The Silk Road of Uzbekistan - 11 Days

Our tour begins today in Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan, a city that blends elements of a modern metropolis, a leafy Soviet-era centre, and a quiet traditional Uzbek town.

If you are arriving today and would like an airport transfer, you'll need to land at Islam Karimov Tashkent International Airport (TAS), which is approximately a 20-minute drive from the hotel. For arrivals in the early hours of Day 1, complimentary early check-in from 8:00 is included but it is essential that you share your flight information with us at least 14 days prior to travel so that the hotel will be prepared. If you would like to start your holiday earlier or require check-in before 8:00, please contact us to book additional nights of accommodation.

To join the afternoon sightseeing tour, you must arrive at the hotel by 13:00. If you are booking your own flights, we recommend allowing at least 75 minutes to clear the airport and to share your arrival details with us in order to be eligible for complimentary early check-in.

At 13:00, our tour leader will meet the group in the hotel reception for a welcome meeting, followed by an afternoon sightseeing tour of Tashkent. During the tour, we'll visit the city's main highlights, including Independence Square, the Old City, and the Earthquake Monument. We'll also take a ride on the Tashkent Metro, famous for its ornately decorated stations.

The sightseeing tour will conclude in Timur Square, located directly opposite our hotel.

We'll be up early this morning to catch our flight to Urgench. Please note that in order to secure your space on the internal group flight, we require your passport details at the time of booking. Once we land, we'll take a 40-minute bus ride to the remarkable ancient city of Khiva, our base for the next two nights. The early history of this area is somewhat unknown but we do know that by the time the Arabs arrived in the 8th century, Khiva was one of three important cities that dominated the region. The city's strategic location on the Volga branch of the Silk Route made it a much sought-after imperial asset, with the British and Russians vying for sovereignty throughout the 19th century as part of the 'Great Game'. In 1873, it fell to the Russians as both Samarkand and Bokhara had already done. A 1970s Soviet conservation programme restored much of the city, turning it into what is effectively an open-air museum. On this afternoon's walking tour, we may well feel like we're stepping into a scene from the film 'Arabian Nights' as we explore the majestic Old Citadel. This 12th-century fortress dominated the city before a palace, harem, barracks and mosques were constructed.

Today has been left free to explore the mosques, tombs, palaces, madrassahs, mausoleums, craft workshops, city walls and museums of this well-preserved city, which has hardly changed since ancient times. This evening, you might like to explore a bit more of the city after dark, when magical moonlit silhouettes make it even more spectacular. There is also the option to take a half-day trip to the desert castles of Toprak Qala and Ayaz Qala, part of UNESCO's Golden Ring of Ancient Khorezm, located in the autonomous republic of Karakalpakstan.

Today's drive to the fabled city of Bokhara will take up the day but we'll break it up with stops as we cross the Oxus (Amu-Darya) River and travel through the expansive plains of the Kizilkum Desert. As home to the famous Islamic poets, Firdausa and Rudaki, Bokhara is considered by some to be the 'Bastion of Islam'. The town retains much of its Uzbek character and has more than 140 unique monuments. We'll take a short stroll to picturesque Lyabi Khauz, a water-filled stone pool flanked by chaikhanas (tea houses), cafes and restaurants, popular with newlyweds taking wedding photographs.

Today's day of sightseeing starts off by bus before we continue on foot. Highlights include the Bolo Khauz mosque, the Samanid mausoleum (a place of pilgrimage where the founder of the Samanid dynasty is buried)the 9th-century Magoki Attar mosque and the Poi Kalyan complex (a simple square filled with some spectacular buildings - the Mir-i-Arab Madrassah, the Kalyon Juma mosque and the majestice 11th century Kalyon ~Minar, one of the few buildings in the city to pre-date Genghis Khan's invasion), from where we will see the Kalyan minaret. We'll also visit the Ark - a massive citadel which was used as a fortress from the 5th century until it fell to the Russians in 1920. Today, it houses several small museums connected with Bokhara's history. Bukhara was the site of the imprisonment of two British soldiers during 'The Great Game' - an epic battle fought between Victorian Britain and Tsarist Russia across the vastness of Central Asia. This afternoon, we plan to visit the summer palace of the Emirs of Bokhara, which is known as the 'Palace of Moon-like Stars'. Here, we'll see the famous White Hall, which took 30 architects two years to construct. Finally, we'll take in the Char Minar Mosque - the impressive entrance to a now-demolished madrassah, and wander the backstreets of the old town maybe stopping off at a 'chaikhana', a local tea house.

Today has been left free for you to explore more solo. You might like to visit the Taqi-Sarrafon market - one of the four domed bazaars in Bokhara. Used as a money exchange during the height of the Silk Road, it's now home to plenty of souvenir shops.

We'll begin the day with our departure from the hotel and prepare for an exciting journey into the mountains. We'll need to pack an overnight bag, as we'll be spending the night in a guesthouse at Hayat Village.

Our drive takes us across approximately 310 kilometres towards the Nuratau mountain region, with scenic views and several interesting stops along the way. Our first visit will be in Gijduvan, where we'll visit a traditional ceramic workshop and museum to learn about the town's famous pottery-making traditions.

We'll then continue to Nuratau village, where we'll have lunch at a local guesthouse. Famous for its sacred Chashma Spring, the town attracts visitors from across the Islamic World. According to legend, this healing spring, containing gold, silver and bromide, was formed by a meteorite hitting the ground. Our host will prepare a home-made meal for us. After lunch, we'll explore the area, visiting the holy spring, the mosque, and the ancient fortress that overlooks the settlement.

In the afternoon, we'll continue our journey to Hayat Village, a peaceful community set in the quiet, mountainous landscape of the Nuratau range. We'll stay overnight in a family-run guesthouse, offering a genuine look into traditional village life. The rooms are simple yet charming, decorated in a traditional Uzbek style. The village benefited from an international tourism initiative aimed at expanding the positive economic and social impacts of tourism in Uzbekistan to less-visited areas. The project sought to empower people in remote parts of the country to earn a living by running guesthouses in their own villages while learning new skills such as hospitality, accounting, and maintenance.

Before dinner, we'll enjoy a bread-baking demonstration, where we'll have the opportunity to take part in the process and taste the freshly baked bread with our evening meal. Dinner will be prepared by our hosts at the guesthouse, who will cook a selection of local dishes, such as dimlama - a hearty stew of meat (often beef or chicken) steamed with vegetables and aromatic spices. Guests are welcome to help in the preparation or simply watch and enjoy the atmosphere. Alternatives for dietary restrictions are available.

Afterwards, we'll have some free time to relax and wander around the village. During the warmer months (May to September), it stays light until late in the evening, giving us a chance to enjoy a peaceful walk and meet local residents before resting for the night.

After breakfast, we'll set out from our guesthouse for a gentle walk and easy hike through the surrounding countryside, heading towards the nearby village of Ukhum and the petroglyphs of the Tykchasay Valley. Along the way, we'll pass through Hayot Village, stopping to meet local residents and gain a deeper insight into traditional village life in this remote mountain region.

We'll return to the guesthouse for lunch, we'll continue our journey towards Samarkand. The drive takes us through a landscape of small towns and cotton fields, offering a revealing glimpse into rural life in Uzbekistan. Despite being stormed by Alexander the Great and later reduced to ashes by Genghis Khan, Samarkand was transformed into the most glittering city in Transoxiana by Tamerlane, who made it his capital in the 14th century. Even today, the monumental scale and grandeur of the city's architecture leave a lasting impression.

On arrival, we'll begin our exploration with visits to the vast Bibi-Khanym Mosque and the Guri Amir Mausoleum, the richly decorated tomb of Tamerlane himself. We'll also visit the iconic Registan Square, one of Central Asia's most impressive architectural ensembles, framed on three sides by magnificent blue-tiled madrassahs.

After our first introduction to this legendary Silk Road city, the remainder of the afternoon is free to relax or continue exploring before settling in for the evening.

This morning's sightseeing takes us to the Shah-i-Zinda - a beautifully tiled necropolis of tombs, mosques and mausoleums belonging to Tamerlane's family, friends and the prophet Mohammad's cousin. We'll also visit the Ulug-Beg Observatory, considered to have been one of the finest observatories in the Islamic World. It was here that Ulug-Beg, the great medieval astronomer, built his gigantic sextant which enabled him to calculate the length of a year within just 10 seconds. We'll see the Bibi-Khanym Mosque, once the largest in Central Asia; it was built by Tamerlane with loot from Indian campaigns and named after his favourite Mongolian wife.

Later this afternoon, you will have time to explore more of the city at your own pace. You might choose to visit ancient Afrosiab - the original site of the town in northeast Samarkand, dating back to the late Stone Age.

Today, we'll have more free time to explore further. Later this afternoon, we'll transfer to the train station for our modern high-speed train back to Tashkent. Arriving just after 7pm, we'll have time to enjoy our final evening.

The trip ends after breakfast at our hotel in Tashkent. There are no activities planned today, so you're free to depart from Tashkent at any time. If your flight is departing later in the day, luggage storage facilities are available at our hotel. If you'd like an airport transfer today, you'll need to depart from Islam Karimov Tashkent International Airport (TAS), which is a 20-minute drive from the hotel.