Route of The Caravans

17-day / 16-night Silk Road tour; departures April 13, May 12, July 14, Sept. 8 and Oct. 6, 2013. Highlights: 11th-century caravan towns near Bishkek, KYRGYZSTAN / Almaty, KAZAKHSTAN / Akbar’s pottery house in Tashkent, UZBEKISTAN / visit artisans in Ferghana valley / Samarkand / Bukhara / Khiva / Khujand, TAJIKISTAN / Ashgabat, TURKMENISTAN. Land, $5,280. Single supp., $620. Bestway Tours & Safaris (Burnaby, BC, Canada; 800 / 663-0844).