Colourful Uzbekistan

Fly with Turkish Airlines or others, depending on your flight connection, to Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan. Flight time is about 7 hours. Your tour guide will meet you at the international airport and accompany you to your Hotel. One overnight stay in Tashkent.

Today we go to the old town and visit historical complex Khast Imam. In the large square you will see Tilla-Sheikh Mosque, Barakkhan Madrasa and Kaffal Shashi Mausoleum as well as the library in which the oldest Koran in the world is kept. Then we go to the Chorsu Bazaar, which was already well-known in the Middle Ages and stood at the crossroads of the caravansaries of the Great Silk Road. In the afternoon we will walk through the modern town and visit Independence Square and Amir Timur Park. In the evening we fly to Urgench. Transfer to the hotel in Khiva, about 35 km from Urgench. Typical local dish for dinner. Two overnight stays in Khiva.

A highlight of your trip! The mud roads and the two-wheeled donkey carts, which are still part of the streetscape today, give you an idea of the unchanged way of living since the Middle Ages. On your trip through the historic center, you can admire the oriental ornaments and turquoise tiles of the richly decorated buildings and can understand that the old town of Khiva is rightly called “Ichan Kala” (open-air museum). Kuhna Ark, once the residence of the Khans of Khiva, the Juma Mosque – a Friday Mosque famous for its very artistically decorated 212 wooden columns, the Pakhlavon-Makhmud-Mausoleum, the Madrasa and Minaret of Islam Khodja – the wise vizier of Khan Muhammad Rakhim Khan as well as the Tash-Hovli-Palace. In the evening, you can enjoy sundown over the oasis.

Kuhna Ark and Tosh Hovli Palace - the Khan's residences; Islam Khoja Minarets - the tallest minaret in Uzbekistan and The Pakhlavan Makhmud Mausoleum - a place of pilgrimage especially for the locals. In this beautiful, oriental ambience always, you find new motifs for taking pictures and places to linger. Overnight stays in Khiva. OPTION: Khorezm (Khiva is located in the Khorezm area) has been famous for its dances, music and rich history since ancient times. If you want to immerse yourself in the world of Khorezm music, feel the beauty of fire dances, see unusual musical instruments and dance with professional dancers, we invite you to visit the folklore show in the summer residence of Khiva Khan "Kibla Tozabog".

Today we drive along the Silk Road to the next oasis town Bukhara. As we travel through the vastness of the desert landscape, our tour guide tells about the history and culture of the country as well as traditions of the 120 different ethnic groups of Uzbekistan. Have your camera ready, because photo stops are planned in unusual, picturesque locations. After arriving in Bukhara we visit the wonderful summer residence of the last ruling emir – Sitorai Mohi Khosa before we drive to the hotel. Overnight stays in Bukhara.

Bukhara today presents itself as a unique authentic museum. Let yourself be enchanted by the magic of the old town (UNESCO World Heritage Site) with its imposing palaces, mosques, mausoleums and madrasahs. There is an almost everything a tourist’s heart desire: Today you can explore the old town on foot from the Lyabi Hauz complex in the southeast through the domed bazaars, the madrasah from Ulugbek and Abdul-Aziz Khan to the Ark and the Registan in the northwest.

The small Samanid mausoleum and the huge Kalon minaret are absolute highlights. In addition to the relaxed sightseeing, the day is filled with strolling, looking and shopping. You feel like you are in the world of fairy tales of a thousand and one nights. Later you visit the exhibition of Uzbek photographer Shavkat Boltaev which is housed in an old caravanserai in his studio. If you are lucky, the artist may be there himself and can tell you about the stories behind the pictures. Your day ends with tasty dinner in a local restaurant. Overnight stays in Bukhara.

The ancient mosque is one of the symbols of the city. In Persian the name means "four minarets", like the four towers that rise into the sky at the corners. Then we follow the course of the Great Silk Road through the fertile valley of the Amudarya, in which cotton is grown, apricots, figs and melons grow in its moist, shady oases. We first reach Shakhrisabz, the "green city". Timur (Tamerlane) built his magnificent palace AK Saray here, which means "White Castle". Even the ruins that have survived today give an overwhelming impression of its size. We also visit the Kuk Gumbaz Mosque, which with its turquoise dome is visible from a far and has incredible acoustics. After the tour, we leave directly to the train station to continue to Afrosiyob at 3:43 P.M. to Samarkand. Arrival at 5:52 p.m. and transfer to the hotel. Dinner and overnight stays in Samarkand.

The fairy tale of a thousand and one nights begins again for us in Samarkand. At over 2,750 years old, it is one of the oldest cities in the world and at the same time the centre of the famous Silk Road. Here in the mausoleum of the ruler Amir Timur, the Gur Emir mausoleum, during our city tour. Today we enjoy the highlight of your trip - Registan Square with three impressively massive and artistically decorated madrasahs. Then we visit the once largest mosque in Central Asia - Bibi Khanum Mosque. To demonstrate his unlimited technical and financial possibilities, Timur wanted to build the most beautiful mosque in the eastern world. Afterwards, we visit the Siab Bazaar, which puts you in a world of 1001 nights through the hustle and bustle and the oriental scents.

Samarkand is known not only for its historical monuments but also for the production of wine: Wine and cognac run through your throat like a balm! After visiting the wine museum in Samarkand in the “Khovrenko” winery, we try 10 of the best varieties of Uzbek wines and cognacs here. After the tasting, in the evening we enjoy typical dishes in a typical Uzbek atmosphere. OPTION: Towards evening we experience the theatricalized performance for historical oriental costumes in the theatre "El Merosi". This theatre demonstrates costumes of the peoples of Central Asia in different epochs - from the ancient times to the 19th century - the times of the massages, Akhamanids, Anahita, Sogdian and Timurid.

Samarkand is the centre of the Silk Road and one of the oldest cities and cultural centres in the world. The architecture makes the city look majestic and extremely inviting. Today we are impressed by the palace-like The Afrosiyob Museum, we get a closer look at old Samarkand. Then we visit one of the largest pilgrimage sites in the Islamic world - the tomb complex of St. Daniel and Ulugbek observatory, once the largest research centre in Central Asia. After a break, we drive to a tissue paper factory founded by master brothers Mukhtarov. Thanks to their efforts, the old tradition of paper production using Samarkand technology has been revived on this factory.

Interestingly, the whole production is done manually and every guest can watch the process of production. Then we visit the Shakhi-Zinda complex, a magnificent ensemble of various mausoleums clad in the Timurid style with majolica and mosaic tiles. Today we are preparing the Uzbek dish - Plov together with a local family. This is the Sultan of national dishes in Uzbekistan. Enjoy a typical dinner with the locals. At 6:00 p.m. we take the "Afrosiyob" fast train towards Tashkent. Transfer to the hotel. Overnight stays in Tashkent.

Business card of Uzbekistan and Central Asia

Check out at the hotel. Transfer to the airport. End of the trip.