Ouzbékistan

Flight to Tashkent on scheduled Turkish Airlines
Turkish Airlines.
Dinner and overnight on board.

Theme : The city of the contrast of the oriental and modern life
and modern life
Arrival at the airport of Tashkent, welcome by the English-speaking

by the English-speaking guide, transfer to the hotel and luggage pick-up. (Rooms will be made available
(Rooms are available upon arrival).

Breakfast at the hotel.
First discovery of the Uzbek capital

with the Khast-i-Imam square, the religious center of Tashkent
the religious center of Tashkent:

- the madrasa and the mausoleum Barak
Khan mausoleum,
- the mausoleum of al-Kaffal Shashi, - the Friday mosque and the madrasa
-sa Moyie Mubarek which houses his
ancient Quran of Usman;
- the beautiful Koukeldach medersa; - the Chorsu bazaar, the largest market in
market of Uzbekistan.
Lunch break
Afternoon, visit of the splendid Tashkent metro
of Tashkent through its most beautiful stations, each decorated with ceramics, mosaics
mosaics and glass. Each station is unique
each station is unique, a real work of art!
Dinner. Accommodation at the hotel.
Meals included : Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Don't miss: Visit to the Independence Square
and its Monument to the dead, a
monument, a gigantic space reserved for official
for official events and major annual celebrations.
celebrations.

Theme: Travel back in time behind
the walls of the fortress: tranquility and
and peace, the sunset and the rock!
Breakfast at the hotel
Transfer to Tashkent airport, flight to
to Ugrach. Arrival in Ugrach and transfer to the hotel in Khiva to drop off the luggage. The rooms are at your disposal
from 2 pm.
Discover the city of Khiva,
or Itchan-Kala with :
- the medersa Moukhammad Amin
Khan medersa,
- the Kalta minaret,
- the fortress Koukhna Ark which includes
the Juma Mosque, the Throne Hall and the Chancellery, - the Mohammed Rakhim Medersa
- the poet khan, known under the pseudo
- name of Ferouz.
Lunch break
Afternoon, continuation of the visits of Khiva:
- the discovery of Tash Khauli, or
the "Palace of Pièrre" and its Harem, - the medersa and the caravanserai
Allakuli Khan, - the Friday mosque with its
218 carved wooden columns. - the medersa Islam Khodja and its
highest minaret of the city,
- the mausoleum Pakhlavon Makhmoud,
- the Sayid Alaouddin mausoleum.
Return to the hotel, rest
Time for dinner. Accommodation at the hotel.
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Don't miss: Meet the sunset over the
over the ancient citadel of Itchan-Kala

Itchan-Kala, on the wall of the fortress, for-
fortified by half-towers, in the two-story terrace

two-story terrace - aïvan, known as "Akshah Bobo
known as "Akshah Bobo".

(450 km ~8-9h drive)
Theme : The Great Caravan Route
of the desert
Breakfast at the hotel
Early in the morning drive to Boukha- ra passing the red sands of the desert
Kizil-Koum desert.

On the road stop near the rice field to discover the
the agriculture of the Khorezmians.

Continuation of the road through the arid ste-
arid steppe with its herds of sheep

sheep, then discovery of the Amu Darya river
Amu Darya river, a real blue snake in the
the desert.
Stop near the Amu Darya river.
Lunch break
Afternoon drive to Bukha-ra, arrival at the end of the afternoon, transfer and
accommodation at the hotel.
Dinner time
In the evening, a free stroll in the old city of Bukhara.
city of Bukhara.
Accommodation at the hotel
Meals included : Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Theme: The city of masterpiece of Muslim architecture
Breakfast at the hotel
Discovery of the old town of Bukhara, the most secret of the caravan cities with its narrow
with its narrow streets and monuments that will capture the heart of visitors.
Full day devoted to the visit of the old city of Bukhara: the Poi-Kalyan complex which includes the Madrasa Mir-i - the domes of the moneychangers and hatmakers,

- the Madrasa Ulug Beg and Abdulaziz Khan, - the Tok-i-Zargaron or jewelers' domes

- the Tim Abdhulla Khan, or the open market, where you can find beautiful hand-woven ikate silks,

 - The Magok-i-Attari mosque, one of the oldest in the city on the site of an ancient Zoroastrian temple, where you can see the patterns of the nomadic tribes who used to sell this article on the city steps.
Lunch break
Afternoon continuation of the visits:
- the Liabi-Khaouz complex, particularly harmonious and pleasant, including the madrasa Koukeldach, the khanagha and the madrasa Nodir-De-van Beghi with, in the center, a large khaouz,
- the citadel of Ark, fortress of the sovereigns, - the mosque Bolo-Khaouz with its twenty pillars,
- the mausoleum of Ismail Samani, - the mausoleum Chachma Ayyub.
Dinner. Accommodation at the hotel.
Meals included : Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Tip: Evening visit to Poi-Kalyan square to capture the light view of high minaret between the madrasa and the mosque.

Breakfast at the hotel

You can continue visiting monuments outside Bukhara:

- Chor Minor Medersa, or "four minarets", hidden in the alleys of the old quarters of the city,
- the Bahaouddin Nakchbandi necropolis, the most sacred site in the city.
- the summer residence of the Bukhara emirs, Sitora-i-Mokhi Khossa, which was the secondary residence of the
the last emirs of Bukhara.
Lunch break
Free afternoon dedicated to your personal discoveries in the city.
Dinner. Accommodation at the hotel.
Meals included : Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Don't miss : A walk through the Jewish quarter with the discovery of old houses, sometimes abandoned, sometimes transformed into restaurants, a pleasant stop to see the interior of one of the
houses. Visit the synagogue where you will meet rare representatives of this ethnic group.

(280 km ~ 4 hours drive)
Theme: Dive into the melody of Akyn in the evening around the fire
Breakfast at the hotel.
Departure in the direction of Nurata, on the way stop in Guijdouvan to visit the workshop of the master ceramist Abdullo NURULLAEV. Excursion to the Museum of Ceramics and the pottery workshop, then discovery of the traditional embroidery in silk thread practiced by the women of the family.

Lunch in a traditional guest house of the NURULLAYEV family.
In the afternoon, continuation of the journey to the yurt camp. On the way, visit of the city with the Chachma complex and the sacred spring, then the ruins of an ancient citadel of Alexander the Great.
On arrival short drive (8 km) by minivan to the yurt camp. Relaxation break (tea, dry fruits), installation under the yurts.

At sunset, ride on Bactrian camels in the sand dunes around the camp. Continuation in the evening with the nature by the meditative dances.
In the evening aperitif under the stars followed by a festive dinner around the campfire, with music and traditional songs of the Kazakh troubadour Akyn.
Accommodation in yurts (4 to 6 people/yurt).
Meals included : Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

GOOD TO KNOW
Your yurt camp consists of about 20 yurts (ka-zakh felt tents), where you will be accommodated. There is no individual yurt, you will be between 3 and 5 people per yurt. From a sanitary point of view, the camp has 8 showers, 4 European toilets and 4 Uzbek toilets. Sleeping is provided (beds, mattresses, sheets, blankets). Meals are based on local food (usually beef or mutton, accompanied by rice, pasta and vegetables).

(300km ~ 4h drive)
Theme : The secrets of Hadji Bobo's family

Breakfast at dawn in the desert sun

In the morning we will drive to Samarkand via the village of Mitan to spend some unique moments and "live the Uzbek way".
Arrival in the village, warm welcome by the local people.
Authentic activity 1: You will be introduced to the preparation of "bitchaks", squares and crunchy stuffed with pumpkin or herbs (depending on the season) and cooked in a large clay oven.
You will also attend the preparation of rice pilaf, the traditional specialty, with the villagers to learn the secrets of cooking a real Uzbek plov.
Traditional lunch in an Uzbek family, convivial moments to share...
In the afternoon you will have the opportunity to go around the village and visit the Uzbek families to see their traditional way of life and discover the culture of the Uzbek family.

Arrival in Samarkand, transfer to the hotel.
Dinner at the hotel. Accommodation at the hotel.
Meals included : Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Good idea :

Make up a little French-Uzbek vocabulary before you leave. Google Translator will help you. The locals will be pleasantly surprised if you tell them a few Uzbek words.

GOOD TO KNOW
The idea of the responsible trip to Mitan village is the winner of the international competition "TO DO 2014" the most prestigious prize of Responsible and Solidarity Tourism.

Theme: The contrast of the grandiosity and richness of color of the monuments
Breakfast at the hotel

Full day devoted to the discovery of the city:

- the famous Reghistan Square, the unique set of three medersas: Tilia-Kari, Shirdor, Ulough Beg,
- the visit with mausoleum Gour Emir.
Lunch break
Afternoon continuation of the visits with :
- the Ulugh Beg observatory, first observatory in the East,
- the Afrosiab museum,
- the workshop of silk paper making where you will have the possibility to participate in an initiation to the production of mulberry paper or "marble paper".
Dinner. Accommodation at the hotel.
Meals included : Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Good idea
Try to send the letter to your friends at the silk papers to tell the story of manufacture after your return.

(180km round trip)
Theme: Tamerlane's birthplace
Breakfast at the hotel
Departure to Shakhrisabz, the birthplace of Tamerlane located 85 km south of Samarkand.

Lunch break
Visit of Shakhrisabz with :
- the majestic ruins of the ancient Ak-Sarai Palace,

- the architectural complex Dorus-Tilovat and its mosque Kok Goumbaz,

- the complex Dorus-Siadat,

- the mausoleum of Djekhanguir.

Return to Samarkand
Dinner at the hotel. Accommodation at the hotel
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Don't miss : Discover Samarkand "by night" when all the monuments are illuminated. The locals go there with couples, children or friends to have fun in a beautiful atmosphere.

(train ride)
Breakfast at the hotel.
Continuation of the discoveries of Samarkand with :
- the Shakh-i-Zinda necropolis, a real gem of Samarkand architecture,
- the Bibi Khanoum mosque, the largest mosque in Central Asia,
- the picturesque Siab bazaar : sounds, colors and smells...

Lunch break
Afternoon free time for personal visits.
Transfer to the railway station and departure by train to Tashkent. Arrival in Tashkent.
Dinner at the hotel. Accommodation at the hotel.
Meals included : Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Don't miss: visit to the silk carpet factory, which gives you the chance to observe all stages of carpet making: from the decoction and dyeing of silk threads (always from materials of vegetable origin) to hand weaving.

Breakfast at the hotel
Transfer to Tashkent airport (2 hours in advance), flight to Paris on Turkish Airlines/Aeroflot/Uzbekistan Airways.

Meals included : Breakfast