Arriving in Dushanbe in Tajikistan in the early morning, we meet our local guide and transfer to the group hotel. Your holiday begins with access to rooms for a couple of hours rest. After breakfast, we visit the botanical gardens and the local bazaar. Later, we drive to the village of Chourmash (2000m), the starting point of our trek. Approx 5hrs driving. Overnight in local homestay accommodation.

Our first morning we have breakfast at camp and pack up before setting off on a relatively easy trail that follows the local jeep track. Our ponies carry our baggage for the duration of the trek and these will be packed up as we set off. We walk through a very picturesque steep sided valley with lush green pastures surrounding the river that we are following. We pass through the traditional villages of Passroude and Morguzor, giving us an insight into how rural life works here in the Tajik mountains. Our first campsite is by a river in the meadows near the settlement of Sangi Safed (2452m). Here we meet our baggage and trek crew and set up camp for the night.

After breakfast at camp we continue our walk in a westerly direction following a further two valleys before taking the faint trail up to the Chapdara Pass (3430m). We have stunning views of the northern side of the rugged Chapdara Peak with possible glimpses of the glaciers coming off these high peaks. From today’s highest point at the pass we enjoy a steep descent to the shores of the beautiful turquoise-blue Alaudin Lakes. Situated in a rocky bowl and surrounded by stands of pine trees, this is a beautiful place. Altitude at camp 2777m.

We walk in a southerly direction today into the high mountains for an exploration day up to Mutny Lake (3500m). It's a 6km ascending trail with a height gain of 800m, leading through the gorge of the Chapdara torrent into an alpine world of steep moraines, rock walls and hanging glaciers. There are increasingly impressive views of some of the biggest peaks of the range, including Kaznok, Zamok, Energia and Chimtarga. On arrival there is a general lack of vegetation reaffirms to us that we are in the high mountains. The high camp here is the gateway for climbers ascending the glaciers of Chimtarga and peaks Energia and Mirali, the highest in the range. After some lunch and some time enjoying the views we return by the same route to our camp at Lake Alaudin for a second night.

Our trek continues westwards through this dramatic and stunning landscape. Our route descends slightly at first, following the river valleys and climbing up to the Kulikalon Pass (Laudon) at 3630m – our highest point on the trek. We then skirt around Alaudin Peak (4134m) for views of today’s destination the Kulikalon Lakes spread below us. The descent takes us down to these turquoise lakes with great views of the impressive ‘Kulikalon Wall’ of rocky peaks all above 4500m. We also have splendid views back towards the snow-capped summits of Chapdara and Bodhona. We set up camp near the lakes at approximately 2800m.

Our last day of trekking takes us on a gentle contouring ascent up to Choukrak pass at 3180m. We cross the high pastures, where local Taijik herdsmen spend the summer in simple huts tending their grazing flocks of sheep and goats. We then descend down to the shores of Lake Choukrak (2435m) before making the descent to the village of Artuch where we spend the night in friendly homestay accommodation. Tonight is a great opportunity to celebrate the end of the trek.

Today we say a final goodbye to our trekking crew. Our vehicles arrive early in the morning and will be loaded for our drive across the Tajik Uzbek border, near Pandjakent, to Samarkand in Uzbekistan. From the border it is just a one hour drive to Samarkand. On arrival, we check in at a our comfortable guesthouse in the centre of the old city.

After breakfast we start our sightseeing tour of this amazing town, exploring in the footsteps of Tamerlane. The visits today include the Gur Emir, where the tomb of Tamerlane lies beneath an enormous slab of dark green jade. The interior of the mausoleum is ornately decorated with blue and gold panels, which shine brightly. Our tour will also include the Bibi Khanym Mosque built for Tamerlane by his favourite wife, Bibi Khanym, and the Shah i Zinda, a mausoleum which is one of Samarkand's most atmospheric sights.

There is plenty to see in this town and we have a second day for sightseeing. Our tour of the city today will include the Registan, one of the most magnificent squares in the Islamic world and the undoubted highlight of the tour. The 3 Madrassahs (Islamic colleges); Ulug Beg Madrassah, Tillya Kari Madrassah and Shir Dor Madrassah, that border the square have been restored to their former glory. We'll also pay a visit to the astronomer King Ulugbek's observatory and the Afrosiab History museum. We spend a second night at the guesthouse in Samarkand.

After breakfast we depart for Bukhara. The drive is a scenic one across the Uzbek countryside and should take 4-5hrs. We should arrive into Bukhara in time for lunch. In the afternoon we head out to discover the old city. Bukhara is another important Silk Road city and dates back thousands of years. It is the most complete example of a medieval city in Central Asia, with a structure that has remained largely intact. Bukhara was one of the largest cities of central Asia, owing its prosperity to its site on a rich oasis and at the crossroads of ancient trade routes. It became a major cultural centre of the Caliphate of Baghdad in 709, and in 892 the capital of the independent Samanid Kingdom. It was destroyed in 1220 by the Mongol horde of Genghis Khan. Amongst the sites we will visit this afternoon will be the Ulugbek Madrassah and the Abdulaziz Khan Madrassah, the 11th century Kalon mosque and minaret, and the Poi-Kalyan group, including Madrassah Mir-i-Arab. We will also visit Tok-i-Zargaron, or the 'Dome of the Jewelers' before returning to our guesthouse accommodation.

This morning we continue our exploration of Bukhara with excursions to the Tim Abdullah Khan (covered market), where we find beautiful hand woven silk Ikat, the Magok-i-Attari mosque, the ancient Zoroastrian temple, the Kukeldash Madrasa and the Nodir-Devon Begui. We will also take a walk in an old Jewish quarter and visit the synagogue. The whole historic part of the city is, in effect, an open-air museum and we will have a full guided tour of the city known as the 'Pearl of the Desert'. Of particular interest is the Ark Fortress, former home of the Bukhara Khans, where, in the 19th century the Emir of Bokhara had the English officers Stoddart and Connolly imprisoned and killed. Much of the "The Great Game", the battle between Imperial Britain and Tsarist Russia for control of the Central Asian states was played out in this part of the world. We have the afternoon free in Bukhara before spending a second night at our guesthouse in the World Heritage Site of Bukhara.

Today, we make a reasonably early departure for the long drive to Khiva in the west. We first cut through the striking landscape of the Kyzylkum Desert before turning to follow the course of the Oxus River, locally known as the Amu Darya. Here, we are following in the traces of Alexander the Great, whose army passed this way in 329BC. Work has been carried out on the road in the last couple of years between Bukhara to Khiva and, but please note that in places the road surface is not in very good condition and the journey could take around 8 hours. On arrival into the ancient city of Khiva, which is close to the border with Turkmenistan, we check into our comfortable hotel which is within the city walls, with time to freshen up before dinner.

We have a day for sightseeing, with a guided tour of the city. Khiva is an ancient settlement, with a long and turbulent history. There may have been a city on this spot for more than 1500 years. More recently, Khiva was the capital of an important Khanate in the 17th century and was a major Silk Road trading centre. The Ichan Kala (historic centre) has more than 50 important monuments, including palaces, mosques, mausoleums and madrasahs (schools of Koranic learning). Later in the day there will be some free time to take it easy or to do some independent exploration. The ancient city looks particularly magical as the rays of the sun fade towards the end of the day - best viewed from the minaret of the Juma (Friday) Mosque. We spend a second night at the accommodation in Khiva. (Please note that the itinerary on this day can be subject to change depending on schedules/availability on the domestic flight from Urgench to Tashkent.)

After breakfast we transfer to airport to check in for our flight to Tashkent. Arriving into Tashkent we have a guided tour of the city before heading to our hotel where we have time to freshen up and repack ahead of our journey home. In the evening enjoy a final dinner together as a group to celebrate the end of our holiday. (Please note that the itinerary on this day can be subject to change depending on schedules/availability on the domestic flight from Urgench to Tashkent and the timing of the preferred international flight back to the UK)

You holiday ends this morning. An early morning transfer to Tashkent Airport is provided.