The Silk Road of Kyrgyzstan & Uzbekistan — Self-Launched

Fly into Manas International Airport and take marshrutka 380 or a Yandex taxi (~350-500 som, £4-6) into the centre. Stay in a cheap guesthouse or hostel around Chuy Avenue. Spend the afternoon walking Oak Park, Ala-Too Square and the open-air art gallery at Dubovy Park, then eat lagman or plov at a local chaikhana (Faiza or Aden are good cheap bets). Buy a Beeline/MegaCom SIM (£3-5) for data.

🚌Marshrutka 380 or Yandex taxi from airport

🛏Guesthouse/hostel in Bishkek centre (~£14)

• →Self-guided walk: Oak Park, Ala-Too Square, Dubovy Park open-air gallery
• →Osh Bazaar browse (optional)
• →Pick up SIM card and som cash

There is no direct public bus, so the practical DIY route is a shared taxi or a seat in a south-shore minibus. Cheapest: marshrutka from Bishkek's Eastern Bus Station to Cholpon-Ata (~3.5 hrs, ~300 som), then another to Karakol (~4 hrs, ~400 som). Stop at Burana Tower near Tokmok first (marshrutka to Tokmok then taxi, ~£5) and see the balbal stone figures. At Cholpon-Ata visit the open-air petroglyph field. In the evening, arrange a Dungan or Uygur family dinner through your Karakol guesthouse (~£10-12) — ask for Dungan lagman and ashlan-fu.

🚌Marshrutka/shared taxi Bishkek–Cholpon-Ata–Karakol (~£12 total)

🛏Guesthouse in Karakol (~£14)

• →Burana Tower minaret and petroglyphs
• →Cholpon-Ata open-air petroglyph museum
• →Lake Issyk Kul viewpoint
• →Home-cooked Dungan/Uygur meal (arranged via guesthouse)

Walk the compact centre: the wooden Dungan Mosque (built without nails, small donation), the Russian Orthodox Holy Trinity Cathedral with its gold domes, and the Przhevalsky Museum (small entry fee) just outside town. In the afternoon hire a taxi for the 40-minute run to Jety-Oguz gorge (~£15 return, share if you can) for the red sandstone 'Seven Bulls' cliffs and a short walk to the waterfall.

🚌Local taxi to Jety-Oguz (~£8 pp shared)

🛏Guesthouse in Karakol (~£14)

• →Dungan Mosque
• →Holy Trinity Orthodox Cathedral
• →Przhevalsky Museum
• →Jety-Oguz gorge hike (taxi + small entry)

Take the shared taxi/marshrutka south around the lake to Bokonbayevo (change at Balykchy or hire a seat in a shared car, ~£12-15). From Bokonbayevo a local driver can take you into Barskoon gorge for waterfalls (~£15 return). Eagle hunters in the Bokonbayevo area can be visited via community tourism office CBT (~£10-15 with a demonstration). Continue to Kochkor in the late afternoon; CBT Kochkor or your guesthouse can sort the Song Kul transfer for tomorrow. Riverside picnic lunch with bread, cheese and apricots from a roadside stall.

🚌Shared taxi Karakol–Bokonbayevo–Kochkor (~£15)

🛏Family guesthouse in Kochkor (~£13)

• →Barskoon waterfall walk
• →Eagle hunter visit (CBT arranged)
• →Swim/stop at Issyk Kul south shore

Morning shirdak felt-making workshop with the Kochkor women's cooperative (CBT, ~£8). Then book a seat in a shared 4x4/minibus to Song Kul over the Kalmak-Ashu Pass (~£25-30 pp return via CBT, roughly 2.5 hrs). Stay in a yurt camp on the lake shore — book directly with a community camp (~£20 per person including dinner and breakfast). Bring warm layers; nights are cold even in summer.

🚌Shared 4x4/minibus Kochkor–Song Kul (~£25 pp return)

🛏Yurt camp at Song Kul (~£20 incl. half board)

• →Felt-making (shirdak) workshop in Kochkor
• →Kalmak-Ashu Pass drive
• →Yurt camp night at Song Kul
• →Sunset walk along the lake

Morning hike into the hills above the lake (3-4 hrs, weather permitting) with shepherds' summer camps and the Moldo-Toor range on the horizon. Return over the Teskey-Topok Pass to Kochkor. In the evening, ask CBT Kochkor to arrange a short performance by a local akyn/folklore ensemble with komuz and traditional songs (~£8-10 pp if a small group).

🚌Shared 4x4 back to Kochkor (included in day 5 return)

🛏Family guesthouse in Kochkor (~£13)

• →Alpine hike at Song Kul (~4 hrs)
• →Teskey-Topok Pass return drive
• →Kyrgyz folklore ensemble evening (arranged locally)

Shared taxi or marshrutka from Kochkor towards Suusamyr (~£12-15), crossing the Ala-Bel Pass with big Tien Shan views. Stop in Suusamyr valley for a walk, then continue towards the Chychkan gorge. Overnight in a simple roadside guesthouse or mountain hotel in the Chychkan/Suusamyr area (~£18). Walk down to the Chychkan river for an evening stroll towards the Saz-Köl alpine lake area.

🚌Shared taxi Kochkor–Suusamyr–Chychkan (~£15)

🛏Simple mountain guesthouse, Chychkan/Suusamyr (~£18)

• →Ala-Bel Pass viewpoints
• →Suusamyr valley walk
• →Chychkan river walk

Continue south with a shared taxi or marshrutka via the Toktogul Reservoir — stunning turquoise water backed by bare hills, worth a photo stop. Journey is long (5-6 hrs), so leave early; expect ~£15-18 in a shared car. Arrive Jalal-Abad in the evening and stay near the bazaar. Cheap dinner of samsa and tea.

🚌Shared taxi Chychkan–Toktogul–Jalal-Abad (~£17)

🛏Guesthouse/hotel in Jalal-Abad (~£13)

• →Toktogul Reservoir photo stop
• →Jalal-Abad evening stroll and bazaar

Shared taxi from Jalal-Abad to Bazar-Korgon then Arslanbob (~£6, 1.5-2 hrs). Hire a local guide through CBT Arslanbob (~£10) for the walk to the big waterfall (2.5 km, uphill through walnut forest, some slippery steps after rain) and the smaller second fall — or ride part way by jeep for a few pounds. Visit the small Wednesday bazaar and eat walnut honey and fresh bread. Return to Jalal-Abad in the evening or stay over in a homestay.

🚌Shared taxi Jalal-Abad–Arslanbob return (~£8)

🛏Guesthouse in Jalal-Abad or Arslanbob homestay (~£13)

• →Guided walk to Arslanbob waterfalls
• →Walnut forest trail
• →Village bazaar

Marshrutka or shared taxi to Osh (~2 hrs, ~£5). Check in near the centre, then climb Sulayman-Too, the UNESCO-listed sacred hill with cave shrines and a mosque, for sunset views over the city (free). In the afternoon join a short boorsok bread-making session through a local homestay or CBT Osh (~£8), and wander the huge Jayma Bazaar.

🚌Marshrutka/shared taxi Jalal-Abad–Osh (~£5)

🛏Guesthouse in Osh (~£14)

• →Sulayman-Too sacred mountain
• →Boorsok bread-making session
• →Jayma Bazaar

Take a shared taxi to the Dostlik border crossing (~30-40 mins, ~£4), walk through customs on foot (allow 1-1.5 hrs), then a taxi or shared car from the Uzbek side on to Fergana city (~£8-10). Change some som to sum at the border or in Fergana. Afternoon: chill in Fergana's leafy Russian-colonial quarter and visit the ceramics showroom of a local artisan family.

🚌Shared taxi to border + taxi to Fergana (~£13)

🛏Budget hotel/guesthouse in Fergana (~£18)

• →Kyrgyz–Uzbek border crossing at Dostlik
• →Fergana old town walk and ceramic studios

Hire a driver for the day (shared through your guesthouse, ~£25-30 per car) or use shared taxis to hit Rishtan's famous blue-glazed ceramics workshops (Rustam Usmanov's studio) and Kokand's Khudayar Khan palace and Juma Mosque. Then continue over the Kamchik Pass to Tashkent, or take the train from Kokand/Pap. Evening arrival in Tashkent; stay near the metro.

🚌Shared driver Fergana–Rishtan–Kokand–Tashkent (~£16 pp)

🛏Budget hotel in Tashkent (~£20)

• →Rishtan ceramic workshop
• →Kokand Khudayar Khan Palace
• →Kamchik Pass drive

Do Tashkent yourself with a metro day pass (cheap, ~£1): Kosmonavtlar, Alisher Navoi and Pakhtakor stations are the showstoppers. Visit Independence Square, the Navoi Theatre foyer, Khast Imam complex (Abu Bakr Kaffal Shashi madrassah and the Uthman Quran), the Earthquake Memorial, and Chorsu Bazaar for lunch. Optionally add the Centre of Islamic Civilisation. A local guide can be booked through GetYourGuide or a Tashkent walking-tour group for ~£20 if you want context.

🚌Metro and walking (~£2)

🛏Budget hotel in Tashkent (~£20)

• →Tashkent metro station tour
• →Khast Imam complex and Old City
• →Chorsu Bazaar
• →Independence Square and Earthquake Memorial

Book a morning Uzbekistan Airways flight Tashkent–Urgench in advance (~£45-60 one way). From Urgench airport take a shared taxi or marshrutka to Khiva (~30 mins, £2-3). Enter the Ichon-Qala (walled inner city) and buy a combined ticket for the main sights (~£10, valid 2 days). Stay inside the walls in a small guesthouse.

🚌Flight Tashkent–Urgench (~£50) + shared taxi to Khiva (~£3)

🛏Guesthouse inside Khiva's old city (~£18)

• →Flight to Urgench
• →Evening walk inside Khiva's Ichon-Qala walls

Use your combined ticket for the Kuhna Ark fortress, the Tosh-Hovli Palace, the Juma Mosque with its forest of carved wooden columns, and the Islam Khodja minaret — climb it for the best view of the turquoise domes (~£2). Sunset from the city walls, then explore after dark when the monuments are floodlit. Eat at a small chaikhana in the bazaar area.

🚌Walking

🛏Guesthouse in Khiva (~£18)

• →Kuhna Ark fortress
• →Juma Mosque wooden columns
• →Islam Khodja minaret climb
• →City wall sunset

The fast train (Afrosiyob/Sharq) from Urgench to Bukhara takes 4-5 hrs, ~£10-14 second class; book on railway.uz a few days ahead. Alternatively a shared taxi (~£15 pp, 6 hrs) with photo stops at desert caravanserais. Afternoon arrival in Bukhara: check in near Lyab-i Hauz and take a first wander through the trading domes.

🚌Train Urgench–Bukhara (~£12)

🛏Guesthouse/hotel in Bukhara old town (~£18)

• →Desert crossing by train or shared taxi
• →Evening stroll around Lyab-i Hauz

Self-guided day on foot: Lyab-i Hauz pond, the Abdulaziz Khan and Kukeldash madrassahs, Maghoki-Attar mosque (one of Central Asia's oldest buildings), the Kalyan minaret and mosque, the trading domes (Taqi-Sarrafon, Taqi-Telpak Furushon), the Ark citadel with its small museums, the Bolo Hauz mosque and the Sitorai Mohi Xosa ('Palace of Moon-like Stars') on the edge of town, plus the Char Minor mosque. Small combined tickets ~£8. Finish with tea and sweets in a backstreet chaikhana.

🚌Walking + short taxi to Sitorai Mohi Xosa (~£2)

🛏Guesthouse/hotel in Bukhara (~£18)

• →Kalyan minaret and mosque
• →The Ark citadel
• →Lyab-i Hauz and trading domes
• →Sitorai Mohi Xosa palace
• →Char Minor mosque

Optional climb of the 46 m Kalyan minaret (small fee) for rooftop-level views. Then browse Taqi-Sarrafon and the Zindon area, try Bukharan plov, and later catch the evening light on the Chor Minor and the old Jewish quarter. A cheap hammam or a relaxed café on Lyab-i Hauz rounds things off.

🚌Walking

🛏Guesthouse/hotel in Bukhara (~£18)

• →Kalyan minaret climb
• →Domed bazaars browsing
• →Old Jewish quarter walk
• →Optional hammam (~£8)

Shared taxi to Gijduvan (~£5) to visit a ceramic master's workshop and museum (Gijduvan is famous for its green-yellow pottery). Continue by shared car/taxi to Nurata (~£8): see the Chashma sacred spring with its fish, the Nurata mosque and the hilltop Alexander-the-Great-era fortress ruins. Then a local driver up to Hayat village in the Nuratau mountains (~£8) for a CBT homestay (~£18 half board) — evening bread-baking in the tandir and a home-cooked dimlama dinner with your hosts.

🚌Shared taxis Bukhara–Gijduvan–Nurata–Hayat (~£21)

🛏CBT homestay, Hayat village (~£18 incl. dinner & breakfast)

• →Gijduvan ceramics workshop
• →Chashma spring and Nurata fortress
• →Village bread-baking
• →Homestay dinner in Hayat village

Morning guided walk (local CBT guide, ~£8) up to Ukhum village and the Tykchasay valley petroglyphs, with mountain views over the Nuratau range. Return for lunch, then a shared taxi down to Navoiy/Jizzakh and onward to Samarkand (~£12-15, 4-5 hrs), or a train from Navoiy if timings work. Evening check-in near the Registan and walk to the illuminated Registan Square at night.

🚌Shared taxi/train Hayat–Samarkand (~£14)

🛏Guesthouse/hotel near the Registan, Samarkand (~£18)

• →Ukhum village and Tykchasay petroglyphs walk
• →Registan Square by night

Buy a combined sight ticket (~£10-12) and do the classic circuit yourself: Guri Amir mausoleum (Tamerlane's tomb), the Bibi-Khanym Mosque, the Shah-i-Zinda necropolis of tiled tombs (go early for empty alleys), the Ulug-Bek Observatory site, and Registan's three madrassahs at golden hour. Optional: Afrosiab site and a tea stop for kok-chai. A GetYourGuide guided walking tour costs ~£25 if you'd rather have a storyteller.

🚌Walking and short taxis (~£3)

🛏Guesthouse/hotel in Samarkand (~£18)

• →Shah-i-Zinda necropolis
• →Guri Amir mausoleum
• →Bibi-Khanym Mosque
• →Ulug-Bek Observatory
• →Registan Square at sunset

Morning wander through the old town alleys and Siab Bazaar for bread and dried fruit, then take the Afrosiyob high-speed train to Tashkent (~2 hrs, £12-15 second class booked on railway.uz). Afternoon in Tashkent: final bazaar shopping, the Metro art stations again, and an evening meal of Uzbek shashlik.

🚌Afrosiyob train Samarkand–Tashkent (~£13)

🛏Budget hotel in Tashkent (~£20)

• →Siab Bazaar
• →Afrosiyob high-speed train ride
• →Tashkent evening walk

Last morning for breakfast and a taxi to Islam Karimov Tashkent International Airport (~£4, 20-30 mins) for your flight home. If you have time, the fine arts museum or a final Chaikhana lunch fills the gap nicely.

🚌Taxi to airport (~£4)

🛏None (departure day)

• →Airport transfer