Name: In the Footsteps of Alexander the Great
Brand: World Expeditions
SKU: N/A
Price: 3590 USD
Availability: LimitedAvailability
Rating: 5.0 (1 reviews)

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Read 42 traveler reviews on tours to Tajikistan Budget Trips & Packages.Compare trips from over 4 companies. Pick your perfect trip with confidence.

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Loved the vistas, people, food. Wish I could have seen more of Kazakhstan and Tajikistan but that likely needed a longer visit. Makes me want to come back for the Best of Uzbekistan leg.

G Adventures

Best of Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan

It is a fascinating part of the world with layers of history going back over thousands of years.  The local people were very friendly.

World Expeditions

It was a great trip and i would recommend Central Asia as a destination to anyone

In the Footsteps of Alexander the Great

Exodus Travels

Intrepid Travel

This amazing trip was like several holidays rolled into one. From the surreal 
weirdness of Ashghabat and Darvaza, through ancient archaeological sites to 
the stunning monuments in Bukhara and Samarkand, through the desert to the 
Afghan border then up into beautiful mountains, lakes, rivers and nomad 
camps, before descending back down to the modern post-Soviet cities… every 
day there was something new and wonderful to see.
So many! Ashghabat set us up with three weeks' worth of jokes; we all fell 
instantly in love with Bukhara; the necropolis in Samarkand was an unexpected 
delight; the drive into the Fann Mountains was a welcome return to awesome 
scenery, and the whole of Kyrgyzstan was jaw-droppingly beautiful, especially 
the ever-changing colours of Son Kul lake and the brilliant stars on a clear 
night.


Our fantastic tour leader Ale(jandro) was a major reason for the success of 
the trip - always on hand to organise things or deal with any issues, 
endlessly cheerful and calm, and full of entertaining stories about his 
previous trips. The local guides sometimes varied in quality, but the best 
ones were truly stellar - Bek in Uzbekistan and Valentina in Kyrgyzstan in 
particular were excellent.


The Tajik visa is valid for about 45 days, so allow a few days' leeway at the 
start rather than trying to calculate your exact entry date (a few people got 
this wrong and had to get new visas over dodgy Turkmen internet).
The Turkmen LOI can arrive very late, not the "month in advance" suggested in 
the trip notes, but nobody got rejected.
Take plenty of rehydration salts even if you have bowels of steel - nearly 
everyone had some troubles, and the salts are also good if you're sweating 
buckets (which will definitely happen at 46 degrees!).
Learn some Russian if you can, it's spoken almost everywhere, and will help 
you understand the bill at restaurants.
The transfer window at Istanbul Airport on the way home is very tight - do 
whatever it takes to speed things up, whether going through the VIP security 
check or hitching a ride with a motorised wheelchair (have some $$ ready to 
tip the driver), as you may have over a mile to run to make it before 
boarding closes - we all made it, but only just.


Make sure you have plenty of room on your camera memory card!

The Five Stans of the Silk Road

A great holiday with plenty of superb sites and stunning scenery.  One reason 
for calling this the Silk Road was that silk was used to pay people.  It 
started with the Chinese needing horses to fight the nomads from the north. 
By 53BC, Rome was spending half its silver production on silk and other 
products from the Silk Roads.  Rome also had to introduce modesty legislation 
because of the number of people wearing only silk.

Whilst Julius Caesar was invading Britain in 53BC, his friend Marcus Crassus 
was leading another Roman army to defeat by Persia, in an empire that 
stretched from modern day Iran to Afghanistan and north to Merv.  10,000 
Roman captives were sold at the Merv slave market to the Chinese, to fight on 
their northern border against marauding nomadic tribes.

The ruins of three cities can be seen at Merv, in southern modern day 
Turkmenistan.  The first was built by Cyrus the Great when he created the 
first Persian Empire. Next to it is the remains of the city built by 
Alexander the Great and next to that the remains of the city built after the 
Arab invasion, which was destroyed by the armies of Genghis Khan 1221 AD, 
with up to a million people being massacred.

Alexander is a hero in Turkmen, after he freed them from Persian rule.  In 
Uzbekistan, Timor is the hero, as he rose from hired sword to ruler of a vast 
empire, stretching from the Chinese border to Egypt, destroying many armies 
on the way.  He made Samarqand his capital and made it one of the greatest 
cities.

In Tajikistan, it is Cyrus the Great who is remembered, partly because he was 
murdered there.
In Osh, Kyrgyzstan, it is Babur, great great grandson of Timor and founder of 
the Indian Mughal dynasty who is remembered.  Although it is Manus who is the 
local hero.
Too many. Merv, Bukhara, Samarqand to name three cities.  The snow capped 
mountains, throwing snowballs and sweltering in the heat all on the same day, 
magnificent lakes, watching flocks of goats and sheep being moved to the high 
pastures and seeing the yurts of the shepherds.

One surprise was the large number of roses and other plants we saw in the 
first three countries visited.


Very good.  Unusually we had both a western leader for the whole trip, as 
well as local guides for each of the countries visited.


You may only spend one day in Kazakhstan, but a day time flight home, clouds 
permitting, gives you the opportunity to see the steppes and the salt pans of 
this vast country from the air, either through the window (book seat early) 
or as an alternative to a movie, using the plane's downward looking camera 
(which is an option in the My Flight screen).

On arrival at Ashgabat airport, you have to take your invitation letter to 
the Visa desk before going to through passport control.  The visa fee is also 
variable, partly depending on the exchange rate.  We also found the fee 
charged to individuals varied from a low of $99 each to a high of about $130 
each.

Beware of each fresh fruit and salad, it is usually washed in local tap 
water, which can cause problems.

Our costs per person were around:

Turkmenistan - 200 Turkmen Manat for food and photo fees (June 2019 rate 
4.42TMT = £1)

Uzbekistan - 800,000 Uzbek Som for food and photo fees (10,700UZS = £1).  
Spending in the markets, pottery, silk and carpet shops is extra.

Tajikistan - 380 Tajiki Somoni for food (11.93TJS = £1)

Kyrgyzstan - 2,000 Kyrgyzi Som for food plus 500KGS for optional Arslanbob 
jeep tour (88.24KGS = £1)

Kazakhstan - 15,000 Kazakh Tenge for food and market visit (481.79KZT =£1)

Istanbul/other airport stop overs - don't forget this.

Visa fees and tips are extra.

Istanbul

The Five Stans - A journey through history and the Central Asian Republice

An incredible journey across a region that has not always been easy to 
visit.The trip encompasses grand landscapes, huge distances and wonderful 
opportunities to learn much from the local guides. Bek in Uzbekistan and 
Aibek in Kyrgyzstan/ Kazakhstan particularly endeared themselves to the 
group, bringing knowledge, consideration and enthusiasm to the task.
The trip endeavours to give  wide and varied experiences and "gets off the 
worn track" with inclusions such as Termes, Uzbekistan near the Afghanistan 
border.
Expect to be amazed ! ... From bizarre Ashgabet, historically dense Bukhara 
and Samarkand, roadside interactions with local herders in their Yurt camps 
to stunning high altitude lakes.


For a trip such as this, which encompasses moving almost every day, 5 
currencies , many meal arrangements and visa challenges at borders, an 
extraordinary guide is paramount for success.
Our guide Alejandro (Alex) was without doubt the reason for the smooth 
progression of the trip. His positive manner, perceptive nature, great humour 
and organisation skills endeared him to us all.


Beware: The trip is exhausting (particularly with temperatures averaging 
around 40 degrees celsius in August for much of the trip) even though much of 
the time is spent sitting in the vehicles. Pack light but include extra 
layers for high altitude. Be very sure your visa arrangements are correct.


You will meet interesting people. Our group was well travelled, very 
interested to learn more of the region and well informed. It was great to 
share the experience and fun with them.

This is my 17th trip with Exodus and this has been one of the best so far, if 
not the best. There is so much to see, though there is quite a lot of 
travelling to enable this to happen. However the scenery, mostly deserts and 
mountains, are delightful. The accommodation ranged from the sublime (A 
Sheraton!) to the plain and simple, homestays, which gave us an even better 
chance to interact with local people. If you have the time to do this trip, 
do it, the scenery is stunning and the history of this region is the history 
of the civilised world. Brilliant!
Seeing the Gur E Amir (Timur's tomb) during the day and then again by 
Moonlight.


Suzie Grant's organisational skills are simply outstanding. Her experience 
and endless patience ensured that we all had a fantastic, trouble free trip, 
without feeling rushed or manipulated in any way. Don't ever let her go, your 
company will be much the worse for it


Go on this trip and maybe read John Frankopan's 'The Silk Road' first?

If you want to see classic Silk Road architecture then go to Uzbekistan.
If you want to see amazing mountain scenery then go to Kyrgyzstan.
If you want to see both of the above plus three other countries in Central 
Asia, whilst experiencing a wide range of 'best of' activites plus a few off 
the beaten track sights,  all crammed into three hectic weeks, then the Five 
Stans trip is the one for you.

My expectations were high, but this trip surpassed them.
I can't pick one, here are a selection of things that blew me away:
Surreal Ashgabat.
Beautiful Bukhara.
Samarkand.  Obviously.
The night sky (and entire yurt experience) at Son Kul lake


Suzie Grant is a one woman whirlwind.  She held our great group together, 
looked after us all, kept our spirits up and used her natural curiousity to 
help make it the best trip possible for us.   It was a privilege to travel 
with her.


Bear in mind that the itinerary is very 'full on' and, although I consider 
myself to be relatively fit, I was quite tired by the end of the trip.

That said, I am grateful for the opportunity to do so much in such a short 
period of time.


Just go.

A great trip covering a wide range of experiences - from Turkmenistan 
[Ashgabat with its somewhat bizarre architecture (the Wedding Palace being a 
particularly good, if that's the right word, example) and the welcoming 
wedding parties at the Arch of Neutrality; the ancient ruins at Nisa and 
Merv; and the burning pit at Darvaza among particularly memorable sights - 
all in the presence of a great local guide Jabar]; through Uzbekistan [with 
spectacular sights and sites at Bukhara, Samarkand and Shahrisabz together 
with the ruins of one of Alexander the Great's fortresses by the River Oxus 
all with the guide, Bek, who is probably the best guide on any tour I've been 
on]; Tajikistan [wonderful journey through the mountains to the gorgeous 
Iskanderkul Lake]; back into Uzbekistan [to learn about ceramics and the 
mechanics, and smell (boiling silkworm cocoons), of the silk industry; 
Kyrgyzstan [marvellous mountain scenery, great homestays, and lovely yurt 
camp (though be prepared for all weathers in one day - from bright sun to 
hail and lightning in  a matter of minutes)]; and a brief stay in Kazakhstan 
[could have stayed longer and got to see more of Almaty, etc]. Suzie, the 
British guide who accompanied the trip throughout was wonderful and made 
everything easy for us - without her it would have been a lot more difficult. 
Food was ok to very good (the meal at the family house in Samarkand and the 
meals at the homestays being favourites), but was very limited for the 
vegetarians generally. Hotels were good to excellent and the transport was 
fine, though the air-conditioning on the minibuses in Kyrgyzstan didn't cope 
with the high temperatures.
Visiting Samarkand - seeing Registan Square and visiting Timur's mausoleum. 
This made the history, culture, etc of the region memorable, and together 
with the whole trip, ranging from visiting 4th century BC ruins to seeing 
present-day life (from modern cities to semi-nomadic herders living in yurts) 
vividly brought to life how much this area has contributed to world history 
yet how little we hear about it.


Suzie was wonderful - she made everything easy for us, organising things so 
we had no worries, speedily and efficiently dealing with any issues that 
arose, and fascinating us with her stories of her earlier travels through the 
region and telling us about how things had changed in the intervening years.


While this is advertised as an easy/moderate trip it is a very full trip with 
little time for relaxing - this is not at all a complaint as the trip covered 
so many different aspects of life, culture and history in the countries we 
visited, but is more tiring/physically demanding than it might appear from 
the trip notes. Also, it is worth noting that the toilets are often of the 
squatter variety and not always in pristine condition - indeed, far from it - 
so just be prepared and always have some spare toilet tissue, just in case. 
Also, for any vegetarians be prepared for a distinct lack of options/variety 
in what is available.


A brilliant trip - thoroughly recommended.