Day 1 till Day 4

Day 1: Arrival at Tashkent

Arrival at Tashkent, flight early in the morning. Transfer from the airport to the hotel. After breakfast and a short time for rest we start our sightseeing program in Tashkent. The tour includes the old part of Tashkent with the Mui Moborak Library (the16th century), the original Osman Qoran dating back to the 7th century, the Kaffal Shash mausoleum dating back to the 15-16th cc. and the Barakhan madrasa of the 16th century. Besides, we will also visit the large modern mosque that was built in 2007 when Tashkent was announced "The center of Islamic culture". We continue our way to Chorsu bazaar - one of the biggest and oldest bazaars in Tashkent. This colorful market is famous for its local dry fruits, spices, fresh fruits and clothing. Then we go to the center of Tashkent, visiting Independence Square, World War II Memorial, Amir Temur Square and the Applied Arts Museum. Lunch during the day. Dinner.
Overnight at the hotel.

Day 2:  Tashkent-Urgench-Khiva
(1 ½ hrs flight + 30 km)

Early in the morning after our breakfast at the hotel we fly to Urgench. On arriving we drive to our hotel in Khiva. We start our sightseeing program in Khiva after checking-in in the hotel. We spend the whole day in the UNESCO Cultural Heritage Site "Ichan Qala" - an old fortress. The fortress was reconstructed in second half of the19th century. Therefore most the monuments in the Ichan-Qala fortress are relatively new. Inside of the Ichan-Qala fortress we visit the Mukhammad Amin Khan medrasa with its Kalta Minor (Short minaret) dating back to the late 19th century. Then we go on to the Mukhammad Rahimkhan Medrasa and the Medrasa of Feruz and to the Kunya-Ark (the old fortress) - a small town within the old city with its own mosque, minting, harem, reception hall and the watch tower of Aq Sheikh bobo, from where you will have a beautiful view of the whole town. We continue our way to the Juma mosque with more than 200 wooden pillars and minaret. In Toshkhovli palace we see the part that used to be a harem of Khiva khans and is decorated and designed in the unique Khorezmian style. Then we will go to the Pakhlavan Makhmud mausoleum, the holy place of pilgrimage, of local Khorezmian population, the Minaret of Islam-khodja and the medrasa. In the end, we will visit the Caravan Saray which is presently used as a department store and local market. Lunch. Free time in the afternoon. Dinner. Overnight at the hotel.

Day 3: Khiva-Bukhara
(480 km, 7 hrs)

After breakfast at the hotel we leave Khiva and drive to Bukhara. Our way leads through the Kyzyl Kum desert that covers the 2/3 of Uzbekistan's territory. On the way we stop at the banks of the Amu-Darya river where we also have lunch. Along the road you can see refreshing oasis, small villages and yurts of the cattle breeding families. Arrival to Bukhara late in the afternoon. Checking-in in the hotel. Time for rest. Dinner. Overnight at the hotel.

Day 4: Bukhara

After breakfast at the hotel we start a day-long sightseeing tour in Bukhara, also known as "Bukharo-i-sharif "- Holy Bukhara" so named after the invasion by the Arabs in the 8th century. In that time the town was the center of Islam in Central Asia. In the period from the 9th until the 20th century Bukhara had more than 300 mosques and madrasas. The most popular sight and symbol of Bukhara is the Kalyan Minaret, built in the 12th century - the only construction in Bukhara that survived from the complete destruction of the city by Genghis Khan in the 13th century. We visit the Kalyan mosque of the 16th century, Miri Arab madrasas and the Ismail Samani mausoleum of the 9th - 10th cc. This mausoleum of the Samanids impresses with its simplicity and architecture. We continue to the Ark Fortress, its walls date back to the1st century AD, but until now they have been rebuilt several times. In 1920 the Ark Fortress was almost completely destroyed by the Soviet army and just a small part of the complex could be preserved till today. There one can visit the Historical, Archeological and Cultural museums of Bukhara. Then we drive to the Chashma-Ayub Mausoleum with the Hiobs-Spring. We go on with our tour to Magoki-Attori mosque that dates back to the 9th century and the medrasa Ulugbek and Abdulazizkhan of the 15-17th cc. Only in Bukhara one can visit the Trade Dome (Taqi), where money, gold, jewelleries, silk carpets and hats made of fur are sold.
The most popular and crowded place in Bukhara is the Lyabi Hauz complex, with the Nadir Divan Begi Medrasah of the 17th century and a lot of local chayhana where one can try local food. In addition, a visit to the Jewish Quarter with the school and synagogue is included in our program. Lunch during the day. Dinner with a folk dance show. Overnight at the hotel.

Day 5 till Day 8

Day 5: Bukhara-Samarkand
(4 hours, 230 km)

After breakfast we make a trip to the Sitorai-Mokhikhosa, summer palace of Bukhara Emirs of the 19th century. It was constructed in Eastern European style and the interior was decorated with the traditional Uzbek paintings and design. The huge area includes water pools, a harem, guesthouses, a stable yard and even a small zoo. After this visitation we drive via Gijduvan to Samarkand. We stop at Gijduvan to visit a pottery workshop of the local masters, to observe the popular Uzbek Gijduvan producing process of ceramics. Worldwide the Gikduvan ceramics are well-known for their combination of floral motives with geometrical patterns. After lunch we drive on to Samarkand.
Arrival at Samarkand. Dinner. Overnight at the hotel.

Day 6: Samarkand

We have breakfast at the hotel and then we start our day-long sightseeing tour in the legendary Samarkand. From the 14th to the15th century Samarkand was the capital of the Temur Empire. The history of Samarkand goes back to the 6th century BC when it had been ruled by the Akhemenids empire, before it was conquered by Alexander the Great in the 4th century BC. We visit Registan Square with the Ulughbek, Sherdor and Tillakari medrasa, all of them date back to the 15-17th cc. Also we visit the ruins of the Bibi-Khanum Mosque of the 14th century, named after Temur's favorite wife and Shakhi-Zinda necropolis, the holy place of Samarkand and burial place of Temur's relatives, generals and other noble people. After that we visit the Gur-Emir mausoleum where Amir Temur, his sons, grandchildren and spiritual teachers are buried. A visit to the remains of Ulugbek's observatory that dates back to the 15th century also on our way. In the small museum one can see the original parts of the famous Sextant. Subsequently the Archaeological Museum Afrosiyob with its archeological excavation in the vicinity will be visited. In the museum there are the famous and unique original Afrosiyob Frescoes from the the 5th -  8th cc that were discovered in the 1960s. Then we continue to move to the old bazaar of Samarkand, called "Siab Bozor" that dates back to the middle ages, located next to the Bibi Khanum mosque. Lunch during the day. Dinner.
Overnight at the hotel.

Day 7: Samarkand-Tashkent
(297 km, 4 ½ hrs)

After our breakfast at the hotel we drive further to Tashkent. The road we take goes nearby beautiful cotton fields and different villages with the typical Uzbek houses. After arrival to Tashkent we check-in in to the hotel. Lunch and free time in the afternoon. Farewell dinner. Overnight at the hotel.

Day 8: Tashkent-departure

Check out from the hotel after midnight, transfer to the airport, departure flight. End of the tour.

Services

Not included in the price:

Things to know

• For detailed explanations to the degrees of difficulty please follow this link: Explanation to the degrees of difficulty
• Information about visa and entry regulations, health information and tips for equipment, see this link: Things to know-1
• Please note our information about possible exchange rate fluctuations: Exchange rate fluctuation