The Great Silk Road

Trip Description

Accomodation

Stay program

• day 1

  Arrival in Tashkent

  On this day, you will be met by a driver at Tashkent International Airport, named after Islam Karimov, who will take you to the hotel. Accommodation at the hotel. Free time for rest.

• day 2

  Visit of Tashkent

  08:00 Breakfast at the hotel. 10:00 Start of the tour in Tashkent with a guide. Tashkent is the capital of Uzbekistan. On this day, you will see the following attractions of the largest city in Central Asia: • The old city of Tashkent, • The Chorsu bazaar, • The Kukeldash madrassah, • The Hast-Imam complex, • The famous Quran of Caliph Osman (7th century), • The Barak Khan madrassah, • The Tillya-Sheikh mosque, • The mausoleum of Abu Bakr Kaffal Shashi, • The Islamic institute named after Imam al-Bukhari. Free time for lunch at the Tashkent teahouse. In addition, you will see modern Tashkent with its sights: • The Tashkent TV tower, • The "In Memory of Victims of Repression" memorial, • The Courage monument, • The Amir Timur area, • Independence Square, • The Museum of Applied Arts. After visiting Tashkent and the largest city in Central Asia, you will have free time. In the evening, you can visit the theater named after Alisher Navoi, go to a nightclub or have dinner in a restaurant. Overnight at the hotel.

• day 3

  TASHKENT-KOKAND-FERGANA

  06:00 Early breakfast at the hotel. Check-out from the rooms. 07:00 Departure for Tashkent station. 08:05 Departure by high-speed "Uzbekistan" train to Kokand. 11:57 Arrival in Kokand. At the station, you will be greeted by the driver. Free time for lunch in a local teahouse. After lunch, visit of: • The Khudoyar Khan Palace, • The Jami Mosque, • The Kamol Kazi Madrasa, • The Norbut Biya Madrasa. Continuation of the journey to Fergana by car (90 km, 1 hour 35 min). Arrival in Fergana. Accommodation at the hotel. Free time for dinner in a local café and a walk in the city. Overnight at the hotel.

• day 4

  MARGILAN - RISHTAN - TASHKENT

  08:00 Breakfast at the hotel. Check-out from the rooms. 10:00 Departure with luggage from Fergana to Margilan (15 km) by car. Visit: • Said Ahmad Khodzhi Madrassah, in whose cells handmade silk carpets are produced. • Margilan "Yodgorlik" silk factory, which produces silk fabrics. Free time for lunch at the local teahouse. Another trip to Rishtan by car (45 km, 50 min): • Pottery workshop of the famous ceramist Rustam Usmanov. • Visit to Ok Oer village, to the house of the weaver from the Kyrgyz family Bahrom aka, master of handmade wool carpets. Return to Margilan (45 km, 50 min). 16:38 Departure by "Uzbekistan" train to Tashkent. 21:20 Arrival in Tashkent, at the station, the driver will take you to the hotel. Accommodation at the hotel. Free time for dinner and a night walk in Tashkent. Overnight at the hotel.

• day 5

  TASHKENT - NUKUS - MOYNAK

  After an early breakfast at the hotel, check-out from the rooms. 06:00: Departure with luggage for Tashkent local airport. 07:10: Flight to Nukus. 09:45: Upon arrival at Nukus airport, you will meet your guide and driver who will accompany you during the tour. Departure for Muynak by car (190 km, 2h50 min). Lunch at the guest house in Muynak. After lunch, start the tour. You will visit: • The cemetery of lost ships on the Aral Sea, • The famous Mizdahkan complex, • Gyaur Kala Khojeylinskaya, an ancient necropolis dating back about 2000 years. Return to Nukus. Free time for dinner in a local tea house. Overnight at the hotel.

• day 6

  NUKUS - HIVA

  08:00 Breakfast at the hotel. Check-out from the rooms. 10:00 Departure with your belongings. You will visit the famous art museum named after Igor Savitsky, which ranks second in the world for its collection of Russian avant-garde paintings. Departure from Nukus to Khiva by car (200 km, 4-5 h). On the way, visit the ancient fortresses: • The first is Ayaz Kala, with its minarets and labyrinths, • Toprak Kala, clay fortress. Free time for lunch at Ayaz Kala. Arrival in Khiva at the end of the day. Accommodation at the hotel. Free time for an evening walk in Khiva and dinner in a colorful local teahouse. Overnight at the hotel.

• day 7

  HIVA

  08:00 Breakfast at the hotel. 10:00 Start the tour with a guide in Khiva. You will see: • Itchan-Kala Fortress, a UNESCO World Heritage site, • Muhammad Aminhana Madrasah, • Muhammad Rahimkhan Madrasa, • The Kalta-Minor Minaret, • The Juma Mosque, • The Tash-Hovley Palace, • Pakhlavan Mahmoud Mausoleum. Free time to taste Uzbek dishes. Continuation of the excursion: • The Islam Khodja Minaret, the tallest minaret in Uzbekistan. • See the Kunya-Ark platform. Free time during which you are free to stroll through the old streets of Khiva, enjoy a national dish tuhum-barak in one of the many national cafés in the old city of Khiva. Overnight at the hotel.

• day 8

  HIVA - BUKHARA

  08:00-09:00 - Breakfast at the hotel 09:00 - Departure from the hotel with luggage. In the morning, departure from Khiva to Bukhara (480 km, 7-8 hours). The modern highway crosses the Kyzylkum desert, following the ancient route of the Great Silk Road. Stop along the way, during which you will have the opportunity to enjoy a panoramic view of the desert and the Amu Darya river. Arrival in Bukhara at the end of the day. Check-in at the hotel. Free time. Overnight at the hotel.

• day 9

  BUKHARA

  08.00-09.00 - Breakfast at the hotel 09.00 - Excursion around the old town, listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site. Visit: • The Kalyan minaret, • The Kalyan mosque, • The Miri-Arab madrasah, • The Magoki-Attori mosque, • The Ulugbek madrassah, • The Abdulaziz Khan madrassah, • The trading domes, the Lyabi-Khauz complex, • The Chor-Minor madrassah, • The Ark fortress, • The Bolo House mosques, • The Samanid mausoleum, • The Chashma Ayub mausoleum. Free time. Overnight at the hotel.

• day 10

  BUKHARA

  8.00-09.00 - Breakfast at the hotel 09:00 - Continuation of the visit to Bukhara: a trip outside the city to the summer residence of the last emir of Bukhara, Sitorai Mohi-Khosa. The unique building combines the traditions of oriental architecture and motifs of Russian architecture. Then, visit to the mausoleum of the founder of the Sufi order Bakhouddin Naqshbandi and the Chor Bakr necropolis. Return to Bukhara.

• day 11

  BUKHARA - NURATA

  08:00-09:00 - Breakfast at the hotel 09:00 - Departure from the hotel with luggage. Transfer to Nurata (230 km, 4-5 h). Visit of an ancient mosque with a sacred spring and the ruins of Alexander the Great's fortress. Then, transfer to the "Aydar" yurt camp, located 10 km from the shore of Lake Aidarkul. Camel ride. Dinner around the fire, accompanied by music and songs of a Kazakh Akyn. Free time. Night in a yurt.

• day 12

  NURATA - SAMARKAND

  08:00-09:00 - Breakfast in the yurt camp. 09:00 - Departure from the camp with your belongings. Transfer to Samarkand (260 km, 5 hours). Visit to Lake Aidarkul. During the hot season, you can go fishing and swimming. Picnic by the lake. Transfer to Samarkand. Arrival in Samarkand, check-in at the hotel. Free time. Overnight at the hotel.

• day 13

  SAMARKAND

  08:00-09:00 - Breakfast at the hotel. 09:00 - Meeting with a driver and a guide in the hotel lobby. You will visit: • Ulugbek Observatory, • Tomb of Saint Daniel, • Mausoleum complex of the Samarkand nobility Shahi-Zinda, • Gur-Emir Mausoleum - the tomb of Amir Timur and the Timurids. Free time for lunch. Then, visit to the Samarkand plantation, Prof. M. A. Khovrenko. Wine tasting and visit to the factory's history museum. Master class for cooking mantas with Muborak Sharipovna, followed by a full dinner. Free time. Overnight at the hotel.

• day 14

  SAMARKAND

  08:00-09:00 - Breakfast at the hotel. 09:00 - Continuation of the excursion around Samarkand. On this day, you will visit the famous Registan Square, then the Bibi-Khanum Mosque. Free time for lunch, during which you can try the famous Samarkand pilaf in one of the many cafes in the city. After lunch, you will visit one of the oldest bazaars in the city: the Siab Bazaar. Free time for shopping in the bazaar and souvenir shops. Overnight at the hotel.

• day 15

  SAMARKAND - SHAKHRISABZ - TERMEZ

  08:00-10:00 - Breakfast at the hotel. Check-out from the rooms. 10:00 - Departure from the hotel with luggage. Excursion to Shakhrisabz (90 km, 2 h). In Shakhrisabz, visit the mausoleum of Jahongir, the Dor-Us Siodat memorial complex, the Dor-UT Tilavat ensemble with the Kok-Gumbaz mosque and the tomb of Tamerlane's father, as well as the ruins of the Ak-Saray palace. Lunch. Transfer to Termez (290 km, 5 h). Arrival in Termez, accommodation. Free time. Overnight at the hotel.

• day 16

  TERMEZ - TASHKENT

  08:00-10:00 - Breakfast at the hotel. Check-out from the rooms. 10:00 - Departure from the hotel with luggage. Excursion outside the city: visit of the Zumal tower, the mausoleum of Al Hakim at-Termezi, the Buddhist archaeological site of Fayaztep, as well as the ruins of the Greco-Bactrian fortress of Kampyrtepa. Return to Termez: you will visit the Kyrk Kyz fortress, the Kokildor Ota khanak and the Sultan Saodat complex, summer residence of the Samanids, as well as the archaeological museum of Termez. Transfer to the airport. Flight to Tashkent. Arrival in Tashkent. Accommodation and overnight at the hotel.

• day 17

  Tashkent Airport

  08:00-10:00 - Breakfast at the hotel. Check-out of rooms. 12:00 - Departure from the hotel with luggage. Transfer to the airport.