On the Silk Road in Central Asia

After you enroll, we’ll ask you to provide or update your personal information and preferences, which includes your health information, lodging and meal preferences for your program.

A passport is required for this program. It must be valid for at least 6 months after your return date.

This information about travel documents pertains to participants holding U.S. passports. Non-U.S. citizens should refer to their country's requirements to ensure they have the necessary documentation for travel.

Kyrgyzstan

• Your passport must have 0 blank passport page(s) for entry/exit visas in this country.

• A travel visa is not required

• The cost of this visa is not included in the cost of your trip.

Kazakhstan

• Your passport must have 0 blank passport page(s) for entry/exit visas in this country.

• A travel visa is not required

• The cost of this visa is not included in the cost of your trip.

Uzbekistan

• A travel visa is not required

• The cost of this visa is not included in the cost of your trip.

Tajikistan

• A travel visa is not required

• The cost of this visa is not included in the cost of your trip.

Turkmenistan

• Your passport must have 1 blank passport page(s) for entry/exit visas in this country.

• A travel visa is required and it may be obtained upon arrival.

• The cost of this visa is not included in the cost of your trip.

• You’ll receive detailed information about your required entry documents in the information packet we send after you enroll.

Please note: This program requires a single-entry visa, to be obtained at the border crossing into the country. The cost of the visa will be paid by each individual participant in USD cash, new or like-new bills. Participants need to have a total of $106 per person at the Turkmen border crossing for the $59 visa fee, the $14 migration card fee, and the $33 Turkmen rapid Covid test fee. You will be instructed to relay a color copy of the issuing page of your passport, a recent headshot, and answers to a short questionnaire to MIR Corporation several months prior to departure.

Please see your health-care provider approximately 4 to 6 weeks before your trip to allow time for your vaccines to take effect. Even if you have fewer than 4 weeks before you leave, you should still see a health-care provider for a medical check and advice about how to protect yourself from illness and injury while traveling. If your travel plans will take you to more than one country during a single trip, be sure to let your health-care provider know so that you can receive the appropriate vaccinations and information for all of your destinations. Routine vaccines are recommended even if you do not travel. Although childhood diseases, such as measles, rarely occur in the United States, they are still common in many parts of the world. A traveler who is not vaccinated would be at risk of infection. Examples of routine vaccines are the measles/mumps/rubella (MMR) vaccine, diphtheria/pertussis/tetanus (DPT) vaccine, poliovirus vaccine, etc.

If Road Scholar is arranging your air travel to and from the program, and you travel on the scheduled start and end dates, you’ll receive free round-trip transfers from the airport to the hotel.

Arrival day is on October 25, 2026

Meet the group at Dostyk Hotel in Almaty

Start of Trip:  Hotel check-in upon arrival. Orientation will begin on Day 3 at 5:00 p.m., followed by the welcome dinner. Sightseeing will begin in the morning of Day 4.

Getting to the site: Arrival transfers are organized for all participants who have purchased an air-inclusive program and will arrive on the program start date. Program Only Participants can take the group transfer as long as their flight arrives at or around the same time as the group flight.

Your trip ends on: Wednesday, November 11, 2026 in Ashgabat at Archabil Hotel

End of Trip: 9:00 a.m. after breakfast, flight schedules permitting, followed by a transfer to the Ashgabat International Airport for the designated group flight; 12:00 noon hotel check-out.

Getting to the airport: Departure transfers are organized for all participants who have purchased an air-inclusive program and depart on the program end date. Program Only Participants can take the group transfer as long as their flight departs at or around the same time as the group flight.

Information if you are purchasing your own airfare: Participants who have not purchased airfare through Road Scholar are responsible for making their own transfer arrangements to the first site at the beginning of the program, as well as from the last site at the end of the program. The Information Packet Road Scholar sends in advance of the program includes details needed to make your transfer arrangements. If you wish to purchase airfare through Road Scholar, please call (800) 241-1404. Please note: In the unlikely event Road Scholar must make changes to the program's arrival or departure details, we will notify all participants as soon as possible. Participants who have purchased Road Scholar airfare are protected against airline change fees; however, anyone who has not purchased Road Scholar airfare will be required to make their own adjustments and may incur fees imposed by the airline.