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MIR Corporation · Rail Journey

Republics of the Silk Road by Private Train - Almaty to Samarkand

Fourteen-day Silk Road journey by private train across four Central Asian republics

Illustration of Republics of the Silk Road by Private Train - Almaty to Samarkand

MIR Corporation's Republics of the Silk Road is a 14-night journey aboard the Golden Eagle private train from Almaty, Kazakhstan to Samarkand, Uzbekistan, traversing four Central Asian republics and five UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The itinerary takes travelers through legendary oasis cities, ancient archaeological sites, and vibrant modern centers. Days are spent largely aboard the train, with guided off-train tours in each region led by local specialists. Stops include Lake Issyk-Kul in Kyrgyzstan, where travelers view Bronze Age petroglyphs and watch Kyrgyz hunting eagles; the Silk Road cities of Tashkent, Kokand, Rishtan, and Margilan in Uzbekistan, where travelers visit a centuries-old library housing the Uthman Koran and tour a family-run silk workshop; Khiva with its UNESCO-listed Old Town; and the desert museum in Nukus. The journey concludes in Samarkand with three nights of hotel accommodation to explore Tamerlane's 14th-century capital, the Bibi Khanum Mosque, and Registan Square. This trip suits repeat rail travelers, history enthusiasts, and those seeking guided luxury travel with comprehensive inclusions.

What to know before you look closer

  • The single supplement is substantial: USD 42,400 compared to USD 28,300 for double occupancy, nearly 50 percent more.
  • Only one departure is listed: September 2027.
  • U.S. passport holders require no visas, but citizens of other countries may incur visa fees depending on nationality.

Day by day

  1. Day 1railovernight: Almaty

    Almaty (Kazakhstan), board the Golden Eagle Private Train

    The journey begins in Almaty, Kazakhstan's largest city and a thriving business center situated amid the majestic Tien Shan mountain range. Visit Panfilov Park, a hub of the city and home to Zenkov Cathedral, and join your fellow travelers for a welcome dinner. Board the Golden Eagle private train to start your railway adventure.

  2. Day 2railovernight: Aboard the Golden Eagle

    Almaty (Kazakhstan), board the Golden Eagle Private Train

    The journey begins in Almaty, Kazakhstan's largest city and a thriving business center situated amid the majestic Tien Shan mountain range. Visit Panfilov Park, a hub of the city and home to Zenkov Cathedral, and join your fellow travelers for a welcome dinner. Board the Golden Eagle private train to start your railway adventure.

  3. Day 3overnight: Aboard the Golden Eagle

    Lake Issyk-Kul (Kyrgyzstan), Bishkek

    Enter Kyrgyzstan and examine petroglyphs and watch a demonstration of traditional Kyrgyz hunting eagles near the shores of alpine Lake Issyk-Kul. Then tour its capital, Bishkek, which is filled with striking Soviet-era statues and monuments.

  4. Day 4overnight: Aboard the Golden Eagle

    Lake Issyk-Kul (Kyrgyzstan), Bishkek

    Enter Kyrgyzstan and examine petroglyphs and watch a demonstration of traditional Kyrgyz hunting eagles near the shores of alpine Lake Issyk-Kul. Then tour its capital, Bishkek, which is filled with striking Soviet-era statues and monuments.

  5. Day 5overnight: Aboard the Golden Eagle

    Tashkent (Uzbekistan), Kokand, Rishtan, Margilan, Bukhara

    Arrive in Tashkent, Uzbekistan's capital and largest city, where a visit to a small library in the Old Town provides the opportunity to see one of Islam's most sacred relics - one of the world's oldest Korans. Visit a traditional silk-making family in the ancient city of Margilan and a family-run ceramics studio in Rishtan. In the town of Kokand, visit a 19th-century khan's grand palace. Spend a day in beautiful Bukhara, Central Asia's most ancient living city. Its UNESCO-listed Old Town encompasses more than 140 protected monuments, including the Labi-Hauz Plaza at the heart of the city and the Ark Citadel, Bukhara's original fortress.

  6. Day 6overnight: Aboard the Golden Eagle

    Tashkent (Uzbekistan), Kokand, Rishtan, Margilan, Bukhara

    Arrive in Tashkent, Uzbekistan's capital and largest city, where a visit to a small library in the Old Town provides the opportunity to see one of Islam's most sacred relics - one of the world's oldest Korans. Visit a traditional silk-making family in the ancient city of Margilan and a family-run ceramics studio in Rishtan. In the town of Kokand, visit a 19th-century khan's grand palace. Spend a day in beautiful Bukhara, Central Asia's most ancient living city. Its UNESCO-listed Old Town encompasses more than 140 protected monuments, including the Labi-Hauz Plaza at the heart of the city and the Ark Citadel, Bukhara's original fortress.

  7. Day 7overnight: Aboard the Golden Eagle

    Tashkent (Uzbekistan), Kokand, Rishtan, Margilan, Bukhara

    Arrive in Tashkent, Uzbekistan's capital and largest city, where a visit to a small library in the Old Town provides the opportunity to see one of Islam's most sacred relics - one of the world's oldest Korans. Visit a traditional silk-making family in the ancient city of Margilan and a family-run ceramics studio in Rishtan. In the town of Kokand, visit a 19th-century khan's grand palace. Spend a day in beautiful Bukhara, Central Asia's most ancient living city. Its UNESCO-listed Old Town encompasses more than 140 protected monuments, including the Labi-Hauz Plaza at the heart of the city and the Ark Citadel, Bukhara's original fortress.

  8. Day 8overnight: Aboard the Golden Eagle

    Nukus, Khiva, Dushanbe (Tajikistan)

    Arrive in Nukus and visit the wonderful Savitsky Art Museum, a remote desert museum, which houses the incredible life's work of founder, Igor Savitsky. Continue to the Uzbek city of Khiva, the last great oasis on the northern caravan route. Wander through the winding alleys of the UNESCO-listed Old Town filled with minarets, cobbled alleys, mosques, and the beautifully preserved Kunya Ark, the original residence of the ruling khans. Then enter Tajikistan and make a stop at its capital, Dushanbe, to tour the opulent, modern Navruz Palace.

  9. Day 9overnight: Aboard the Golden Eagle

    Nukus, Khiva, Dushanbe (Tajikistan)

    Arrive in Nukus and visit the wonderful Savitsky Art Museum, a remote desert museum, which houses the incredible life's work of founder, Igor Savitsky. Continue to the Uzbek city of Khiva, the last great oasis on the northern caravan route. Wander through the winding alleys of the UNESCO-listed Old Town filled with minarets, cobbled alleys, mosques, and the beautifully preserved Kunya Ark, the original residence of the ruling khans. Then enter Tajikistan and make a stop at its capital, Dushanbe, to tour the opulent, modern Navruz Palace.

  10. Day 10overnight: Aboard the Golden Eagle

    Nukus, Khiva, Dushanbe (Tajikistan)

    Arrive in Nukus and visit the wonderful Savitsky Art Museum, a remote desert museum, which houses the incredible life's work of founder, Igor Savitsky. Continue to the Uzbek city of Khiva, the last great oasis on the northern caravan route. Wander through the winding alleys of the UNESCO-listed Old Town filled with minarets, cobbled alleys, mosques, and the beautifully preserved Kunya Ark, the original residence of the ruling khans. Then enter Tajikistan and make a stop at its capital, Dushanbe, to tour the opulent, modern Navruz Palace.

  11. Day 11overnight: Aboard the Golden Eagle

    Shahrisabz (Uzbekistan), Samarkand

    Head back to Uzbekistan, make a stop at Shahrisabz, Tamerlane's birthplace and visit the UNESCO-listed ruins of his Ak Saray (White Palace). Continue to the Silk Road oasis city of Samarkand, the 14th-century conqueror Tamerlane's legendary capital, hailed by UNESCO as "the crossroad of cultures." Take in the massive Bibi Khanum Mosque, Ulug Bek's incredible observatory, and gracefully proportioned Registan Square. Your journey concludes in Samarkand with a farewell dinner.

  12. Day 12overnight: Samarkand

    Shahrisabz (Uzbekistan), Samarkand

    Head back to Uzbekistan, make a stop at Shahrisabz, Tamerlane's birthplace and visit the UNESCO-listed ruins of his Ak Saray (White Palace). Continue to the Silk Road oasis city of Samarkand, the 14th-century conqueror Tamerlane's legendary capital, hailed by UNESCO as "the crossroad of cultures." Take in the massive Bibi Khanum Mosque, Ulug Bek's incredible observatory, and gracefully proportioned Registan Square. Your journey concludes in Samarkand with a farewell dinner.

  13. Day 13overnight: Samarkand

    Shahrisabz (Uzbekistan), Samarkand

    Head back to Uzbekistan, make a stop at Shahrisabz, Tamerlane's birthplace and visit the UNESCO-listed ruins of his Ak Saray (White Palace). Continue to the Silk Road oasis city of Samarkand, the 14th-century conqueror Tamerlane's legendary capital, hailed by UNESCO as "the crossroad of cultures." Take in the massive Bibi Khanum Mosque, Ulug Bek's incredible observatory, and gracefully proportioned Registan Square. Your journey concludes in Samarkand with a farewell dinner.

  14. Day 14overnight: Samarkand

    Shahrisabz (Uzbekistan), Samarkand

    Head back to Uzbekistan, make a stop at Shahrisabz, Tamerlane's birthplace and visit the UNESCO-listed ruins of his Ak Saray (White Palace). Continue to the Silk Road oasis city of Samarkand, the 14th-century conqueror Tamerlane's legendary capital, hailed by UNESCO as "the crossroad of cultures." Take in the massive Bibi Khanum Mosque, Ulug Bek's incredible observatory, and gracefully proportioned Registan Square. Your journey concludes in Samarkand with a farewell dinner.

The moments this trip is built around

  • Day 1Board the Golden Eagle private train in Almaty after visiting Panfilov Park and Zenkov Cathedral, a wooden structure that survived an 1911 earthquake.
  • Day 3On Lake Issyk-Kul, view Bronze Age petroglyphs and watch a demonstration of traditional Kyrgyz hunting eagles near the second-largest high-altitude lake in the world.
  • Day 5Visit a small library in Tashkent's Old Town to see the Uthman Koran, believed to be one of the world's oldest, and tour a traditional silk-making family in Margilan.
  • Day 8Visit the Savitsky Art Museum in Nukus, a remote desert museum housing the life's work of founder Igor Savitsky.
  • Day 11Explore Samarkand, the 14th-century capital of Tamerlane, visiting the Bibi Khanum Mosque, Ulug Bek's observatory, and the Registan Square.

Included

  • Accommodation aboard the Golden Eagle private train.
  • Hotel accommodation per the itinerary (1 night Almaty, 3 nights Samarkand).
  • All meals starting with dinner on Day 1 until breakfast on final tour day, including a generous, though not unlimited, allowance of wine or local beer, soft drinks and water with all lunches and dinners.
  • Arrival/departure transfers, provided you arrive and depart on the tour start/end dates and in the tour start/end cities.
  • All guided off-train tours per itinerary.
  • The services of an experienced Train Tour Manager, with local guides for scheduled off-train touring.
  • Complimentary tea, coffee and mineral water round the clock from your car attendant while on board the train.
  • All gratuities.
  • Baggage handling.
  • Complete pre-departure electronic document that includes detailed packing suggestions, reading list links, country-specific information, maps, travel tips and more.
  • Electronic final update bulletin, with any late news, updates and important information.
  • Assistance booking your custom flight arrangements, on request.

Not included

  • International airfare or surface transport to the point of joining/leaving the tour.
  • Meals and drinks not specified as included in the itinerary.
  • Single supplement (difference between double rate and single occupancy rate) if requested or required.
  • Optional pre- or post-tour extensions.
  • Expenses incurred as a result of delay, modification, or extension of a tour due to causes beyond MIR's control.
  • Visa fees, if required (U.S. passport holders do not require any visas for this program).
  • Excess baggage charges, airport departure taxes, vaccination and other medical costs.
  • Travel insurance including cancellation, medical, and evacuation insurance.
  • Items of a purely personal nature (laundry, telephone, bar account, photography at museums, etc).

Questions travellers ask

Is train travel included in the price?
Yes. Accommodation aboard the Golden Eagle private train is included. The from-price of USD 28,300 per person covers the rail journey, on-train accommodation, and four hotel nights (one in Almaty, three in Samarkand).
Is this trip escorted?
Yes. MIR Corporation provides an experienced Train Tour Manager and local guides for all scheduled off-train tours.
What is included in the price?
Accommodation on the train and in hotels, all meals from dinner on Day 1 through breakfast on the final day, wine or local beer and soft drinks with meals, guided off-train tours, transfers, gratuities, tea and coffee on the train, baggage handling, and pre-departure documents.
When does this trip run?
MIR lists one departure in September 2027.
What level of physical activity is required?
Activity Level 2: Moderate. The itinerary involves walking through Old Towns, museums, historical sites, and archaeological areas.
Which train is used?
The Golden Eagle private train operates the entire route from Almaty to Samarkand.

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