Uzbekistan Cultural Tours in 14 Days

Today, we have a flight to Nukus where you have the rest of the day to visit its main highlight, the Igor Savitsky Museum. The museum hosts one of the world's finest collections of Soviet avant-garde art which only escaped from Stalin's efforts to destroy all art of this period due to its remote location, along with folk art and Russian icons. The city also offers a museum of local natural history, clothes, and jewelry.

The diverting of the Amu-Darya River to the cotton fields of the surrounding area has had a disastrous impact on the Aral Sea. Learn more about the ecological and environmental implications of this as you spend the day visiting the town of Moynak, once a thriving port that was located on the edge of the sea and is now a desert town located more than 150km from the sea's shore. The only reminders of the once-thriving fishing industry are the Cemetery of Ships. We'll Return to Nukus in the afternoon.

Today, we'll drive south from Nukus, you will head to the ancient desert citadels on the fringes of the Kyzyl-Kum Desert, dating from 2300 BC and in various states of ruin. A small amount of uphill scrambling is necessary to get up to the castles but once there, you can admire the mud-brick structures and the views out across the desert. This evening you will stay in a yurt camp which lies at the foot of Ayaz Kala, one of the most impressive of the desert castles.

Today we'll head towards the border with Turkmenistan to the walled city of Khiva after breakfast at the yurt camp. The Itchen Kala or old city is surrounded by thick walls up to 1,500 years old and is home to an array of palaces, mosques, madrassahs, and winding alleyways dating mainly from medieval times. A tour around the old city will take you to the main palaces and madrassahs and also give you the chance to see some traditional weaving and silk making in the ancient houses.

This morning, we'll take a five-hour train to Bukhara through the Kyzyl Kum Desert. Upon arrival, you will be taken to your hotel to check in, freshen up and have some time for lunch. This afternoon includes a walking introduction to Bukhara’s highlights such as the Ark Citadel, the Royal Fortress Palace, and Zindan Prison.

Continue your exploration of this fabulous city, starting with its rich Jewish history by visiting the Kanesoi Mullah Mani, the oldest synagogue in the quarter; New Mahalla, which dates back to the early 1800s; and Fayzula Hodjaev, the house of a rich Jewish merchant. Your guide will no doubt explain the, sometimes dark, history of the city’s beautiful architecture including the Bolo-Khauz Mosque with its carved wooden pillars and Kalyan Square’s great minaret, from the top of which the town's criminals used to be thrown. The narrow streets of the old town are packed with mosques, madrassahs, and mausoleums and as you traverse them, there will also be time for a stop at the handicrafts market, housed in the 11th-century trading domes, and a local teahouse to indulge in the locals’ favorite pastime, sipping tea. This evening, you will be taken to a local Bukharan’s home for a plov cooking demonstration where you can learn how this iconic dish is made before tucking it into it for dinner.

This morning you depart from the bustling Silk Road city towards the Nurata Nature Reserve. The first stop during the day’s drive will be at the last emir’s summer palace, an eclectic mix of European and Oriental designs containing a good collection of Suzanne (traditional Uzbek embroidery) and Chinese porcelain. Then, head further out of the city along the Golden Road to pay a visit to the shrines and tombs of Vabkent and the potters of Gijduvan. From the main road up into the mountains, the route passes through many small towns before reaching your first village. This afternoon could be spent at the guesthouse getting to know the owners or taking a walk through the village to visit the local mosque and meet some of the villagers before having dinner back at home with the family.

Today there is a variety of options to keep you busy including watching local handicrafts being made and having a go yourself; helping bake the bread in traditional ovens; driving out Lake Aydur for a relaxing swim, or heading out into the mountains with your guide. There are some wonderful trekking routes around the area of varying lengths and gradients taking you up mountains, between villages, or ruined fortresses.

Saying goodbye to your host family you will set off by foot through the Nurata Mountains on a fantastic hike with your guide to the next village, enjoying a picnic lunch en route, as you make your way to your rural guesthouse where you will settle for the night.

Leaving the villages and mountains behind you will hit the road again after breakfast, returning to the historic sites of the Silk Road as you reach the grandest city of them all, Samarkand. This wide-avenue city is home to some of Tamerlane's finest pieces of architecture which you can spend the next few days exploring. This afternoon, head out to the show-stopping Registan Square, undoubtedly one of the most important and iconic trading posts of the ancient Silk Road and a masterpiece of Islamic architecture. There may also be time to see a few of the other nearby points of interest such as the Bibi Khanum mosque and the local market before the day is done and you have the opportunity to return to the square to see the Registan lit up at night.

Sightseeing around this impressive city brimming with historic, architectural, and cultural delights continues today during a tour with your private guide. Must-see places include the tomb of Tamerlane, also known as Amir Timur or Gur-e-Amir; Ulugbek's Observatory and the ruins of Afrosiab, Samarkand’s original location, to the north of the city; and the peaceful Shahi-Zinda mausoleum complex. For some variation, why not stop at the Khovrenko Wine Cellar and learn about how its existence was finally made public in 1968.

This morning, your guide will take you around an hour out of Samarkand to the small town of Urgut to visit its local market. Although not as traditional as it once was after having modernized somewhat, the visit is still worth it, particularly for those interested in Suzanne. There will also be a chance to through the old sycamores in the Chor-Conor garden, the mosque, and the spring before continuing to Shakrisabz. The birthplace of the great leader, here you can see the remains of what was once a major Central Asian city.

After checking out of your guesthouse, you will be driven through cotton plantations and countryside back to Tashkent International Airport in time for your onward flight, where your tour ends.