Classic Silk Road: Samarkand, Bukhara & Khiva

Overview

Highlights

• The Registan in Samarkand, lit up at dusk
• The tiled avenue of mausoleums at Shah-i-Zinda
• Kalyan Minaret and the Poi Kalyan ensemble in Bukhara
• Sunset over the walls of Khiva's Itchan Kala
• Afrosiyob high-speed train through the Silk Road heartland
• Folk show and dinner in a Bukhara madrasa courtyard

Tour details

Route

Tashkent → Samarkand → Bukhara → Kyzylkum Desert → Khiva → (flight) Tashkent

Location

Tashkent, Samarkand, Bukhara and Khiva

Start

Tashkent

End

Tashkent

Accommodation

7 nights in selected 3–4★ and boutique hotels, double room

Meals

7 breakfasts, 5 lunches and 3 dinners, including a folk show dinner in Bukhara

Transport

Afrosiyob high-speed trains, a domestic flight Urgench – Tashkent and an air-conditioned vehicle

Guide

Professional English-speaking guide throughout

Difficulty

Easy

Season

April – June, September – November

1. Day1
   Arrival in Tashkent

   Meet your guide at Tashkent airport and transfer to the hotel. After some rest, explore the Khast Imam complex, home to one of the oldest Qur'ans in the world, and the lively Chorsu Bazaar under its great green dome. End the day with a ride on the palatial Tashkent metro and a welcome dinner of Uzbek plov.

   Dinner Hotel in Tashkent
2. Day2
   Afrosiyob train to Samarkand

   Board the Afrosiyob high-speed train for the two-hour journey to Samarkand. Visit Gur-e-Amir, the gold-domed mausoleum of Tamerlane, then step onto the Registan, where three monumental madrasas face each other across the square. Return after dark to see the ensemble beautifully illuminated.

   Breakfast, lunch Hotel in Samarkand
3. Day3
   Samarkand: Shah-i-Zinda and Ulugh Beg

   Walk up the narrow avenue of Shah-i-Zinda, lined with mausoleums covered in some of the finest glazed tilework in Central Asia. Continue to the vast Bibi-Khanym Mosque and the colourful Siab Bazaar, then visit the 15th-century observatory of the astronomer-king Ulugh Beg. In the afternoon, watch silk paper being made by hand at the Meros workshop in Konigil.

   Breakfast, lunch Hotel in Samarkand
4. Day4
   Train to Bukhara

   A morning Afrosiyob train takes you to Bukhara in about ninety minutes. Settle into your boutique hotel in the old town, then stroll to Lyab-i Hauz, the shaded pool surrounded by madrasas and tea houses, and browse the historic trading domes for carpets, suzani and ceramics. In the evening, enjoy dinner with a folk music and costume show in the courtyard of the Nadir Divan-Begi Madrasa.

   Breakfast, dinner Boutique hotel in Bukhara
5. Day5
   Bukhara the Noble

   Begin at the Samanid Mausoleum, a 10th-century masterpiece of patterned brickwork, and the Bolo Hauz Mosque with its slender wooden columns. Explore the Ark, the fortress of Bukhara's emirs, before reaching the Poi Kalyan ensemble, where the 47-metre Kalyan Minaret rises between the great mosque and the Mir-i-Arab Madrasa. Finish at the whimsical four-towered Chor Minor.

   Breakfast, lunch Boutique hotel in Bukhara
6. Day6
   Across the Kyzylkum Desert to Khiva

   Today's road journey of about 450 km (6–7 hours) crosses the Kyzylkum, the 'Red Sands' desert, following the route of ancient caravans. Stop at a viewpoint above the Amu Darya, the river known to the Greeks as the Oxus, and for a picnic-style lunch along the way. Arrive in Khiva in the late afternoon and enjoy dinner close to the walls of Itchan Kala.

   Breakfast, lunch, dinner Hotel in Khiva
7. Day7
   Khiva's Itchan Kala and flight to Tashkent

   Spend a full day inside Itchan Kala, Uzbekistan's first UNESCO World Heritage Site. See the turquoise Kalta Minor, the Kunya Ark citadel, the Juma Mosque with its forest of 213 carved wooden columns and the richly tiled Tash Hauli Palace, then climb the city walls for the sunset. In the evening, transfer to Urgench airport for the short flight back to Tashkent.

   Breakfast, lunch Hotel in Tashkent
8. Day8
   Departure from Tashkent

   After breakfast, you have free time for last souvenirs, depending on your flight schedule. Your driver will take you to Tashkent International Airport for your onward journey.

   Breakfast

What's included

Price per person

Prices per person in USD. The final price is confirmed with your booking. Child (2–11 years): −25%.

What to bring

• Light headscarf and clothing covering shoulders and knees
• Comfortable walking shoes
• Sun hat and sunscreen
• Clean euro or US dollar notes to exchange
• Medium-sized suitcase (limited space on trains)

Cancellation

The cancellation terms for this tour are confirmed in writing together with your booking, before you pay anything.

Important notes

Questions about this tour