Uzbekistan - Jewel of the Silk Road

Our VIP door-to-door travel service collects you from home for your overnight flight to Tashkent.

After arriving this morning we’ll transfer to the hotel, before heading out for an extended afternoon guided tour of the city. We’ll visit Independence Square, marvel at the remarkable Khast-Imam Complex and amble around the exhibits at the Museum of Applied Art.

Excursions & visits:
• Guided city tour of Tashkent, including the Khast-Imam Complex (afternoon)

We’ll transfer for a flight to Urgench and onward coach journey to the walled city of Khiva. Along the way we’ll visit Chilpyk, the ‘Tower of Silence,’ which was used in Zoroastrian funerary rituals; the ruins of the ancient settlement of Tuprak Kala; and spot Ayaz Kala, near to where we have lunch in a traditional yurt camp.

Excursions & visits:
• Visit Chilpyk and Tuprak Kala, with lunch in a traditional yurt camp (all day)

This morning we enjoy a guided tour of Khiva, a Silk Road city famed for its elegant architecture. Within the medieval Itchan Kala, the walled ‘inner town’, we’ll find the 18th-century Djuma Mosque, the Tosh-Hovli Palace, the vast Kuhna Ark fortress and the beautiful Pahlavan Mahmud Mausoleum. Tonight’s dinner will be accompanied by a live folk show.

Excursions & visits:
• Guided city tour of Khiva (morning)
• Folklore show (evening)

We leave Khiva, crossing the dramatic landscapes of the Kyzyl Kum, or Red Sand Desert, along the route once taken by the Silk Road caravan traders. We stop along the way, arriving in Bukhara this afternoon.

A guided city tour showcases the old town of Bukhara, an ancient Silk Road trading hub and important cultural centre, now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Amongst other highlights we visit the 16th-century Kalyan Mosque, the multi-coloured Abdul Aziz Khan Madrasah and the turquoise-domed Mir-i-Arab Madrasah, looking like an image from the ‘Arabian Nights’.
You’re then free to explore - perhaps browse through the souvenirs in the bazaars or relax in one of the city’s tea houses. This evening we’ll enjoy a traditional Bukharian cooking class and learn about the delicious regional cuisine, a fusion of Jewish and Central Asian flavours and traditions.

Excursions & visits:
• City tour of Bukhara (all day)
• Traditional Bukharian cooking master class (evening)

We head out of the city this morning to tour the Bahouddin Nakshbandi Mausoleum, an elegant memorial to a 14th-century Sufi scholar. We’ll also visit Sitorai-Mokhi-Hossa Palace, once the summer residence of the local emirs. Early this evening we’ll stroll to the Nadir Divan Begi madrasah for a folklore show.

Excursions & visits:
• Visit Bahouddin Nakshbandi Mausoleum (morning)
• Attend a folklore show (evening)

We’ll journey to Shakhrisabz where we’ll take a city tour, including the ruins of Aqsaray Palace, Khazrati Imam Mosque, Jahangir Mausoleum and the Dorut Tilavat Complex, home to Kok Gumbaz Mosque.
Continuing on, we’ll head for Samarkand, founded in the 7th-century BC. It was once the capital of a great empire ruled by the legendary warlord Tamerlane, and one of the most important cities along the Silk Road. Today, this ‘Crossroad of Cultures’ is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Excursions & visits:
• City tour of Shakhrisabz (morning)

A full-day sightseeing tour introduces us to Samarkand, ticking off the Gur-e-Amir Mausoleum, the mosaic-covered Ulugh Beg Madrasah and the Bibi-Khanym Mosque, as well as the Shah-i-Zinda necropolis, an imposing complex of 11 medieval mausolea. We sample some traditional Samarkand cuisine at local restaurants.

Excursions & visits:
• City tour of Samarkand (all day)

Another guided tour takes us to the fascinating 15th-century Ulugh Beg Observatory, the Afrosiyab Museum and the Mausoleum of Daniel, said to be the tomb of the Old Testament prophet. Later, we’ll take the train back to Tashkent.

Excursions & visits:
• Visit the Afrosiyab Museum and the Mausoleum of Daniel (morning)

We transfer to the airport for your return flight to the UK. Upon arrival, your vehicle will be waiting for the journey home.