Cultural & Natural Highlights of Kyrgyzstan & Kazakhstan

(13 days - Departs Daily on a Private Basis)
Bishkek & Ala Archa National Park, Karkara, Karakol, Kochkor, Almaty with Charyn Canyon & Big Almaty Lake, Shymkent with Turkestan & Aksu Canyon

On this private tour of Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan, visit beautiful natural regions, experience age-old local traditions and tour historical sites that reveal the fascinating cultural exchanges of the Silk Road.

Begin in Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan. During private touring, explore the city center and see highlights such as the White House, the Kyrgyz National Museum of Fine Arts and the Osh Bazaar, a lively produce and housewares market, to browse for traditional Kyrgyz crafts such as felt hats, embroidered slippers and handmade carpets.

Next, transfer along the coast of Issyk-Kul Lake to Karkara with touring en route. See the petroglyph-covered boulders of the Issyk-Kul Historical State Museum, and visit a local apiary to learn about beekeeping in Kyrgyzstan. In Karkara, stay in a yurt camp in a verdant river valley, and enjoy hiking and horseback riding in the beautiful grasslands and forested hills.

Continue through the Kyrgyzstan countryside to the town of Karakol. During private touring, visit the colorful Dungan Mosque and Holy Trinity Russian Orthodox Cathedral. Also enjoy a dinner of local dishes such as ashlan fu noodle soup at the home of a Dungan (Chinese Muslim) family.

Next, transfer to the rural village of Kochkor. En route, see the remarkable Jeti-Oguz (Seven Bulls) sandstone cliff formation, visit a traditional felt-making workshop and watch a demonstration of hunting with a golden eagle, a traditional method once common among the nomadic people in the region.

En route back to Bishkek, visit the Burana Tower, an 11th-century minaret and UNESCO World Heritage Site, and see a field of mysterious, centuries-old balbals (carved stone heads and figures). Also enjoy lunch at the home of a German-speaking Mennonite family, a minority population that has lived and farmed in the region for generations.

Next, cross the border to Kazakhstan and continue to Almaty, a cosmopolitan city (and former capital) in the shadow of the rugged Tian Shan Mountains. During private city touring, see highlights such as leafy Panfilov Park and the colorful wooden Ascension Cathedral, a Russian Orthodox church also known as Zenkov Cathedral that dates from 1907. Also visit the Green Market, a large indoor food hall. Learn about the history and culture of Kazakhstan in the Central State Museum, which has objects from the Bronze Age to today. See landmarks such as Republic Square and the Independence Monument with its sculpture of the Golden Man on top. Depending on your interests, perhaps also visit the Museum of Folk Music Instruments or see Soviet-era buildings, the subway, Arasan Baths and other places that make up the urban fabric of Almaty. Upon request, we can arrange tickets to performances at the Kazakh State (Abay) Opera and Ballet Theater.

One day, enjoy a private excursion to Big Almaty Lake, a turquoise lake in Ile-Alatau National Park, for beautiful views of the water and the Tian Shan Mountains. Also visit a local falcon farm and bird-of-prey sanctuary to learn how hawks, falcons and other hunting birds are still used by traditional nomadic hunters.

Another day, enjoy a full-day private excursion in the region. Options include touring Charyn Canyon and the famed Valley of the Castles, a dramatic landscape of eroded, rust-colored cliffs and towers formed by wind and water; visiting Tamgaly (Tanbaly), a UNESCO World Heritage Site of rocky hills with more than 5,000 petroglyphs created from the Bronze Age through the early 20th century; seeing Tamgaly-Tas, where monumental Buddhist images and texts were inscribed hundreds of years ago on large rock outcroppings along the Ili River; and hiking in other parts of Ile-Alatau National Park, such as Turgen Gorge, a diverse landscape of waterfalls, river valleys, foothills and forests.

Continue to Shymkent, a base for cultural and scenic touring in the region. If desired, take a private excursion to nearby Sayram, a traditional town that has been continuously occupied for more than 3,000 years and has numerous historical Muslim structures. One day, enjoy a private excursion to Turkestan, an ancient Silk Road caravan town, to see the Mausoleum of Khoja Ahmed Yasawi, a Timurid-era building covered in vibrant tile mosaics that’s now a pilgrimage destination and UNESCO World Heritage Site. Also see other monuments that make up the historical complex, such as the Friday Mosque, Underground Mosque and Mausoleum of Rabigha-Sultan Begum. En route, visit the vast archaeological site of Otrar, the ruins of a Silk Road trading town and fortress destroyed by the Mongols in the 13th century. Another day, take a private excursion to Aksu Canyon, part of the oldest nature reserve in Kazakhstan. Look for native wildlife during privately guided hiking among the forests and grasslands.

Return to Almaty for a night.