3 weeks in Uzbekistan

Trip Description

Accomodation

Stay program

• day 1

  Paris - Tashkent

  

  Flight to Tashkent. Dinner and overnight on board.

• day 2

  Tashkent

  

  Arrival in Tashkent. You will be welcomed by your French-speaking guide at the airport. He will take you to have breakfast in the city. In the morning, you will visit the old city with a guide, including the large Chorsu market, the Khasti Imam complex, the Barak Khan madrasa dating from the 16th century, the Tellia Cheikh mosque, the Kafal Shashi mausoleum, and the new Minor mosque. Lunch at your leisure. (Transfer and check-in at the hotel after 2:00 pm). In the afternoon, stroll on Independence Square and Amir Temur Park. Finally, visit the Museum of Applied Arts. Dinner at your leisure. Overnight at the hotel.

• day 3

  Tashkent - Charvak - Tashkent - 180 km

  

  Breakfast at the hotel. Departure for Tcharvak. On the way to the mountainous region of the republic, you can take a short hike in the Tian Shan mountains. Walk along the shore of Lake Tcharvak and visit Lake Beldirsoy, where you will have the opportunity to take the chairlift. Lunch at your leisure. Walk in the mountains. Return to Tashkent and check-in at the hotel. Dinner at your leisure. Overnight at the hotel.

• day 4

  Tashkent - Urgench - Touprakala - Khiva - 180 km

  

  Breakfast at the hotel. Transfer to the airport for the flight to Urgench at 07:25-08:55 by HY-051, arrival in Urgench. Drive to visit the desert fortresses: Kyzylkala, Toprak Kala, and Ayaz Kala. Dating from the 3rd and 6th centuries respectively, they bear witness to the glorious past of Khorezm. They are located on the edge of the Kyzyl-Kum desert, in an impressive natural setting. Lunch at leisure. Continue on the road to Khiva, arrival and check-in at the hotel. Dinner at leisure. Overnight at the hotel.

• day 5

  Khiva

  

  Breakfast. Guided tour through the main entrance gate of the fortress "Ata Darvaza" (Itchan Qala – inner city). The architectural monuments of the fort were erected during the 10th-18th centuries and are preserved in good condition to this day. You will successively visit the truncated minaret Kalta Minar, the Mohamed Aminkhan madrasa, the king's seat and the old palace Kounya Ark, the Mohamed Rahimkhan madrasa, the mausoleum of Saïd Alouddin, the mausoleum of Pahlavan Mahmud. Lunch at your leisure. Then, continue the visits with the Islamkhodja minaret, the Tochhovli palace and the Khan's Harem, the Ollokoulikhon madrasa. Dinner at your leisure. Overnight at the hotel.

• day 6

  Khiva - Bukhara (by regular train)

  

  Breakfast. Transfer to the station to take the regular train to Bukhara from 08:30 to 16:00. The railway crosses the Kyzyl Kum desert and the journey takes place among the sand dunes. Previously, caravans heading west passed through this part of the Silk Road, which connected the western cities to Bukhara. Lunch at leisure. Arrival in Bukhara and check-in at the hotel. City tour with the Lyabi Khaouz complex, dating from the 16th century, in a green setting of centuries-old trees surrounding a small pond, the Kukeldash madrasa and the Nadir Divanbegi madrasa. Dinner at leisure. Overnight at the hotel.

• day 7

  Bukhara

  

  Breakfast. Guided tour of the Ismail Samani mausoleum, Chashma Ayoub, the ancient citadel "Ark" and the Bolo Khaouz mosque. Lunch at leisure. Continuation of the guided tours with the following monuments: Magoki-Attari mosque, Ulug Beg madrasah (1417), Abdul Aziz Khan madrasah (1654), Poyi Kalyan complex, Mir Arab madrasah (1535), Kalyan minaret, the Great Mosque, the money changers' dome, the hat sellers' dome, Abdullakhan's Tim and the jewelry dome. Dinner at leisure. Overnight at the hotel.

• day 8

  Bukhara and its surroundings - 40 km

  

  Breakfast. Guided tour of the outskirts of the city of Bukhara. You will visit the Bakhouddin Naqshbandi complex, a great Sufi of Central Asia, then the summer palace of the Emir of Bukhara - Sitoraï Mohi-Khossa, as well as the small Chor Minor madrasa (1807) with its four minarets topped with turquoise blue domes. Lunch at your leisure. Afternoon: visit to the Bukhara embroidery workshop and the synagogue, then free time for personal discovery. Optional: dinner with a show of dances, traditional songs, and a fashion show in the Nadir Devanbegui madrasa. Overnight at the hotel.

• day 9

  Bukhara - Nurata - Yanguigazgan - 270 km

  

  Breakfast. Drive to Nourata. On the way, you visit the water reservoir (Sardoba) and the ruins of the 12th-century caravanserai, Rabbati Malik, as well as the rock engravings located right by the roadside. Arrival in Nourata. Free lunch. Guided tour of the city of Nourata where you will find the ruins of an ancient fortress built at the time of the Greek conquest (Alexander the Great). You will also visit the Nourata complex, which includes two mosques, a sacred and healing spring whose water is very rich in various natural minerals. You continue on the road to the village of Yanguigazgan, the village of Kazakh shepherds. Drive to Yanguigazgan. Arrival and accommodation under the yurt. Possibility of a walk in the desert and a camel ride. Dinner accompanied by vodka and songs from a Kazakh shepherd, and overnight under the yurt.

• day 10

  Yanguigazgan - Aydarkul - Mojrum - Hayat - 150 km

  

  Breakfast. Then, drive to Lake Aydarkul. You take a short walk along the lake, with the possibility of swimming. On the way, visit the two-thousand-year-old fir tree in Mojroum. Walk at the foot of the mountains and in the forest. Lunch with a local family. Drive to the village of Hayat, a beautiful village located at the foot of the Nurata mountain range. Arrival and accommodation with a local family. Walk in the village. Dinner and overnight with a local family.

• day 11

  Hayat - Uxum - Hayat (hiking and trekking, 8 km)

  

  Breakfast. Hike (5-6 hours of walking without difficulty, 200-300 m of elevation gain), possibility to visit a typical village market. Picnic at the pass. Arrival at the pass, from where you can observe the panorama of the village (2000 m altitude), the highest point of the Nurata mountains, and spot some mouflons. You will discover the ancient Tajik village in the Karisay valley. Return to the village. Dinner and overnight stay with a local family.

• day 12

  Hayat - Jizzakh - Samarkand - 220 km

  

  Breakfast. Continuation of the trek in the mountains. This morning, you will head towards Hayatbochi peak, where you can observe mouflons and mountain birds. On the way, you will cross the forest. Altitude: 2200 m. Arrival and picnic at the summit. Then, you will discover a beautiful landscape, then return to the village of Hayat. Drive to Samarkand. Arrival and check-in at the hotel. Dinner at your leisure. Overnight at the hotel.

• day 13

  Samarkand

  

  Breakfast. Guided tour of Samarkand: you will start your visit with the Bibi Khanoum mosque, the "Siyob" market, the mausoleum of our first president, Islam Karimov, where you will discover a beautiful view of Samarkand, as well as the Shakhi Zinda necropolis, where each mausoleum is covered with a fully decorated turquoise blue dome, dating from the 11th – 15th centuries. Free lunch. Visit to the Samarkand parchment workshop (produced in the ancestral way from mulberry bark), the silk carpet factory, and the Ulugh Beg observatory. Free lunch. Guided tour of the Afrosiab museum with its frescoes dating from the 7th and 8th centuries. Optional: musical show and presentation of historical costumes in Samarkand. Free dinner. Overnight at the hotel.

• day 14

  Samarcande - Mayintepa - Samarcande - 280 km

  

  Breakfast. Departure for Mayintepa through a more cultivated, richer countryside. On the way, you will stop in a typical village of the Central Asian steppes. Welcome by a family and lunch with the locals, where you will taste traditional cuisine. Visit to a school where French is taught, meeting with the schoolchildren: they will recite poems, stories, and conjugate verbs for you. (Please consider bringing notebooks, pens, and pencils to offer to the French-speaking schoolchildren.) Meeting with the villagers and walk on the village steppes. Then, drive towards Samarkand. Dinner at your leisure. Overnight at the hotel.

• day 15

  Samarcande - Chakhrisabz - Samarcande - 230 km

  

  Breakfast. Departure for Chakrisabz, the birthplace of Tamerlane. Guided tour of the White Palace – Ak Sarail of Tamerlane, the Dorout Tilovat complex, which consists of the mausoleums of Chamsiddin Koulol and Gumbazi Saidon, the Kok Gumbaz mosque, as well as the second Dorus Siyadat complex, including the Hazrati Imam mosque and the mausoleum of Jahangir Sultan, the eldest son of Timur. All the monuments in the city have been recently restored by the Uzbek government. You will discover a beautiful Uzbek city. Free lunch. This afternoon, return to Samarkand. Free dinner. Transfer to the hotel. Overnight at the hotel.

• day 16

  Samarkand - Tashkent (by train)

  

  cande – Tashkent (by train) Breakfast. Continuation of guided tours at Registan Square, surrounded by its three madrasahs: Ulugh Beg, the oldest, Sher Dor, "the madrasah with Lions," and Tilla Kari, the Gur Emir mausoleum, tomb of Tamerlane, as well as the Roukhabad (outside visit), dating from the 14th century, and the Ak Saray (outside visit). Lunch at leisure. Personal discovery in the old city. Transfer to the station for the "Afrosiyob" high-speed train from 17:30 to 19:40. Arrival in Tashkent, welcome by your driver. Dinner at leisure. Transfer to the hotel. Overnight at the hotel.

• day 17

  Tashkent - Kokand - Rishtan - Fergana (by train) - 100 km

  

  Breakfast. Transfer to the station to take the fast train to Kokand at 08:05-12:16. Arrival in Kokand and welcome by your driver. Lunch at leisure. Then, visit of the Khoudoyor Khan Palace, the Friday Mosque, and the royal cemetery. Continue on the road to Richtan and visit the Richtan ceramics workshop: you will discover the secret and technique of the famous blue ceramics of this city. Drive to Fergana, arrival and check-in at the hotel. Dinner at leisure. Overnight at the hotel.

• day 18

  Fergana - Margilan - Fergana - 80 km

  

  Breakfast. Walk in the city's national park, which is named after Akhmed al Fergani, a great mathematician of the 9th century. Drive to Margilan. Guided tour of the city's typical market and the silk factory, unique in the country. Visit to the weaving workshop to discover the process of weaving the famous atlas fabric, silk carpet weaving, cocoons, and winding. Visit to the Khanakha mosque and the city's central market. Lunch at leisure. Return to Fergana. Free time for personal discovery. Dinner at leisure. Overnight at the hotel.

• day 19

  Fergana - Tashkent - 300 km

  

  Breakfast. After breakfast, you will take the road to Tashkent, crossing the Tian Shan mountains via the Kamchik Pass, at an altitude of 2300 m. On the way, you will make a few stops to take beautiful photos of the Uzbek landscapes. Lunch at your leisure. Road to Tashkent. Arrival and check-in at the hotel. Dinner at your leisure. Overnight at the hotel.

• day 20

  Tashkent

  

  Breakfast. Walk on Independence Square and Amir Temur Park, visit to the Museum of Applied Arts and discovery of the Uzbek metro. Lunch at leisure. Visit to the Courage Monument, the Friendship of Peoples Square, and the presidential residence of our president Islam Karimov. Dinner at leisure. Overnight at the hotel.

• day 21

  Tashkent - Paris

  

  Breakfast. Transfer to the international airport for the flight to Paris with an airline. Formalities and customs control.