Caspian Odyssey by Private Train: Eastbound

Itinerary

• Days 1-3: Yerevan (Armenia), Lake Sevan, Dilijan
  

  Begin with a tour of Armenia’s capital, Yerevan, a city older than Rome, and a trip into the nearby mountains to visit the UNESCO-listed Geghard Monastery. Then head to Tbilisi, Georgia by coach along the shores of Lake Sevan, making a stop at the mountain resort of Dilijan.

  HIGHLIGHTS

  • Geghard Monastery, a UNESCO World Heritage Site built into the side of a mountain
  • The colonnaded pagan Temple of Garni, located on a cliff near the Azat River
  • Sample premium Armenian wines and learn about Armenian wine production at a local winery
  • The Cascade, a massive, magisterial staircase that functions as Yerevan’s main public gathering place
  • The Cafesjian Museum of Modern Art, which has a gallery within the Cascade and a sculpture garden set amid the steps and fountains
  • Brilliant, blue-green Lake Sevan – one of the largest alpine lakes in the world
• Days 4-6: Tbilisi (Georgia), Gori, Uplistsikhe, Mtskheta
  

  Entering Georgia, explore the red-roofed Old Town of Tbilisi, the capital city. Next, take a day trip to Stalin’s hometown, Gori; the ancient cave town of Uplistsikhe, where you’ll hear a private concert of Georgian songs; and UNESCO-listed Mtskheta, capital of the early Iberian kingdom.

  HIGHLIGHTS

  • Tbilisi’s landmarks: 4th century Narikala Fortress, 13th century Metekhi Church of the Virgin, the Mother Georgia Monument, and the elaborate residential architecture along Rustaveli Avenue.
  • Tbilisi’s Simon Janashia Museum, which features 1.7-million-year-old hominid skulls and a collection of ancient gold ornaments
  • The Stalin House Museum, located at the site of the wooden hut where the Soviet ruler spent his first years
  • The remains of the 3,000-year-old cave town of Uplistsikhe, carved into 22 acres of mountainside
  • A stirring concert of Georgian polyphonic vocal music, performed in Uplistsikhe
  • Mtskheta, a UNESCO World Heritage Site that was capital the Iberian kingdom and has two exceptional early Orthodox churches
• Days 7-8: Baku (Azerbaijan), Gobustan
  

  Fly by private jet to Baku, Azerbaijan’s capital, a longtime center of the Caspian oil industry with a UNESCO-listed medieval Old Town. A day trip takes you to Gobustan, an important site of ancient petroglyphs that are also UNESCO-listed. Two nights here are in a leading Baku hotel before a flight to Ashgabat on Day 9, where you will connect with the Golden Eagle train.

  HIGHLIGHTS

  • The winding streets, mosques, and tiny shops of Baku’s walled Old Town
  • Baku’s Beaux Arts mansions – the byproduct of an early 20th century oil boom
  • Gobustan’s petroglyphs, which provide a surprisingly rich portrait of daily life in ancient times
• Days 9-10: Ashgabat (Turkmenistan), Darvaza Gas Crater
  

  In Turkmenistan’s capital, Ashgabat, explore the flamboyant gilded architecture that has sprung from the rubble of a massive 1948 earthquake, as well as the huge $100-million mosque in the village of Kipchak a few miles away. The following day the Golden Eagle heads toward the Uzbek border, with an evening excursion to the flaming Darvaza Gas Crater, known as the “Door to Hell.”

  HIGHLIGHTS

  • The opulent new architecture of Ashgabat, which holds a Guinness record for the highest density of white marble buildings in the world
  • The $100-million Kipchak Mosque, with its 164-foot golden dome and room for 10,000 worshippers
  • An after-dark view of the flaming gas crater of Darvaza, set alight during Soviet times and visible from miles away
• Days 11-14: Khiva (Uzbekistan), Bukhara, Samarkand, Tashkent
  

  Three days in Uzbekistan take you to three UNESCO-listed Silk Road oasis cities: Khiva, with its distinctive dun-colored walls; Bukhara, site of the 2,000-year-old Ark Citadel; and Samarkand, Tamerlane’s blue-tiled capital. Last stop in Uzbekistan is the present-day capital, modern Tashkent, with its wide, tree-lined boulevards.

  HIGHLIGHTS

  • Khiva’s Old Town, a “living museum” that looks much the same as it did hundreds of years ago
  • Tash-Hauli Palace and Dzhuma Mosque, two of Khiva’s most impressive structures
  • Old Bukhara’s ageless domed bazaars and its central plaza, adorned with a reflecting pool
  • Ark Citadel, Bukhara’s huge 2,000-year-old fortress
  • Samarkand’s Registan Square, bordered by three beautiful madrasahs
  • The 14th-century conqueror Tamerlane’s architectural legacy in Samarkand, including Bibi Khanum Mosque, the largest of its day, and Ulug Nek Observatory
• Days 15-16: Almaty (Kazkahstan)
  

  On the journey’s last full day, explore Kazakhstan’s “City of Apples,” Almaty, set in the orchard-rich foothills of the majestic Tien Shan Mountains. The commercial hub of Central Asia’s wealthiest nation, Almaty is quickly growing and modernizing.

  HIGHLIGHTS

  • Lunch in a traditional Kazakh yurt
  • A farewell dinner in the bustling city