Uzbek hospitality

Trip Description

Accomodation

Stay program

• day 1

  Paris - Tashkent

  

  Arrival in Tashkent, welcome by our French-speaking guide and transfer to the hotel.

• day 2

  Tashkent

  

  Breakfast. Morning at leisure. Discovery of the capital: the Hazret-Imam complex in the heart of old Tashkent, including the Barak Khan madrasa (16th c.), the Tellia Cheikh mosque (Friday mosque) open for worship, and the Kaffal Chachi mausoleum (16th c.). Koukeldach madrasa; market. Panoramic tour of the city: the Alisher Navoi Opera Theater Square, Amir Timur Square, Independence Square. Lunch during the visits in a city restaurant. Dinner and overnight at the hotel.

• day 3

  Tashkent - Samarkand

  

  Breakfast. Transfer to the station to take the "Afrasiab" train at 08:00 (2 hours by road). Arrival and check-in at the hotel. First discovery of Samarkand the Great: visit of Registan Square, the heart of Samarkand, with the madrasahs of Ulugh Beg (15th c.), Sher-Dor (madrasah with lions) (17th c.), and Tilla-Kari (decorated with gold) (17th c.). Lunch in a local restaurant. Afternoon: Afrosiab, one of the largest sites in the world; the Ulugh Beg observatory, built in the 15th century by Ulugh Beg, one of the greatest astronomers of his time; the Gur-Emir mausoleum (15th c.), housing the tombs of Tamerlane and his descendants. At the end of the afternoon, visit to the Khavrenko cellar, renowned throughout Central Asia for its wines. The visit will be followed by a wine tasting at the cellar's museum. Dinner in a local restaurant. Overnight at the hotel.

• day 4

  Samarkand

  

  Breakfast. In the morning, visit to the Bibi-Khanim Mosque (14th c – early 15th c), the largest mosque in Central Asia, built by order of Tamerlane after the conquest of India; the Shakhi-Zinda necropolis (the living king), the pearl of Samarkand, a group of mausoleums dating from the 11th to the 15th centuries, a true museum of medieval architecture, and market. Lunch in a local restaurant. In the afternoon: visit to the silk carpet factory in Samarkand. Visit to the workshop of the seamstress Valentina Romanenko where you can admire jackets, scarves, and silk clothing. Dinner in a traditional Uzbek house. Overnight at the hotel.

• day 5

  Samarkand - Sentyab Village

  

  Transfer from Samarkand to the village located in the Nurata mountains (180 km). Arrival at the mountain village of Sentyab. Check-in at the guesthouse. Excursion in the village and discovery of the lifestyle of the local inhabitants. Overnight at the guesthouse.

• day 6

  Sentyab Village - Lake Aidar Kul

  

  Transfer to the yurt camp (65 km). Installation. Transfer to the lake. Swimming in Lake Aydar Kul. Camel ride through the steppes and dunes. Outdoor dinner (around the fire) accompanied by songs of an akyn, a Kazakh singer. Night under the yurts.

• day 7

  Yangigazgan - Bukhara

  

  Departure for Bukhara. Arrival and check-in at the hotel. Lunch in town. Start of visits in Bukhara: Liabi-Khaouz Ensemble, which consists of the Nadir-Divan-Beghi madrasa (1622), the Koukeldach madrasa, and the Nadir-Divan-Beghi khanaka (1620), one of the most popular places in Bukhara, the Magok-Attori mosque (12th – 16th centuries); merchant domes from the 16th century Toki-Sarafon (money changers' dome). Dinner in a local restaurant. Overnight at the hotel.

• day 8

  Bukhara

  

  Breakfast. Ark Citadel (17th – 20th centuries); Bolo-Khauz Mosque (1712); the pearl of the Orient - the mausoleum of Ismail Samani (9th – 10th centuries), one of the oldest monuments in the world dedicated to Muslim personalities; Chashma-Ayub Mausoleum (14th – 17th centuries) - the source of the prophet Job; market. Lunch in a local restaurant. Afternoon: The Chor Minor madrasa (“four minarets”), four towers that decorated the entrance to the Niyaz Koul madrasa (19th century). Visit to the Bukhara carpet workshop, which is very famous for its wool and silk carpets. Folk concert of traditional dances and songs with dinner in the Nodir Divan Beghi madrasa. Overnight at the hotel.

• day 9

  Bukhara - Khiva

  

  Breakfast. Departure for Bukhara (480 km): long journey through the Kyzyl Kum desert (the Red Sands). Picnic lunch en route. Arrival and check-in at the hotel. Relaxation after a long journey. Dinner and overnight at the hotel.

• day 10

  Khiva

  

  Visit of Khiva: the madrasa of Moukhammad Amin Khan and Kalta Minor (the unfinished minaret) (18th c.); Kounia-Ark (the old fortress) (17th – 19th cc.); the madrasa of Moukhammad Rakhim Khan (19th c.); the mausoleum of Said Allaoutdin (14th c.); the Djami mosque (Friday mosque) with its 212 carved wooden columns (18th c.); market. Lunch at a local's home. Continuation of the visit of Khiva. Dinner in a local restaurant. Overnight at the hotel.

• day 11

  Khiva - Urgench - Tashkent

  

  Breakfast. Transfer to Urgench airport (30 km) for the Urgench-Tashkent flight. Check-in at the hotel. Visit of the former residence of the Tsarist diplomat, which today houses the Museum of Applied Arts. Lunch. Panoramic city tour: the metro, Amir Timur Square, Independence Square. Farewell dinner in a local restaurant. Overnight at the hotel.

• day 12

  Tashkent - Paris

  

  Breakfast. Visit of the Orthodox and Catholic churches. Lunch. Transfer to the airport for the Tashkent – Paris flight.