Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan have agreed to extend the route of the "Zhibek Zholy" (Jibek Joly) tourist train to Samarkand.

The second trip of the train departed from Almaty on 3 January. More than 100 tourists will have the opportunity to visit Turkestan, Tashkent, and Samarkand, with a stop in Shymkent on the return journey.

The five-day tour, which will end on 7 January, includes meals, entrance tickets to major attractions, guided tours, and transportation services.

The railway tour is organized by "Passenger Transportation," a subsidiary of Kazakhstan Temir Zholy, with the support of Kazakh Tourism. The first such trip was launched in November when a train from Almaty traveled to Tashkent for a four-day journey.

It is worth noting that in November, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev announced plans during a session of the Oliy Majlis to introduce mutual travel for citizens of Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan using national ID cards instead of international passports. Since September 2023, a similar arrangement has been in place between Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan.