huge desert where we camp for the night.
Day 15 : Bukhara To Aral Sea
Accommodation Name: Bush camp
Continuing north, we bush camp out in the desert before reaching Khiva, another town with much historical influence, that was also on the great silk route. This, our last city stop, is one of the most noteworthy of the cities and towns of Central Asia. It is a unique monument town, completely preserved in the cultural style of the region, and is a World Heritage Site for its historical significance. It has more minarets than any other place in Asia, and the Juma Mosque, which has an amazing 218 ornate carved wooden columns, is another of the main attractions. We will spend a couple of nights here to explore the ancient madrassas, medinas, mausoleums and museums and soak up the unique atmosphere.
Road conditions permitting, we will then drive to the edge of where the Aral Sea used to lie. In the 1960s the Soviet Union began an intense irrigation project to boost cotton growth in the region using the then vast sea as its source. The project led to the sea shrinking to just 10% of its original size and today as we reach where its edge formerly was, we can see ships sitting incongruously in the middle of what is now a huge desert where we camp for the night.
Day 16 : Aral Sea To Ashgabat
Location: Kunye Urgench
Accommodation Name: Bush camp and hotel
We cross the border into Turkmenistan, one of the world’s most secretive and mysterious countries largely cut off from the outside world. Most of Turkmenistan is covered by the vast Kara-Kum (Black Sand) desert and conditions can be challenging with hot weather and some poor roads to travel along, but it is all worth it with some memorable stops along the way and also the opportunity to travel through this rarely-visited country.
Our first stop is Kunye Urgench, a UNESCO World Heritage site and ancient stop on the Silk Road; now largely abandoned we can bush camp near the site. It is said that the 60-metre high Kutlug-Timur minaret so impressed Genghis Khan that he specifically ordered for it not to be destroyed when his Mongol hordes invaded the area in the thirteenth century, so we can see it for ourselves today!
Day 17 : Aral Sea To Ashgabat
Location: Darvaza Gas Crater
Accommodation Name: Bush camp and hotel
Continuing south through the desert our next stop is one of Central Asia’s most curious and impressive sights, the Darvaza Gas Crater. Also known as the ‘Door to Hell’ or ‘Gates of Hell’, this remarkable sight is the result of a Soviet-era gas exploration accident, when the ground beneath a drilling rig gave way and to prevent poisonous gas leaking out it was decided to burn it off. Originally engineers believed it would all be burned in a few days, but that was in 1971 and the field is still burning to this day. The result is a sight quite like no other as we can peer down into the crater and see the fire, and feel the intense heat coming from the flames. Road conditions permitting we will get to the crater in the truck and bush camp nearby in the remote desert.
Day 18 : Aral Sea To Ashgabat
Location: Ashgabat
Accommodation Name: Hotel
Leaving Darvaza we then have around a half-day drive to reach Turkmenistan’s unique and bizarre capital city Ashgabat where we check into a hotel to wash off the sand from the desert and enjoy a well-earned bed for the night.
Day 19 : Ashgabat
Location: Ashgabat
Accommodation Name: Hotel
We have some free time and enjoy a city tour of Ashgabat. Turkmenistan’s capital, founded in the 1880s by the Russian Tsarist government, sits between the foothills of the Koptedag mountains to the south, and the vast Karakum Desert to the north. The city was almost destroyed following an earthquake in 1948 and rebuilt in the Soviet-style. Following independence in 1991, the city has been transformed into a futuristic, and in many ways bizarre collection of unique structures and wide streets lined with marble. For many travellers, Ashgabat is one of the most mystifying and unusual cities they will ever experience.
On the city tour, we visit Independence Park, the Ertogrul Gazi Mosque, the Arch of Neutrality, the Turkmenbashi Mosque Mausoleum and many other sites throughout the city. There are plenty of fantastic photo opportunities, and we will have the chance to explore some of the markets and meet the locals.
Day 20 : Ashgabat
Location: Ashgabat
Accommodation Name: Hotel
The trip ends after breakfast. Additional nights in Ashgabat must be booked in advance, through your Oasis Overland account, and we recommend leaving no later than the day after your trip ends. Departure airport transfers are included in the trip price, and you will be taken straight from the hotel to Ashgabat’s futuristic, falcon-shaped airport to catch your flight.
What's Included
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Accommodation
Accommodation is split throughout this trip between simple hotels and hostels and camping. Approximately 40% camping and 60% simple hostels/hotels.
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Arrival Airport Transfer
Arrival airport transfer in Ashgabat is included.
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Turkmenistan Letter of Invitation
Turkmenistan Letter of Invitation support and fees are included.
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City Tour
Ashgabat city tour is included.
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Darvaza Gas Crater
Visit to the Darvaza Gas Crater is included.
What's Not Included
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Personal Gear
You need to bring your own sleeping bag, a roll mat, and your own personal gear.
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Freestanding Mosquito Net
It is recommended to bring your own freestanding mosquito net for sleeping under the stars.
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Toilet Facilities at Bush Camps
At bush camps, there will be no showers or en-suite facilities, so digging your own toilet pit with the shovels supplied is essential.
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Departure Airport Transfer
Departure airport transfers are included in the trip price, but additional nights in Ashgabat must be booked in advance.
More Info
Follow one of the world's most well renowned highways; the Silk Road. This expedition will take you through some of the oldest cities in the world, discover the ancient trading routes through the 'Stan's' including a stop in the oldest bazaar in Central Asia - Osh, and the futuristic capital, Ashgabat, which holds the Guinness world record for the most-white marble on Earth. We will also stop off in splendored Old Registan in Uzbekistan and back to nature in Tajikistan where you can hike in the Fann Mountains and visit the tallest waterfall in the country.
Mode of Transport
The Oasis expedition truck will be your new home giving you a comfortable & secure base with which to experience your trip. We use a purpose built truck which has been converted especially for this expedition, which passes through all types of terrains from soft sand, mud, rock and potholed roads to tarseal. It is reassuring to know that these vehicles can handle the tough conditions that they are put through. The truck is equipped with all of the equipment we may need en-route, including a professionally compiled expedition Medical Kit, large water & fuel carrying capacities, an extensive range of spare parts as well as the kitchen sink, (well almost!) so all you need is your sleeping bag, a roll mat and your own personal gear!
Seatbelts
All Oasis Overland trucks are fitted with seatbelts. For your own safety and security we recommend that travellers wear these at all times whilst the vehicle is moving. Most of our overland trucks also have a ‘beach area’ which is a chill out zone to be used when the truck is not moving.
Accommodation
Accommodation is split throughout this trip between simple hotels and hostels and camping. The variety of accommodation provided is great and often a totally unique experience, including bush camps with no facilities, yurts and simple village pensions. Some are well managed and some very basic. Oasis uses roomy three-person tents but only for two people. They are specially made for us to meet the tougher conditions of an expedition trip and have mosquito netting sewn into the door and windows. It would also be a good idea to bring your own freestanding mosquito net so as to give you the freedom of sleeping under the stars at night. At bush camps you will be living off the truck, so there will be no showers or en-suite facilities, so digging your own toilet pit with the shovels supplied is essential!
Check out our Q&As
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What type of vehicle will we be traveling in during the tour?
You will be traveling in an Oasis expedition truck, which is a purpose-built vehicle designed to handle various terrains such as soft sand, mud, rock, and potholed roads. The truck is equipped with essential equipment, including a professionally compiled expedition medical kit, large water and fuel carrying capacities, and an extensive range of spare parts.
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What kind of accommodation can I expect on this tour?
Accommodation is split between simple hotels and hostels and camping. Approximately 40% of the time will be spent camping and 60% in simple hostels or hotels. The camping experience includes bush camps with no facilities, yurts, and simple village pensions. Oasis uses roomy three-person tents for two people, which are specially made to meet the tougher conditions of an expedition trip.
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Are there any special recommendations for personal gear?
Yes, you need to bring your own sleeping bag, a roll mat, and a freestanding mosquito net for sleeping under the stars. Personal gear is also essential.
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What are the toilet facilities like at bush camps?
At bush camps, there will be no showers or en-suite facilities. You will need to dig your own toilet pit with the shovels supplied.
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Is there an airport transfer included in the tour?
Yes, an arrival airport transfer in Ashgabat is included. Departure airport transfers are also included, but additional nights in Ashgabat must be booked in advance.
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What are some of the key highlights of the tour?
Some key highlights include enjoying the stunning mountain scenery and alpine lakes throughout Kyrgyzstan, visiting the oldest bazaar in Central Asia in Osh, traveling through the Fergana Valley, driving over the scenic Fann Mountains, exploring ancient medressas, mausoleums, and mosques in Khiva, Bukhara, and Samarkand, and seeing ships marooned in the desert at the Aral Sea.
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What can I expect during the visit to the Darvaza Gas Crater?
The Darvaza Gas Crater, also known as the 'Door to Hell,' is a remarkable sight resulting from a Soviet-era gas exploration accident. The ground beneath a drilling rig gave way, and to prevent poisonous gas from leaking out, it was decided to burn it off. The field has been burning since 1971, and you can peer down into the crater to see the fire and feel the intense heat from the flames. Road conditions permitting, you will get to the crater in the truck and bush camp nearby in the remote desert.
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What activities are included in the city tour of Ashgabat?
The city tour of Ashgabat includes visits to Independence Park, the Ertogrul Gazi Mosque, the Arch of Neutrality, the Turkmenbashi Mosque Mausoleum, and many other sites throughout the city. There will be plenty of fantastic photo opportunities, and you will have the chance to explore some of the markets and meet the locals.
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Do you operate a “single share” option and how does it work?
Yes, if you are travelling solo. On our Overland Adventures and Ultimate Expeditions, we will pair you up with a tent buddy of the same sex when we camp and the same goes for twin & shared rooms in hostels, so there is no need to go it alone! If you specifically would like to request your own single room whilst on the trip, this may be requested subject to availability and additional fee.
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How many people do you take on your Trips?
On most of our Overland Adventures and Ultimate Expeditions our vehicles can carry a maximum of 24 travellers, the average however is around 16-20 on any one trip. Our Small Group Adventures have a maximum of 18 people per Tour Leader, although again the average is around 10-14 people.
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Low Deposit
Oasis Overland requires a minimum deposit of 200 GBP per person or the full booking value, whichever is less, with the final balance not due until 70 days before departure.
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Cancellation Policy
We don't charge a cancellation fee, here is a summary of oasis overland charges.
Up to 70 days before tour starts: Forfeit 100% of deposit.
At 69 days before tour starts: Forfeit 33% of booking price.
At 45 days before tour starts: Forfeit 70% of booking price.
At 27 days before tour starts: Forfeit 100% of booking price.