Original
Explorer
Central Asia: Five Stans Express
24 days • 5
5
Excellent
42 reviews
24 days
Start
Ashgabat, Turkmenistan
Finish
Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan
Trip Code
KFSS
Min Age
15
Trip Size
1 - 12
Physical Rating
Meals
23 breakfasts, 5 lunches, 7 dinners
Transport
Private Vehicle, Flight, Metro, High Speed Train
Accommodation
Hotel (17 nights), Guest House (1 night), Tourist Yurt Camp (3 nights), Home Stay (2 nights)
From £5,418(24 days)
Trip Informations
Why you’ll love this trip
Explore all the essential highlights of Central Asia, uncovering fascinating culture, natural landscapes and diverse history alongside unforgettable local interaction.
See the incredible Darvaza Crater (the Gates of Hell – an eternally burning flame), Kolsai Lakes and Issyk-Kul Lake, soaking up the natural landmarks far off the common tourist trail.
Take a step back in time as you explore the history of the Silk Road, with visits to Khiva’s ancient town, Registan, in Samarkand, Bukhara, and Khujand.
Get to know the locals with a carpet-making workshop, through the streets of the bustling bazaars and with a homecooked dinner of plov (Uzbekistan's national dish) during an immersive homestay.
Camp in yurts near Lake Issyk-Kul, stay in local villages and make yourself at home in a boutique hotel that used to be an old Jewish house in Bukhara.
Is this trip right for you?
Central Asia is a destination for the adventurous and the open-minded. Alongside its rich culture and history, comes poor infrastructure, lengthy processes and basic facilities. Patience and flexibility will ensure you enjoy this region to its fullest.
This trip involves long travel days on rough and winding roads. You’ll be travelling by private vehicle, and in one day you could be driving anywhere between three and ten hours. Please review the Itinerary for more details.
Temperatures vary greatly throughout this trip, from below zero to over 40 ºC depending on the location. Keep an eye on the weather forecast and plan to wear layers.
Tourism is strictly controlled in Turkmenistan. If you’re accustomed to more freedom to explore and take photos as a tourist, you will find the experience differs here. Locals are fiercely proud of their nation and its leaders.
You’ll stay in a range of accommodations on this trip, including multishare arrangements in yurts, homestays and guesthouses. Facilities are shared and basic, but the experiences are unforgettable.
Itinerary
Take a Central Asian adventure full of history, natural landscapes and fascinating culture
To see all five Stans in Central Asia, this epic trip will start in the grand Ashgabat of Turkmenistan, explore Samarkand in Uzbekistan, then head to Tajikistan, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. See the best of the Silk Road and deep dive into the fascinating history, captivating landscapes and beautiful culture that’s intertwined throughout this region. You'll stay in yurts near Lake Issyk-Kul, explore Registan Square in Samarkand and watch the eternal flame of Darvaza Crater – a 70-m-wide hole in the Karakum Desert known as ‘The Gates of Hell’. From wide open plains full of wild horses to homestays and dinners with locals, there’s so much to see, do and learn in this region – so why not spend 24 days uncovering all you can, with a local leader by your side?
Inclusions
Meals
23 breakfasts, 5 lunches, 7 dinners
Transport
Private Vehicle, Flight, Metro, High Speed Train
Accommodation
Hotel (17 nights), Guest House (1 night), Tourist Yurt Camp (3 nights), Home Stay (2 nights)
Included activities
Ashgabat – Complimentary Arrival Transfer
Ashgabat - Ertugrul Gazi Mosque
Ashgabat - Anau ruins
Ashgabat - Independence Monument
Ashgabat - Turkmenbashy Ruhi Mosque & Family Mausoleum of the First President of Turkmenistan
Ashgabat - Neutrality Arch
Darvaza - "Door to Hell" Crater
Konye-Urgench - City tour
Khiva - Juma Mosque
Khiva - Islom Hoja Minaret & Medressa
Khiva - Tosh-Hovli Palace
Khiva - Kunya Ark
Khiva - Pahlavon Mahmud Mausoleum
Bukhara - Lyabi-Hauz Plaza
Bukhara - Taki Zargaron Trading Dome
Bukhara - Ark Fortress
Bukhara - Ismail Samani Mausoleum
Bukhara - Sitorai Mohi Hosa Palace
Samarkand - Gur-e-Amir Mausoleum
Samarkand - Shakh-I-Zinda
Samarkand - Bibi-Khanym Mosque
Samarkand - Registan Square
Samarkand - Plov cooking demonstration & family visit
Tashkent - Chorsu Bazaar
Tashkent - City tour
Tashkent - Metro tour
Khujand - Jami Mosque
Sary Tag - Iskanderkul Lake
Dushanbe – Hissor Fort
Dushanbe – National Museum of Antiquities of Tajikistan
Dushanbe - Rudaki Square and Somoni Museum
Dushanbe - Navruz palace
Almaty - Zenkov Cathedral
Almaty - Museum of Kazakh Musical Instruments
Almaty - Panfilov Park
Charyn Canyon - National Park
Kolsay Lakes National Park - Hiking
Karakol - Dungan Mosque
Karakol - Holy Trinity Orthodox Cathedral
Issyk-Kul Lake - Fairy Tale Canyon picnic lunch
Issyk-Kul Lake - Home-cooked meal
Issyk-Kul Lake - Carpet workshop
Issyk-Kul Lake - Yurt workshop
Shamsy Valley - Burana tower
Don Aryk - Kyrgyz family visit and home-cooked lunch
Bishkek - City walking tour
Optional activities
Bukhara - Chor Minor - UZS4000
Bukhara - Bolo Hauz Mosque - Free
Bukhara - Kalon Minaret & Mosque - UZS6000
Bukhara - Ulugbek Madrasa - Free
Tashkent - State Museum of History of Uzbekistan - UZS50000
Khujand - History Museum - Free
Almaty - Central State Museum - Free
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Important notes
1. A single supplement is available if you’d prefer not to share a room on this trip. The single supplement excludes Day 3 (camping), Day 13 (homestay), Day 18 (homestay) and Days 20 and 21 (yurt camp), where you will be in shared accommodation and is subject to availability. Please speak to your booking agent for further information.
2. Please provide your full name exactly as per your passport at the time of booking (including any middle names listed on your passport) for flight tickets. Fees may apply for amendments or failure to provide the required details within 60 days of departure.
3. This is a multi-country trip. Please read the ‘Passports, visas and entry requirements’ section of the Essential Trip Information carefully. You should travel on one passport for the duration, as entering and exiting countries on different passports will cause issues at immigration.
4. We require key documents from you no later than 60 days before the trip to supply your Letter of Invitation to Turkmenistan, and Tajikistan for some nationalities.
5. Independent travel isn’t allowed in Turkmenistan. If you have pre-trip accommodation booked with us, you can explore nearby your hotel, but please don’t take any photos. Please see Day 1 of the Itinerary for more details.
6. A complimentary airport arrival transfer is included; valid if you are arriving on Day 1 or if you have booked pre-trip accommodation through us. You must provide your flight details to your booking agent at least 15 days prior to travel. If multiple customers on the same trip arrive on the same flight, this may be a shared transfer.
7. While travelling in Turkmenistan, you won’t have access to social media and some websites. If you need to stay connected, consider arranging a VPN before leaving home.
Reviews (53)
5 stars
51
4 stars
2
David
Jun 07, 2025
This trip is amazing, sometimes difficult but rewarding on multiple levels. The history, people, environment make the Stans a “must do” for an adventure traveller. Accomodation, transportation is excellent. Your guide facilitates the boarder crossings with ease! Each day I thought, this is amazing, from an ancient fort, a Religious building to large mountains and the pass through them. Go if your budget allows.
Dana
Jun 06, 2025
This is an extraordinary tour of an under the radar destination for Western travelers, offering fascinating history, rich culture, and spectacular landscapes. Rejep and Svetlana are dream tour leaders, who both went out of their way to make you feel comfortable, supported, and able to soak every opportunity out of visiting this special region of the world. Highly recommend!
Alan
Jun 05, 2025
We absolutely loved our 5 Stans Express with Intrepid. It's a lot to take in, with constant movement over the 24 days, but we had an outstanding tour leader (Diana) who deserves a medal for the enthusiasm, professionalism, good humour and knowledge that she brought to the tour. We also had a very good group of experienced fellow travellers who got on exceptionally well which added to the enjoyment of the trip.
Lee
Jun 05, 2025
Extremely poor and misleading information from ground staff from day one at Intrepid along with outdated essential reading that needs changing. However the tour was excellent with an outstanding team leader and wonderful organisation on the ground. Beautiful historic silk road cities especially Khiva and amazing natural beauty throughout the trip.
Susan
Jun 05, 2025
An amazing and varied trip - stunningly beautiful cities, deserts and mountainous areas. Our two guides, Racep in Turkmenistan and Diana in the other 4 Stans were incredibly knowledgeable, friendly and approachable and went out of their way to ensure that we had a great experience.
Susan
Jun 03, 2025
Our recent trip to the 5 Stans was exceptional. The outstanding feature of our trip was our guide who was full of enthusiasm, energy and patience. The itinerary was very full but we saw a huge variety of sights plus participated in local handiworks. I would thoroughly recommend this trip
Brett
Jun 02, 2025
Excellent trip. Would highly recommend. The tour leaders Rejep and Svetlana were really helpful and knowledgeable. It is a fast paced trip, but you see and learn so much about Central Asia with a real contrast between the amazing architecture at the beginning and the amazing scenery at the end.
Luke
May 28, 2025
The Five Stans Express tour was one of the best trips of my life. I loved every minute of the tour and experienced and learnt so much. The group was amazing and we had so much laughter and fun. It was brilliant to experience so many interesting places and I felt I got a real sense of every city and country. Highly recommend!
Anders
May 26, 2025
A great, multi-faceted whirlwind adventure along the old Silk Road, with the superb Xeniya expertly guiding us through this wonderful part of the world - go if you can!
Kelso
May 25, 2025
Highly recommend the 5 Stans express trip. Rejep and Svetlana are amazing tour leader. So many sights to see, roads to travel, countryside and lakes to see. Locals are all so friendly and we had many opportunities to interact with them. My group was awesome which helped make it super special.
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