ORIENT EXPRESS Silk Road from Tashkent

Tashkent. Once an ancient oasis, now a bustling metropolis. So much to explore. For now, you relax in your first-class hotel. Tomorrow, you’ll board the Orient Silk Road Express.

Overnight: Grand Mir Hotel (or similar)

Under immense blue skies, you tour vibrant Tashkent, the Uzbek capital along the ancient Silk Road. History comes to life through the city’s impressive sepia and turquoise architecture as caravanserai, fortresses, museums and madrasas rise from the desert.

In the cool dusk, you visit a music hall to enjoy a performance (schedule permitting). Later amid the pillars and chandeliers of Tashkent station, you board your private train to continue your discovery of the legendary Silk Road.

Overnight: On board (BLD)

The city of Bukhara, located in the middle of the Kyzylkum Desert, has some one thousand architectural monuments recalling the golden age of the Great Silk Route. Exotic spices, furs, and especially silk were stored and traded in the city’s caravanserais. In Bukhara’s Old Town (UNESCO World Cultural Heritage), you see the almost fifty-metre tall Kalyan Minaret and the Lyab-I Hauz Ensemble by the pond, among other sights. In a madrassa courtyard you watch a performance of local dances, and a presentation of colourful national costumes with musical accompaniment.

Overnight: Hotel Asia Bukhara (or similar). (BLD)

Beneath the impressive design of the Kalyan Minaret, you gaze at the intricate tilework of the magnificent city gates of old Bukhara. This UNESCO World Heritage Site is a virtual city museum of a thousand monuments, every single one a testimony to the glory days of the legendary Silk Road. At Lyab-i Hauz you learn about the 500-year-old technology that keeps a pool from evaporating in the heat of the Kyzylkum Desert. Later in the courtyard of a madrasa, you discover the stories of Sufi poet Nasreddin Hodja, local dances, Uzbek music and dazzling national costumes.

Overnight: Hotel Asia Bukhara (or similar) (BLD)

The morning is yours to spend as you please. Your train leaves for Khiva, Uzbekistan in the afternoon.

Overnight on board (BLD)

After breakfast, your train will have arrived at the southern extent of the Zhetysu (seven rivers) landscape, at the oasis of Khiva. Standing at the mighty town wall with its gates and bastions of mud brick, you feel transported into another world. Life still pulses around the base of the Kalta Minor Minaret, just as it did in former times. Your tour allows you to take in the atmosphere and sights of the oasis. Its palaces, mosques, minarets, mausoleums, and madrassas (Muslim religious schools) represent some of the best-preserved examples of oriental town architecture from medieval times. Your private train leaves for Samarkand in the evening.

Overnight: On board (BLD)

Today is spent visiting the sights of this famous historic city, which during the rule of Timur was considered the world’s most beautiful and prestigious city. The Necropolis of Shah-e Zinde (the living Shah), the excavation sites at Afrosiab (with a museum tour), and Registan Square are certainly among the most notable architectural ensembles in Central Asia. It is also historically important as the site where many Uzbek women burned their veils (paranjas) in 1917, to mark their arrival in a new era.

Overnight: Registan Plaza Hotel (or similar) (BLD)

Your day in this fascinating city includes a tour of a silk carpet manufactory, a visit to an Uzbek craftsman’s family to see paper being made from mullberry bark, stops at the Ulug Beg Observatory and the ruins of the Bibi Khanum Mosque, and viewing the interior of the palace-like Gur Emir Mausoleum.

Overnight: Registan Plaza Hotel (or similar). (BLD)

Today under bright blue skies, you explore the city of Shahrisabz, including its historic center, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Formerly known as Kesh, Shahrisabz is the birthplace of fourteenth-century Mongol conqueror Timur. Many of the monuments you visit here were built as testaments to his power, including Ak-Saray, his summer palace. Later you enjoy a traditional folklore performance in a small village, where you meet some of the locals. That evening you enjoy a tasting of Uzbek wine on board your private train, which departs for Turkestan.

Overnight on board. (BLD)

Border formalities at the Kazakhstan border are completed in the comfort of your compartment and you arrive before noon in the city of Turkestan. You visit the Mausoleum of Khoja Ahmed Yasawi (UNESCO World Heritage Site), one of the most significant examples of Timurid architecture. Afterwards you continue on towards Bishkek aboard your private train.

Overnight on board. (BLD)

On your first day in Kyrgyzstan you find yourself in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan’s capital and largest city. Like Almaty, it is situated at the foot of a mountain range, the Tian Shan. You now begin to realize that Central Asia will never let you down. There is so much to see here, that you already have the feeling that you’ll be back again. Your guide takes you through the city, explaining everything clearly as you go. A visit to a bazaar gives you a peek into the everyday life of Bishkek citizens. After the market, you visit the National Historical Museum then take a ride outside the city to the Ala Archa National Park. As the sun sets, you are ready to board your private train for Lake Issyk-Kul.

Overnight on board (BLD)

As the morning sun find its way into your compartment, you see that you are arriving at the greater Lake Issyk-Kul area. You immediately realize that you are now in the midst of great natural beauty. Your first stop in this lush region is Cholpon-Ata, where you enjoy a boat ride on Lake Issyk-Kul, one of the largest lakes in the world. The breathtaking views of this enormous lake make you feel as if you’re at sea. Back on land, you go on a mountain excursion, which includes a picnic lunch and a Kyrgyz folk dance. After your day by the lake, you are ready for the comfort of your private train. Once on board, you depart for Almaty. A nightcap and good conversation prepare you for the next day’s adventure.

Overnight on board (BLD)

Your train arrives in Almaty after lunch. A sightseeing tour of the city offers you an impression of this green metropolitan city at the foot of the mighty Ile Alatau Mountains. You see the imposing Zenkov Russian Orthodox Cathedral built entirely of wood, the Wedding Palace, the Almaty Circus, and the Central Mosque. That evening you are served a tasty dinner in a traditional Kazakh yurt.

Overnight/day room (depending on time of departure flight): Rahat Palace (or similar). (BLD)

Today you will fly home, at the end of a very special journey. (B)