Signature: The Northern Stans & the Silk Road

A small-group escorted tour by G Adventures tracing the Silk Road through Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan, blending nomadic culture with imperial history and archaeology over eight nights.

This eight-night expedition with G Adventures takes you across Central Asia, from the mountain city of Bishkek in Kyrgyzstan to Tashkent, Uzbekistan’s capital. The trip begins quietly with a welcome reception before a city walking tour in Bishkek, where Soviet monuments sit next to open markets. Then it moves on to Almaty in Kazakhstan where you can examine the 'Golden Man' at a museum normally closed to the public before spending a night in a traditional yurt with Kazakh cuisine.

In Tajikistan's capital, Dushanbe, guided tours include a National Museum with a focus on Buddhist history and a visit to the historic Hissor Fortress. Local family visits and cultural meals punctuate the journey, offering a chance to observe traditional games or listen to a National Geographic expert on snow leopard conservation. The tour concludes in Tashkent with a farewell dinner at a TV tower, taking in the panoramic cityscape.

The trip involves walking, metro and some flights, and includes small-group dynamics with around 18 fellow travellers, guided by experts both local and from National Geographic. Acclimatising to high altitudes is encouraged with a measured pace over this varied route.