The Stans: Self-Launched Silk Road Adventure (Tashkent to Almaty)

Land at Tashkent airport and take the official taxi or the metro into the centre (~£3-5 taxi, metro ~£0.15). Check into a hostel in the Chorsu/Ghostiny Dvor area. Spend the afternoon acclimatising — walk the leafy Soviet-era streets, grab lagman or plov at a chaikhana, and stock up on Uzbek som from an ATM (bring clean USD notes printed after 1996 for better exchange rates). Evening: stroll the earthquake memorial and get an early night before the trip south.

🚌Airport taxi ~£4; metro ~£0.15

🛏Hostel dorm in central Tashkent (~£10/night)

• →Evening orientation walk of central Tashkent
• →Dinner at a local chaikhana

Morning self-guided city tour: Khast Imam complex (Barak-Khan Madrasah, the world's oldest Quran), the Chorsu Bazaar spice and bread halls, and the ornate Kosmonavtlar and Alisher Navoi metro stations (a Soviet art gallery underground — day pass ~£0.30). Book a GetYourGuide/local guide city tour for ~£15-20 if you want the history. Optional: Institute of Sun (Ulugh Beg's observatory) day trip. Evening: catch the overnight train to Khiva (or Urgench + shared taxi). Book on the Uzbek Railways site (railway.uz) or at the station a day ahead — platskart/sitting ~£8-12, couchette ~£15-18.

🚌Overnight train Tashkent–Khiva ~£16

🛏Overnight train (couchette ~£16)

• →Khast Imam complex & Chorsu Bazaar
• →Soviet metro station art tour
• →Optional guided city tour (~£18)

Arrive Khiva around midday. Check into a guesthouse inside or just outside the walled Ichan Kala. Buy the combined Ichan Kala ticket (~£8-10) covering the main madrasahs and mosques, then climb the Islam Khodja Minaret (~£1.50) for the classic rooftop view. Wander the mud-brick lanes at golden hour — it's one of the most photogenic walled cities on earth and far quieter than Samarkand.

🚌Arrival by train; walking locally

🛏Guesthouse in Khiva old town (~£12/night)

• →Ichan Kala combined ticket
• →Islam Khodja Minaret climb
• →City wall walk

A full day to explore Khiva properly — the Juma Mosque's carved wooden pillars, the Tosh-Hovli Palace, and the silk-and-carpet workshops. Late afternoon shared taxi or train to Bukhara (~£6-10 shared taxi, 6-7hrs; train via Urgench ~£6-8). Arrive Bukhara late and check in near Lyabi-Hauz.

🚌Shared taxi/train Khiva–Bukhara ~£8

🛏Guesthouse near Lyabi-Hauz, Bukhara (~£12/night)

• →Juma Mosque & Tosh-Hovli Palace
• →Silk & carpet workshops

Self-guided walking day through the UNESCO old town: the Ark Fortress, Po-i-Kalyan mosque and its 47m minaret, the Chor Minor, and the trading domes. Optional: a traditional hammam soak (~£18-25) or a Bukhara guided walking tour (~£15). Finish at Lyabi-Hauz plaza for dinner under the mulberry trees.

🚌Walking

🛏Guesthouse in Bukhara (~£12/night)

• →Ark Fortress
• →Po-i-Kalyan complex
• →Optional hammam (~£22)
• →Optional guided walking tour

Second day to explore the quieter corners — the Sitorai Mokhi-Khosa summer palace, Bolo-Hauz Mosque and the back-alley workshops. Optional Uzbek cooking class (~£20-25) for lunch. Evening: fast train or shared taxi to Samarkand (~£6-10, 2.5hrs by train).

🚌Train/shared taxi Bukhara–Samarkand ~£8

🛏Guesthouse near Registan, Samarkand (~£12/night)

• →Sitorai Mokhi-Khosa Palace
• →Bolo-Hauz Mosque
• →Optional cooking class (~£22)

Full day for Samarkand's Silk Road monuments: the Registan ensemble at opening time (best light, fewer crowds), Gur-e-Amir (Timur's mausoleum), Bibi-Khanym Mosque and Shah-i-Zinda's tiled necropolis. A combined ticket is ~£10-12. Optional: Konigil village silk-paper workshop (~£10) or a guided city tour (~£18).

🚌Walking / local taxis ~£3

🛏Guesthouse in Samarkand (~£12/night)

• →Registan
• →Gur-e-Amir
• →Shah-i-Zinda
• →Bibi-Khanym Mosque
• →Optional silk-paper workshop

Shared taxi to the Jartepa border (~£4, 1hr), walk across, then shared taxi to Panjakent (~£2). Browse Panjakent Bazaar, then arrange a driver up to Padrud/Marguzor village in the Fan Mountains (~£25-35 for the vehicle, split between travellers — ask at the bazaar or guesthouse). Stop at the first four Seven Lakes (Mijgon, Soya, Hushyor, Nofin) on the way. Overnight in a fan-mountain homestay — dinner and breakfast usually included (~£15-20 full board).

🚌Shared taxis + hired 4x4 up the valley ~£15-20 pp

🛏Marguzor/Nofin homestay, full board (~£18/night)

• →Jartepa border crossing
• →Panjakent Bazaar
• →Seven Lakes viewpoint stops

Hike from Lake 6 up to Lake 7 — the remote top lake reached only on foot (~4-6hrs return, moderate). Pack a picnic; the water is a startling turquoise. Back in the village for a home-cooked Tajik barbecue dinner. Arrange your return driver for tomorrow morning with your homestay host.

🚌Walking

🛏Marguzor homestay, full board (~£18/night)

• →Marguzor Lakes 6-7 hike
• →Picnic lunch by the lake
• →Village barbecue dinner

Morning drive down to Panjakent (~£10-15 shared), cross back at Jartepa, and shared taxi to Samarkand (~£5). Restful afternoon — a hammam or just a rooftop beer. Note: check your Uzbek visa/e-visa allows re-entry, or that you're visa-free (many nationalities are).

🚌Shared taxis across the border ~£15

🛏Guesthouse in Samarkand (~£12/night)

• →Border crossing back to Uzbekistan
• →Rest afternoon in Samarkand

Morning Afrosiyob fast train to Tashkent (~£8-12, 2hrs — book at railway.uz). Free afternoon in the capital — the Museum of Applied Arts and the Navoi Theatre area. Evening out in the city with fellow travellers.

🚌Fast train Samarkand–Tashkent ~£10

🛏Hostel dorm, Tashkent (~£10/night)

• →Afrosiyob train ride
• →Museum of Applied Arts
• →Night out in Tashkent

Shared taxi or bus to the Gisht Kuprik/Chernyaevka border (~£5), cross on foot, then marshrutka or shared taxi into Shymkent (~£3). Orientation walk of Ordabasy Square and the new city, then dinner at a Kazakh restaurant. Stock up on tenge — cash is essential from here.

🚌Shared taxi + marshrutka ~£8

🛏Hostel/guesthouse in Shymkent (~£12/night)

• →Kazakhstan border crossing
• →Shymkent orientation walk

Morning hike at Sayram Su lake in the Aksu-Zhabagly foothills (~£8 taxi each way, split). Afternoon bus or shared taxi to Taraz (~£6-8, 2.5hrs). Evening orientation walk around the ancient Taraz archaeological park and the mausoleums.

🚌Taxi + bus to Taraz ~£12

🛏Guesthouse in Taraz (~£12/night)

• →Sayram Su lake hike
• →Taraz archaeological park

Free morning in Taraz — the Aisha Bibi and Babaja Khatun mausoleums are worth the short taxi (~£2). Afternoon shared taxi or bus over the Kyrgyz border to Bishkek (~£8-10, 3hrs). Check in near Chuy Avenue or Ala-Too Square.

🚌Shared taxi/bus Taraz–Bishkek ~£9

🛏Hostel dorm in Bishkek (~£9/night)

• →Aisha Bibi mausoleum
• →Border crossing to Kyrgyzstan

Orientation walk of Bishkek: Ala-Too Square, the Osh Bazaar (great for cheap dried fruit and kymyz), and the surprisingly good Fine Arts Museum. Optional Bishkek city tour (~£15) or a Kyrgyz dumpling-making class (~£15). Evening on the lively Chuy Avenue cafe strip.

🚌Marshrutka/taxi ~£2

🛏Hostel dorm in Bishkek (~£9/night)

• →Ala-Too Square
• →Osh Bazaar
• →Optional dumpling class (~£15)

Marshrutka or shared taxi to Tokmok (~£2), then a local taxi to Burana Tower (~£4, split) — climb the 9th-century minaret for views over the Balasagun ruins and the stone balbals. Continue by bus to the north shore of Issyk-Kul and Cholpon-Ata (~£4-5, 3hrs). Sunset on the lake.

🚌Marshrutka + taxi ~£10

🛏Guesthouse in Cholpon-Ata (~£12/night)

• →Burana Tower climb
• →Balasagun ruins
• →Issyk-Kul lakefront

Morning at the Cholpon-Ata petroglyph open-air museum (~£2). Then head east to Iskra village for a Dungan family lunch — the Dungan community (Chinese Muslims) do incredible spicy noodles and lagman (~£8-10, book via a local guesthouse or guide). Continue to Tamga on the south shore (~£5) for the night.

🚌Shared taxi/bus along the lake ~£8

🛏Guesthouse in Tamga (~£12/night)

• →Cholpon-Ata petroglyphs
• →Dungan family lunch
• →South shore of Issyk-Kul

Morning hike from Tamga to the Shatyly viewpoint (~3hrs, good lake views). Then shared taxi to Skazka ('Fairytale') Canyon (~£4) — the red-and-multicoloured rock formations are free to walk. Barskoon waterfall is a short detour. Overnight in a Barskoon guesthouse or yurt camp; ask your host about visiting the Ak-Orgo workshop to learn yurt-building (~£8-10).

🚌Shared taxi ~£8

🛏Guesthouse/yurt camp in Barskoon (~£14/night)

• →Shatyly viewpoint hike
• →Skazka Fairytale Canyon
• →Barskoon waterfall
• →Yurt-building workshop

Bus to Karakol (~£3, 1.5hrs). Orientation walk: the painted wooden Holy Trinity Russian Orthodox Cathedral and the Chinese-style Dungan Mosque (both free). Optional Ak-Suu Kench hot springs soak (~£4-6). Karakol's Sunday animal market is legendary if your dates line up.

🚌Bus Barskoon–Karakol ~£3

🛏Hostel/guesthouse in Karakol (~£10/night)

• →Holy Trinity Cathedral
• →Dungan Mosque
• →Optional hot springs (~£5)

Free day for one of the region's day hikes — the Altyn Arashan valley, the Jety-Oguz 'Seven Bulls' red rocks (~£6 shared taxi), or a longer push toward Ala-Kul lake (best with an overnight and a guide ~£40). Otherwise wander the bazaar and eat ashlyanfu, a Dungan noodle dish unique to Karakol.

🚌Shared taxi ~£6

🛏Guesthouse in Karakol (~£10/night)

• →Jety-Oguz Seven Bulls rocks
• →Day hike
• →Karakol bazaar food crawl

Cross back into Kazakhstan via the Kegen border (marshrutka/shared taxi ~£10-12, check the border is open and don't rely on it in winter). Continue to Saty village, the base for Kaindy, Kolsai and Charyn lakes. Check into a homestay; arrange a 4x4 driver for Kaindy Lake tomorrow (~£30-40 for the vehicle, split).

🚌Shared taxi/marshrutka over the Kegen border ~£15

🛏Saty village homestay (~£14/night)

• →Kegen border crossing
• →Saty village homestay evening

Early 4x4 trip to Kaindy Lake — the sunken forest of drowned spruce trunks rising from icy blue water is one of the region's most surreal sights (entry ~£2-3). Continue to the Kolsai Lakes trailhead for the hike to Lake 1 and, if energy allows, Lake 2 (~£2 entry). Back to Saty for dinner.

🚌Hired 4x4 ~£15 pp (split)

🛏Saty village homestay (~£14/night)

• →Kaindy Lake (sunken forest)
• →Kolsai Lakes hike
• →4x4 mountain drive

Drive to Charyn Canyon (~£10-15 shared) and walk the Valley of Castles trail to the Charyn River (~2-3hrs, entry ~£3). If you can arrange it, detour to the Singing Dunes at Altyn-Emel (needs a 4x4 and park permit ~£15-20, a long day). Continue toward Almaty in the evening — shared taxi or bus ~£8-10.

🚌Shared taxi/bus ~£15

🛏Hostel in Almaty outskirts (~£11/night)

• →Charyn Canyon Valley of Castles
• →Optional Singing Dunes (Altyn-Emel)

Orientation walk of Almaty: Panfilov Park and the candy-coloured Zenkov Cathedral (free), the Green Bazaar, and the Metro (one of the prettiest in the former USSR). Optional cable car up Kok-Tobe for the city panorama (~£4). Evening out on the lively Zhibek Zholy bar strip.

🚌Metro/walking ~£2

🛏Hostel in Almaty (~£11/night)

• →Zenkov Cathedral
• →Green Bazaar
• →Kok-Tobe cable car (~£4)
• →Almaty metro

Day trip to Big Almaty Lake (~£20-25 shared taxi or a tour via Klook/GetYourGuide ~£25), or hike the Medeu–Shymbulak trails if you'd rather stay low-cost (~£3 bus to Medeu). Last night out in Almaty to celebrate finishing the Stans.

🚌Shared taxi/tour ~£12

🛏Hostel in Almaty (~£11/night)

• →Big Almaty Lake day trip
• →Medeu/Shymbulak area walk
• →Farewell night out

Final breakfast, last-minute souvenirs at the Green Bazaar, then bus or taxi to the airport (~£2-4). If you have time, the Museum of Folk Instruments or the Central State Museum are good half-day fillers.

🚌Airport bus ~£2

🛏—

• →Green Bazaar souvenirs
• →Optional museums