JOINTLY ORGANISED BY SILVER HORIZON TRAVEL AND EXPERIENCE TOURS

10D7N CHARMING KYRGYZSTAN ~ UZBEKISTAN

06 MAR, DAY 01: SINGAPORE—TASHKENT: HY 552: 2220/0350 7 March

Assemble at Changi International Airport and check-in for your flight to Tashkent, Uzbekistan.

07 MAR, DAY 02: TASHKENT—BISHKEK: HY 777: 0700/0915 BLD

Upon arrival into Tashkent, proceed to the connecting flight to Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.

Bishkek city is the capital and the largest city of Kyrgyzstan. Bishkek is situated at about 800m (2,600ft) altitude near the northern range of the Kyrgyz Ala Too range. This range is an extension of the Celestial Mountains, which rises up to 4,855m (15,928ft) and provides a spectacular backdrop to the city. On the way you will pass a border control.

Upon arrival, meet by Kyrgyzstan guide and drive to the city (30 minutes) for sightseeing.

- Pobeda Square (Victory Square)—public square in the city of Bishkek, it is dedicated to the victory over Nazi Germany. It was created in 1984, on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the Liberation of the USSR. The square features a statue of a woman, waiting for her husband to return home from the war. The square is filled with an eternal fire, held together by three ribs of red granite representing a yurt. The guard of Honour company from the National Guard of Kyrgyzstan guards the eternal flame, with the changing of the guard ceremony taking place every hour.

- Duboviy Park (Oak Park)—one of the oldest park in Bishkek, and is home to an open air sculpture exhibition, as well as several important monuments and buildings.

- Central Ala-Too Square—Kyrgyzstan main square, it means “Great Mountain”, symbolizing the mountainous terrain and nature of the country. Ala-Too is a popular place for festivals, celebrations and holidays.

- National Philharmonic—snow-white building, in front of it is a square complete with fountains and a large statue of Manas. Around the base of the statue of Manas are statues of Kankei, Manas’s wife and Bakai, his spiritual advisor, as well as busts of famous manaschy, who knew and recited the Epic of Manas.

In the afternoon, we will drive to Ala Archa Gorge—a Natural Park. During the Soviet era, only VIPs had permission to go for a walk here. The Ala Archa Gorge is on a spur of the Celestial Mountain range. It covers an area of 20,000 hectares where there’s everything: mountains, rivers, pine forests growing on the slopes of the mountains. Ala Archa means “variegated juniper” that fully characterizes the diversity of pine and spruce forests in the reserve.After this visit, we drive back to Bishkek city for a traditional dinner and then check-in the hotel.Hotel @ Plaza Hotel 4* or similar

08 MAR, DAY 03: BISHKEK—ISSYK KUL BLD

Breakfast at hotel.Check-out and drive to Issyk Kul Lake.

Issyk Kul Lake, surrounded by the Celestial Mountains. It’s the second largest Alpine Lake in the world (1608 m above sea level). The lake is called "The Pearl of Central Asia". Due to the salty water, Lake Issyk Kul possesses curative qualities. You will enjoy a Boat Cruise on Issyk-Kul Lake.

On route to the lake, we will visit:- Burana Tower—construction dates from the period of the Karakhanid tribes which

owned the largest part of Central Asia 900 years ago. It was built from fired bricks and juniper beams. The tower is 21m high (originally was probably 44-48m) with diameter of 9m. Burana Tower was the vertical dominant of the ancient city of Balasagun, captured and destroyed by the Mongols and Tatars and stopped existing in the XIV century.

- Open air museum of Balbals—beside Burana Tower, the entire ground act as an open-air museum, with hundreds of balbals and petroglyphs scattered around the area. Balbals are stone idols (VI – X century), stones with petroglyphs (1 millennium BC).

You will have lunch in a home stay in Tokmok town. Thereafter, transfer to the lake for check-in stay and dinner. Hotel @ Kapriz Hotel 4* or similar

09 MAR, DAY 04: ISSYK KUL—BISHKEK BLD

Breakfast at hotel.In the morning, check-out and then set off to visit:

- Cholpon Ata Petroglyphs—the drawing themes are varied but the main pictures are of images of animals including deer, bulls, horses, wild rams, goats and wolves. There are also scenes of hunters, riders on horseback and many images of people. Most petroglyphs are dated to II millennium BC to VIII millennium AD. The petroglyphs of Cholpon-Ata and the whole Issyk-Kul region include ancient tombs, helping to point out of the exact date of petroglyphs and its first ethno-cultural identity.

- Rukh Ordo—an unique open-air museum on the shore of Lake Issyk-Kul in Cholpon Ata. The complex consists of 10 mini museums and includes five chapels, each of them representing one of the world’s confessions: Islam, Catholicism, Orthodoxy, Buddhism and Judaism as a symbol of the fact that God is one for all.

After lunch, drive back to Bishkek city for check-in and dinner.Hotel @ Plaza Hotel 4* or similar

10 MAR, DAY 05: BISHKEK—TASHKENT: HY 778: 1135/1155 BLD

Breakfast at hotel. Check-out and transfer to airport for flight back to Tashkent, Uzbekistan.

Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan, is an ancient city on the Great Silk Road from China to Europe. Little remains of the ancient city after the 1966 earthquake and earlier modernization work following the 1917 revolution. Tashkent is a very Soviet-era city that has little remaining from its ancient Central Asian past. The city has a mixture of modern new office buildings, hotels, parks and crumbling Soviet style apartment blocks. The streets are generally clean and there are not too many potholes in the city center.

Arrival Tashkent, meet and transfer to the city for lunch followed by our city tour.Tashkent city tour (modern and ancient parts):Modern part:

- Independence Square—Globe with the contour of the Republic of Uzbekistan symbolizes the recognition by the world community. There are the Cabinet, the Senate and the ministries on one side of the area, and fountains on the other side.

The “eternal flame” in honor of soldiers who died during the 2nd World War was established on the territory of the square.

- Amir Timur Statue—a bronze figure sitting on a horse, a famous motto of the commander, engraved in four languages: “Justice is force”.

- Alisher Navoi Theatre—built in 1947, the motifs of traditional Uzbek monumental architecture are used in the interior of the theatre.

- Museum of Applied Art—founded in 1937, has more than 4,000 items (wood, art jewellery, gold embroidery, carpets, paintings, ceramics and engraving). It was restored in 1941 and 1961 and in 1970, reconstructed as museum.

- Tashkent Metro (underground)—the first underground transport in Central Asia. Each station has its own unique architectural features: marble, granite, glass, smalt, art ceramics, carved alabaster, ganch and other decorations.

Ancient part:- Master class of baking Uzbek Bread—Bread is sacred by Uzbek people. As a

tradition, when someone leaves the house, he should bite off a small piece of bread, which will be kept until he comes back to eat it. Uzbek bread, generally called “Non” or “Lepeshka”, is round and flat and is baked in tandyr (clay oven), after which it comes out toasted and crispy. This is an experience that cannot be found by just moving from one historic landmark to the next. These are the people who are sharing their craft and culture with us.

- Chorsu National Oriental Bazaar—one of the largest and oldest bazaars in Central Asia. It is under seven huge domes covered with coloured glazed ceramic tiles.

Hotel @ Wyndham Hotel 4* or similar

11 MAR, DAY 06: TASHKENT—BUKHARA: HY 203: 0725/0835 BLDAfter breakfast, we will then proceed to the domestic airport for a flight to Bukhara.

Bukhara is an ancient city in the Central Asian country of Uzbekistan. It was a prominent stop on the Silk Road trade route between the East and the West, and a major medieval centre for Islamic theology and culture. It still contains hundreds of well-preserved mosques, madrassas, bazaars and caravanserais, dating largely from the 9th to the 17th centuries.

Bukhara city tour: - Citadel Ark—it’s a massive fortress located in the city of Bukhara that was initially

built and occupied around the 5th century. It’s a rectangle building framed by two towers with height of 1620m and length of 789m. According to history, Ark had repeatedly been destroyed but was restored again and again.

- Mausoleum of the Samanids—was built in the 9th century (between 892-943AD) by the great ruler Ismail Samani who captured Bukhara in 874 and became the founder of the Samanid state.

- Mausoleum Chashma-Ayub—an inscription near the well built between 1379-1380. According to legend, it has the connection with prophet lov (Ayub) who once travelled here during a drought and saved the local people dying of thirst.

---- Master class of Cooking Uzbek Plov—Surprise yourself and your mates. Indulge

yourself into the splendor of eastern spices and delicious food. Exclusive gourmets and connoisseurs of delicious food, it offers you to roll up your sleeves and set to the master class on Uzbek Plov. Uzbek Plov has 12 varieties and each has its exclusive taste and way of preparation. Do you know about peas, garlic, barberries, quince, dried apricot and raisins? No? In that case, grant yourself a pleasure and set yourself to gastronomic paradise for the class.

- Coumpol Bazaar, Medreseh Nodir-Divan-Beqhi, —built in the 16-17th century, Lyab-I Hauz Ensemble is still one of the major Bukhara squares. It has a large artificial pond (42m long, 36m wide and 5m deep) with Nadir Divan-Beghi Madrasah, Nadir Divan-Beghi Khanaka, both built in 1622, and Kukeldash Madrasah built in 1568 on the three sides of it. Lyab-I Hauz means “by a pond”. Bukhara once had a lot of hauz ponds; they were the main city’s source of water. In the early Soviet era, most of them were dried up, since they were also a source of diseases. Lyab-i Hauz pond, however, was one of the ponds left.

- Minaret Kalyan—one of the oldest monuments in Central Asia, it was used not only as a tower but as a patrol tower and later became the place for public executions. It is covered with ceramic tiles which represent geometric shapes: square, circle, semi-circle and triangle.

- Kalyan Mosque—it’s one of the oldest in Central Asia, and the largest after Samarkand Bibi Khanum Mosque, is the main cathedral mosque of Bukhara. Design features say its about the close connection to the Ulugbek era. According to an inscription, the mosque was built at the beginning of the XV century. The building has a vast courtyard, surrounded by galleries, square columns, covered with domes. The building can accommodate up to 10,000 people.

- Medreseh Miri Arab—built by Sheikh Mir-Arab and is buried there too. Extremely beautiful portal is adorned on the façade of the madrasah which is paved with coloured tiles, walls and arches with fancy ornaments and geometric patterns with glazed bricks.

- 1830hrs - watch the cultural dance performance at Nodia Devon Begi Madrasasi.

Hotel @ Asia Bukhara Hotel 4* or similar

12 MAR, DAY 07: BUKHARA—SHAKHRISABZ—SAMARKAND BLD

Breakfast at hotel.Check-out and drive to Samarkand via Shakhrisabz.

Shakhrisabz, the home town of Tamerlane (Timur), features a number of architectural monuments built in his and his dynasty times.

Shakhrisabz city tour:- Ak-Saray Palace—UNESCO World Heritage List, constructed in 1380 and completed

after 24 years. It consisted of a large number of buildings with coloured tiles, rooms decorated with golden sapphire.

- Dor-ut Saodat Complex—constructed in 1380, it was designed for the disposal of Timur and all his descendants. The main façade is a powerful portal with towers, unfortunately only partial contours survived.

- Jahongir Mausoleum—Jehangir was the eldest son of Timur but in 1376 he suddenly died. The mausoleum was richly decorated with gold, azure and tiles, garden with ponds.

- Dor-ut Tillavat Complex 3: Gumbazi-Seiidan, Kok Gumbaz Mosque—the Blue Dome was built in 1435 erected by Ulugbek in the honor of his father Shahrukh. The central domed structure with a diameter of 46m and is the only preserved item from this holy place.

After our tour, continue drive to Samarkand for dinner and check-in the hotel.Hotel @ Grand Samarkand Hotel 4* or similar

13 MAR, DAY 08: SAMARKAND—TASHKENT (HIGH SPEED TRAIN) BLD

Breakfast at hotel.

Samarkand, is a city in Uzbekistan known for its mosques and mausoleums. It's located on the Silk Road, the ancient trade route linking China to the Mediterranean. The historic town of Samarkand is a crossroad and melting pot of the world's cultures. Founded in the 7th century B.C. as ancient Afrasiab, Samarkand had its most significant development in the Timurid period from the 14th—15th centuries.

Samarkand city tour:- Registan Square—a huge square in the old town centre, on which stand three

majestic medieval universities—Ulugbek Madrasah, Sherdor Madrasah and Tilla-Kori Madrasah.

- Ulughbek Observatory—built in 1417-1420 by the astronomer Ulugbek and ruler of the state of Timurid. Architectural decoration is varied and rich. The mosaic decoration with geometric designs are above the arch made of coloured blocks and carved ceramics.

- Architectural Complex Shakhi-Zindeh—include more than 20 buildings, divided into three groups: lower, middle and upper. The top group consists of three

mausoleums; middle group consists of mausoleums built at the beginning of the XIV and end of XV centuries; lower group consists of two domes located at a multi-stage ladder.

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- Silk Carpet Factory, Hujum—silk is one of the most valuable fabrics in the East. The tradition of making garments and carpets of silk, has been passed from generation to generation since ancient times. Art of carpet weaving is the most valuable skill, because each house had several silk carpets. The art of weaving silk carpets is one of the oldest in the region. You can see many beautiful silk carpets, hand-made by Uzbek female masters here.

- Khovrenko Winery—wine is one of the oldest and popular drinks all over the world. Many called it “a gift of God” because it gives vitality to men and women. Uzbekistan isn’t an exception and locals honour the drink. The arrival of Alexander the Great spurred the development of winemaking in the region. At the same time, it was observed that the grape grown in the territory of Samarkand differ by it’s particularly sweet taste. However, in the VII-VIII centuries, the vineyards were completely cut down, and winemaking was discontinued. Production was revived again in the late XIX century, when the Russian businessman Dmitriy Filatov arrived in Samarkand. He didn’t only produce wine, but also introduce new varieties of grapes. Visiting the museum you can get to know more about the history of Samarkand wine making. Tasting wine is another interesting activity. There’s a special tasting room where you can try the most popular Uzbek wines. The main feature of Uzbek wines is their exceptional tart flavor and unique aroma.

After the tour, transfer to the train station to take the 1700hrs High Speed Train from Afrosiyab to Tashkent. Arriving around 1910hrs, transfer for dinner and then check-in hotel.Hotel @ Wyndham Hotel 4* or similar

14 MAR, DAY 09: TASHKENT—SINGAPORE: HY 553: 2335/1025 BLD

Breakfast at hotel.Check-out and transfer to visit Chimgan Mountains (100km, 2hrs)—the journey to Chimgan will pass by villages, gardens and streams. If the cableway is functioning we will take the 3km long ride ftom Beldersay Gorge to Kumbel Peak (2400m) where the longest ski track has its start. Have a walk in the mountain area. Free time (around 30mins) for photo taking and horse-riding. Continue to the shore of Charvak Reservoir, surrounded by

green mountain flanks. With numerous resorts, beaches and children summer camps, Charvak Lake is a favorite place of locals and foreigners to enjoy summer days outside the city. Drive down serpentine road to Chinara’s restaurant to have lunch under the shade of four giant plane trees. In the surrounding areas of the restaurant, there are unique petroglyphs, rock carvings made by prehistoric people, preserved for the future. Around 16:00 drive back to Tashkent for dinner. Thereafter, proceed to airport for your flight back to Singapore.

15 MAR, DAY 10: ARRIVE SINGAPORE

Closing date 31 December 2018

Included SIN-KL-Tashkent-Bishkek-Tashkent-Bukhara, Tashkent-SIN return economy air ticket by

HY-Uzbekistan Airways Samarkand-Tashkent One way economy class High Speed Train Singapore + Uzbekistan + Kyrgyzstan Airport Taxes, War Insurance Tax, Fuel Tax 7 nights hotel accommodation at 4 star categories hotels All meals (Breakfast at hotel, Lunch & Dinner), sightseeing, transfers, transport, local

professional guide & driver as per above itinerary Group Travel Insurance Gratuities for local guide & driver: USD5 x 8 days = US40 for the whole trip.

Excluded Personal Travel Insurance Personal expenses such as: hotel laundry, telephone bills, hotel room’s mini bar’s

drink/food etc.

RemarkAbove tour fare quoted is based on at least 16 persons to travel.All sightseeing and itinerary maybe reshuffled base on local situation. Experience Tours reserves the rights to amend/change the itinerary if there’s any unforeseen circumstances.