Our Silk Road holidays & tours
Travelling overland on one of our small group holidays is the most enjoyable, most immersive way to explore the Silk Road – the vast network of ancient trade routes that linked Asia and the Middle East with Europe. Our Silk Road holidays take their time tracing the fascinating history of different routes through the ‘Stans, China and Iran, past cities such as Samarkand, and through remote areas that rarely benefit from tourism, where local guides are an invaluable key to understanding the culture. Staying in a succession of small, family-owned accommodation throughout, you’ll gain a deeper understanding of traditional ways of life in communities along the way.
Our top Silk Road holidays
The Silk Road small group tour
From
£3949 to £4949
17 days
inc UK flights
Discover the Silk Road in Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and China
Small group2024: 18 Sep, 25 Sep, 16 Oct, 2025: 9 Apr, 23 Apr, 21 May, 4 Jun, 11 Jun, 18 Jun, 16 Jul, 6 Aug, 13 Aug, 20 Aug, 27 Aug, 3 Sep, 10 Sep, 17 Sep, 24 Sep, 8 Oct, 15 Oct
The five Stans of the Silk Road holiday
From
£5499
21 days
ex flights
Journey through the 5 Stans of Central Asia
Small group2025: 5 May, 26 May, 30 Jun, 11 Aug, 15 Sep, 22 Sep
Uzbekistan & Turkmenistan holiday, Silk Road explorer
From
£2999
16 days
ex flights
Discover the fascinating ancient history of the Silk Road
Small group2025: 19 Apr, 13 Sep
Contact Us
Call us for a chat about our holidays. We are happy to discuss your holiday and help in any way we can. No bots, queues or awful hold music.
01273 823 700
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Calling from outside the UK
Uzbekistan tour, Road to Samarkand
From
£1720 to £2105
11 days
ex flights
Travel the ancient Silk Road through remote Central Asia.
Small group2024: 21 Sep, 28 Sep, 1 Oct, 12 Oct, 2025: 15 Mar, 29 Mar, 5 Apr, 12 Apr, 10 May, 17 May, 31 May, 7 Jun, 2 Aug, 9 Aug, 30 Aug, 6 Sep, 13 Sep, 20 Sep, 27 Sep, 30 Sep, 4 Oct, 11 Oct, 25 Oct
Central Asia overland tour, the stans
From
£6099 to £6199
26 days
ex flights
An epic journey through the five 'stans' of Central Asia
Small group2025: 24 May, 30 Aug
Silk Road highlights tour
From
£0
0 days
ex flights
Travel the world's famous highway; the Silk Road
Small group
Silk Road holiday, small group
From
£4475
15 days
ex flights
Discover amazing Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and Tajikistan
Small group2025: 13 Apr, 7 Sep, 2026: 12 Apr, 6 Sep
Silk Road & Caucasus tour
From
£5352
4 weeks
ex flights
Explore the secrets of Central Asia and the Caucasus
Small group
Himalayan Silk Road adventure
From
£4295
16 days
ex flights
Travel India's Silk Road from Kashmir to Ladakh
Small group2025: 20 Jul
About our Silk Road holidays
The history of the Silk Road
The illuminating stories told by our local guides can help unravel the mysterious histories of the Silk Road. The road’s inception dates back to around 114BC, when China’s Han dynasty began to expand its influence, opening up new trade routes. Along with tea, perfumes, paper and (of course) silk, new cultures, languages and architecture travelled from east to west. In return, people ventured east, including Marco Polo, who is known to have followed the Silk Road from Europe to China. The Han dynasty met the Roman Empire in Central Asia, allowing the cities along this network of routes to profit from even more cultural exchange.
Travel advice
Given the number of available routes for Silk Road holidays, and the sheer amount there is to see in cities from Tashkent to Almaty, and Samarkand to Bukhara, you’ll find our Silk Road travel advice a veritable goldmine of useful tips. We’ve tapped our Silk Road holiday experts for their thoughts on things like how to cope with long road journeys pitted with potholes, what to pack, what to expect from the cuisine, and where to shop for the best traditional handicrafts. You’ll also find handy Silk Road health and safety advice, and some first-hand knowledge from previous travellers.
Small group Silk Road holidays
In past centuries, merchants and traders on the Silk Road would wisely travel together for safety. While bandit raids are a thing of the past, our small group holidays remain the best way to explore the Silk Road. You can travel classic routes knowing that all the logistics – from visas to accommodation – have been sorted out by the professionals. Our groups are accompanied throughout by local guides adept at introducing you to people and their culture along the way. You also benefit from their social aspect, bonding quickly with like-minded travellers on a two- or three-week trip through the Stans.
