Great Silk way on the countries of the Central Asia.

“Books are the plane, and the train, and the road. They are the destination, and the journey. They are home” 

Anna Quindlen,

The short description of the tour route from Taraz to Tashkent:

Almaty – Charyn canyon - Karakol – Check Point “Kegen” – Karakol - Issyk-Kul Lake - Grigoryevskoe gorge - Djety-Oguz gorge – Balykchi town – Boom gorge – Burana tower - Bishkek – Check-Point "Novovoskresenovka\Chaldavar” - Taraz – Shymkent - village Shaulder – ruins Otrar – Turkestan - Shymkent – Check Point “Zhibek Zholy\Gysht Kuprik” - Tashkent.

Distance route: 1946 km.
Season: May - September.
The best time for an tour: May, June, September.
Duration: 9 days. 8 nights.

The program day by day from Kyrgyzstan to Uzbekistan:

Photo Tours in Kyrgyzstan.

1 Day. Almaty.
Arrival in Almaty. Meeting in airport, transfer to the hotel, accommodation. Rest. Breakfast. City sightseeing: visit to the 28 Panfilov’s guardsmen park, Cathedral, Museum of national musical instruments, National museum, Medeo gorge, Republic square. Overnight at the hotel.
2 Day. Almaty - canyon Charyn - Kegen village - Check Point «Kegen» - Pass San-Tash - Tyup village - Karakol town (410 km).
Breakfast. Transfer: Almaty - canyon Charyn (200 km). Our way lays through villages which are length ways Kuldjinskiy a path. In a way at will it is possible to make short excursion in a small museum berkutchi in village Nura, here it is possible to see golden eagles and hunting dogs - tazy. Further the way lays through 11 kilometer gorge Kokpek and soon road leaves in Sygaty a valley, from here up to canyon Charyn of 11 kilometers on a country road. Walk in canyon Charyn and its vicinities. Picnic on Charyn. The further transfer through village Kegen up to a Check Point «Kegen» (the Kazakh-Kirghiz border) (101 km). Passage of frontier terminal-customs formalities on the Kazakh-Kirghiz border. Thansfer: a check point «Kegen» - pass the San-Tash - Stones Tamerlana (20 km). Walk on a hill from stones - Stones Tamerlan.
Transfer: Stones Tamerlan - village Tyup - Karakol town (90 km). We have arrived in Issyk-Kul valley and to the town of Karakol, center Issyk-Kul of area of Kyrgyzstan. Transfer to hotel “Amir”, accommodation, dinner, overnight.
3 Day. A trip to gorge Dzhety-Oguz (39 km). Excursion across Karakol.
Breakfast. Transfer: Karakol - Dzhety-Oguz village - resort Dzhety-Oguz – valley Kok-Zhaiyk (39 km). Walks and excursions by the nature in gorge Dzhety-Oguz. Beautiful gorge with red rocks «Seven bulls» and «The Broken heart». Lunch in yurt. Walk on gorge up to «The Valley flowers». Returning to Karakol. Excursion across Karakol: wooden Dungan mosques, Christian orthodox church, local market. Dinner in local cafe. Overnight in hotel.
4 Day. Karakol - lake Issyk Kul - gorge Grigorevskoe – village Bulan-Sogotu (135 km). Walk on boat on lake Issyk Kul.
Breakfast. After a breakfast on a way we continue excursion and visit museum Przhevalskii. The museum is in 12 kilometers on the north from Karakol, here we shall examine a tomb, a monument and museum to the great traveller of XIX century Nikolay Przhevalskii. After visiting museum we move on northwest along northern coast of lake Issyk Kul. Following our excursion in gorge Grigorevskoe (115 km). In village Grigorevka we turn aside gorges Grigorevskogo. On the big glade at the river Chong-Aksu, we shall visit yurts shepherds, we take walk in vicinities of gorge. Transfer: gorge Grigoryevskoe - village Bulan-Sogotu (25 km), arrival in village Bulan-Sogotu, transfer to hotel "Issyk Kul" (Aurora), accommodation. Lunch at restaurant of hotel. After lunch trip in local yachts-clubs in the town of Cholpon-Ata (22 km) for walk on boat on lake Issyk Kul, walk on lake. Returning in hotel "Issyk Kul" (Aurora). Dinner, overnight in hotel.
5 Day. Bulan-Sogotu - Bishkek (317 km). Excursion on petroglyphs in Cholpon-Ata, and architectural complex Tower Burana.
Breakfast. Transfer: village Bulan-Sogotu - Chpolpon-Ata - petroglyphs (23 km). Excursion on petroglyphs under the town of Cholpon-Ata. Transfer: Cholpon-Ata - village Balykchi - village Tokmok - architectural complex Tower Burana (X - XII c.c.) (222 km), excursion on ruins of ancient city of an empire karakhanids. Transfer to Bishkek (72 km), arrival in Bishkek, transfer to hotel “Climber”, accommodation to hotel, dinner, overnight.
6 Day. Excursion across Bishkek. Walk in national park Ala-Archa (38 km).
Breakfast. After breakfast transfer to Ala-Archa nature park (38 km). Walk in vicinities of gorge. Returning in city. Lunch in local restaurant. Excursion on city, visiting: Russian orthodox church (1945), State historical museum, Osh market, the area of the Victory, museum of Frunze. Dinner, overnight in hotel.
7 Day. Bishkek - Taraz town (298 km). Site of ancient settlement Akyrtas.
Breakfast. Transfer: Bishkek - Check Point «Novovoskresenovka/Chaldavar» (92 km). Passage of formalities of boundary and customs service Kazahsan and Kyrgyzstan. Transfer: Check Point«Novovoskresenovka/Chaldavar» - Merke village - site of ancient settlement Akyrtasс (248 km). Excursion in museum Akrtas, visiting of site of ancient settlement. In ancient written sources specify, that already in the beginning of XIII century Akyrtas was a legend. Lunch on the way. Transfer: Akyrtas - Taraz town (50 km), arrival in Taraz, transfer to hotel, accommodation. Excursion on city - visiting of mausoleum Karakhana - Shamsura (XI century), mausoleum Daut-Beka (XIII century), visiting of a history-study museum (in museum more than 30 000 exhibits, in territory of museum are a unique collection in Kazakhstan stone sculptures (XV - X c.c.), a city market. Dinner, overnight in hotel.
8 Day. Taraz - Sairam - Shymkent - Turkestan (424 km).
Breakfast. Transfer: Taraz - Aisha-Bibi village - mausoleums Aisha-Bibi and Babadji-Khatun (18 km). Excursion on monuments of architecture - mausoleums Aisha-Bibi and Babadji-Khatun (XI - XVII c.c.). The further transfer mausoleum Aisha-Bibi - Aksu village – Sairam village (169 km). Village to Sauran ancient settlement in territory of Southern Kazakhstan. It is located on the river to Sairam-Su in 15 kilometers to the east of city of Shymkent. In the early Middle Ages (IX - XII с.с.) on place Sairam there was a city of Isfidzhab - the center, a part Mavarennakhra. Excursion on monuments of settlement, visiting masars parents of an outstanding poet and religious mysticism Akhmet Khodja Yassavi Karashash ana (XVIII c.), Ibragim ata (XIII - XIX c.c.), Abdel Aziz Baba (XV - XIX c.c.), Khodja Talig (XIII - XIX c.c.), Mirali Aziz Baba (the end XIX - XX c.c.), medieval minaret Khyzr (XIII - XIX c.c.) . Transfer to Shymkent (15 km), arrival in Shymkent, lunch in local restaurant. Transfer: - Temirlan village (48 km), visiting of museum Khadji Mukan, an exposition of museum tells about well-known Kazakh fighter Mukan Munaytpasov become by the first world champion on the French wrestling. Transfer: Temirlan village – Ekpindy village (22 km), survey of the Red bridge in village Ekpindy on the river Bogen, constructed in 1886. Transfer: Ekpindy village – Tortkol village – haulder village (78 km). Arrival in village Shaulder. Lunch in local cafe. Excursion in museum «Otrar» where there are archeologic exhibits from excavation of site of ancient settlement Otrar. The termination of excursion, transfer: Shaulder village – Kogam village - site of ancient settlement Otrar (X - XII c.c.) (14 km), visiting of site of ancient settlement Otrar, archeological excavations - a medieval bath, a mosque, inhabited quarter, a fortification. Transfer: site of ancient settlement Otrar - mausoleum Arstanbab (3 km), visiting of the mausoleum. Transfer to mosque Arstanbab (1 km), visiting of a mosque. Transfer: mosque Arstanbab - Turkestan town (56 km), transfer to hotel, accommodation. Dinner and overnight.
9 Day. Turkestan – Shymkent – Check Point “Zhibek Zholy\Gysht Kuprik” – Tashkent (285 km).
Breakfast. After breakfast excursion to Akhmed Yassawi maussoleum complex: gallery of stone statues, arheological museum, historical (cultural reserve) museum “Azaret-Sultan”, gates (Darvaza) (XVIII - XIX c.c.), Esimkhan mausoleum  (XVI c.), Rabiga Sultan Begim mausoleum (end XV c.), Akhmed Yassawi khanaka-mausoleum (XII - XIV c.c.), “Zhuma” mosque (1878), underground mosque Khilovat (XII - XV c.c.), oriental baths (XVI - XVIII c.c.), Big khilvet (XII c.), Chillyakhana (XIV c.), archeological site of ancient settlement Kultobe (XIV c.), Khilvet Aulie-Kumchik-ata (XII c.).
Lunch in the local cafe. After lunch transfer: Turkestan – Shymkent Check-point “Zhibek Zholy\Gysht Kuprik” (Kazak-Uzbek border) (285 km). After Kazakh border and customs formalities meeting for Uzbek guide on the Uzbekistan border. Border and customs formalities on the Uzbekistan side. Transfer to Tashkent (24 km). Arrival in Tashkent, transfer to hotel, accommodation, dinner, overnight.

Note:
Author program of Alexander Petrov. Copying and introduction -  from the sanction of the author.

Photos by
 Alexander Petrov.