South Kazakhstan

Day 1: Almaty - Chimkent 
Arrival in Almaty. Meeting at the airport, transfer to hotel. Accommodation.Breakfast. City sightseeing before lunch: Park named after 28 Panfilov guardsmen, where stands the ZenkovCathedrale, designed by the building master Zenkov from St. Petersburg. Built without any nails it nevertheless withstood a strong earthquake in 1911! In the park you will also find a huge monument to the Victory over the Nazis in 1945. The museum of national musical instruments, Medeo gorge- it has the world famous ice-skating rank Medeo, Republic square. Lunch at local restaurant.Transfer by car to railway-station Almaty II. We take a train to Chimkent city. Dinner.Night on the train.

Day 2: Chimkent - Turkestan 
Arrival in Chimkent. Breakfast. Transfer by car: Chimkent city - Shaulder village - Otrar ruins (156 km). Tour of Otrar ruins.City appeared in the VIII. and lasted about two thousand years, covers an area 200 hectares on the right bank of the river Aris. The city had a strong fortification, able to withstand the siege of any enemy. In XIV century in OtrarArystanbab mausoleum was built, the second most important monument of history and architecture in South Kazakhstan. Transfer to Arstanbab mausoleum XII c. (2 km). Tour of mausoleum. Transfer to Turkestan city (64 km). Of the South-Kazakhstan cities most well known conquered Turkestan. Located on a branch of the Silk Road in the XVI-XIX centuries Turkestan was the residence of the Kazakh khans. Favorable geographical position on the Silk Road Turkestan contributed to the development of trade. Lunch at local cafe.Accommodation at the hotel.Dinner at local cafe.Night at the hotel.

Day 3: Turkestan - Kizyl-Orda
Breakfast. Tour of AkhmedYassavi mausoleum complex: gallery of stone status, cultural-historical museum, historical (cultural sanctuary) museum "Azaret-Sultan", the Gates (Darvaza) XIX c., Esimkhan mausoleum (XVI c.), Rabii Sultan Begim mausoleum (XV c.), AkhmedYassavi mausoleum (XII-XIV cc.), "Zhuma" mosque (1878 year), underground mosque Khilovat (XII-XV cc.), oriental bathhouses (XV-XVI cc.). Lunch at local cafe.
Transfer by car: Turkestan city - Kizyl-Orda city (296 km). In 30 km from Turkestan to the left, the remains of ancient fortress Sauran (XII-XVI cc.) are seen. Sauran was one of the strategic and trade places on Syrdaryariver. In XII c. Sauran was a capital of White Orda. By XIV century Amir Timur turned Sauran into a military fortress (diameter 550 - 800 m) and its location on a Great Silk Road lead to prosperity. The most amazing thing in the city was a net of water canals made by hands. By XVII c. Sauran was already abandoned. Arrival in Kizyl-Orda.Accommodation at hotel.Dinner at local cafe.Night at the hotel.

Day 4: Kizyl-Orda - Baikonur
Breakfast. Tour of renovated building of a railway-station, built in the beginning of 20-th century.Tour of city museum.Tour of the city. Nowadays Kizyl-Orda grew up on the territory of Ak-Mechet settlement. In 1817 Ak-Mechet appeared on crossroad of caravan routes. In period from 1925 to 1929 years Kizyl-Orda was a capital of Kazakh Autonomy. Lunch at local cafe. After lunch transfer to Baikonur (267 km). In 77 km before Baikonur city we will visit a museum under the open sky Korkyt-Ata. This architectural complex is dedicated to philosopher and thinker of Kazakh people, founder of Kazakh stringed and bow music, Korkyt-Ata. Arrival in Baikonur. Accommodation at "Cosmonaut" hotels , in rooms where cosmonauts stayed. Dinner in the cafe, also visited by cosmonauts.

Day 5: Baikonur
Breakfast. Beginning of excursion to Baikonurcosmodrome. Departure from the hotel at 08.00 a.m. , in 400 meters we stop at check point where passports and visit permits will be checked by Russian police. At the entrance to cosmodrome there is another check point. From here unique buildings are seen to the left and to the right. Most of those buildings can be seen at Baikonur only. After documents check we proceed to launch complex "Proton" (55 km, 1 hour). A tour of "Proton". More than 90 different launches are done from "Proton" up to now.
Another check point and drive to universal launch complex of "Energia" (Energy) rocket. Tour of launch place of legendary carrier-rocket "Energia" and space ship "Buran". Those, who wish, may rise up to the observation platform, situated at a height of 80 m - cosmodrome and Baikonur steppe are perfectly seen from there. Transfer by car to the test complex of carrier-rocket "Soyuz". In the eighties "Energia - Buran" complex was built-up there. Transfer to space ship "Buran", which stands under the open sky. There we can see one of the "Burans". There were four space ships "Buran", made on that program.

Transfer to the ground №2, lunch in a cosy cafe where presentations and parties after successful launches and returns of the cosmonauts to the Earth are held. After lunch drive to Gagarin's start, the place is also called ground №1 (8 km, 20 minutes). After 108- minute flight of Gagarin on April 12, 1960 , the name o the ground remained "Gagarin's start". Tour of the launch place and monument to the first artificial Earth satellite. On the 21 st of August, 1957 the first artificial Earth satellite was delivered to the orbit by R-7, the first intercontinental ballistic missile. Taking pictures on the ladder of the launch complex. By September 2004, more than 420 launches of different space ships were carried out from Gagarin's start. More than 100 people started into the outer space.

Transfer to the museum of Baikonurcosmodrome (1 km, 10 minutes). Tour of museum: models of different space ships, personal things of Y. Gagarin, S. Korolev , space food, computers of the 50-ties, presents to the museum. After excursion tour of the memorial house of Yuryi Gagarin and his alternate German Titov, where they stayed a night before the launch. Tour of memorial house of general constructor Sergey Korolev. Transfer to the launch complex "Zenit", tour of complex. More than 30 different launches were carried out there. Return to Baikonur city (50 km, 40 minutes). Rest at the hotel.Dinner at the hotel cafe.Night at "Cosmonaut" hotel.

Day 6: Baikonur
Breakfast. Walking along the alley of cosmonauts near the hotel, visit to the sports center of cosmonauts training. Tour of Baikonur city: city museum of cosmodrome history, monuments to pioneers, Yuriy Gagarin, Academic Yangel, General Shubnikov (head of Baikonur city construction), General Nedelin. Monuments to "Soyuz" or R-7 space ship, dedicated to 20-th anniversary of Gagarin's start. Visit to international space school, city square, Gagarin's summerhouse at Syr-Darya river. Lunch and dinner at local cafe.Night at the hotel.

Day 7: Baikonur - Turkestan
Breakfast. Transfer by car: Baikonur city - Turkestan city (563 km). Lunch on the way. Accommodation at " Turkestan " hotel. Dinner at local cafe.Night at the hotel.

Day 8: Turkestan - Shymkent - Zhibek-Zholy (Chernyaevka) border crossing point
Breakfast. Transfer: Turkestan city - Shymkent city - check point on Kazakh-Uzbek border "Zhibek-Zholy" (Chernyaevka) (285 km). CrossingtoUzbekistan, meeting by Uzbek touroperator.