Silk Road Highlights: Uzbekistan & Turkmenistan

Thirteen days tracing the Silk Road through Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, two countries that don't often make it onto the same itinerary. You move between ancient trading cities and desert landscapes, with plenty of time to take in the architecture rather than rush past it.

The route runs from Ashgabat and Mary in Turkmenistan through to Khiva, Bukhara and Samarkand in Uzbekistan, cities that built their wealth on trade routes and still show it in their mosques, madrassahs and old town walls.

This is a small-group, fully guided trip at a moderate pace, suited to travellers who want the history explained rather than just photographed.

What you'll do

• Explore Ashgabat, Turkmenistan's capital, where Soviet-era planning meets marble-clad modern buildings
• Visit the ancient city of Mary on the Silk Road route
• Walk the old town of Khiva, preserved as a walled open-air museum
• Take in the architecture of Bukhara, another major stop on the historic trade route
• See the mosaicked mosques and madrassahs of Samarkand, built under Tamerlane
• Cross the desert landscapes linking Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan