Culture and nature of Uzbekistan in 15 days

Trip Description

Accomodation

Stay program

• day 1

  Tashkent

  

  Welcome and transfer to the hotel. Check-in and overnight stay at the hotel. At noon, excursions in the old town of the capital of Uzbekistan. The city is full of trees, as it is not far from the mountain areas. Visit to Khast Imam Square where the Barakhan madrasa, the Tilla Sheikh mosque, and the mausoleum of Kafal Shashi (16th century) stand. Stroll through the Chorsu market, a meeting place for the inhabitants of the old town. Lunch in a restaurant at the bazaar. Continuation of visits in the Uzbek capital... Overnight at the hotel.

• day 2

  Khiva

  After an early breakfast, transfer to the airport and flight at 07:00 to Urgench (1h20 flight). Arrival and transfer to Khiva (35 km). Check-in at the hotel. Full day dedicated to visiting this open-air museum city, classified by UNESCO as a World Cultural Heritage site and a former stop on the Silk Road. Lunch and dinner in an old caravanserai. Overnight at the boutique hotel.

• day 3

  Khiva

  

  Breakfast. Visit of the Khiva khans' palaces, outside Ichan-Kala: Nurullabay and Tozabog palaces. Return to Itchan Kala. Lunch. Free time in Khiva. Night at the boutique hotel.

• day 4

  Khiva - Bukhara

  Breakfast. Departure for Bukhara by car with air conditioning. The road passes through the Kizil Kum desert (Red Sand). The particular beauty of the Central Asian desert evokes the era of brave caravanners who crossed this sea of sand on camelback. Picnic lunch in a café on the road. Arrival in Bukhara, check-in at a traditional-charm type hotel. Dinner in a restaurant in the city.

• day 5

  Bukhara

  

  Breakfast. Day of sightseeing. Bukhara the Divine! One of the oldest cities in Central Asia, a pillar of Islam with its 365 mosques. A spiritual and commercial center whose importance has not waned over the centuries. We begin the visits with the Samanid Mausoleum, a Persian dynasty that ruled the territory of Central Asia. Visit to the Mausoleum of the Prophet Job and the well with sacred water. Visit to the Ark Citadel, residence of the emirs of Bukhara, and the Bolo Khauz Mosque. Visit to the central part of the city - Chakhristan: the Poi-Kalon complex, the Great Minaret of Bukhara. Here, you will discover why Genghis Khan left this minaret intact and destroyed all the other monuments. The Mir-Arab Madrasa (the first Quranic school in Central Asia), the Great Mosque (unique in Central Asia for its size). Lunch at a tchaikhana (type of local restaurant). Continuation of the visit of Bukhara... Dinner in a typical restaurant. Night at the boutique hotel.

• day 6

  Bukhara

  After breakfast, visits outside the city: the summer residence of the emirs of Bukhara, Sitora i Mokhi Khossa. You will discover the most venerated monument of Bukhara, the Mausoleum of Bakhaouddin Nakhchbandi, named after a highly respected saint and founder of Sufi Islam to whom this phrase is attributed: "If one sows the seed of good, it will grow in seven years and yield seven hundred good deeds." Dinner at the Nodir Devonbegui madrasa with a folk show and a parade of silk costumes. Overnight at the hotel.

• day 7

  Bukhara - Shirin ethno-artisanal village

  

  After breakfast. Visit to the gallery and trip to the village of Shirin, 20 km from Bukhara. Meeting with artisans and villagers. Participation in the gastronomic workshop: Uzbek pilaf. Overnight stay with a local family.

• day 8

  Shirin-Ghijduvan Village - Nurata - Yurt Camp

  

  Breakfast, then early departure for Nourata. On the way, stop to visit the Gijduvan Private pottery workshop. Presentation by the ceramist on the types of Uzbek ceramics. Drive to Nourata. Stop at the Nourata oasis and visits: the ruins of Alexander the Great's fortress, the Tchil Ustun and Panjvakhta mosques. Drive to the yurt camp. Arrival and installation in the nomadic yurts. Night in the yurts.

• day 9

  Yurt Camp - Hayat Village

  Breakfast. Then, departure for the village of Hayat. Check-in at a guesthouse. Lunch. Short hike to admire a herd of mouflons, which are protected by the State. Dinner around the table with locals; the traditional dish may vary depending on the day. If you happen to be there on a Thursday or a Sunday, Uzbek pilaf awaits you. Overnight at the guesthouse.

• day 10

  Hayat Village - Samarkand

  Breakfast. Mountain hike. Duration: 2 hours. Return to the guesthouse. Drive to Samarkand (250 km, 4 h). Arrival in Samarkand in the late evening. Check-in at the hotel. Dinner in a city restaurant. Night at the boutique hotel.

• day 11

  Samarkand

  

  Breakfast. Visit of the monuments of Samarkand, capital of Tamerlane. Visit of the Gur Emir mausoleum (Tamerlane's tomb). A true "threshold of Paradise" for artists and dreamers: Registan Square, surrounded by the marvelous madrasas of Ulugh Beg, Shir-Dor, and Tilla-Kari, decorated with dazzling faience, witnesses to the evolution of Timurid architecture...

• day 12

  Samarkand - Shakhrisabz - Samarkand

  

  Breakfast at the hotel. Departure for Chakhrissabz, the birthplace of Tamerlane. Arrival and visit of Chakhrissabz. Visit of the ruins of the White Palace - Ak Saray (14th c.). Behind the walls of the mausoleum is the mosque of Khazrati Imam (Saint Imam), dating from the 19th c., which completes the architectural ensemble named Dorus Saodat (The Abode of Power)...

• day 13

  Samarkand

  Breakfast. Departure for Urgut, a city located 45 km from Samarkand. Visit to the Urgut bazaar: traditional clothing for women, men, and children, as well as gold thread embroidery. An unparalleled fascination to admire this bazaar. Return to Samarkand. Lunch in a city restaurant. Visit to the mausoleum of the Prophet Daniel, prophet of three religions. Part of the prophet's body was brought from the Near East by Tamerlane in the 14th century. Free time in Samarkand. Overnight at the boutique hotel.

• day 14

  Samarkand - Tashkent

  

  PD. Transfer to Samarkand station for departure to Tashkent by high-speed train. Arrival in Tashkent. Dinner in a restaurant. Overnight at the hotel.

• day 15

  Tashkent - Return

  PD. Transfer to the airport for the return flight.