Lewis & Clark College: Legends of the Silk Road
A Journey Across Five ‘Stans
Overview
This 20-day overland journey begins in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, and winds through Uzbekistan, includes a brief visit to Tajikistan, and continues onward to Kyrgyzstan, before ending in Almaty, Kazakhstan. Explore Turkmenistan’s white marble capital and flaming “Gates of Hell” desert fire-pit. View once-forbidden Russian avant-garde paintings in a remote desert museum, and trace the route of Silk Road camel caravans through desert landscapes, mud-brick Old Towns, and shady oases. As the terrain changes from desert to mountainous, learn about Kyrgyz village life and witness a wild game of kok boru, before finishing the journey with Almaty’s green boulevards and buzzing city life.
Questions? Contact LC Travel Program, Andrew McPheeters, Associate Vice President Community Education & Travel Programs, Mcpheete@lclark.edu | (503) 768-7936.
Reservation Details: Deposit $1,000 (non-refundable) due at the time of booking; final payment is due by February 14, 2026. Cancellation policy: If you cancel your trip, please notify MIR in writing. Upon MIR’s receipt of notice the following charges apply to land tours (except air tickets and visa fees): Cost of cancellation, if received: 89-61 days before departure, 50% of land tour cost; 60 or fewer days before departure, 100% of the land tour cost. To sign up please contact MIR at 800-424-7289.
Travels to: Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan
Itinerary
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Days 1-4: Ashgabat (Turkmenistan), Darvaza, Dashoguz
The journey begins in Ashgabat, capital of Turkmenistan. Explore the sites inside the city, taking in marble-clad architecture and the National Museum, and then visiting a horse-breeding farm devoted to the Akhal-Teke horse outside of town. Set off north through the Karakum Desert to the edge of the blazing Darvaza Gas Crater, staying in a traditional yurt camp. Continue across the rugged desert landscape and visit Dashoguz before crossing the border into Uzbekistan.
Note: The first tour event is a Welcome Dinner on Day Two, May 16. Arrivals anytime on the afternoon of Day One May 15 or anytime on Day Two May 16 are recommended. If you require check in on May 15 before 2pm, please inquire about an additional night hotel and private arrival transfer, at additional cost.
HIGHLIGHTS
- Welcome dinner with Turkmen folk show
- Full-day Ashgabat city tour with Sunday Bazaar, Independence Park, Oguzkhan Presidential Palace exterior, Ashgabat Olympic Village, Wedding Palace, Lenin Monument
- National Museum of Turkmenistan
- Visit to an Akhal-Teke horse farm
- Evening at the Darvaza Gas Crater with overnight in a traditional yurt camp
- Stop at UNESCO-listed Kunya Urgench
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Days 5-10: Nukus (Uzbekistan), Khiva, Bukhara
Explore Uzbekistan beginning with Nukus, capital of the Karakalpakstan region. Nukus is at the center of an area crisscrossed by old caravan routes and dotted with ancient ruins, and is best known for the Savitsky Art Museum where Igor Savitsky amassed his collection of thousands of banned avant-garde Soviet art pieces without interference from Moscow.
Continue to Khiva, part museum town, part re-creation of life hundreds of years ago. Stroll the UNESCO-listed brick alleys of the Inner City, then trace the route of Silk Road merchants as you make your way to the cool shade of Bukhara. Once the epicenter of the Great Game, Bukhara offers the best-preserved Old Town, along with mud-brick architecture and personal meetings with culinary and music experts.
HIGHLIGHTS
- View rare banned Soviet art at the Savitsky Museum in Nukus
- Wander Khiva’s walled Ichon Qala, with its palaces, mosques, and minarets, including Islam Khoja Madrassah & Minaret, Juma Mosque, Kalta Minor Minaret, Kunya Ark, Pahlavan Mahmud Mausoleum, Tash-Hauli Palace
- Cross the Kyzyl Kum Desert, once traversed by Silk Road caravans
- Visit the highlights of Bukhara, including the Ark Citadel, Trade Domes, Samani Mausoleum, Chashma Ayub Mausoleum (Job’s Well), Zindan Prison (Bug Pit), Kalon Mosque and Minaret, Magoki Attori Mosque, Jewish Quarter
- Enjoy a plov cooking demo and Shashmaqom music concert
- Toast the city from the Shukhov Water Tower
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Days 11-14: Samarkand, Panjakent (Tajkistan), Tashkent (Uzbekistan)
Continue to Samarkand, long a cultural crossroads, with stops at major monuments and after-hours access to Gur-Emir. A World Heritage Site, Samarkand is called “Crossroad of Cultures” by UNESCO. It has been visited through time by many of the world’s conquerors — Alexander the Great, Genghis Khan and Tamerlane – and bears their marks in its mosques, tombs, and architectural ensembles. Cross into Tajikistan for a day trip to Panjakent, where ongoing archaeological excavations and their associated mseum await. Then reach Tashkent, a modern capital and Central Asia’s largest city.
HIGHLIGHTS
- Enjoy exclusive after-hours access to Gur-Emir, Tamerlane’s resting place
- Explore Registan Square, Shah-i-Zinda, and Bibi Khanum Mosque
- Samarkand’s, Siab Bazaar, Afrosiab History Museum, Ulug Bek Observatory
- Bread-baking demonstration
- Day trip to Panjakent, with Sogdian ruins and local museums, including Proto-Urban Site of Sarazm, Panjakent Excavations and Museum of Archaeology, Rudaki Museum
- View the Uthman Koran, one of the oldest known, in Tashkent
- Visit Khast Imam Square and the Amir Timur Museum
- Stroll through the center to see Alisher Navoi Theatre (exterior), Courage Monument, Independence Square, Amir Timur Museum
- Enjoy an optional opportunity to ride the Tashkent Metro and shop the Chorsu Bazaar
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Days 15-20: Bishkek (Kyrgyzstan), Chong Kemin, Almaty (Kazakhstan)
Leave the desert and oases of Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan behind, flying to Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan’s tree-lined capital framed by mountains. Outside Bishkek get a hands-on feel for rural life and traditional Kyrgyz crafts. Learn how to make felt, setup a yurt, and cook Kyrgyz favorite borsook. Fly to Almaty, where leafy boulevards, market stalls, and cultural landmarks round out your adventure.
HIGHLIGHTS
- Try felt-making, boorsok baking, and yurt setup in Chong Kemin
- Watch Kok-Boru and a traditional Manas recital
- Hike Kalmak Ashuu Gorge and witness a Salbuurun demonstration
- Visit Panfilov Park, Green Bazaar, and Arbat Street in Almaty
- Enjoy a Farewell Dinner featuring modern Kazakh cuisine
Dates & Prices
Small group tour – max 22 travelers.
Land tour price, per person. Based on double occupancy and minimum group size of 10 travelers. Professor Maria Hristova and Professor David Campion from Lewis & Clark, will escort the group together.
Note: The first tour event is a Welcome Dinner on Day Two, May 16. Arrivals anytime on the afternoon of Day One May 15 or anytime on Day Two May 16 are recommended. If you require check in on May 15 before 2pm, please inquire about an additional night hotel and private arrival transfer, at additional cost.
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2026 Dates
May 15 - June 3Tour, double occupancy$10,995Single supplement$1,300
What's Included
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Tour Includes
- Accommodations, as noted in the itinerary. Please note that most accommodations are in standard hotels, while at Darvaza Gas Crater a yurt camp with shared shower and WC facilities is used. If you have questions, contact us.
- Meals as listed in itinerary, breakfast daily, 14 lunches, and 13 dinners.
- Special Welcome reception with dinner; and Farewell Dinner.
- Beverages at meals: bottled/purified water, soft drink/juice, tea, and coffee.
- A daily supply of bottled water.
- Arrival/departure airport transfers on the tour start/end date for designated flights. MIR can arrange for all travelers to be met upon arrival and seen off upon departure whether or not we make your flight arrangements for additional cost if outside of the included designated flight transfers.
- Ground transportation throughout tour by private vans or coach. (Type of vehicle depends on group size and terrain.)
- Services of a MIR Tour Manager escorting the group throughout the land tour program.
- Guided sightseeing tours and entrance fees, as outlined in the itinerary.
- Gratuities to guides, drivers, and other service personnel, including servers at group meals.
- Flight ticket in economy class with baggage one-way from Tashkent to Bishkek with taxes included (afternoon flight planned).
- Complete electronic pre-departure information with country-specific information and travel tips.
- Final electronic travel bulletin.
- Assistance booking your international custom flight arrangements, on request. (Please note, international airfare is not included in the land tour cost.)
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Not Included
- International airfare and taxes/fuel surcharges.
- Meals and drinks not specified as included in the itinerary.
- Single supplement, if requested or required.
- Expenses incurred as a result of delay, modification, or extension of a tour due to causes beyond MIR’s or Lewis & Clark’s control.
- Travel insurance including cancellation, medical, and evacuation insurance.
- Passport fees, excess-baggage charges, airport departure taxes, vaccination and other medical costs.
- Optional pre- or post-tour extensions.
- Items of a personal nature such as phone calls, email, laundry, excess baggage fees, photo fees in museums, and alcohol at meals if not noted.
Activity Level
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Level 4: Rigorous
Level 3: Medium
This small group tour features long days walking and standing while touring, long days of overland travel (some on poor quality roads or largely off-road), lengthy foot traverses of one border point while rolling your own luggage (with occasional carrying), unpaved sidewalks and streets, uneven surfaces and steps, absent handrails, significant stair-climbing, and absence of elevators. Only those fit to travel and who are willing to accept local standards of amenities and services, and the physical challenges, should consider joining this program.
Travelers must be able to walk at least two miles a day, keeping up with fellow travelers. A few drives on poor-quality roads may last as long as 8-10 hours driving time (with comfort stops). Some border crossings may require walking up to about a half-mile while managing your own baggage. Bags can generally be rolled during border crossings, but may have to be carried short distances in the case of uneven surfaces or a few steps up or down during the crossing.
There are overall shortcomings in the tourism infrastructure of these developing destinations, including some that can cause walking challenges such as unpaved sidewalks, uneven surfaces and steps, packed-dirt streets, broken pavement (streets or sidewalks), and a general absence of handrails or ramps. Some attractions are only accessible via steep staircases with tall uneven steps – these can also be spiral staircases and/or in narrow passages with limited light. Elevators are not available at touring sights, nor at a few of the hotels.
Past travelers have also encountered challenges with plumbing, bureaucratic service, variety of locally available foods, and availability and quality of public restrooms.
Accommodations vary from three to four star properties, and also include one overnight at a more rustic yurt camp (at Darvaza Gas Crater) with shared WC and shower facilities.
