Uzbekistan

TOUR ITINERARY

Day 1 Tashkent arrival

Arrival to International airport of Tashkent .

Meeting at the airport and transfer to hotel.

Standart check-in (at/after 14:00).

Overnight at hotel.

Day 2 Tashkent city tour

Breakfast at hotel.

The first discovery by the visit to complex of Khast-i-Imam (reconstructed in 2007), religious center of Tashkent. Architectural ensemble includes several constructions, built in XVI –XIX cc;

Lunch at traditional Uzbek restaurant.

In the afternoon continue and visit to The Museum of Applied Art of Tashkent, the ancient palace of Russian diplomat Alexander Polovtsev that is transformed to the museum in 1938. Then you will discover beautiful madrasa Kukeldash and Juma Mosque and Chorsu Bazaar –the biggest market of the country.

Transfer to the local restaurant for dinner.

Overnight at hotel.

Day 3 Tashkent – Samarkand (Afrosiyob domestic train 2 hours)

Breakfast at the hotel.

Transfer to the railway station to take domestic train to Samarkand. Upon arrival to Samarkand, leave your baggage at hotel (standard check-in at/after 14:00).

Start sightseeing program: The Registan Square (“Sandy Place”), the ensemble of three madrasahs (the Ulughbek Madrasah (1417-1420), the Sher Dor Madrasah (1619-1636) and the Tillya Kori Madrasah (1646-1660)is a unique example of town-building art a remarkable pattern of the architectural planning of the main town square; the Gur-Amir Mausoleum –a world known masterpiece of Central Asian architecture, the family crypt of the great dynasty of Tamerlane, with a fine ribbed dome and decorated with paper-maché inside.

Visit local family and see the process of making Uzbek traditional sweets. The main advantage of Uzbek sweets is that they are prepared exclusively from natural products. You will have an opportunity to take part in preparation. 

 Lunch time. In the afternoon, you will discover other miracles of the city: The Pearl of Samarkand – Bibi Khanum Mosque. Constructed in 1399 by the best architects and artisans of Khorossan, Azerbaijan, Persia and India, the mosque was compared with the beauty and shining of the Milky Way; the Siyab Bazaar, the most ancient and biggest in Samarkand.

Transfer to the local restaurant for dinner.

Overnight at the hotel.

Day 4 Samarkand

Breakfast at hotel

Sightseeing program: Shakhi-Zinda Ensemble with more than 20 buildings, built from early XI up to XIV cc. Each mausoleum has its own style of decoration and great fantasy of skillful artisans; the Observatory of Ulugbek –one of the famous observatories of the middle Ages, built in 1428-1429.

Lunch at local restaurant.

Konigil Paper factory where you can watch a papermaking process with your own eyes. From the time of Great Silk Road, Samarkand was the first city in Central Asia, where hand-made silk paper was produced. In the factory, you will have an opportunity to study all the steps of producing hand-made Silk paper, which was developed by ancient Chinese handicrafts in the VIII-IX cc. You can find them in Koniguil village Workshop of Hand-made Silk paper named “Konigil Meros”. There is small shop here, where you can find all good made of Samarkand silk paper starting from wallets, postcards, masks and ending with coats and women bags. This place is also good for walking around and feel natural views.

Transfer to the local restaurant for dinner. Overnight at hotel.

Day 5 Samarkand – Bukhara (Afrosiyob domestic train 1.30 hours)

Early breakfast at hotel.

Transfer to the railway station to take domestic train to Bukhara. Upon arrival to Bukhara, leave your baggage at hotel (standard check-in at/after 14:00).

Discover the most mysterious city of the Silk Road –Bukhara and its magnificent historical monuments that attract thousands of visitors by their beauty.

Full day sightseeing program includes the visits to: Architectural complex Poi-Kalyan (means «Foot of the Great»), situated at the foot of the minaret Kalyan. Complex consists of three constructions built in XII-XVI centuries: madrasah Miri-Arab, mosque and minaret Kalyan – “Great minaret” is the main decoration of the complex. Poi-Kalyan is one of the central architectural ensembles of Bukhara; the madrasa of Ulug Beg and Abdulaziz Khan. Built in 1652, a few centuries later than Ulugh-Beg Madrasah (built in 1417), Abdulaziz-Khan Madrasa marks the remarkable progress of medieval Central Asian architecture; Tim Abdullah Khan – a covered bazaar built in 1577; Magok-i Attari Mosque (today, Museum of Carpets) is one of the oldest architectural monuments where you will find heathen shrines, the remains of a Buddhist monastery, a Zoroastrian Temple in Bukhara.

Lunch time.  In the afternoon continue to explore other monuments, as: architectural ensemble Laybi-Hauz (means «the shore of reservoir») –the largest artificial reservoir of medieval Bukhara. The pool, dug in 1620 between khanaka and madrassa, has a length 42 m, a width 36 m, a depth 5 m. The ensemble consists of three monumental buildings: Kukeldash madrassa and two other religious buildings: Hanaka on the west and Madrasah of Nadir Divan-Begi on the east.

Transfer to the local restaurant for dinner.

Overnight at hotel.

Day 6 Bukhara

Breakfast at hotel.

Ark-Citadel –a residence of Bukhara khans, a massive fortress, built and occupied around the 5th century AD. Bolo-Hauz Mosque, built in the 17th century, was a place of prayer for the Emirs and their entourage. It is the only preserved monument in Registan Square that includes: multi-column aivan, domed mosque, minaret and a small pool; the mausoleum of Ismail Samani, one of the most ancient monuments in the city, mausoleum Chashma Ayub, or “Source of Job”.

Lunch at local restaurant.

In the morning you will visit other monuments situated in countryside of the Bukhara: the mosque Tchor Minor, or « Four Minarets », hidden in the alleys of the ancient district of the city, an example of XIX cc. monument; summer residence of Bukhara Emirs, Sitora-i-Mokhi Khossa, which was the second residence of the last emir of Bukhara.

Dinner. Overnight at hotel.

Day 7 Bukhara (free day)

Breakfast at hotel.

Free day .

In the evening, meet your driver at hotel and transfer to the local restaurant for a dinner.

Folklore show in the Nadir Divan-Begi Madrasah (not available every day).

Overnight at hotel.

Day 8 Bukhara departure

Breakfast at hotel.

Standard check-out.

Transfer to the Airport