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Uzbekistan Discovered
12 days, Tashkent to Tashkent
Itinerary
Day 1Tashkent
Arrive at any time.
There are no activities planned until an evening welcome meeting.
Your Welcome Moment: 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.
Day 2Tashkent
Take an included sightseeing tour of the city with a local guide before free time to explore. Opt to visit the history museum, fine arts museum, mosques, and bazaars.
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.
Optional Activities - Day 2 HideShow
History Museum
18000UZS per personPurported to be one of the oldest museums in Central Asia, the History Museum was founded over 136 years ago and contains many impressive exhibits.
Tashkent Museum of Fine Arts
8000UZS per personFour stories high, the Tashkent Museum of Fine Arts boasts work from 1,500 years in the country. The exhibits include 7th century Buddhist relics and suzani, which are beautiful silk on cotton embroidery hangings.
Meals included:
BreakfastDay 3Tashkent/Samarkand
Travel on to Samarkand. Take an orientation walk and opt to visit the Amir Timur Mausoleum.
Go for dinner in one of the many delicious restaurants in the city.
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.
Free Time
Explore more of the city.
Optional Activities - Day 3 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 4Samarkand
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.
With free time, enjoy the Samarkand sights, have a cup of tea in a local tea house, or wander around the bazaar.
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.
Free Time
Explore more of the sights.
Optional Activities - Day 4 HideShow
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!
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 5Samarkand/Sentyab
Travel to rural Uzbekistan for a homestay in Sentyab village. On the way, visit the remains of Alexander the Great's fortress and Chashma Holy Spring.
After visiting the sights in Nurata, continue on to Sentyab village, located in the Nurata Mountain range.
Enjoy a homestay in Sentyab, a great opportunity to learn more about the life of villagers, or take an optional short walk into the mountains. Enjoy dinner with the family.
Private Vehicle
It's about 5-6 hours of driving time, not including stops.
Optional Activities - Day 5 HideShow
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.
Chashma Complex and Holy Spring Visit
3USD per personThe 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.
Meals included:
Breakfast | DinnerDay 6Sentyab/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 the city and getting to know it.
Optional Activities - Day 6 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 7Bukhara
We 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.
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.
Free Time
This is the perfect city for shopping or enjoying tea and snacks at a chaykhana.
Optional Activities - Day 7 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.
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.
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 8Bukhara/Khiva
Enjoy a full day's travel through the desert to reach UNESCO-listed Khiva. Spend the evening getting to know the place.
Private Vehicle
Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.
Meals included:
BreakfastDay 9Khiva
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.
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
Explore more.
Optional Activities - Day 9 HideShow
Ichan-Qala (Itchan Kala) Visit
Check out the sand-coloured brick structures populating the inner walls of the Ichan-Qala through the walled inner town of Khiva.
Meals included:
BreakfastDay 10Khiva/Ayaz Qala
Explore the remains of ancient Khorezm by visiting Toprak Qala and Ayaz Qala. Stay in yurts near Ayaz Qala and take an optional camel ride.
Private Vehicle
Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.
Desert Castles of Ancient Khorezm Visit
Visit two of the ancient settlements of the Khorezm Empire. Toprak Qala and Ayaz Qala are both listed as UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Explore them to learn more.
Your Local Living Moment: Overnight in a Yurt
Stay with a local family in traditional felt yurts. Learn about their way of life in the remote reaches of Uzbekistan.
Optional Activities - Day 10 HideShow
Camel Riding
10USD per personClimb aboard a bactrian camel to explore the desert like the ancients did.
Meals included:
Breakfast | Lunch | DinnerDay 11Ayaz Qala/Tashkent
Drive to Nukus for a short tour of the city before an afternoon flight back to Tashkent.
Enjoy some sights and museums in Nukus before the flight to Tashkent. On arrival, opt to head out for a final dinner together.
Private Vehicle
Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.
Nukus City Tour
Nukus is the capital of the Karakalpakstan Autonomous Republic. Enjoy a short tour and visit the unique museum in the Post-Soviet area named after Igor Savitsky, which houses the best collection of artifacts of the Ancient Khorezm Empire and Russian avant-garde, banned during Stalin's rule through the 1960s.
Plane
Look! Up in the sky! It's a bird! It's a plane! It's... yup, it is a plane, actually.
Meals included:
BreakfastDay 12Tashkent
Depart at any time.