About the tour

Tour program

Tashkent - Samarkand - Nurata - Bukhara - Khiva

Duration

11 days / 10 nights

Red Sands of Uzbekistan

On this tour, along with cities such as Tashkent, Bukhara and Samarkand, you can visit the open-air museum city, the Eighth wonder of the world and the pride of Uzbekistan - Khiva. The city served for many centuries as the capital of the Khiva state and even the capital of the Khorezm Soviet People’s Republic from 1920 to 1924. As well as the ruins of the fortress, built, as historians suggest, by Alexander the Great himself.

Tour program

Day 1

Arrival in Tashkent

Arrival at Tashkent International Airport
Meeting at the airport
Transfer to the hotel and check-in (Standard check in time the hotel at 14:00)
Overnight at the hotel

Day 2

Tashkent

Breakfast at the hotel
09:00 City tour around Tashkent, it is the capital of Uzbekistan and one of the oldest cities in Central Asia. However, despite its age (2200 years), it is a modern city, the economic and cultural center of our country. During the excursion, will sit down at one of the most beautiful metro stations of Kosmonaftlar, we will reach the most poetic station of Alisher Navoi, transfer to Pakhtakor station and we will reach Mustakillik station and continue our excursion by visit the Independence Square, which is the central square of the capital, Broadway street and Amir Timur Square. After we will visit Abulkasym Madrasah (1850), where craft workshops are currently located, Hast-Imam complex, which includes the Cathedral Mosque Hazrati Imam, Murai Muborak Madrasah (where the hair of the Prophet Mohammed and the original Quran Usman (644–648) are kept), Barak Khan Madrasah, Namazgoh Mosque and Hazrati Imam Mausoleum (Kaffal Shoyshy). And of course we will visit Chorsu bazaar, where you can buy traditional souvenirs, dry fruits and national sweets
Overnight at the hotel

Day 3

Tashkent - Samarkand

Breakfast at the hotel and check-out
07:00 Transfer to the railway station
08:00 Departure from Tashkent to Samarkand by fast train
10:10 Arrival in Samarkand and meeting at the railway station
Tour around Samarkand. We will visit the Registan Square, which is a symbol of the city and where the Ulugbek Madrasah (15^th century), Sher - Dor Madrasah (17^th century), Tilla - Kori Madrasah (17^th century) are located. Then we will visit the Gur Emir Mausoleum (14-15^th centuries), where Amir Timur, the founder of the huge empire in Central Asia and one of the most powerful states of the world in the 14^th century, were buried. His spiritual teacher and some of his descendants also buried there the Shahi Zinda mausoleum, the Bibi-Khanum mosque and walk through one of the oldest bazaars of Samarkand - Siab, where you can buy souvenirs, oriental sweets and fruits, as well as the famous Samarkand bread
Overnight at the hotel

Day 4

Samarkand

Breakfast at the hotel
A trip to the factory of handmade silk paper with the opportunity to participate in its manufacture. Today, world-famous, since the Middle Ages, Samarkand paper is again produced according to ancient recipes and the ancient restored technology in a specially built paper workshop in the village of Konigil.
After we will visit a silk carpet factory. The Samarkand silk carpet factory "Khujum" is known not only in Uzbekistan, but also beyond its borders. Workers of the factory, mostly girls, are experts in their field, who have spent more than one year studying the secrets of carpet weaving and recreating natural fabric. The uniqueness of the products of this factory lies in the fact that the materials for dyeing are made from natural dyes: walnut, pomegranate, indigo and madder
Visits to the Khovrenko Wine Museum. This museum begins its history in 1868, owing to the Russian entrepreneur Mr. Filatov, who was the first of organizer of the plant, produced wines in Uzbekistan. Filatov carried out not only the production of wine, but also the breeding of new grape varieties. One of the varieties he bred named "Biishty", received the gold medal at the International Exhibition of Wines and Cognacs in Paris in 1883. During his work, he managed to collect a unique collection of wines, which he hid, after the closure of the plant. Later, the plant headed by Mr. Khovrenko, whose name took a modern museum. Nowadays the plant is still operates. The plant has its own tasting room, which hosts wines produced there.
Overnight at the hotel

Day 5

Samarkand - Nurata

Breakfast at the hotel
Transfer from Samarkand to Nurata by car and visit the Chashma complex with its famous holy spring. According to legend, this spring formed from the collision of a meteorite with the earth, which fell here many thousands years ago. The spring contains with large number of useful elements which are not include in the plain water and keep constant temperature of 19.5 degrees Celsius, regardless of the season of the year. There are fishes named marinka swim in the spring, which cannot be eaten, as they are sacred
Transfer to the Aydarkul Lake, which was formed in 1969 as Sir Darya River were catastrophically abounding in water that summer and as a result Arnasai hollow filled with water. This is the artificial lake in the middle of the desert where you can swim, fish and walk along the shore, ride horses and camels. The meadows near the lake are abundant in a variety of colors - bright red tulips and snow-white acacias in spring and early summer
Overnight at the yurt camp

Day 6

Yurt Camp - Bukhara

Breakfast at the yurt camp
Transfer to Bukhara by car
Arrival in Bukhara
Tour around Bukhara. We will visit the Lyabi Hauz Ensemble, one of the central squares of Bukhara, where madrasahs and the Khanaka Nadir Divan-Begi are grouped around the large artificial reservoir. Kukeldash madrasah is also located nearby. Then we will visit the Ulugbek and Abdulazizkhan Madrasahs, Poi-Kalyan Ensemble, which is the central architectural complex of Bukhara. The ensemble includes three buildings of the 12-16^th centuries: the Kalyan mosque, the Kalyan minaret and the Mir - i - Arab Madrasah, which is still the current madrasah of Uzbekistan. Then we will visit the Ark fortress, which is located on a mound, the height of which in some places reaches 20 m. The approximate area of the architectural and archaeological monument is 4.2 hectares. Initially, the fortress was planned to be built in the shape of a polygon. The builders tried to erect the walls many times, but they failed because the artificial mound was fragile and the walls of the fortress collapsed. Finally, in the 7^th century, at the base of the fortress, on the advice of the sages, it was decided to lay seven pillars in the same order as the stars in the constellation Ursa Major, as such, the fortress is partially preserved till present time. We will also visit the Museum of Judicial Affairs of the Bukhara Emirate of the late 17^th - early 20^th centuries.
Dinner at the Nodira Divan Begi Madrasah with show program (at your own expense)
Overnight at the hotel

Day 7

Bukhara (Gijduvan)

Breakfast at the hotel
Trip to the Gijduvan, a small town near Bukhara, which is one of the handicraft centers of Uzbekistan, which has been famous for its unusually beautiful and original ceramics since ancient times. We will visit the ceramic factory of the Narzullaev family, where ceramic craftsmanship is passed down from generation to generation. Here you will see the process of making the ceramic products, as well as participate in its production
Return to Bukhara
Overnight at the hotel

Day 8

Bukhara

Breakfast at the hotel
Tour with visiting workshops:
We will continue Bukhara city tour with visit of Chashma-Ayub, which is translated as "the source of Job", Sitora-i-Mohi Khosa - the summer residence of the last Bukhara Emir, Samanid’s Mausoleum and Chor Minor (outside view).
Museum-workshop of national papier-mache dolls. On the ground floor of the museum, there are dolls that have repeatedly performed in puppet shows, historical collection and real antiques — like children played a century ago. Many of photographs show a thousand years old children's terracotta toys, found during archaeological excavations. The hosts - creative and enthusiastic people will tell you the story of the dolls and tell about the fascinating process of making dolls from papier-mâché and puppet theater in Bukhara, traditions and rituals of the Bukharians.
Blacksmith's workshop museum. Visitors of this workshop can not only familiarize themselves with the history of blacksmithing in Bukhara, but also take part in the manufacture of the product under the guidance of the famous Bukhara blacksmith – usto (master) Shakir Kamalov
Suzane workshop. Suzanne (from Persian - “sewn with a needle”) is a wall carpet of extraordinary beauty, embroidered on silk, velvet or cotton linen. Since ancient times, embroidered panels invariably present in every home. They decorated the walls, they served as a talisman. The largest suzane reached 2-3 meters in length and 2 meters in width, were usually created for large ceremonial events in the family. You can see suzanes of various types and sizes. And of course, look at the manufacturing process

Day 9

Bukhara - Khiva

Breakfast at the hotel
Transfer from Bukhara to Khiva by car through the Kyzyl-Kum desert. This is a huge desert, which stretches between the Amu Darya and Sir Darya rivers on an area of 300 thousand sq. km. Its name translates as "red sands". Most of the desert is occupied by sandy massifs, where the height of the drift varies from 3 to 30 meters. In addition, there are sandstones, takirs and small ridges of the Remnant Mountains, which are abundant in sharp rocks. On the way we will visit the ruins of the ancient cities of Ayaz-Kala and Toprak-Kala. Ayaz-Kala dates back to the 2^nd century AD and was one of the largest fortresses of ancient Khorezm. According to the legend, the name of this fortress is associated with the name of the legendary warrior slave Ayaz. Ayaz is the hero of Central Asian in Turkic folklore. A semi-mythical hero who sought the love of the princess who lived in the Kirk-Kyz fortress. Toprak-Kala was the capital of the ancient state of Khorezm in the 3^rdcentury AD. This fortress was discovered in 1938 and during archaeological excavations coins, fragments of ossuaries (burial vessels of Zoroastrians) were found, as well as magnificent examples of artistic culture: finely dressed ceramics, woolen, silk fabrics, gold jewelers and a necklace of 300 glass beads, amber, corals and shells
Arrival in Khiva and check – in the hotel
Optionally, attending a traditional Uzbek wedding. Uzbek weddings are famous for their special scale and a variety of traditional rituals that have evolved over many centuries. From ancient times to the present day, all the traditions and customs of weddings are strictly observed. Therefore, having visited the Uzbek wedding, you can see in full view the beauty of the eastern picturesque
Overnight at the hotel

Day 10

Khiva

Breakfast at the hotel
Tour around Khiva. Visit Ichan-Kala, the old part of the city, which named as the museum under the open sky. In this part of Khiva there are various buildings (the most ancient one dated the 14^th century), such as fortifications, palaces, mosques, madrasahs, mausoleums, minarets, caravanserais and baths. Among the most famous monuments is Kunya-Ark - the ancient citadel, some of its parts belong to the 5^th century, Muhammad Amin-Khan Madrasah, Kalta Minar Minaret, Tash Khauli Palace, Palvan Mahmud Mausoleum, as well as Islam-Khoja Minaret and Mosque
Overnight at the hotel

Day 11

Khiva

Breakfast at the hotel
Drive to Uzbekistan - Turkmenistan boarder

The cost included:

Accommodation in 3* hotels in the cities (twin room)

Accommodation at the Yurt camp in Nurata with lunch and dinners

Breakfasts at the hotel during the tour

Transport (Sedan car max 3 pax with AC) for the whole route

All pick and drop to/from the airports and railway stations

Train ticket Tashkent - Samarkand (economy class)

English speaking guides in Tashkent, Khiva, Bukhara, Samarkand, for excursion days

Monuments entrance fees in the cities as per the present itinerary

The cost is not includes:

International ticket to Tashkent and back

Meals: lunch and dinners

from 7.00 USD without alcohol in local restaurants and from 15.00 USD without alcohol in restaurants with European food
Dinner at Nodir Divan Begim Madrasah cost 12.00 USD per person with cultural show

Tips

Medical Insurance

P.S.

- We reserve the right to make changes in the program or replace excursions without changing the amount of services provided.

- There could be amendments in the itinerary if there will be any changes in flights or railway schedule.

Itinerary offer is valid until December 31, 2019
The price includes: tourist tax for foreign citizens, according to the legislation; VAT of hotels, according to the tax legislation;
Price may change for the year of 2020, regarding new agreements with the hotels
All payments are conducted in accordance with the contracts
We will be glad to serve you

The cost of the tour will be changed depending on guests number
Prices may vary according to changing fuel prices or in the legislation of the Republic of Uzbekistan

Please, do not hesitate to contact us in case of any further assistance you may require.

Tour cost

USD per person for double occupancy

From 1 300 USD