30 Days Central Silk Route

Deposit & Payments

Book now and secure your package with only a $380 deposit per person.
Pay a 2nd instalment of $859 per person within 28 days.
You will then be invoiced for final payment 90 days prior to departure.
Booking Process

Select the purple 'Reserve Your Seat' tab to begin your booking (you must 'Sign Up' first by entering your email and creating a password)
Then select the purple 'Book now' tab of the tour you have selected
Select your Departure Date, Departure City, Number of Passengers, Room Configuration, any Upgrade Options, and enter any Special Requests
Click the purple ‘Proceed to Secure Checkout' tab
Enter your credit card or PayPal details to secure your deposit/payment. You may also pay via BPAY (not available within 70 days of departure)
Once your order is complete, you will be prompted to complete a Booking Form so that we can fulfil your booking
Your position on the tour will be confirmed within 48 hours of completing your order. If your place cannot be confirmed, a full refund of the deposit will occur

Day 1:
Freely explore the vast Osh Bazaar Bishkek's largest market

Entrance: Free

Explore Bishkek\'s past at the State Historical Museum on Ala-Too Square

Entrance: 150 KGS

Day 3:
Explore the beautiful Chong Kemin valley on horseback

2 Hour Horse Ride: 1,000 KGS

Head out on a white-water rafting adventure through the stunning Chong Kemin valley

Rafting: 1,800 KGS

Day 6:
Explore the incredible mountain landscapes of the Jeti Oguz Valley by horseback

Horse per day: 1,000 KGS

Trek into the wilds of the Jeti-Oghuz Gorge on the edge of the Tian Shan mountains

Full Day hike: Free

Day 7:
Visit a folklore demonstration near Kockhor where you can learn all about the handicrafts of the area see a fantastic outdoor concert of traditional music and help to erect a yurt!

Folklore Demo: 1,000 KGS

Day 9:
Explore Song Kol Lake by horseback

2 Hour Horse Ride: 1,200 KGS

Day 13:
Hike through the beautiful Walnut Forest

Walking Tour: 1,000 KGS

Day 15:
Explore the impressive 19th-century Juma Mosque in Kokand in the stunning Fergana Valley

Entrance: 1,500 UZS

Day 16:
Tashkent Chorsu Bazaar

Entrance: Free

Visit the religious centre of Tashkent at Hast Imam Square and see the Uthman Koran, believed to be the world\'s oldest extant copy of the Koran

Entrance: 45,000 UZS

Take in an opera performance at the neoclassical Alisher Navoi Opera and Ballet Theatre

Entrance: 30,000 UZS

Day 23:
See the Indian-style Char Minar Minarets four towers nestled in a maze of alleyways in downtown Bukhara

Entrance: 8,500 UZS

Visit the gruesome museum at the old prison of Zindon

Entrance: 4,500 UZS

Day 25:
See the beautiful turquoise Kalta Minor Minaret one of the iconic symbols of Khiva

Entrance: Free

Day 29:
See a myriad of incredible and impressive hand-woven carpets in the Ashgabat Carpet Museum (if open)

Entrance: 10 USD

Learn about the history and culture of Turkmenistan at the huge National Museum in Ashgabat

Entrance: 10 USD

Tour Kitty of USD $1000 per person is not included in the price and it is payable locally (refer to Important Information)
International Airfares
Personal Expenses
Travel Insurance
Optional activities
Anything not mentioned in the itinerary or optional

Comfortable Hotel 10 nights
Wild Camp 7 nights
Basic Hotel 5 nights
Homestay 2 nights
Yurt Camp 3 nights
Camping without facilities 2 nights

Accommodation
Dragoman's overland trips are designed for shared accommodation, whether camping or staying in hotels or hostels, and therefore do not involve a single supplement. Whilst our crew will do their best to accommodate couples travelling together in twin rooms, all our travellers should expect to stay in multi-share accommodation when staying in hostels, gers or yurts. The type, variety and standard of accommodation will vary greatly depending on what options are available at the time; hotels can vary from very basic rooms without electricity or running water to high standard hotels with good facilities! Generally in hotels most rooms will be single sex, twin-share, but in South America many rooms are triple/quad-share. Hostels, gers and yurts are nearly always multi-share and may be mixed sex.
The campsites will range from rather basic to those with excellent facilities, including swimming pools, restaurants and bars. In some cases it may also be possible to upgrade locally to bungalows, lodges or even tree-houses. One of the highlights of overlanding is that in more remote areas we wild camp away from the tourist crowds. Occasionally on some of our trips we are able to stay in villages or local homestays allowing us to get close to the indigenous population and ensuring that our money stays within the local community.

Single Supplement
We do not offer a single supplement during the booking stage, as this will be unavailable for camping with a full truck, and difficult to confirm in many hotels. However, if you would like to ‘upgrade’ to having your own room whilst on the road then this is possible if you pay the difference yourself, subject to availability. Your tour leader will assist with this as they make ongoing bookings on the road.

Group Size
The maximum group size we take on our overland journeys ranges from 19 to 22 depending on the geographical location; however the average number of passengers is more likely to be around 16. On some departures there may be more than one truck doing the same route. This means that you will be in the same hotel or campsite as another Dragoman group on some days. To ensure that you are not always at the same place at the same time as another group, your itinerary will most likely be slightly altered from the itinerary advertised on the website and in the Trip Itinerary. Even on the majority of our trips where there is only the one truck, you may from time to time meet up with other groups at points on the road, and may partake in activities jointly with other groups on these occasions.

Meals and Group Participation
On an overland journey you are more than just an individual passenger - you're part of the team. You are expected to pitch in to set up camp, shop for food, cook and generally help out. As part of your trip you will be assigned a truck job which could be collecting water and firewood, sweeping out the truck, loading the back locker, etc. While camping on overland journeys, the meals are included in the kitty. This means that you will have to work together to cook for everyone in your group. You will be divided into smaller units of 3-4 people and take it in turns to cook for the whole group according to a rota system. When it is your group's turn to cook you will have to plan the meal, shop for the ingredients in local markets or supermarkets and then prepare the meal for the whole group. The secret to cooking for 20+ people using a basic camping kitchen is to keep it simple! (On trips south of Nairobi we
have a cook on board the truck; however you will still be required to help them to prepare meals). An example of a typical camp breakfast might be toast with spreads, fruit and cereal as well as tea and coffee. When time allows it
will also be possible to serve something hot such as eggs or pancakes. Lunch is almost always a sandwich heaped high with healthy salad and assorted fillings, with fruit to follow. Dinner might be a BBQ, risotto or pasta dish and there is always the chance to try some local cooking. Generally our passengers find the more they put into a trip, the more they benefit from it.

Our Overland Trucks
Dragoman's fleet is truly unique. We use rugged and sturdy Mercedes-Benz trucks (known for their durability) that will take you off road and off the beaten track. They are specially modified at our workshop in Suffolk, UK, into our custom designed overland vehicles. Features such as our integrated cabs are unique to Dragoman trucks, and our customers regularly say that they make our trucks the best on the road. With their distinctive orange and white livery and their personalised names, our trucks have become iconic. All of our trucks are affectionately named and have their own individual personality. Many of our passengers remember the name of their truck many years after their trip!
Our trucks are fully equipped for self-sufficient wild camping, and have comfortable coach-style seating. All Dragoman trucks are owned and maintained by us, and our crew follow a strict maintenance schedule - this means we can manage the quality and safety of our fleet. We currently have 26 overland trucks (and 1 overland bus) on the road worldwide, and the fleet is growing all the time! For more information on our trucks, please visit: https://dragoman.com/overlanding/our-trucks/meet-the-fleet

The Kitty
In addition to the trip price on our overlanding trips, you will also be required to pay a kitty specified for your trip. The kitty is payable in instalments at the start of each section of the trip for combination trips, and in full at the start of the trip for individual trips. Each customer joining a trip pays their kitty into a central fund. The fund is managed by the Dragoman crew and the kitty accounts can be viewed by all throughout the trip. The kitty covers all things that the whole group does, such as:
• Hotel accommodation and campsite fees
• Meals whilst camping (not whilst staying in hotels)
• Activities listed as included (e.g. National Park or historical site entrances, excursions, etc.)
The kitty system is unique to overlanding and allows us to have flexibility and transparency on our trips. You can see exactly how your money is being spent and ensure that you are getting the best value by buying locally. It also helps to keep the costs competitive and save on administration costs so that we can pass the saving on to you. Dragoman makes NO PROFIT on kitties, as they are the group's fund. We constantly update the kitty prices on our website and the kitty advertised in the brochure is an estimate at the time of printing. Prices can go up or down with no notice, and exchange rate fluctuations will affect costs. If there is money left in the kitty at the end of your trip, then this is divided between the group and you receive a refund. Once you book your trip it is very important that you check our website on a regular basis and just before departure for any changes to the kitty amount. Some hotels and hostels increase their rates substantially over Christmas and New Year. Please therefore be aware that the kitty for trips in this period may be substantially higher than for the rest of the year and an additional amount may be required from you.

Paying your kitty
Remember to arrange to bring sufficient cash USD to pay your kitty at the start of the trip, or to arrange for prepayment (if available for your trip). If you choose to prepay your kitty then this must be done via bank transfer 3-4 weeks before the start of your trip. Please note that prepayment is not available for our trips to West Africa, Iran, Tajikistan, and any trip in Africa north of Nairobi. For more details on how to prepay your kitty, please refer to your Kitty Payments sheet which will been sent to you via email or visit this link: https://www.dragoman.com/files/Dragoman_Kitty_Document.pdf
If you are bringing the kitty out in cash, please ensure your USD notes are clean and undamaged and no more than 8 years old. If needed, your tour leader will be able to accept some of the kitty in local currency, and they will let you know the exchange rate locally. In most destinations you can withdraw local currencies from ATM machines, using either a cash passport or a credit/debit card. However, please bear in mind that most cards have a maximum withdrawal amount per day, local ATMs may run out of cash, and your bank could block the card despite you warning them of your travel plans, so it could be impractical to try to get the entire kitty out from an ATM.
Please note that we cannot accept traveller’s cheques on our trips.

Travel Insurance
Travel insurance is required to protect yourself against the unexpected. We have partnered with nib to offer our customers competitive rates for their travel insurance. You can book comprehensive or budget cover simply by clicking HERE to arrange your policy.

Visa & Passport information
It is the traveller's responsibility to ensure they have a valid passport. The passport must be valid for a minimum of six months from the intended date of your return.

Kyrgyzstan
Citizens of the UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, USA, Canada and most EU countries will not need a visa to enter Kyrgyzstan as a tourist for up to 60 days. Please note that citizens of Bulgaria, Romania and South Africa will need a visa. Citizens of other countries should check with the relevant consulates as to whether a visa is required. If a visa is required, you will be able to obtain it on arrival at the border - the cost will depend on nationality.

Uzbekistan
Citizens of the UK, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and most EU countries do not require a visa to travel to Uzbekistan for up to 30 days as of the 1st of February 2019. Citizens of the USA will be required to obtain an E visa to enter Uzbekistan as a tourist for up to 30 days. E Visa's must be applied for online and in advance - please go to https://e-visa.gov.uz/main to apply; it should take 1 - 2 weeks to be approved, then they will send a visa approval confirmation to your email address which you must print out to present at the border - the costs may vary depending on your nationality. Please note the visa's are only valid for 3 months from the date of issue. If you are asked to provide an address in Uzbekistan on your visa form, please use the address below:

Uzbekistan Hotel
45 Mirzamakhmud Musakhaov Street
Tashkent
Uzbekistan
Tel - +998711131111

Turkmenistan
Citizens of all countries will need a visa to enter Turkmenistan for up to 10 days. You will need a Letter of Invitation from a Turkmen agent in order tomake the visa application.Firstly you will need to apply for the Letter of Invitation through Dragoman - we will contact you to request additional information in order for us to make this application on your behalf. These support documents can take 4 - 5 weeks to issue, and will be emailed to you once they are ready. Please note that there is a risk of your Letter of Invitation being rejected by the Turkmen Ministry of Foreign Affairs which we have noticed has increased since last season.
Unfortunately the decision that the ministry makes is completely out of our control and often they will not provide a reason as to why they have rejected the application, which we understand can be frustrating. If your Letter of Application is rejected and you are part of a longer trip, we will do our best to help with making alternative travel arrangements until you can rejoin the group, however this will be at your own cost. We would also strongly recommend if flying into or out of Turkmenistan that you purchase flexible flight tickets in the event that your application is rejected.

Turkmenistan Letters of Invitation are typically issued once a day to the complete group of people that happen to have applied on the same day through the same agent; as such your name, nationality and passport number will appear on a list on the Letter of Invitation alongside other tourists who may be on your Dragoman trip or travelling with other companies, and this list will be shared with everyone on it. As this is a standard practice of the Turkmen Ministry of Foreign Affairs, we do not have any control over this and cannot get around it; if you view this as an unacceptable breach of privacy, then you will be unable to apply for the Letter of Invitation and will not be able to travel to Turkmenistan.



Yellow Fever
A valid international certificate of vaccination against Yellow Fever is required in many countries. You may need to present this on arrival at the airport or border crossing. Some countries will refuse entry if you are unable to present your certificate. It's also quite common for your home country to request a Yellow Fever certificate on your arrival back home. It is your responsibility to check with your doctor well in advance of leaving home about the Yellow Fever requirements for the countries you'll be visiting.
Malaria & Other other Mosquito-Borne Diseases
There is a risk of contracting malaria in some areas which we travel through. If your trip goes to a areas with malaria it is always best to get expert advice before travelling about the types of malaria pills available, whether they are recommended, and take any that are prescribed as instructed. Consult your GP or travel clinic for the most up-to-date requirements. Other mosquito-borne diseases such as yellow fever, dengue fever, chikungunya and Zika are continuing to spread and are becoming a bigger problem around the world. Mosquito bite prevention is vital to avoid contracting any of these diseases, as there are no vaccines or specific treatments available. Health professionals have issued warnings for pregnant women travelling to areas affected by the Zika virus. For more information about Zika please visit:
• WHO: www.who.int/en/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/zika-virus
• Center for Disease Control and Prevention: www.cdc.gov/zika
The Anopheles mosquitoes that transmit malaria usually bite between the hours of dusk and dawn, whereas the Aedes mosquitoes that transmit yellow fever, dengue fever, chikungunya and Zika bite both during the day and the night. To prevent being bitten, it is recommended to cover up by wearing long-legged and long-sleeved clothing, preferably light-coloured and buttoned at the wrists. Do not sleep without closing your windows, tent door, etc. and use a mosquito net in hotels or if sleeping outside where there are mosquitoes present. Use mosquito repellent applied directly to your skin or soaked into your clothing. Treating clothes and mosquito nets with a Permetherin solution also provides significant protection. It should be available at most travel stores. Mosquito coils are useful on still nights and in hotel rooms, but cannot be used inside the tents. For more advice on how to avoid bites please see: www.travelhealthpro.org.uk/factsheet/38/insect-and-tick-bite-avoidance
Vaccinations
Recommended vaccinations and other health protections vary according to different regions and recent bulletins issued by health authorities. It is essential to get the latest specific health advice on the regions and countries you are planning to travel in, so please check with either your doctor or travel clinic in good time before you travel. The following websites are also a helpful resource: www.nathnac.net and www.fitfortravel.nhs.uk

Contingency Emergency Fund
Sometimes, civil or political unrest, or reasons beyond Dragoman's control (e.g. a natural disaster), can mean that an itinerary is disrupted and we have to make a contingency plan. This may involve hiring alternate transport or even the whole group flying over an area. Although Dragoman will help organise travel arrangements, in circumstances outside Dragoman's control you will be required to contribute the additional costs involved and therefore we ask you to bring the equivalent of USD400 as a contingency fund. In almost all cases trips run smoothly and this fund is therefore never used. We also recommend that you bring an internationally recognised credit or charge card with a decent limit in case of emergencies, such as medical treatment en route, or even the need to be repatriated; though these occurrences are rare. Remember that travel insurance policies in some instances only refund you for expenses after you have already paid out.

A Few Rules
We expect all group members to act respectfully towards our staff and other group members. Bullying will not be tolerated. Engaging in commercial or exploitative sexual activities, committing acts of violence or threatening violence towards local people, other group members or any member of our staff is not allowed. Any customer engaging in such activities will be required to leave the trip immediately with no refund of the trip price. You must at all times comply with the laws, customs, foreign exchange and drug regulations of all countries visited and conduct yourself in accordance with our responsible travel policy. Any customer found contravening such laws or regulations will be required to leave the trip immediately with no refund of the trip price. Although we are aware that in some parts of the world taking, carrying or selling drugs, or carrying weapons may be legal, it is not acceptable for Dragoman customers and our tour leaders have the right to ask you to leave the trip immediately with no refund of the trip price if you are found to be engaging in such activities.

Issues on the trip
While we always endeavour to provide the best possible holiday experience, due to the nature of travel and the areas we visit sometimes things can and do go wrong. Should any issue occur while you are on your trip, it is imperative that you discuss this with your group leader or our local partner straight away so that they can do their best to rectify the problem and save any potential negative impact on the rest of your trip. We recognise that there may be times when your group leader may not be able to resolve a situation to your satisfaction. If this is the case please contact our customer relations department on customer-relations@dragoman.co.uk. You may also choose to provide details in your feedback questionnaire which we ask you to complete at the end of your trip, but we do ask you to be aware that it is very difficult for us to provide any practical help after the trip is complete

Triple Share
Not available.

Children
Children must be 18 years old or over and share a room with parents at all times. Children are charged the same price as adults.

Tour Documentation
Final documentation will be provided approximately 30 days prior to travel.