KAZAKHSTAN + UZBEKISTAN
WINTER NEW YEAR.

The day belongs to Almaty. We start at the Green Bazaar, a Soviet-era trading hall stacked with dried fruits, horse meat sausages and barrels of fermented kymyz. From there into Panfilov Park, snow on the war memorial and the eternal flame still burning. The afternoon highlight is the Zenkov Cathedral, one of the tallest wooden buildings on the planet, built in 1907 without a single nail. We close the day with a Russian dinner, pelmeni and borscht, the way the city has eaten for a century.

Morning, we point the coach east and drive five hours into the Tian Shan foothills toward Saty, a wooden Kazakh village above the snowline. After lunch, we trek to Kolsai Lake 1, sitting at 1,818 metres, its surface frozen pale under the winter sky. Back to the homestay for the headline of the night, a wood-fired banya, the Russian sauna ritual, sweat in the steam, plunge into the snow, repeat. Dinner at the family table, then dombra music by the fireplace.

Today, the two most photographed places in Kazakhstan. Morning at Kaindy Lake, where a 1911 earthquake drowned a forest of spruce trees, and the trunks still spear up out of the now-frozen turquoise surface. In summer divers swim between them. In winter you walk on the ice and look down. Afternoon at Charyn Canyon, the quieter cousin of the Grand Canyon, red sandstone walls dusted with snow, surreal at golden hour. Long drive back to Almaty, where we close the day at a stolovaya, a Soviet-style canteen, hot pelmeni and kompot on metal trays.

The headline day. Cable car up to Shymbulak, the biggest ski resort in Central Asia, sitting at 2,260 metres. Optional banya in the evening, then dinner is Georgian, khachapuri the cheese-bread boat with a runny yolk in the middle, khinkali the soup dumpling, kebab and a glass of saperavi wine.

A slow Almaty morning, coffee, brunch, then a couple of hours for local shopping. Pick up Kazakh felt souvenirs, leather, dried fruits, vodka if that is your thing. Afternoon, cable car up to Kok-Tobe, the hill that gives Almaty its skyline view. The Christmas market is in full swing, a Beatles statue is somehow there, and the sun sets over the white Tian Shan range. Back down for the moment everyone came for, New Year's Eve at Republic Square, fireworks at the stroke of midnight, the crowd in big coats and big smiles. After the countdown, into an Almaty club to dance into 2027.

A slow start, brunch at the hotel, last walk around the city centre. If you booked the seven-day trip, the coach takes you to the airport for your flight home, and you leave with snow in your phone roll and probably some ski-day soreness. If you are carrying on, it is a short hop to Tashkent instead, with the same group you just saw the new year in with. You land in a different country and a different century. Dinner, then an early night, because tomorrow starts properly.

Discover the best of Tashkent in one unforgettable experience.

Join a local guide and explore Tashkent through its history, culture, architecture and cuisine.

Begin your journey with a ride on the iconic Tashkent Metro, renowned for its beautiful Soviet-era architecture and uniquely designed stations. Learn the fascinating stories behind one of Central Asia's most impressive metro systems.Then the Hast Imam complex, the religious heart of the city, where the library holds what is said to be the oldest Quran in the world.

Next, visit the vibrant Chorsu bazar, the heart of local life in Tashkent. Wander through colourful market stalls filled with fresh produce, spices, dried fruits, nuts, traditional sweets and handmade goods while learning about local traditions and everyday Uzbek culture.

Continue to a traditional Uzbek baker, where you will watch fresh Non (Uzbek bread) being baked in a clay oven. Discover why bread holds a special place in Uzbek culture, and if available, a hands-on bread-making experience (optional).

Finally, indulge in 6 authentic Uzbek food tastings, featuring local favourites such as Xanim (Uzbek pasta), Samsa, Fresh Bread, Plav, Norin (hand-cut noodles and sliced boiled horse meat), Manti (Steamed dumplings). Learn the stories, ingredients and traditions behind each dish.

Morning on the Afrosiyob, the high-speed train, 250 kilometres an hour with a heated carriage, a restaurant car and a window seat. Two and a quarter hours later you are in Samarkand. We start at Gur-e-Amir, Timur's tomb, because nothing else in this city makes sense until you know who he was. Then Bibi-Khanym, and straight into Siab Bazaar next door for stamped Samarkand bread while it is still warm, which in January it needs to be. Here is the winter dividend: it is dark by half five, so the floodlights are on by 5.

Shah-i-Zinda first, a narrow corridor of tiled mausoleums climbing a hillside. In summer you would queue for it. In January you will have it to yourself, and tilework against snow is a better photograph than tilework against a coach party. A short train down the line and Bukhara is a different animal to Samarkand, lower, older, browner, and lived in rather than looked at.

We walk the trading domes on foot, the jewellers' dome, the cap makers' dome, the money changers' dome, all built as Silk Road crossroads in the 1500s, all still full of people trading, and all of them roofed, which in January matters more than you would think. Poi Kalyan in the afternoon and the minaret Genghis Khan is said to have refused to knock down. Later, Lyab-i-Hauz, where the pool from 1620 freezes over under four-hundred-year-old mulberry trees, and we go into one of the chaikhanas on its edge for green tea.

Join a plov party in and around Bukhara and experience one of the most important parts of local Uzbek food culture. This is more than simply having a meal, it is an opportunity to spend time with local people, discover traditional customs, and enjoy freshly prepared plov in a relaxed and welcoming atmosphere.

Begin with a warm welcome at a traditional local setting, where you can meet your local hosts and learn about Uzbek hospitality. Get introduced to the ingredients used to prepare traditional plov, including rice, carrots, onions, meat, chickpeas and traditional spices.

Watch the preparation process and see how plov is cooked in a large traditional kazan (cauldron), an essential part of Uzbek celebrations and family gatherings. While the plov is cooking, your host will explain the traditions and customs surrounding plov in Uzbekistan and why this dish has such an important place in everyday life, weddings, celebrations and special occasions.

Interact with local people, ask questions, take photographs and enjoy the atmosphere of a genuine local gathering rather than a typical tourist restaurant. When the plov is ready, it will be served fresh and traditionally, allowing you to taste the rich flavours of Uzbek cuisine. Depending on the season and occasion, the meal may also include traditional salads, bread, tea and other local accompaniments.

Evening, we leave Bukhara for Tashkent, and the last night of the trip is there.

Out of Tashkent, and home. Khayr.