Natural Wonders Of Uzbekistan

Itinerary

Day 1: Arrival to Tashkent

Stop At: Tashkent, Tashkent, Tashkent Province
Arrival in Tashkent with another airline is at midnight or early morning. You will be greeted by your travel guide and taken to the hotel. Rest-time in the hotel. After breakfast, you make a tour of the country’s capital. You visit Khast Imam Square with the Barak Khan Madrasa and Kaffal Shashi Mausoleum. The historic complex is in the old town and consists still today mainly of the old clay houses which survived the earthquake of 1966. The complex developed around the grave of one of the first Koran preachers of Central Asia, who was at the same time a famous scientist. On the large square, there is also a library with a collection of original manuscripts, one of which is the world-famous Osman Koran from the 7th century. Then you go to the “Chorsu” Bazaar, which was already known in the Middle Ages and which stood at the crossroads of the caravansaries of the Great Silk Road. In the afternoon you will visit modern Tashkent, on the way seeing Independence Square with the Building Complex of the „Grieving Mother“ and the Alisher Navoi Opera House and walking to the Amir Timur park. Dinner in a local restaurant.
Duration: 5 hours

Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Lunch
• Dinner
Accommodation included: Overnight at City Palace Hotel

Day 2: Tashkent – Beldersay

Stop At: Beldersay, Uzbekistan
In the morning we will drive through countless Uzbek villages, by gardens and rivers, to the Chimgan Mountain Range (80 km, ~2 hours). On arrival, check in to the hotel and lunch. Then we take the cable-car to the top of the Kumbel (2080 m above sea level), where Uzbekistan’s longest ski-run begins. From here we walk to the top, approx. 45 minutes (2350 m above sea level). Enjoy the wonderful view. If we are lucky with the weather and if the view is clear, we can see Tashkent far away. On the way back, we walk along the ski-run back to the hotel (1800 m above sea level). Dinner. One overnight stay in Beldersai.
Duration: 6 hours

Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Lunch
• Dinner
Accommodation included: Overnight at Sky Village Resort

Day 3: Beldersay – Tashkent

Stop At: Chimgan, Chimgan, Tashkent Province
After breakfast, we walk down to the Mramornja River (1500 m above sea level). Then we go up the river until we get to a birch grove. After a short break, we start the 45-minute climb to the Urta Kumbel Pass (1820 m above sea level). At the top, we have a breathtaking view across the valley with the Beldersai River, the Chet-Kumbel Pass and the path going up. A simple, relatively flat descent brings us to the Beldersay River where a tree grove is perfect for resting and having a picnic. After lunch, we go up to the saddle of the Chet-Kumbel Pass (1850 m above sea level). From here you can see the valley, the Nurekata River and the top of the great Chimgan (3309 m above sea level). After admiring the view, we walk to the Beldersay cable-car station (1550 m above sea level) where our coach will be waiting. Return to Tashkent. Check in to the hotel. Dinner in a local restaurant. One overnight stay in Tashkent
Duration: 5 hours

Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Dinner
Accommodation included: Overnight at City Palace Hotel

Day 4: Tashkent-Urgench-Khiva

Stop At: Khiva, Khiva, Xorazm Province
We take an early flight to Urgench and then go on by coach to the historic town of Khiva (40 km).
Today we will see the “Ichan Kala” in the old town, which has maintained its Oriental character. You stand before the massive town wall with its four entrance gates to the Ichan Kala and will think you are in another world. Life pulsates around the Kalta Minor (short minaret) - which once was to have been so high that one could from the top see distant Bukhara – just as it did in ancient times. There are so many sights to admire on the tour: Kuhna Ark –the old residence of the Khiva Khans, the Madrasa of Muhammad Rakhim Khan, the Mausoleum of Pakhlavon Makhmud, the Medrasa and Minaret Islam Hodja, the Tosh Hovli Residence and the Juma Mosque – Friday mosque, the wooden beam roof of which is held by 212 wooden columns decorated with artistic wood carvings. Dinner in a local restaurant. One overnight stays in Khiva.


Duration: 6 hours

Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Dinner
Accommodation included: Overnight at Shaherezada Hotel

Day 5: Khiva – Bukhara

Stop At: Bukhara, Bukhara, Bukhara Province
Impressive journey through the vegetated desert „Kizilkum“ («Red Sand») and the vast steppe to Bukhara (420km). On the way we make a lunch break in an Uzbek «tea-room». We reach Bukhara in the evening and you will have time to discover the old town on your own. Dinner in a local restaurant. Two overnight stays in Bukhara.
Duration: 7 hours

Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Dinner
Accommodation included: Overnight at Komil Boutique Hotel

Day 6: Bukhara

Stop At: Bukhara, Bukhara, Bukhara Province
We start our sightseeing with the mausoleum of Ismail Samani and that of Chashmai Ayub. Then we make a tour of the town on foot. Bukhoroi sharif (noble Bukhara) is a town with impressive market dome buildings, active mosques and madrasas. Bukhara was named a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. You will feel transported to the world of ‚One Thousand and One Nights‘. It is quite amazing that teaching and learning still takes place today in the mosques and madrasas, for instance in the Miri Arab Madrasa and Minaret and the Kalon Mosque. You can admire the «classic» architectural complex Labi Hauz with trading domes and several mosques, madrasas and the dervish monastery Khanaka in the town centre and will understand the honorary title «the noble». On the way you will visit market domed buildings as Toqi Zargaron, Toqi Telpak furushon and Toqi Saraffon. Dinner in a local restaurant.


Duration: 5 hours

Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Dinner
Accommodation included: Overnight at Komil Boutique Hotel

Day 7: Bukhara – Nurata – Yurt settlement

Stop At: Nurata, Nurata, Navoiy Province
Breakfast at the hotel. In the morning you will have some time to explore Bukhara on your own. Then we go to Nurata (approx. 3-hour journey) and visit the ruined fort of Alexander the Great and the holy Chashma source. Then a further hour’s journey through the Kisilkum Desert to Jangigazgan to our traditional yurt camp. In the late afternoon, we make a trial trip to get to know our camels and prepare ourselves for our caravansary trip through the desert the next day. Lunch with a local family in Nurata, Dinner and overnight stay in the yurt camp.


Duration: 5 hours

Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Lunch
• Dinner
Accommodation included: Overnight at Yurt camp

Day 8: Camel riding

Stop At: Nurata, Nurata, Navoiy Province
After breakfast in the yurt camp, we start our camel ride. With your guide, the camel drivers and a cook you will be well looked after. You will go about 15 km on the first two main days which will take 4-5 hours. Some of the „desert ships“ transport the luggage. There is a camel per two people so you can take it in turns to ride and walk. Please do not compare the Kizilkum Desert with the Sahara. Ist name means „red sand“, and the sandy ground sometimes seems red towards evening when the sun is going down. Due to the high groundwater level and very little rain in Spring, only a few tough plants such as saxaul, tamarisk, sand acacias and some grasses and herbs can survive, and these allow some modest agriculture around the oases. In the afternoon we will visit a small farm where cattle is kept despite the adverse desert conditions. Then we prepare our tents for the night (almost) in the open. Picnic lunch on route. Dinner around the campfire. One overnight stays in a tent in the desert.
Duration: 5 hours

Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Lunch
• Dinner
Accommodation included: Overnight at tent

Day 9: Aydarkul-Lake – Sentob mountainous village

Stop At: Aydar Lake, Uzbekistan
Early in the morning, after breakfast in the yurt camp, we start the last stage of our desert trekking. We say goodbye to our camels and our luggage will be driven to our next stop: the enormous reservoir Aidarkul, which appears after about three hours suddenly and surely in the middle of the desert. Here we will make a long bathing stop and have a picnic on the beach. When we go on towards the Nurata mountains, we will notice that the desert slowly changes to steppe – dry grassland. We go from the plains to the mountains, as we are in the region of the western foothills of the Tian Shan with peaks up to 2000m, before the mountains give way to the flat Kizilkum Desert. In the Tadjik mountainous village of Sentob, we will stay in one or two guesthouses (depending on the size of the group). In the afternoon, we will have time to explore the village and climb up to the ruins of the fort or experience village life (visiting the irrigation systems and stone buildings, baking bread or making butter, etc.). Dinner with the family (in the guesthouse). Two overnight stays in Sentob village.
Duration: 5 hours

Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Lunch
• Dinner
Accommodation included: Overnight at Guesthouse

Day 10: A day’s hike

Stop At: Navoiy, Navoiy, Navoiy Province
After breakfast in the guesthouse, an easy hike of 6 hours with breaks is on the programme. This hike takes us along an idyllic mountain river with many small bathing pools in which we can cool down. On the way, we will pass an old watermill and Arabic signs carved in the rocks. It is also an ideal route to observe local birds, and the fauna and flora is very varied here. We can walk for many hours through the valley (depending on your wishes and your stamina), take a break at a beauty spot (for a picnic, for instance) and we will return to Sentob in the late afternoon. If anyone does not want to hike or prefers to continue with the activities started the previous afternoon in the village, they can, of course, stay in the village. Picnic lunch en route, dinner with the family (in the guesthouse).
Duration: 6 hours

Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Lunch
• Dinner
Accommodation included: Overnight at guesthouse

Day 11: Hayat mountainous village

Stop At: Nurata, Nurata, Navoiy Province
After breakfast with the guest family we go on our coach to the next mountainous village of Hayat (approx. 45 minutes) and visit the Severtzov Argali compound. This animal which is also called Giant Wild Sheep has horns which are very striking, larger and longer than any other Wild Sheep. 90% of the world’s population of this rare species live in the Nurata mountains. But you will probably only see them in this compound. After lunch in our guesthouse in Hayat, we will hike for 4-5 hours through the Nurata Nature Reserve (admission fee included), which starts right at the end of Hayat village. In the evening we can see the Uzbek national dish Plov being prepared (or participate if so desired), and that is what we will have for dinner, with the family in the guesthouse. One overnight stay in Hayat village
Duration: 5 hours

Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Lunch
• Dinner
Accommodation included: Overnight at Guesthouse

Day 12: Uhum and Ashraf Mountainous villages

Stop At: Ukhum, Uzbekistan
Our luggage will be transported to the next village, and we will just take a light rucksack for today’s hike. After breakfast with our family in Hayat, we walk for about three hours to Uhum. We will cross the Guzar and Sari Bedak (1035m) passes, from where we will have a wonderful view of the mountain panorama. If we have time, we will visit a Sogdic fort ruin from the 4th to 5th century as well as a traditional watermill. Our guest family is nearby and we will have lunch there. Then we will continue on to Ashraf (approx. 3 hours), with a varied landscape and flora and fauna on the way. From some places, we have a wonderful view of Aidarkul Lake and the expanse of the Kisilkum Steppe. And: we pass the ruins of the old Mongolian fort „Qorgoni Honkeldi“. On arrival in Ashraf, we will use the time before dinner to explore the village. Or we can rest on the Tapchans and Aiwans (covered seating areas) – our guest family has a picturesquely situated house with a mountain stream running through their large orchard and vegetable garden. In the evening, a local musician will come and play for us (not a professional show for tourists). Dinner with the family. One overnight stays in Ashraf.


Duration: 6 hours

Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Lunch
• Dinner
Accommodation included: Overnight at Guesthouse

Day 13: Rome of the Orient – Samarkand

Stop At: Samarkand, Samarkand, Samarqand Province
After breakfast, we say goodbye to our host family in the village – the ancient town of Samarkand awaits us! When Samarkand was under Timur’s rule, it was considered to be one of the most beautiful towns in the world. You will be impressed by the palace-like mausoleum of the ruler Timur, the Gur-Emir-Mausoleum. Today you will enjoy the highlight of your trip – Registan Square with its three impressive, enormous, decorated madrasas. Then you will see the largest mosque of Central Asia – the Bibi-Khanum-Mosque. Timur wanted to demonstrate his unlimited technical and financial possibilities by building the most beautiful mosque of the Eastern world. You are cordially requested to try the raisins, apricots and nuts during a stroll through the bazaar.
Samarkand is not only famous for ist historical monuments, but also for ist wine. Wine and cognac slide easily down your throat here! After visiting the Wine Museum in Samarkand, you can try 10 of the best types of Uzbek wine and cognac. Dinner in the restaurant „Samarkand“.One overnight stay in Samarkand.


Duration: 6 hours

Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Dinner
Accommodation included: Overnight at Largamak Hotel

Day 14: Samarkand – Tashkent

Stop At: Samarkand, Samarkand, Samarqand Province
Samarkand is one of the oldest towns in the world and at the same time the centre of the famous Silk Road. In the Museum „Afrosiyob“ you will get an idea of old Samarkand. Then you will visit one of the greatest pilgrimage sites of the Islamic world – the Grave complex of Saint Daniel and the Complex Shakhi-Zinda, a marvellous complex of different mausoleums cased in Timur-style majolica and mosaic tiles. After a break, we will visit a Silk paper factory, founded by the master brothers Mukhtarov. Thanks to their efforts, the old tradition of paper-making using Samarkand technology has been revived in this factory. It is interesting that the whole process is carried out manually. The guests can watch the production. Then we go on to the Ulugbek Observatory, once the largest research centre in Central Asia. Ulugbek, grandson of Amir Timur and a world-famous astronomer, introduces himself to you with the sextant of his observatory which was only unearthed in 1908. Then we leave Samarkand and take the 1800h fast train “Afrosiyob” to Tashkent. Arrival at 20:08h, transfer to the hotel. Dinner in a local restaurant. One overnight stay in Tashkent.
Duration: 6 hours

Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Dinner
Accommodation included: Overnight at City Palace Hotel

Day 15: Tashkent – Return flight

Stop At: Tashkent, Tashkent, Tashkent Province
After an early breakfast, drive to Tashkent Airport and flight home.


Duration: 3 hours

Meals included:
• Breakfast
No accommodation included on this day.