Silk Way Express Vol. 2: More stops, bigger fare

New tour includes more stops and covers more sites / Photo: Rail-news.kz, photo editor: Milosh Muratovskiy

The second tour of Kazakhstani Jibek Joly (Silk Way) excursion train is set to launch as early as January 2025. The ticket price is now tied to the U.S. dollar exchange rate. It has also been raised due to the addition of two towns on the route. Tourists will enjoy a journey starting and ending in Almaty, passing through Turkestan, Tashkent, Samarkand and Shymkent.

«Passengers will spend a full day in Turkestan, visiting the Mausoleums of Khoja Ahmed Yasawi and Arystan Bab, the Otyrar Museum and other sites. The Tashkent tour includes stops at the Hazrati Imam Complex, Barak-Khan Madrassah, Mausoleum of Qaffol Shoshi and Tole Biy. Additionally, tourists will visit Magic City theme park,» the statement read.

The Samarkand program features the Shah-i-Zinda Ensemble, the Gur-e-Amir Mausoleum, Registan Square, and the Madrassahs of Sher-Dor, Tilya-Kori, and Ulugbek. The itinerary also includes visits to key sites in Shymkent to get acquainted with the region’s history and culture.

The package price includes the excursion train ride, a guided excursion program, tours with entry tickets and transportation.

According to the Khan Turan Travel agency, the adult fare is $320, while the child fare (aged 5 to 14) is $240.

«Payment transactions are carried out exclusively in national currency, the tenge, based on the commercial dollar exchange rate as of the day of payment. The travel agent reserves the right to modify the program and tour cost,» the travel agency noted in a statement.

The duration of the second tour is planned to cover five days, from Jan. 2 to Jan. 7, 2025.

In November, the first test tour was launched from Almaty to Tashkent with stops in Turkestan and Tashkent. Slightly over 100 Kazakhstanis enjoyed the first ride. The ticket for that journey cost around $271.53.  

Various experts predict that the dollar-to-tenge exchange rate will reach 524.1 tenge per dollar within a month, and 545.2 tenge per dollar in the 12-month outlook.