The oases of Uzbekistan

Trip Description

Accomodation

Stay program

• day 1

  PARIS / URGENCH

  Departure from Paris on a scheduled flight with Uzbekistan Airways to Urgench. Dinner and overnight on board.

• day 2

  OURGUENTCH - KHIVA

  Arrival in Urgench. Departure for Khiva (30 km). Arrival and check-in at the hotel. Mysterious city of blue faience, hidden in the Kyzylkum desert (red sands), on the banks of the Amu Darya river (untamable river), which has preserved its unique architectural beauty to this day. Discovery of the inner city of Khiva - Itchan Kala. Lunch. Discovery of the mausoleum of the never-defeated wrestler, healer, furrier, and spiritual master of the inhabitants of the Khwarezm region, Pakhlavan Mahmoud. Meeting with very curious and warm pilgrims... Candlelit dinner in a sumptuous setting. Night at the hotel.

• day 3

  KHIVA - BUKHARA

  Departure for Bukhara: we cross the Kyzylkum desert (The Red Sands) and the Amu Darya river, the second largest river in Uzbekistan. Picnic lunch. On the way, we stop to meet the breeders of the small sheep of Central Asia, the "astrakhans". Arrival in Bukhara and check-in at the hotel. Stroll in the Lyabi Khauz district, first encounter with the Persian-speaking, Tajik population of Bukhara. Dinner. Overnight at the hotel.

• day 4

  BUKHARA

  Discovery of the monastic city: Bukhara, a place of study and pilgrimage. Among today's visits: Liabi-Khaouz square, one of the most popular squares in the old city; the Ark citadel (residence of the rulers of Bukhara); the Poi-Kalian complex with its Kalian minaret, symbol of the famous Silk Road, which once served as a beacon for caravanners. Lunch during the visits. Stroll in a theatrical setting... A few caravanserais in multicolored mosaics will open the door to the past for your dreams and your desire for history... In the evening, dinner at the caravanserai restaurant with a traditional show. Overnight at the hotel.

• day 5

  BUKHARA

  Continuation of visits: Ismail Samani Mausoleum, the pearl of world architecture; the Chashma Ayub spring (9th-10th c.); the royal Bolo Khaouz mosque; Sitorai-Mokhi-Khosa, the residence of the lords of Bukhara; the Bakhouddin Nakchbandi complex, the great pilgrimage site for mystical believers of Central Asia. Lunch during the visits. Dinner. Overnight at the hotel.

• day 6

  BOUKHARA – NOURATA – LAKE AYDARKOUL

  Departure for Nourata, across the great Kyzyl-Kum desert. Nourata is located at the border between the nomadic and sedentary worlds, inhabited mostly by Kazakhs. Visit to the source of miracles, full of sacred fish, which the locals do not touch, saying it is the spirit of their ancestors. Lunch with a local family. We take the road towards the blue Aydarkoul lake and settle under the yurts. Meeting with the Kazakh nomad family. Discovery of the desert landscape on camelback. Dinner and songs of the nomad troubadours around the fire, then night under the yurt.

• day 7

  AYDARKOUL LAKE - SAMARKAND

  Breakfast. Departure for Samarkand through a more cultivated, richer countryside. Arrival in Samarkand and check-in at the hotel. Lunch. Stroll on the royal square of Reghistan (15th-17th c.) with three buildings: the Ulugh Beg madrasa, the Sher-Dor madrasa, and Tillya Kori. Visit to the Gur-Emir mausoleum (15th c.). Dinner. Overnight at the hotel.

• day 8

  SAMARKAND

  Discovery of the legendary capital of Tamerlane, the city of Samarkand: Visit to the largest mosque in Central Asia, Bibi-Khanym. The light blue dome of the mosque rivals the sky. Visit to the nearby bazaar. Through the necklace of masterpieces appears the ensemble of Shakhi-Zinda, dazzling and picturesque. It stretches in a sparkling line on the ancient slopes of the old city of Afrosiab. Lunch. Afrosiab Museum with its pre-Islamic era murals; the remains of Ulugh Beg's Observatory (15th century). Dinner. Overnight at the hotel.

• day 9

  SAMARKAND – CHAKHRISSABZ - SAMARKAND

  Departure for Chakhrissabz, the birthplace of Tamerlane, through a mountainous landscape, and visit of his Ak Saray palace, the Gumbazi-Sayidan mausoleum built by his grandson Ulugh Beg, as well as a Khazrat Imam mosque. Stroll through the bazaar with its cradle makers' district... Lunch and return to Samarkand. Dinner. Overnight at the hotel.

• day 10

  SAMARKAND / TASHKENT

  Visit to the Samarkand paper-making workshop using the 4th-century method, silk paper. Lunch. Departure for Tashkent (320 km) via the village of Bakhmal, discovery of cotton honey. Arrival in Tashkent. Check-in at the hotel. Dinner. Overnight at the hotel.

• day 11

  Tashkent

  Discovery of Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan. Today, it is a major cultural and scientific center. Stroll through the old part of the city, visit the large Khast-Imam square, the spiritual center for Central Asian Islamic believers, with its 18th-century library housing the oldest Quran in the Islamic world, the 7th-century Quran of Osman. Meeting at the craft school in the Barak-Khan madrasa with renowned artists: miniaturists, sculptors, and painters... Excursion to the largest market in the capital, Chorsu. Lunch during the visits. Dinner in town. Overnight at the hotel.

• day 12

  Tashkent

  Visit to the Tashkent metro, a must-see. Each station is decorated in the Art Deco spirit, making each station a true work of art, similar to the Moscow metro. Lunch. Transfer to the airport for the flight to Paris.