Feel the Essence of Ancient Uzbekistan – 2025
Travel Route: HOMELAND – TASHKENT – SAMARKAND – BUKHARA – KHIVA – HOMELAND
Duration: 6 days / 5 nights
Accommodation: double occupancy in hotels
Hotel: 3* or 4*
Details
Travel Route: HOMELAND – TASHKENT – SAMARKAND – BUKHARA – KHIVA – HOMELAND
Duration: 6 days / 5 nights
Accommodation: double occupancy in hotels
Hotel: 3* or 4*
The price includes
The tour price does not include:
Hotels
Tour Itinerary
DAY 1MOTHERLAND-TASHKENT
Arrival at Tashkent International Airport, meeting with the driver and transfer to the hotel. Early check-in. Breakfast. After breakfast, your guide and driver will pick you up for a tour of ancient mosques and madrasahs. Visit to the Hazrat Imam Complex, which includes Barak-Khan Madrasah (16th century), the old Juma Mosque (still in use), and the mausoleum of Kaffal Shashi – the tomb of a great philosopher, poet, and Islamic scholar of the 10th century. Then stop at Chorsu Bazaar, the most famous farmers’ market in the city, where you can meet locals in traditional dress and taste fresh melons and fruit. You can also try baking Uzbek bread at the bakery. Lunch at the Central Asian Plov Center (Beshqozon). After lunch – a panoramic tour of modern Tashkent: the Metro, Independence Square, Amir Temur Square, Theater Square, and Tashkent City. Overnight in Tashkent.
DAY 2TASHKENT – SAMARKAND (by high-speed train "Afrosiyob", 330 km, 2 h 20 min)
After breakfast, transfer to the railway station and departure to Samarkand by the high-speed train "Afrosiyob". Upon arrival, the excursion begins. Samarkand is one of the oldest cities in the world and was the capital of Tamerlane’s great empire. It is an open-air museum and the heart of caravan trade along the Great Silk Road.
10:00–18:00 – Excursion: Gur-Emir Mausoleum, Registan Square (Ulugh Beg Madrasah, Sher-Dor Madrasah, Tilla-Kari Madrasah).
Lunch at the teahouse “Bibikhanum”.
After lunch – visit to the Bibikhanum Mosque and Siyob Bazaar.
19:00 or 20:00 – Visit to the light show at Registan Square. Dinner at a local restaurant. Overnight in Samarkand.
DAY 3 SAMARKAND
Breakfast at the hotel. Visit to the architectural ensemble of Shakhi-Zinda, Ulugh Beg Observatory, and the Afrasiyab Museum. Then – visit to the traditional paper-making workshop using mulberry bark (“MEROS” factory, Konigil village). Lunch. Free time after lunch (optional shopping). Overnight in Samarkand.
DAY 4SAMARKAND – BUKHARA (by high-speed train "Afrosiyob", 270 km, 1 h 45 min)
Breakfast at the hotel. Transfer to the railway station and departure to Bukhara. Bukhara is an ancient city on the Great Silk Road. In the Middle Ages, it was a political, cultural, and religious center of the Middle East. More than 140 architectural monuments have been preserved here: madrasahs, mosques, the Kalyan Minaret, the Ark Fortress, medieval baths, and trading domes. The historical center is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Check-in at the hotel. Lunch. After a short rest – a walk through the Old City. Overnight in Bukhara.
DAY 5BUKHARA
Breakfast at the hotel. Full-day excursion in Bukhara. The program includes: the Mausoleum of Ismail Samani, the Chashma Ayub Mausoleum, the Bolo-Hauz Mosque – the Emir's official mosque (built in 1718), and the Ark Fortress – the residence of the rulers of Bukhara. After lunch – visit to the Poi Kalyan complex, the madrasahs of Abdulaziz Khan and Ulugh Beg, and the Lyabi-Hauz ensemble – the traditional center of Bukhara with a teahouse and pond. Overnight in Bukhara.
DAY 6 Bukhara – Khiva (500 km, 7 hours)
Breakfast. At 09:00 – departure to Khiva through the Kyzylkum Desert along the Amu Darya River. This route was part of the caravan path of the Great Silk Road. “Kyzylkum” translates from Turkic as “Red Sands,” and the sand here indeed has a reddish hue. Several stops will be made to walk along the dunes and enjoy the views of the Amu Darya from observation points. Arrival in Khiva. Independent walk through the historical complex of Ichan-Kala – a state museum-reserve surrounded by fortress walls. Dinner. After dinner – transfer to the Shavat border.
