Day 15
Monday, April 29
BISHKEK AND ALA ARCHA NATIONAL PARK This
morning you’ll drive outside of Bishkek with a stop at a traditional Kyrgyz
cemetery and an excursion to the Gumbez
(Mausoleum) of Baitik Baatyr, a respected tribal leader who in rebellion
against the injustices of the Kokand Khan killed him in 1862 thus paving the
way for the introduction of Tsarist rule.
Continue on to Ala Archa, a beautiful nature reserve, where you’ll have
the option to take an easy walking trail up the main gorge for spectacular
views of the Tien Shan Mountains. Enjoy
a delicious picnic lunch here before returning to the city.
This
afternoon you visit the State History Museum which has an excellent display of
traditional Kyrgyz culture including embroidery, carpets and entire yurts.
There are also rock paintings from Saimaluu-Tash, excavated nomadic adornments
from first to fifth century CE, Talas stones with runic lettering, and ancient
coins. Next, visit the Manas Monument dedicated to the national hero of the
Kyrgyz people and take a walking tour of the compact city beginning with Ala
Too Square. If timed right, you’ll see the ceremony of changing of the Guard of
Honor and the main government ministries in the Old Square: the White House,
Parliament building, American University, and another of the few remaining
statues of Lenin to have survived in Central Asia.
This
evening you’ll fly to Tashkent where you’ll be met and transferred to your
hotel for the night.
Radisson Blu (B, L, D)
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