Uzbekistan Tours

We will meet you at the Tashkent International Airport and accompany you to the domestic flights terminal for your flight to Urgench by Uzbekistan Airways (1.5 hours). From there, we will drive straight to see the city of Khiva, the capital of the ancient Khorezmian Kingdom. In Khiva, you visit the most prominent monuments of the Mongol era:

• The 14th century tomb of the Sufi master Said Allauddin
• The Kunya Ark
• Muhammad Aminkhan Madrassah and minaret
• Juma Mosque and minaret with carved wooden columns
• The Stone Yard (harem) of Khiva rulers,
• The tomb of Pakhlavan Makhmud (a famous ancient wrestler and poet, who was declared Saint)

Overnight in a Khiva hotel.

Full day is devoted to Khiva and its attractions. Overnight in Khiva.

Early in the morning you will head east to Bukhara, which is 290 miles through the desert (a 6-8 hours drive). On the way, you make stops to enjoy the spectacular views of the great Amudarya (Oxus) river. Overnight in a Bukhara hotel.

The whole day is devoted to Bukhara, the majestic pearl of Central Asia. The city tour includes:

• Ark fortress
• Bolo Hauz mosque
• Ismail Samani's mausoleum with magnificent brickwork
• Chashma Ayub
• The great Kalyan minaret
• Maggoki Attori
• Mir-i-Arab Madrassah
• Lyabi Hauz, which is a complex with three buildings and a beautiful pool where swans live.

Overnight in Bukhara.

We will drive to Navoi, then north to Nurata, a small town in the desert, where you visit an interesting mausoleum with a stream, running from beneath a mountain and a pool with clean water, abundant in fish. After lunch, you will head north again to the middle of the desert, and reach a Yurt camp, located at the western extremity of the Aydar Kul Lake. Stay overnight in Yurts.

In the camp, you will be offered a stay in original nomadic yurt, colorfully decorated using local handcrafts. As an additional option, you can go on a small expedition to the Lake on camels. If season allows, you can have a picnic at the lake; fishing, boating, swimming and sun-tanning are the choices available, depending on the weather. In the evening, you will be invited to cook your dinner at the campfire, with the fish you caught, and enjoy the remoteness and genuine tranquillity of the desert. You can also invite a local singer, 'Akyn', to listen to original Kazakh songs. Stay in Yurts.

In the morning, you will leave the Yurt Camp and head south to Samarkand (approx. 3 hours driving). Upon arrival, check into a local hotel, and you start your tour of Samarkand:

• You will go to see Great Observatory of Ulugbek and Afrosiab Museum.
• Then you see Bibi Khanum Mosque, Shahi Zindah (Complex of Mausoleums) and Oriental Bazaar.
• Then, the three gorgeous Madrassahs at the Registan Square and the mausoleum of Tamerlane, Guri Amir. Next stop is the memorial complex of Ismail Al Bukhoriy, with a spectacular mausoleum made of whole onyx slabs.

Overnight in Samarkand hotel.

Today you will continue you tour of Samarkand, visiting the monuments and places of interest, both inside the city and located nearby. Overnight in Samarkand.

On the final day you will be driven to Tashkent (200 miles, 4-5 hours) and after a quick freshen up at the hotel, we will invite you to have a half day excursion in Tashkent. It will include a visit to the mausoleum of Kafal Shashi and Barak-khan Madrassah followed by a walk inside the largest covered market in Tashkent - Chorsu Bazaar. Attending the Library of the Clerical Board of Muslims, where a copy of the Koran written by Osman, the fourth Caliph, is kept behind a thick glass. You will depart home late at night, concluding your visit.