6


ASK THE EXPERT


Phil Ellis, product manager, Titan We’ve seen a spike in interest for the wider central Asia region recently, and in May, we launched our first tour to Armenia and Georgia, which has gone down a storm. We find the initial pull for clients is the ancient culture and history surrounding the Silk Road. Uzbekistan’s


shimmering cities such as Samarkand and Khiva are a major attraction, but there’s so much more. The people in these regions are welcoming beyond belief. When I was in Armenia recently, I was invited into a family’s home, and their hospitality just shone through. The food and drink also has a real honesty about it; there’s an abundance of fresh produce and you can pick apricots, peaches, cherries and other fruit fresh from the trees almost everywhere you go. Central Asia is still in its infancy in receiving modern tourists, and as such, it’s relatively unspoilt. It always delivers so much more than I expect it to.


ESCORTED TOURS SILK ROAD DESTINATIONS LEFT:


Samarkand, Uzbekistan


RIGHT:


Tian Shan mountains


BELOW: Kyrgyzstan


explore the best of it in limited time, suggest Mercury Holidays’ 12-day tour, which combines cooking classes and wine tasting in this striking city with visits to Khiva, a desert city known for its mud-walled, minaret-filled old centre; Bukhara, the holiest city in central Asia, dating back more than 3,000 years; and capital Tashkent, where intricate mosques and a bustling bazaar meet neoclassical buildings and cosmopolitan, tree-lined streets. Book it: From £1,569 including flights, internal travel, accommodation, entry fees and most meals. mercuryholidays.co.uk


4


KAZAKHSTAN AND KYRGYZSTAN: SAGA’S WHERE STEPPE AND MOUNTAIN MEET


Just as central to the silk trade was Kazakhstan, whose oil and mineral reserves have made it the most


It’s not all about central Asia and China – Europe was the end point on the Silk Road and at its core was Turkey


developed country in the ’Stans. Shiny, futuristic buildings fill capital Astana, while the Tian Shan mountains, lake-studded steppe plains and vast sandy deserts bring outdoor adventures into the mix. Saga’s Where Steppe and Mountain Meet packs in the best of it all, visiting impressive sites such as the rainbow-coloured Charyn Canyon and combining them with cultural exploration in Kyrgyzstan; think


ancient rock carvings, ornate mosques, artsy cities and abandoned Silk Road hotspots that whisper something of this region’s intriguing past. The best part? Most UK travellers don’t need a visa for either country. Book it: From £2,449 including VIP door-to-door service, insurance, flights, accommodation, porterage, entry fees and meals. travel.saga.co.uk


5


TURKEY: COX & KINGS’ – ISTANBUL & CAPPADOCIA It’s not all about central Asia and China – Europe was the end point on the Silk Road and at its core was Turkey. Cox & Kings has introduced a seven-day private tour visiting Istanbul’s highlights – the Blue Mosque, Hippodrome of Constantinople and colourful, sense- overloading Grand Bazaar, to name a few – as well as Cappadocia,


78travelweekly.co.uk15 November 2018


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