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Tour
packages & Excursions
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Regional tours
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Central Asia & Iran in 25 Day |
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Tehran/ Isfahan?Shiraz/Mashhad/Eshghabad/Merv/Tasktand
/Khiva/Bukhara/Smarkand/Bishkek /Almaty/Tehran |
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Arrive Tehran (IRAN)
On arrival, we are welcomed to Tehran, the pearl of
Persia. After checking into our hotel, we enjoy a
leisurely evening and rest up, before our formal
itinerary of exploring this country rich in history and
culture begins.
Laleh Hotel, Tehran (2 nights)
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Locations: Tehran
Breakfast Lunch Dinner
Hotel: Laleh Hotel, Tehran
Room: Double
Services: Full Day guided city tour, meals ,
refreshments, entrance fees , transfers and
accommodation included.:
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AM |
Full Day tour starts off with a visit to
the Carpet Museum, housing an excellent
collection of Iranian hand woven
carpets, followed by the Museum of Reza
Abbasi. This museum, named after the
most famous miniaturist in the Safavid
era, was opened in 1977. It exhibits
artifacts dating back to prehistoric,
ancient and Islamic periods and is
particularly rich in Islamic
calligraphy. |
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Lunch |
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PM |
Next is a
visit to the Crown Jewels Museum after
which we visit the Archaeological Museum
with its fine collection including a
stone capital of a winged lion from Susa
and a 6th century BC audience hall
relief of Darius the Great from the
Treasury at Persepolis. The museum has
items dating back from the Sumerian
Period (4500 BC) to contemporary times.
(B, D) |
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Dinner |
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Locations: Tehran / Shiraz (Flight)
Breakfast Lunch Dinner
Hotel: Homa Hotel, Shiraz (2
nights) (B, D)
Room: Double
Services: Full Day guided city tour,
meals , refreshments, entrance fees , transfers
and accommodation included.:
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AM |
Morning visit the Glass and
Ceramic Museum, Golestan Palace,
the Ethonological Museum and
Sa'dabad Palace.
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Lunch |
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PM |
Late
afternoon transfer to the
airport for our flight to
Shiraz, traditionally known as
the city of Roses and
Nightingales. |
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Dinner |
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Locations: Shiraz
Breakfast Lunch Dinner
Hotel: Homa Hotel, Shiraz
Room: Double
Services: Full Day guided city tour,
meals , refreshments, entrance fees , transfers
and accommodation included.:
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AM |
Shiraz is the beautiful capital
of the Province of Fars. Our
visit toDay will include the
Eram Garden, the tombs of Saadi
and Hafiz - two of the most well
known Persian poets, |
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Lunch |
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PM |
Nasirol-Molk
Mosque, Afif-Abad Garden,
Narenjistan Museum and the
traditional Vakil bazaar. (B, D) |
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Dinner |
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Locations: Shiraz / Esfahan (Flight)
Breakfast Lunch Dinner
Hotel: Abbasi Hotel, Esfahan (3
nights) (B, D)
Room: Double
Services: Full Day guided city tour,
meals , refreshments, entrance fees , transfers
and accommodation included.:
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AM |
Morning excursion to Persepolis,
literally meaning the capital of
Persia, which lies 60 kms / 37
miles north of Shiraz.
Persepolis is the last and
ultimate expression of the
ancient Middle East.
Construction began by Darius the
Great (521 - 468 B.C.) as the
focus of the mighty Achemenian
Empire nearly 2500 years ago.
Our next stop is Naqsh-e-Rustam
- tomb of the famous Rustam.
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Lunch |
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PM |
Late evening
transfer to the airport for our
flight to Esfahan, another
highlight city. Legend has it
that Esfahan was founded in the
time of Tahmourass or Keykavous.
During the Safavid Era (16th and
17th Century A.D.), Esfahan was
an extraordinary city of Gardens
and Palaces.
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Dinner |
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Locations: Esfahan
Breakfast Lunch Dinner
Hotel: Abbasi Hotel, Esfahan
Room: Double
Services: Full Day guided city tour,
meals , refreshments, entrance fees , transfers
and accommodation included.:
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AM |
Full Day tour of this
magnificent city includes Hasht
Behesht Palace (built in 1680 AD
during the rule of Suleiman II),
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Lunch |
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PM |
he Armenian
Vank Church, FriDay Mosque and
the famous bridges of Esfahan.
(B, D)
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Dinner |
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Locations: Esfahan
Breakfast Lunch Dinner
Hotel: Abbasi Hotel, Esfahan
Room: Double
Services: Full Day guided city tour,
meals , refreshments, entrance fees , transfers
and accommodation included.:
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AM |
ToDay visit includes Imam Square
(Naqsh-e- Jahan) with its Sheikh
Lotfollah and Imam Mosques,
Aliqapu Palace, Chehel Sutoon
Palace (40 pillars) which was
built by Shah Abbas as a hall of
audience. |
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Lunch |
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PM |
Later we
visit the most famous hustling
and bustling bazaar in Iran. (B,
D)
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Dinner |
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Locations: Esfahan / Tehran / Mashhad
(Flight)
Breakfast Lunch Dinner
Hotel: Homa Hotel, Mashhad (1
night) (B, D)
Room: Double
Services: Full Day guided city tour,
meals , refreshments, entrance fees , transfers
and accommodation included.:
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AM |
This morning
we are transferred to the
airport for our flight to the
holy city of Mashhad via Tehran.
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Lunch |
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PM |
All roads in
Mashhad lead to the Holy Shrine
of Imam Reza and this evening
our tour starts with a visit to
the courtyard of the shrine
(open only to Muslims), followed
by the pilgrim's bazaar. |
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Dinner |
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Locations: Mashhad / Ashgabat (TURKMENISTAN -
Drive)
Breakfast Lunch Dinner
Hotel: Nisa Hotel, Ashgabat (3
nights) (B, D)
Room: Double
Services: Full Day guided city tour,
meals , refreshments, entrance fees , transfers
and accommodation included.:
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AM |
Our fascinating tour of Iran
comes to an end toDay as we
cross another frontier, this
time to Turkmenistan.
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Lunch |
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PM |
Ashghabad |
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Dinner |
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Locations: Ashgabat
Breakfast Lunch Dinner
Hotel: Nisa Hotel, Ashgabat
Room: Double
Services: Full Day guided city tour,
meals , refreshments, entrance fees , transfers
and accommodation included.:
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AM |
ToDay we enjoy a complete
sightseeing tour of the capital
city of Turkmenistan. We visit
the Talkuchka SunDay Bazaar,
also known as the Turkmen's
Carpet Bazaar; the famous
archaeological site of Nisa,
which served as the winter
capital of the Parthian rulers
and the National Museum of
History and Ethnography.
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Lunch |
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PM |
Our last
stop is the Carpet Museum, one
of the best in Central Asia. The
carpets and designs come from
the Tekke, Yamud, Sarik and
Chodor famous tribes. (B, D) |
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Dinner |
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Locations: Ashgabat / Merv
Breakfast Lunch Dinner
Hotel: Nisa Hotel, Ashgabat
Room: Double
Services: Full Day guided city tour,
meals , refreshments, entrance fees , transfers
and accommodation included.:
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AM |
ToDay we explore Merv, the
oldest and most completely
preserved of the oasis cities
along the Silk Route in Central
Asia. The remains of this wide
oasis span four thousand years
of human history and a number of
monuments are visible,
particularly from the last two
millennia. Merv is often
mentioned as Margiana by
classical writers and was part
of the Achaemenian Empire in 6th
Century BC, until the invasion
by Alexander the Great. In the
Islamic era it was known as the
'Mother of the cities', when it
flourished as an important town
on the Great Silk Road until its
destruction by the Mongols. (B,
D)
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Lunch |
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PM |
Merv |
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Dinner |
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Locations: Ashgabat / Tashauz / Khiva
(UZBEKISTAN - Flight and drive)
Breakfast Lunch Dinner
Hotel: Hotel Asia, Khiva (2
nights) (B, D)
Room: Double
Services: Full Day guided city tour,
meals , refreshments, entrance fees , transfers
and accommodation included.:
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AM |
Morning transfer to the airport
for the flight to Tashauz. Meet
& drive to Urgench via
Kunya-Urgench, the former
capital of Khorezmia, that
flourished under the Achaemenid
rule in 6th century BC and was
subsequently wrested away from
the last of the Persian rulers,
the Sasanids, by the invading
armies of the Arabs. Later
powerful Turkic tribes who were
converted to Islam took reins of
the Kingdom and under whose rule
the city flourished when great
scholars of the Muslim attended
the court of Khorezmshahs. A
powerful and merciless invasion
of the Mongolid hordes put an
end to the ruling dynasty.
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Lunch |
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PM |
Khiva |
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Dinner |
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Locations: Khiva
Breakfast Lunch Dinner
Hotel: Hotel Asia, Khiva
Room: Double
Services: Full Day guided city tour,
meals , refreshments, entrance fees , transfers
and accommodation included.:
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AM |
ToDay we explore the World
Heritage Site at Khiva, a city
where time has stood still in
the age of the Arabian Nights.
Our visit starts with the main
site of Itchan Kala followed by
Kalta Minor, the Kunya Ark, the
Rakhimkhon Madrassah, the
Mausoleum of Pakhlavan Makhmud,
the FriDay Mosque and the
Tashauli Palace and Harem.
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Lunch |
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PM |
to
complete this extraordinary Day,
we climb the Khodja Minaret to
take in the amazing fairy tale
panorama. (B, D) |
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Dinner |
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Locations: Khiva / Bukhara (Drive)
Breakfast Lunch Dinner
Hotel: Hotel Zargaron, Bukhara
(2 nights) (B, D)
Room: Double
Services: Full Day guided city tour,
meals , refreshments, entrance fees , transfers
and accommodation included.:
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AM |
Our drive to Bukhara is through
the arid setting of the Kyzyl
Kum Desert. Along the way we
stop for some refreshments and
observe how humans have survived
over the centuries in this
unforgiving landscape.
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Lunch |
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PM |
Bukhara
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Dinner |
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Locations: Bukhara
Breakfast Lunch Dinner
Hotel: Hotel Asia, Khiva (2
nights) (B, D)
Room: Double
Services: Full Day guided city tour,
meals , refreshments, entrance fees , transfers
and accommodation included.:
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AM |
One of the grandest of Uzbek
centers, Bukhara is an open
museum with many mosques,
madrassahs and a grand minaret.
We spend the Day visiting some
of the finest examples of
Islamic Architecture in the
world, where exquisite tile and
mosaic work complements the
beautiful brickwork; it is no
wonder this city is a World
Heritage Site. Our visit
includes the Lab-e-Khauz Complex
with the Nadirkhon Devanbegi
Madrassah, the Mogak Attari
Mosque and the Poi Kalon
Minaret. We also visit the
Madrassahs of Aziz Khan and the
Ulugbek Ark Fortress, the
residence cum army headquarters
of the Bukharan Emirs that
houses an interesting collection
of objects from those day and
the Mausoleum of Ismail Samanid,
which features some of the best
10th century brickwork, with a
marked Persian influence.
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Lunch |
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PM |
We conclude
the Day with a visit to
Sitora-i-Mokhikhosa, the Summer
Residence of the former Emirs of
Bukhara. (B, D) |
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Dinner |
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Locations: Bukhara / Gijduvan / Samarkand
(Drive)
Breakfast Lunch Dinner
Hotel: Afrosiab Malika,
Samarkand (3 nights) (B, D)
Room: Double
Services: Full Day guided city tour,
meals , refreshments, entrance fees , transfers
and accommodation included.:
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AM |
This morning we start off with a
visit to a local family run
ceramic factory in Gijduvan then
continue onto Samarkand.
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Lunch |
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PM |
Samarkand |
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Dinner |
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Locations: Samarkand
Breakfast Lunch Dinner
Hotel: Afrosiab Malika,
Samarkand (B, D)
Room: Double
Services: Full Day guided city tour,
meals , refreshments, entrance fees , transfers
and accommodation included.:
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AM |
ToDay we enjoy a Day excursion
to visit the World Heritage Site
of Shakhrisabz, hometown of
Tamerlane. This historic centre
contains a collection of
exceptional monuments and
ancient quarters which bear
witness to centuries of vibrant
history, particularly to the
period of its climax in the 15th
century under the empire of
Tamerlane. |
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Lunch |
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PM |
we try
to visit the famous Urgut
Market. (B, D)
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Dinner |
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Locations: Samarkand
Breakfast Lunch Dinner
Hotel: Afrosiab Malika,
Samarkand
Room: Double
Services: Full Day guided city tour,
meals , refreshments, entrance fees , transfers
and accommodation included.:
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AM |
The historic town of Samarkand,
recently declared a World
Heritage Site, was and is a
crossroads and melting pot of
the world's cultures. Founded in
the 7th century BC as ancient
Afrosiab, Samarkand had its most
significant development in the
Timurid period from the 14th to
the 15th centuries. Our tour
takes us to the major monuments
and includes the Registan Mosque
and the adjoining madrassas,
Bibi-Khanum Mosque, the
Shakhi-Zinda compound and the
Gur-Emir Ensemble, as well as
Ulugh-Beg's Observatory.
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Lunch |
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PM |
Our
afternoon tour also includes the
Afrosiab Museum, located on the
site of ancient Afrosiab, and
the Historical Museum of Uzbek
Culture and Art, which houses
the wooden coffin of Tamerlane
and a large copy of the Koran.
(B, D) |
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Dinner |
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Locations: Samarkand / Penjikent / Tashkent -
(Drive)
Breakfast Lunch Dinner
Hotel: Hotel Dedeman, Tashkent
(2 nights) (B, D)
Room: Double
Services: Full Day guided city tour,
meals , refreshments, entrance fees , transfers
and accommodation included.:
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AM |
ToDay we attempt to cross into
TAJIKISTAN. This may prove to be
difficult as the border crossing
is subject to rules that keep on
changing, one of the notorious
features of daily life in
Central Asia. Our objective is
to the see the site of the
ancient city of Sogdiana at
Penjikent.
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Lunch |
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PM |
Should the
border crossing not be possible
then we will continue on to
Tashkent. |
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Dinner |
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Locations: Tashkent
Breakfast Lunch Dinner
Hotel: Hotel Dedeman, Tashkent
Room: Double
Services: Full Day guided city tour,
meals , refreshments, entrance fees , transfers
and accommodation included.:
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AM |
Our visit of Tashkent entails
the old part of the city, the
Kafelsashi Mausoleum, the Barak
Khana, the Tila Shaikh Mosque
and Archives, followed by the
Chorsu Bazar, Kukeldesh
Madrassah, the Friendship Square
and the Navoi Theatre.
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Lunch |
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PM |
In the
afternoon we will have time to
visit the History Museum of
Uzbekistan and the Museum of
Fine Arts. The evening is free,
with an opportunity to see a
local opera or ballet. (B, D) |
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Dinner |
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Locations: Tashkent / Bishkek, KYRGYZSTAN /
Issyk-Kul (Flight / Drive)
Breakfast Lunch Dinner
Hotel: New Issyk-Kul Hotel,
Issyk-Kul (2 nights) (B, D)
Room: Double
Services: Full Day guided city tour,
meals , refreshments, entrance fees , transfers
and accommodation included.:
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AM |
We arrive at Bishkek after a
short flight from Tashkent. Our
tour of the Krgyz capital starts
with the History Museum famous
for its collection of Bolshevik
Revolution artifacts. This is
followed by a visit to Frunze's
House, named after the Soviet
General Michael Frunze who won
Central Asia for the Blosheviks
in the Civil War.
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Lunch |
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PM |
Next stop is
the Burana Tower Archaeological
Museum, which is situated on the
site of a caravan town dating to
the 10th Century AD. We arrive
Issyk-Kul in the evening. |
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Dinner |
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Locations: Issyk-Kul
Breakfast Lunch Dinner
Hotel: New Issyk-Kul Hotel,
Issyk-Kul
Room: Double
Services: Full Day guided city tour,
meals , refreshments, entrance fees , transfers
and accommodation included.:
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AM |
The scene surrounding Issyk-Kul
Lake is enchanting in its
surreal beauty. It is surrounded
by high mountains, with 134
rivers flowing into the lake and
traditional yurts dotting the
landscape, this truly is a
picturesque landscape. Our tour
includes a visit to the
Preshevalsky Museum, dedicated
to the memory of Nikolai
Michailovich Preshevalsky, an
enthusiastic explorer accredited
for his excellent works on flora
and fauna of the Issyk-Kul
region. He was also known for
breeding a tiny horse in the
steppes of Tibet, which later
came to be known as the
Preshevalsky Horse.
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Lunch |
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PM |
This
afternoon we have time for
leisure to enjoy the beautiful
scenery around Issikul Lake.
There are lots of water sports
as well as spa activities one
can take advantage of. (B, D) |
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Dinner |
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Locations: Issikul / Almaty, KAZAKHSTAN (Drive)
Breakfast Lunch Dinner
Hotel: Hotel Otrar, Almaty (2
nights) (B, D)
Room: Double
Services: Full Day guided city tour,
meals , refreshments, entrance fees , transfers
and accommodation included.:
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AM |
Driving
through the heart of the
Zailiysky Steppes, with their
wide greens filled with
beautiful poppy fields we head
off to another stan. This time
it is Kazakhstan, one of the
largest countries in the world.
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Lunch |
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PM |
Almaty
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Dinner |
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Locations: Almaty
Breakfast Lunch Dinner
Hotel: Hotel Otrar, Almaty
Room: Double
Services: Full Day guided city tour,
meals , refreshments, entrance fees , transfers
and accommodation included.:
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AM |
ToDay we enjoy a full Day tour
of Almaty, including a visit to
the Zhenkov's Cathedral, an
extraordinary Russian Orthodox
Church built of wood after which
we take a walk through beautiful
Panfilov Park. Later we visit
the Central State Museum, which
exhibits more than 40 different
musical instruments. Even toDay
in remote villages, music is
part of a Kazakh's way of life. |
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Lunch |
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PM |
The
evening is free for us to enjoy
and shop for Central Asian
souvenirs. (B, D)
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Dinner |
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Locations: Depart Almaty
Breakfast Lunch Dinner
Hotel:
Room: Double
Services: Full Day guided city tour,
meals , refreshments, entrance fees , transfers
and accommodation included.:
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AM |
Our tour comes to an end toDay
and we bid farewell to this
fascinating region. (B) |
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Lunch |
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PM |
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Dinner |
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