Small group vacation to the Stans
An incredible journey across mountains and steppe, through the five ‘Stans’ of Central Asia and along the ancient Silk Road.
Nur-Sultan Almaty Charyn Canyon Bishkek Osh Khujand Dushanbe Istaravshan Samarkand Bukhara Merv Ashgabat Darvaza Crater – ‘Door to Hell’ Kunya-Urgench Khiva Tashkent Silk Road
£7160To£7235 excluding flights
Description of Small group vacation to the Stans
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Silks and spices gave the world brilliance and flavour, but the people who travelled the Silk Road shared the priceless gifts of art, architecture and...
Central Asia has a more colloquial name: the Stans. This vast region, stretching from the Caspian Sea to China, consists of Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, ...
Reviews
1 Reviews of Small group vacation to the Stans
5 out of 5 stars
Reviewed on 17 Oct 2019 by Ges Payne
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your vacation?
Walking in the Kyrgyz mountains.
2. What tips would you give other travelers booking this vacation?
Be prepared to be flexible, pack light.
3. Did you feel that your vacation benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
Interaction with local people was good. Difficult to evaluate environmental impact. Use of personal water bottles is a good idea, but drinking water is mainly
supplied in single use plastic bottles. Conservation is probably supported only by the fact that as tourists you bring much needed dollars into the country.
4. Finally, how would you rate your vacation overall?
Very good, a great way to see and experience five countries of similar but different cultures.
Responsible Travel
As the pioneers of responsible tourism, we've screened this (and every) vacation so that you can travel knowing it will help support the places and people that you visit, and the planet. Read how below.
Planet
We are committed to positive environmental impacts through our Responsible Travel Policy. As an overland company we have extremely low carbon emissions throughout all our journeys. This journey operates over 6,457 km departing from Nur-Sultan, traveling through Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan before concluding in Tashkent. We like to ensure that rail travel is used where possible, allowing for the journey to be shared between many. We also ensure to use experienced drivers who know the areas best when transfers are needed. This allows us to be confident there will be no risk of damage to the environment and local flora.We use local partners who work with us to design journeys an optimal way to limit our impact on the environment. We make certain to reduce plastic waste by promoting reusing drink bottles instead of buying bottled water. Where possible our clients stay in smaller-scale accommodation, such as locally owned guesthouses, in support of the local people.
We try to include as many local lunches, dinners and wineries in our journeys which enables us to spread economic benefits while also promote cultural understanding. We also make certain that none of our scheduled sightseeing visit zoos or orphanages.
People
We have a very clear mandate to support the local community and without these Local Partners our on ground experiences wouldn’t be the same. We have been operating journeys throughout Asia for over 50 years and strive to build on our long established reputation for having the utmost respect for the places and communities that we visit.We contract the services of local guides and City Ambassadors through our Local Partners. We use Djonghir, a trusted Local Guide from Samarkand for many of our tours. Djonghir loves showing our travelers the lifestyle in Samarkand and has even been known to demonstrate how to make local cuisines upon request. He wants all travelers to leave Uzbekistan loving it as much as he does.
In addition, we partner with local families, which we find not only enriches the overall experience but allows us to understand local traditions and create sound relationships between clients and locals.
We visit local markets where possible again helping to serve as an authentic and cultural experience and one, which maintains a closer bond between client and local. We always encourage our group to buy locally and encourage local trade and artistry.
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