Four Countries, Tian Shan to the Caspian: Almaty, Tashkent, Tbilisi and Baku, 12 Nights

You are met at Almaty airport and driven to your hotel, with the snow-topped wall of the Zailiysky Alatau rising behind the city on a clear day. Arrivals usually land in the afternoon, so nothing is planned. If you want a first walk, the leafy streets of the centre are pleasant in the evening and most restaurants stay open late.

A short drive up the gorge past Medeu, the high-altitude skating rink, to the gondola for Shymbulak. The lifts climb in stages to the top station, where glaciers and bare peaks fill the view and the air is noticeably thinner. Back in the city you walk the Panfilov promenade and the pedestrian Arbat, lined with street musicians, cafés and souvenir stalls.

The longest day of the trip, leaving Almaty around dawn. About three hours east is Charyn Canyon, where you walk down through the red rock towers of the Valley of Castles. Another 1.5–2 hours brings you to the first Kolsai lake, ringed by spruce forest. The drive back takes 4.5–5 hours, so you reach Almaty late. It runs from late May to early October; a night near the lakes can be quoted instead.

An early transfer to Almaty airport, usually before dawn, for the short flight west to Tashkent. The flight is not part of the land package; we book it alongside so the times fit. Your Uzbek driver meets you on arrival and takes you to the hotel. The rest of the day is free, which is welcome after the long Charyn day and the early start.

A full city day. The Khast Imam complex of mosques and madrasas keeps a very early Quran manuscript in its library. You see the Courage monument to the 1966 earthquake, the Memorial to the Victims of Repression and the TV tower from outside, then the memorial to Lal Bahadur Shastri, who died in Tashkent in 1966. Independence Square, the Victory monument, Broadway and Amir Temur Square complete the day.

A day out of the city into the western Tian Shan. The road climbs to Chimgan, where a chairlift carries you up the slope for wide views over the foothills. On the way back you stop above the Charvak reservoir, whose turquoise water fills a valley between bare mountains. Bring a warm layer, as it is cooler up here than in Tashkent.

An early transfer to Tashkent airport for the flight across the Caspian to Tbilisi. The flight is not part of the land package, and direct services on this route are limited, so a connection may be needed; we plan it with you when you book. A Georgian driver meets you in Tbilisi. Spend the evening in the old town, where wine bars and bakeries stay busy late.

The cable car lifts you over the river to Narikala fortress, with the old town’s wooden balconies and domed bathhouses spread below. You walk down into Abanotubani, the sulphur-bath quarter, then through the lanes to Shardeni Street, the sixth-century Anchiskhati Basilica, the oldest surviving church in the city, and the leaning clock tower of the Gabriadze puppet theatre.

North on the Georgian Military Highway, stopping at Ananuri, a fortress and church above the Zhinvali reservoir. The road climbs past the ski resort of Gudauri and over the Jvari Pass to Stepantsminda, where a 4x4 takes you up to Gergeti Trinity Church beneath Mount Kazbek. The pass can close after heavy snow in winter; if it does, we agree another day out.

An early transfer to Tbilisi airport for the hour-long flight east to Baku. As before, the flight is not part of the land package and is booked alongside it. Your driver meets you in Baku and takes you to the hotel. In the evening walk the seafront or the lanes around Fountain Square, where the city comes out after dark.

Inside the walls of Icherisheher, Baku’s old city, you wander between caravanserais and mosques to the Maiden Tower. Nizami Street leads to the funicular up to Highland Park, where the whole bay curves below and the Flame Towers stand behind you. The afternoon ends with a photo stop at the Heydar Aliyev Centre, Zaha Hadid’s flowing white building.

North-east of the city on the Absheron peninsula, the Ateshgah at Surakhani is a fire temple built around a courtyard, with cells once used by travelling merchants and ascetics. At Yanar Dag a hillside burns constantly from gas seeping through the rock. Back in Baku, finish on the Boulevard beside the Caspian. Gobustan’s rock carvings can be added as a separate half day.

A free morning for last shopping, perhaps for carpets, tea glasses or sweets from the old city. Your driver collects you in the early afternoon for the transfer to Heydar Aliyev International Airport and your flight home. If your flight leaves late at night, we can arrange a later check-out or a day room at extra cost.