Grand Silk Road & Desert

Overview

The full arc of the Silk Road in ten days. The walled museum city of Khiva, a day crossing the Kyzylkum desert along the Amu Darya, Bukhara's old town, the ceramics masters of Gijduvan, a yurt night with camel rides near Nurata, a day cooking and eating with a family in Mitan village, and finally Samarkand with its observatory and the Konigil paper mill.

Day by day

1. 1

   Day 1

   Arrival in Tashkent

   Welcome at the airport by your English-speaking guide, transfer to the hotel (rooms available from 14:00), free time with guide and vehicle at your disposal. Dinner.

2. 2

   Day 2

   Tashkent, then flight to Khiva

   Khast Imam complex and the Uthman Quran, Chorsu Bazaar, Amir Temur Square, Independence Square and the metro's underground galleries. Evening flight to Urgench and transfer to your hotel inside Khiva. Breakfast and dinner.

3. 3

   Day 3

   Khiva, the museum city

   A full day inside Ichan-Kala: Muhammad Amin Khan Madrasa and the unfinished Kalta Minor minaret, the Kunya-Ark fortress, Muhammad Rahim Khan Madrasa, the Juma Mosque with its 213 wooden columns, the Pahlavon Mahmud Mausoleum, Tash-Hauli Palace and its harem, the Allakuli Khan caravanserai and the Islam Khoja madrasa and minaret. Sunset from the city walls at the Akshikh Bobo terrace. Breakfast and dinner.

4. 4

   Day 4

   Across the Kyzylkum to Bukhara

   A long, scenic day on the road: the Kyzylkum desert between the Amu Darya and Syr Darya, driving along the Amu Darya, the ancient Oxus, with your guide's stories of Khorezm. About 435 km and 6 hours; bring picnic food for lunch. Evening walk in Bukhara's old town. Breakfast and dinner.

5. 5

   Day 5

   Bukhara

   Ismail Samani Mausoleum, Chashma-Ayub, Bolo-Hauz Mosque, the Ark citadel, the Poi-Kalyan complex, the Ulugbek and Abdulaziz Khan madrasas, Lyabi-Hauz and the covered trading domes. After sunset, the illuminated Kalyan Minaret. Breakfast and dinner.

6. 6

   Day 6

   Gijduvan ceramics and a yurt night near Nurata

   Drive to Nurata with a stop in Gijduvan at the workshop of master ceramist Abdullo Narzullayev, the ceramics museum and the family's silk-thread embroidery. In Nurata, the Chashma complex with its sacred spring and the ruins of Alexander the Great's citadel; traditional lunch in a guesthouse. Tea and dried fruit at the yurt camp, a sunset ride on Bactrian camels in the dunes and an evening of akyn songs around the fire. Breakfast, lunch and dinner.

7. 7

   Day 7

   Mitan village, then Samarkand

   Breakfast in the desert dawn. Drive to the village of Mitan to 'live on Uzbek time': learn to make bichak pastries in a clay oven and watch a real plov being cooked, lunch with the family and a walk through the village to meet its households. Arrival in Samarkand in the afternoon. Breakfast, lunch and dinner.

8. 8

   Day 8

   Samarkand

   Gur-Emir, Registan Square, the Bibi-Khanym Mosque and mausoleum, Siab Bazaar and the Shah-i-Zinda necropolis, then the silk carpet factory. Evening 3D light show at the Registan. Breakfast and dinner.

9. 9

   Day 9

   Scholars and paper-makers, train to Tashkent

   The memorial complex of Imam al-Bukhari, the Ulugbek Observatory with its giant 15th-century sextant, and the Konigil Meros paper mill where Samarkand paper is made by hand again. Early evening Afrosiyob train to Tashkent. Breakfast and dinner.

10. 10

    Day 10

    Departure

    Breakfast and transfer to Tashkent airport.

Transport

• Domestic flight Tashkent – Urgench (economy class)
• Kyzylkum desert drive Khiva – Bukhara along the Amu Darya (435 km, about 6 hours)
• Bukhara – Gijduvan – Nurata and Nurata – Mitan – Samarkand by road (about 300 km each)
• High-speed train Samarkand – Tashkent (2nd class)

Hotels

3–4* hotels, a guesthouse and a yurt camp

Hotels are recommended at the time of your request; the final choice depends on availability at booking. We always reserve a hotel of similar or higher category.