*********************************************************** August 24, 2010
New tour - West Africa’s Hidden Gems Departing on 27th December 2011 this new 40-day tour travels through Nigeria, Niger, Burkina Faso, Mali, Mauritania, Senegal, Cape Verde islands, Guinea and Guinea-Bissau More information
The first two weeks of West Africa’s Hidden Gems are spent travelling through Nigeria - and for people with limited time at their disposal we offer the opportunity to take this as a short-duration 17-day tour. More Information
The Horn of Africa - Omo Option Our pioneering tour to this remote region departing on 22 January is proving to be very popular and we already have sufficient passengers to justify its operation. As several of our regular clients who are taking this tour have already visited Ethiopia’s Historic Route (Lalibela, Gondar and Lake Tana) on a previous tour, we have arranged for their benefit an alternative tour to the country’s south - the fascinating Omo Valley, a remote area inhabited by more than twenty distinctive tribes.
Day 1 Wednesday: By air to Seoul - Morning Asiana Airlines flight from Sydney to Seoul (Korea). Stay two nights at Lotte Hotel
Day 2 Thursday: In Seoul - Morning at leisure. Afternoon sightseeing visiting Gyeongbok Palace National Folklore Museum and Cheongwadae Presidential Residence
Day 3 Friday: By air to Tashkent - Morning visit Insadong Antique Alley and Namdaemun market. Afternoon Asiana flight to Tashkent (Uzbekistan). Stay two nights at Tashkent Intercontinental Hotel
Day 4 Saturday: In Tashkent - Morning visit the Khast Imam complex, Barak Khana, Tila Shaikh mosque and archives. Afternoon sightseeing visiting Chorsu bazaar and Kukeldesh madrassah, Friendship Square and the Museum of Applied Arts
Day 5 Sunday: By air to Ferghana - Morning flight to Ferghana. Afternoon visit the bazaar. Stay two nights at Hotel Asia Ferghana. Day 6 Monday: Ferghana Valley - Morning visit the Yodgarlik Silk Factory at Margilan. Continue to Rishton to see the local pottery making followed by a visit to the house factory of master Rustam. Afternoon visit to the pottery museum
Day 7 Tuesday: By road to Khujend - Morning drive to Kokand to visit the Fort/Residence of Khodoyar Khan before crossing into Tajikistan. Afternoon drive to Kandibadam following the Syr River to Khujend. Stay two nights at Hotel Sugd
Day 8 Wednesday: In Khujend - Morning and afternoon sightseeing visiting the Grand Mosque, the mausoleum of the local spiritual leader, Sheikh Moslehuddin and the Panjshanmbe bazaar
Day 9 Thursday: By road to Samarkand - Morning drive to Penjikent to visit the ancient Seljuk settlement. Afternoon drive back into Uzbekistan to reach Samarkand. Stay three nights at Hotel President Palace
Day 10 Friday: In Samarkand - Morning visit Registan Square Bibi Khanum mosque and the Silk Road Bazaar. Afternoon visit Shahi Zindi necropolis
Day 11 Saturday: In Samarkand - Morning visit the Afrosiab Museum and archaeological site. Afternoon visit Ulug Bek’s Observatory and Gur Emir, the mausoleum of Tamerlane
Day 12 Sunday: By road to Bukhara - Morning drive to Shakhrisabz, birthplace of Tamerlane the Great to visit the Ak Serai Palace ruins, Dorus Tilavat seminary, Kok Gumbaz mosque, Dorus Saidat and the Friday Mosque. Afternoon drive to Bukhara. Stay three nights at Hotel Zargaron Plaza
Day 13 Monday: In Bukhara - Morning visit Labi Haus Plaza, Bolo Khauz Mosque, Kalyan Mosque and the domed jewellers' bazaar. Afternoon visit the mausoleum of Ismail Samani, Chasma Ayub and the bazaar. Evening folkloric show in a local Madrassah
Day 14 Tuesday: In Bukhara - Morning visit the Ark Fortress and Balakhauz Mosque followed by an excursion to Sitora-i-Mokhikhosa, the summer residence of the former emir of Bukhara. Afternoon free for walks to the covered bazaars
Day 15 Wednesday: By road to Khiva - Full day drive across the Kyzil Kum desert to Khiva. Two nights at Hotel Asia Khiva
Day 16 Thursday: In Khiva - Morning visit Ichon Qala Gate, Kalta Minor minaret, Kunya Ark, Rakhimkhon Madrassah, the workshop for handicraft development, the Mausoleum of Pakhavan Makhmud, Islam Khodja minaret and the museum. Afternoon visit the Juma (Friday) Mosque, Tosh-Hovli Palace and the Caravan Bazaar
Day 17 Friday: By air to Seoul - Morning at leisure for further sightseeing in Khiva. Afternoon drive to Urgench for the flight to Tashkent, connecting with the Asiana overnight flight to Seoul Day 18 Saturday: By air to Sydney - Morning arrival in Seoul. Day rooms at Airport Hotel. Overnight Asiana flight to Sydney Day 19 Sunday 15 April: Arrive Sydney - Morning arrival in Sydney
