Day 1 – To Tashkent: Board the overnight
flight from London to Tashkent with
Uzbekistan Airways. (N)
Day 2 – To Khiva: Arrive in Tashkent and
transfer to a local restaurant for brunch before
flying onward to Urgench. Transfer to the Asia
Hotel or similar in Khiva for 3 nights. (L, D)
Day 3 – Khiva: Full-day tour of the old walled
city of Khiva, capital of Khorezm between the
16th and 20th centuries, and one of the most
remote of the Silk Road cities. Visits include
the Kunya Ark (old fortress), the original
residence of the Khiva khans, the beautiful
decorated Tash Hauli (stone palace), the Friday
mosque and several madrassas (theological
colleges), which now house museum
collections. (B, L, D)
Day 4 – Nukus: Full-day tour to the Nukus
Museum of Art, which houses the collection
of IV Savitsky, who during the Stalinist Soviet
period, secreted there thousands of Russian
avant-garde and post avant-garde paintings.
Besides this rare and extensive collection
of art (second only to St Petersburg), he
also collected thousands of Uzbek artifacts,
textiles and jewellery. En route, you will also
stop at Chilpak to see the fourth century
Zoroastrian Tower of Silence and the medieval
Mizdakhkan necropolis, which sits on the
ruins of a Zoroastrian citadel. (B, L, D)
Day 5 – To Bukhara: Drive across the Kizil
Kum (red sand) desert to Bukhara, stopping
en route to see the great Amu Darya, or Oxus
river. Transfer to the Zargaron Plaza for 4
nights. (B, L, D)
Day 6 – Bukhara: Visit the Persian Samanid
brick mausoleum, the imposing Ark (fortress)
of the Bukhara Emirs, the Kalon mosque
and minaret, several madrassas, traditional
Bukharan bazaars and the architectural
ensemble around the Lyab i-Hauz pool, fed
by the waters of the royal canal. Continue to
the Fayzulla Hodjaev Museum where you can
see the daily life of a Bukhara merchant in the
early 20th century. (B, L, D)
Day 7 – Bukhara: Morning visits to the Chor
Minor, a curious four-towered gatehouse, the
Balyand neighbourhood mosque, a jewel of
16th-century architecture and the last Emir’s
summer palace, built in 1911. Continue down the narrow streets of old Bukhara to the
old Jewish quarter. See one of the city’s
hidden gems, the Jewish synagogue, which
houses a collection of ancient Torahs dating
back about 600 years. Afternoon at leisure.
(B, L, D)
Day 8 – Gidjuvan & Vabkent: Drive along the
royal road to the imposing 11th-century Rabat
i-Malik caravanserai. Continue to Gidjuvan,
renowned for its traditional ceramics. Return
to Bukhara, via Vabkent to see the decorated
minaret commissioned in the 12th century by
one of the rulers of Bukhara. (B, L, D)
Day 9 – To Samarkand: Drive to Shahrisabz,
birthplace of Tamerlane. Here, he built
an enormous palace, of which part of the
beautifully ornamented audience chamber
remains. See Tamerlane’s family burial ground.
Drive alongside the Zerafshan mountains to
Samarkand for a stay of 3 nights at the Grand
Samarkand. (B, L, D)
Day 10 – Samarkand: Visit the Bibi Khanum
mosque, built by Tamerlane for his favourite
wife, and Registan square, framed by three
brilliantly ornamented madrassas. Drive to
the Observatory of Ulug Beg, Tamerlane’s
astronomer grandson, visit Samarkand’s
Museum of History, Culture and Art and see
the magnificent Gur Emir mausoleum where
Tamerlane is buried beneath the Timurid
fluted blue domes. (B, L, D)
Day 11 – Samarkand: Drive to the ancient
deserted site of Afrosiab on the outskirts
of Samarkand, where it thrived until it was
destroyed by Tamerlane. Archaeological
. nds are housed in the Afrosiab History
Museum. See the Shah-i-Zinda necropolis, an
extraordinary collection of mausoleums, which
feature exquisitely decorated majolica facades.
Afternoon at leisure. (B, L, D)
Day 12 – To London: Drive to Tashkent
airport and fly to London with Uzbekistan
Airways. (B)
Accommodation: This tour features the best
available accommodation in Uzbekistan.
However, the standard should be considered
as basic.
Accessibility: The tour involves some long
drives and walking over rough terrain.
Meal Basis: (B) = Breakfast, (L) = Lunch, (D) = Dinner, (N) = No Meals
