Discover Uzbekistan
Tour Highlights
- Explore Uzbekistan’s cosmopolitan capital Tashkent
- Visit the colossal Kalta Minor Minaret
- Discover Bukhara, Central Asia’s holiest city
- Delight in a Khoresmian Folk show with dinner in Khiva
- Visit the ruins of the gleaming white Ak Saray Palace in Shakrisabz
- Follow an ancient trading route across the Kyzyl Kum desert
- Visit to magnificent Registan square in Samarkand
- Enjoy a cookery class with a local family in Bukhara
Itinerary
Tashkent
On arrival in Tashkent, you will be met by a local guide and transferred to your hotel. The rest of the day is leisure to relax or explore the tree-lined streets and green spaces of Uzbekistan's cosmopolitan capital. Enjoy a welcome dinner this evening.
Tashkent to Khiva
After breakfast, enjoy a cultural tour of Tashkent starting with Hast Imam Square. Built on the tomb of known scientist, scholar, and craftsman Hazrati Imam, the square is the religious center of Tashkent and home to a number of beautiful mosques, monuments, and madrasas. A madrasa is a center of Islamic learning and there are some excellent medieval examples here such as the elegant blue-domed Barak-Khan Madrasa with its imposing, but no less elegant gateway, as well as the Muyi Muborak Madrasa with its intricately carved ceilings and ancient manuscripts, including the Osman Koran, considered to be the oldest copy of the Koran in the world. In contrast to these 16th Century sites, you'll then visit the Chorsu Bazaar and experience the hustle and bustle of everyday Central Asian life as everything from spices, grains, and fruits are sold. This is followed by a visit to the Alisher Navoi Opera and Ballet Theatre built in neoclassical style by famous Russian architect Alexey Shchusey. Finally, you'll pay a visit to Mustaqilik (Independence Square) home to the country's senate and government buildings, before catching a flight to Urgench for your transfer to Khiva.
Khiva
An important trading post on the Silk Road for centuries due to its position halfway between China and Rome, Khiva is a colorful treat for the eyes and a UNESCO-listed treasure that feels more like an open-air museum than a functioning city. Today, you'll get the chance to wander its ancient streets and discover a millennium of history on a fascinating guided tour. Gaze up at the imposing mud-brick walls of Ichan Kala, Khiva's inner city; explore the 12th-century fortress of Kuhna Ark and wonder at the intricately tiled Pahlawan Mahmud Mausoleum, built in honor of the brave wrestler, Philosopher and patron-saint hero Pahlavan Mahmoud.
Khiva to Bukhara
After breakfast, transfer from Khiva to Bukhara. There will be some comfort stops along the way. Upon arrival, you will have time to explore the local area on your own.
Bukhara
One of the most ancient cities in Uzbekistan, Bukhara is over 3000 years old and dates back to nearly a thousand years before Alexander the Great's conquest of Central Asia. Like most historic cities in Uzbekistan, it was an important trading post along the Silk Road but is probably better known throughout the Islamic world as a being a great center of learning and has even been referred to as Central Asia's holiest city. Today, you will get the opportunity to explore some of its many architectural wonders on a guided tour of the city. The formidable Ark citadel was initially built in the 5th century and was the fortified residence of the rulers of Bukhara for centuries, containing palaces, temples barracks and even a prison. It has been destroyed and subsequently rebuilt many times, including by Genghis Khan who ransacked Bukhara in 1220 AD. Your tour guide will escort you around the various minarets, mosques, madrassas and mausoleums of the city before leaving you to explore this architectural wonder at your own pace.
Bukhara to Samarkand
After breakfast, depart for Samarkand stopping en route at the 'green city' of Shakhrisabz. With a well-groomed, green, and modern appearance, it's hard to believe the city is over 2700 years old. The center of the city has been declared a UNESCO world heritage site and contains an exceptional collection of monuments, including the gleaming white Ak Saray Palace built for Amir Timur or Tamerlane, the famous warrior, military commander, and founder of the Timurid Empire. Born in a neighboring village, Tamerlane turned Shakrisabz into his residence after assuming power and ordered his architects to build a series of intricate mausoleums and stunning mosques, the ruins of which can still be explored today. Leaving the Timurids 1st city behind you'll continue onwards to the 14th-century capital of their empire, Samarkand.
Samarkand
Samarkand is the epic symbol of a journey along the Silk Road. The name alone conjures up romantic, almost mythical images of vast tiled squares; huge blue domes sparkling in the sun and patterned minarets reaching into the sky. A trip to Registan, the city's Timurid heart and Central Square proves this to be a reality and showcases the fine work of Tamerlane's master craftsmen and builders, acquired from throughout his sprawling empire. A wide mosaicked square is backed by three immense madrasas, beautifully adorned in intricate blues green and violet patterns, each one a monument to the city's place as the intellectual capital of the region. During the middle ages, the city attracted the greatest scholars, architects and scientists around, which can be seen first-hand on your visit to Ulugbek's Observatory. Grandson of Tamerlane, Ulugbek was a famous astronomer, scientist and architect whose observatory helped him to produce the most comprehensive catalog of stars since the 2nd century and greatly advance the world's understanding of the solar system. You can pay your respects to both him and his famous conquering grandfather at the sumptuous Gur- Emir, the ornately decorated mausoleum of the royal family. Once a marvel of the east, its influence can be seen in the style of the great architectural tombs of the Mughal dynasty of North India such as the Taj Mahal in Agra.
Samarkand
This morning, you'll visit the Koni Ghil Paper Mill renowned for making paper of such exquisite quality that only sultans, emirs, and viziers could afford it. This 'royal' paper has been exported along the Silk Road for centuries and many 9th and 10th-century Arabic and Persian manuscripts were written on them. After this, you'll explore one of the treasures of Samarkand, the Bibi-Khanym Mosque built in the late 14th century as a tribute to Tamerlane's wife as well as his victory in Delhi. It is one of the best-known architectural wonders of Central Asia. You'll have a chance to do some shopping at the local Siyab bazaar, before having the rest of the day at leisure to explore this UNESCO-listed city at your own pace. This evening you will have the chance to experience a little modern Uzbek culture by enjoying dinner with a local family who will provide a master class in cooking Pilav, a famous rice-based dish in Uzbekistan
Samarkand to Tashkent
Take the morning at leisure, you can spend more time shopping in Siab Bazaar or relax with a coffee in the boulevards around Registan Square. Take a train to Tashkent where you can enjoy a festive farewell dinner to round off this unforgettable trip.
Tashkent Departure
Enjoy your breakfast, before transferring to the airport for your return flight or onto your chosen extension.
Accomidations
The hotels listed below are provided for guidance only and final confirmation of your accomodation will be sent to you approximately 10 days before you travel
Travel Sustainable Level 1
