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Best of Tajikistan & Uzbekistan
15 days, Dushanbe to Tashkent
Itinerary
Day 1Dushanbe
Arrive at any time.
Enjoy an evening welcome meeting. Some travellers may have started their travels in Tajikistan. Get to know them with an optional welcome dinner.
Your Welcome Moment: Meet Your CEO and Group
Your opportunity to meet your CEO and fellow travellers, and learn more about your tour. Opt to join the group for a local meal afterwards. Don't forget to see the notice in the lobby (or ask reception) for the official time and place to meet up with the group.
Optional Activities - Day 1 HideShow
Welcome Dinner
You've arrived! Why not share a meal and a drink with your new travel mates?
Day 2Dushanbe/Kuli Iskandarkul
Visit some sights in the capital city of Dushanbe, including museums, monuments and the main mosque. After lunch, drive through the valleys and mountains of the area for an overnight in local homes in the stunningly beautiful Iskanderkul area. Meet the locals and explore this gorgeous landscape in the Fann Mountains.
City Tour
Visit the highlights of the capital city on a guided tour, seeing the Central Mosque and square, Ismail-i-Somoni Monument, the State Flag Pole, and Tajikistan Antiquities Museum.
Private Vehicle
Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.
Your Local Living Moment: Community Guesthouse
Enjoy an overnight stay in local guesthouse in this stunningly beautiful area. Meet the locals and explore the gorgeous landscape of the Fann Mountains.
Meals included:
Breakfast | DinnerDay 3Kuli Iskandarkul
Spend a full day exploring. Hike in the mountains to an impressive waterfall. After a picnic lunch, return to Sarytag village.
Waterfall Hike - Kŭli Iskandarkŭl
Hike through the mountains to an impressive waterfall. Enjoy a picnic lunch and soak in the spectacular scenery of the region.
Free Time
Get out and explore the region.
Meals included:
Breakfast | Lunch | DinnerDay 4Kuli Iskandarkul/Khujand
Continue on to Istaravshan and visit an ancient settlement in Ura-Tube. Enjoy an optional lunch in a local chaikhana (teahouse) before driving to Khujand. Explore the city in the afternoon, visiting the museum and a mausoleum.
Private Vehicle
Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.
Mug Tepe Visit
Visit a fortress stormed by Alexander the Great in 329 BC and again by Arabs in 772 AD. Learn more about the history of this place and soak in the view over the city.
Private Vehicle
Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.
City Tour
Explore the city, visiting the museum and a mausoleum.
Meals included:
BreakfastDay 5Khujand/Tashkent
Visit the Khujand market (largest in Tajikistan) before continuing on to the border. Cross into Uzbekistan and drive to the capital city of Tashkent. Enjoy a short orientation walk in the evening before an optional dinner.
Some travellers will be joining the group here as they start their journey into Uzbekistan.
Market Visit
Visit the market in Khujand. It's the largest in Tajikistan and a great example of a typical Central Asian market. Enjoy browsing what's for sale and opt to sample a few of the local delicacies.
Private Vehicle
Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.
Border Crossing (Tajikistan - Uzbekistan)
Ready for a little more ink in your passport? Grab your bags and get ready to check another country off your bucket list.
Orientation With CEO
Enjoy a brief walk with your CEO. He/she will give you some tips on finding things like supermarkets, main squares, and ATMs. For more specific or in-depth information, an official guided tour is recommended.
Optional Activities - Day 5 HideShow
Farewell Dinner
10-25USD per personEnjoy a meal with your new found friends and reminisce about the fantastic adventure you've all had.
Meals included:
BreakfastDay 6Tashkent
Spend the day freely exploring this unique bustling city. Check out one of the many museums, wander the streets admiring the modern, Soviet-era architecture, venture up Tashkent Tower (which offers city views from its observation deck), or wander through the bazaar.
Free Time
Head out and explore Uzbekistan's capital city.
Meals included:
BreakfastDay 7Tashkent/Samarkand
Travel on to Samarkand. Take an orientation walk and opt to visit the Amir Timur Mausoleum.
Private Vehicle
Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.
Orientation With CEO
Enjoy a brief walk with your CEO. He/she will give you some tips on finding things like supermarkets, main squares, and ATMs. For more specific or in-depth information, an official guided tour is recommended.
Optional Activities - Day 7 HideShow
Amir Timur Mausoleum Visit
Amir Timur, known as Tamerlane, is an important figure to the city of Samarkand. He was a conqueror in the 14th century hoping to rebuild the empire of Genghis Khan and is considered the last of the great conquerors of the Eurasian steppe. Visit his mausoleum and learn more about his life and contributions.
Meals included:
BreakfastDay 8Samarkand
Enjoy a city tour and visit to the Registan. Opt to check out the Guri Amir Mausoleum, Tomb of the Prophet Daniel, and the Registan minarets. Use some free time to wander the bazaar or visit more sights before indulging in dinner with a local family, complete with a plov-making demo.
With free time, enjoy the Samarkand sights, have a cup of tea in a local tea house, or wander around the bazaar.
Free Time
Head out and discover more of Samarkand.
Samarkand City Tour
Visit the important sights of the city with a local guide. See the Shaki Zinda complex, Samarkand bazaar, Bibi Khanum, and Registan Square.
Your Local Living Moment: Plov Cooking Class and Dinner
Visit a local family and learn how to make Plov, a traditional dish found all throughout Central Asia that varies from country to country and household to household. In Uzbekistan, it's most often a combination of rice, carrots, onions and lamb cooked in a massive cast iron, wok-like pan. Enjoy the delicious results for dinner.
Optional Activities - Day 8 HideShow
Guri Amir Mausoleum Visit
Persian for “Tomb of the King”, the Guri Amir mausoleum was started in the 14th century. Explore the foundations, portal, and minaret that remain intact and walk amongst the tombs of Tamerlane, the Asian conqueror, and his descendants.
Tomb of the Old Testament Prophet Daniel Visit
3USD per personEnjoy a visit to the Tomb of the Old Testament Prophet Daniel, famous for the Biblical story of Daniel and the lions. A legend says that his body grows by half an inch every year!
Meals included:
Breakfast | DinnerDay 9Samarkand/Aydar Kŭl Camp
Travel out into the desert to visit the Nurata Shrine and remains of the Alexander the Great fortress. Continue on for an evening in a local yurt camp. Opt to ride a camel or enjoy an evening Kazakh singing show.
Private Vehicle
Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.
Chashma Complex and Holy Spring Visit
The Chashma Complex in Nurata contains multiple important Islamic sights including the Juma Mosque and spring. The spring is believed to heal diseases and attracts many visitors.
Fortress of Alexander the Great Visit
The city of Nurata was founded by Alexander the Great in 327BC and the remains of his fortress are still standing. The area is mentioned in many historical texts as being of strategic importance.
Your Local Living Moment: Overnight in a Yurt
Stay in traditional felt yurts and experience the way of life in the remote reaches of Uzbekistan.
Optional Activities - Day 9 HideShow
Camel Ride
Hold on and enjoy a ride on this even-toed ungulate, also known as the desert horse. Bring your camera for some fantastic photos of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
Kazakh Singing
FreeSit back and enjoy some local culture with a Kazakh singing performance.
Meals included:
Breakfast | DinnerDay 10Aydar Kŭl Camp/Bukhara
Travel to Bukhara, one of the most charming cities in the country. Opt to visit the old city bazaars, have dinner with a local family, or visit a traditional hammam (bathhouse).
Private Vehicle
Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.
Free Time
Spend the afternoon wandering and get to know the city.
Optional Activities - Day 10 HideShow
Bukhara Hammam Visit
35USD per personThere are a few hammam choices in the city and they are often gender specific - Hammam Kunjak for ladies and Bozori Kord Hammam for gentlemen. Depending on the day of the week and when you want to go, your CEO can advise you on some options.
Meals included:
BreakfastDay 11Bukhara
Take a half-day guided walk around the beautifully restored mosques, madrassas, and covered markets that make up the Old City.
There is plenty of time to explore the artisan shops and wander the narrow twisting streets and alleyways. A centre for pottery, cloth, and Turkmen carpets, the Old City is centered around Lyabi-Hauz, a delightful pool of water surrounded by ancient mulberry trees, where you can sit at café tables and let the evening drift by. There is also the option to take in a local puppet show held in an old caravanserai or indulge in a Turkish bath.
Free Time
This is the perfect city for shopping or enjoying tea and snacks at a chaykhana.
Bukhara City Guided Tour
Join a local guide to visit the the Samanid Mausoleum, the Ark Citadel, and the Poi-i-Kalon complex. Wander around beautifully restored mosques, madrassas, and covered markets that make up the Old City.
Optional Activities - Day 11 HideShow
Lyabi-Hauz Visit
FreeA centre for pottery, cloth, and Turkmen carpets, the old city is centered around Lyabi-Hauz, a delightful pool of water surrounded by ancient mulberry trees. Sit at a cafe table and let the evening drift by.
Bukhara Hammam Visit
35USD per personThere are a few hammam choices in the city and they are often gender specific - Hammam Kunjak for ladies and Bozori Kord Hammam for gentlemen. Depending on the day of the week and when you want to go, your CEO can advise you on some options.
Carpet Museum
1USD per personThe Magok-i Attari Mosque (Museum of Carpets) offers information about the art of carpet making and some fine examples to boot. Perhaps more impressively, the building the museum is located in was once used for Jewish, Muslim, and Christian services, demonstrating the diversity and open-mindedness of this intriguing city.
Jewish Area and Synagogue Visit
FreeBukhara has a fascinating Jewish history, with Bukharan Jews speaking a Turkic-Persian dialect with a Hebrew script. The city once was home to 40,000 Jews and now has a community of about 25-30 families. The synagogue is well worth a visit (donation expected) and houses a Torah that is roughly 1,000 years old. Please note that on Friday evenings and Saturday, the Synagogue is usually closed for Shabbat.
Meals included:
BreakfastDay 12Bukhara/Khiva
Enjoy a full day's travel through the desert to reach UNESCO-listed Khiva. Get to know the place on a late afternoon walking tour.
Private Vehicle
Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.
Orientation With CEO
Enjoy a brief walk with your CEO. He/she will give you some tips on finding things like supermarkets, main squares, and ATMs. For more specific or in-depth information, an official guided tour is recommended.
Meals included:
BreakfastDay 13Khiva/Tashkent
Enjoy a guided tour of the city with free time to experience the local life. Opt to browse the shops, wander the lanes, examine handmade silk rugs, or sit in a café in this ancient historical town. Later, take an overnight train to Tashkent, travelling alongside the locals.
Explore the old town surrounded by city walls, bargain with locals on the market, and wander through the madrassas, climb up minarets, and explore the dark dungeons Khiva was infamous for back in the 10th century. Wander through the inner walls of the Ichon-Qala and enjoy spectacular sunset views of the sand-coloured mosques and madrassas.
Khiva Ancient City Exploration
Khiva feels like a museum city, with well-preserved city walls and ancient monuments. Wander the city on a guided tour, learn about life here and its important place in history.
Free Time
Continue exploring this historic town.
Basic Overnight Train (beds)
Experience overnight travel like a local. Sit back and get some well-earned (and likely much-needed) rest en route to your next stop.
Meals included:
BreakfastDay 14Tashkent
Arrive back in Tashkent and enjoy a city tour or explore on your own with some free time.
Free Time
Get out and explore the city.
Tashkent Guided City Tour
Visit the city's highlights with a local guide. Ride the Russian-esque metro and visit the religious centre of the city and Museum of Applied Arts. Wander the neighbourhood streets and learn about daily life and history of the city and the Uzbek people.
Day 15Tashkent
Depart at any time.
Departure Day
Not ready to leave? Your CEO can help with travel arrangements to extend your adventure.