Highlights
• Experience Uyghur, Tajik, Kyrgyz, Uzbek, Russian, Pakistani and Chinese cultures
• Walk through the Silk Road cities of Bukhara, Samarkand and Khiva
• See the Khunjerab and Torugart Passes
• See the Himalayas, Karakoram, Hindu Kush & Pamir mountain ranges
• See the Hunza Valley
Fact File
• 24 land days • Maximum 16 travelers • Start in Islamabad and finish in Tashkent • All meals included • Includes 2 internal flights • Activity Level: 2
Kashgar, Samarkand and Khiva - ancient Silk Road cities that evoke images of exotic caravans traveling across deserts and over mountains, linking the worlds of east and west. For over 1,000 years, it was the legendary Silk Road that provided adventurers and traders with a route from the mystique and wealth of China to the developing countries of Europe. ElderTreks' Silk Road journey explores the old trading routes of northern Pakistan, northwestern China, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan.
We spend our first week in the mountains and colorful cities of northern Pakistan, including the beautiful Hunza Valley. Explore the Himalayas, the Hindu Kush, the Pamir and the Karakoram mountain ranges. Drive along the Karakoram Highway over the world's highest paved border crossing - the Khunjerab Pass - into China. In Kashgar, visit the ancient market, where 100,000 Uyghurs gather to sell and trade. Crossing the mountainous beauty of Kyrgyzstan, we arrive in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, our transfer point to the historic city of Khiva - an open-air museum of central Asian architecture.
In Bukhara and Samarkand, two of the best preserved Silk Road wonders, we see mosques, tombs and monuments that provide a majestic ending to this Silk Road journey.
The words of Alexander the Great, spoken more than 2,000 years ago, still ring true: "Everything I have heard about the beauty of Samarkand is true - except that it is even more beautiful than I could have imagined."
FROM: $7995 $6995
 has guaranteed departures
Accommodations
Comfortable accommodations with private bathrooms. Basic accommodation in Besham, Pakistan, Tashkurgan, China and Naryn, Kyrgyzstan. Comfort notes
6 days over 8,000 ft (2,400 m) including a drive over a 16,000 ft (4,900 m) border crossing. Some rough roads, long drives.
Day 1: Arrive in Islamabad, Pakistan Day 2: Islamabad, to Besham Day 6: Shigar, to Shangrila via Skardu Day 7: Shangrila, to Hunza Valley Day 8: Hunza Valley, Eagle's Nest Day 9: Hunza, Baltit Fort, to Gulmit Day 10: Khunjerab Pass to Tashkurgan Day 11: Drive to Kashgar, Kara-Kul Lake, Pamir Mountain Giants Day 12: Kashgar - Id Kah Mosque, Market Day 14: Drive to Naryn, Kyrgyzstan Day 16: Bishkek via Altan Mountains Day 17: Fly to Tashkent, Uzbekistan Day 18: Fly to Urgench, Walled City of Khiva Day 19: Drive to Bukhara via the Kyzylkum Desert Day 20: Ancient Monuments of Bukhara Day 22: Samarkand - Registan Square Day 23: Tashkent City Tour - Navoi Opera and Ballet Theater
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