Small Groups & Tailor-Made Tours
Uzbekistan
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Uzbekistan is one of the most architecturally beautiful countries in the world. And three of its cities along the Silk Road, Samarkand, Bukhara and Khiva have all been painstakingly restored to their former beauty.
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On this tour, you will hear about the history of these magnificent cities from local guides with excellent English who are knowledgeable and proud of their heritage. These guides will take you on walking tours in in the centres and by minibus to any monuments and buildings that are further away.
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Shop in the incredible bazaars where you can buy beautiful ceramics, scarves, hats, embroidered wall hangings, puppets, ikhat (hand-woven printed cotton or silk) as well as nuts, dried fruits, spices and local vodkas. Shopping in Uzbekistan offers
amazing value for money. -
You will travel with a small group but will also have time to explore on your own. Guides will provide recommendations for restaurants and group bookings will be organised where requested but you will also have the option to do your own thing whenever you wish.
Itinerary
Day One: Tashkent
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Arrivals in Tashkent.
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13.00 Optional Tashkent City Sightseeing Tour including:
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Old Tashkent - The Last Imam Ensemble (16 century) with the tiled domes and minarets of its mosques and madrassas as well as the famous Chor-Su Oriental Bazaar.
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Modern Tashkent - The modern centre where Amir Timur Square’s statue of rehabilitated local Uzbek hero, Tamerlane The Great, has replaced a list of Czarist and then Soviet statues. We will see the Navoi Opera and Ballet Theatre which was completed by Japanese prisoners of war in 1940 and we will see Tashkent’s earthquake proof metro system.
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Optional Welcome Dinner.
Day Two: Samarkand
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After breakfast, an early transfer to the railway station to check in for the high speed “Afrosiyob” to Samarkand where we arrive just after 10am.
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Trade routes from all directions formed a major Silk Road crossroads and
emporium in Samarkand. Tamerlane’s city of sky-blue domes and minarets
continues to awe visitors today as it has throughout centuries. -
Our private coach will pick us up from the train station and take us directly to the
Registan, Samarkand’s most famous sight and the greatest of all the grandiose and magnificent works in Uzbekistan. We will then take in the other sights which require coach travel, St Daniels’s Tomb and Ulugbek’s Observatory. -
After checking into the hotel there is free time to enjoy a leisurely lunch.
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We will try to see the Registan at night when it is beautifully lit. Quite often there is a sound and light show projected on the Registan.
Day Three: Samarkand
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After breakfast in the hotel, we will see Samarkand’s other jewels, Bibi-Khanim Mosque, Gur-Emir Mausoleum and The Oriental Bazaar Siab and, a personal favourite, the Shah-I-Zinda complex where the most beautiful ceramic tiles can be seen. Shah-I-Zinda has been described as “perhaps the most stunning sight in a city of superlatives”. Wherever possible we will walk between sights.
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Free time in the afternoon.
Day Four: Samarkand to Bukhara
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Early breakfast in our hotel before boarding the high speed train to Bukhara where we will arrive before noon.
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Our minibus will pick us up at the train station and take us to two sights on the outskirts of Bukhara:
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The Emir’s Summer Palace - this collection of dwellings and staterooms was built by the Russians in 1911 for the last Emir of Bukhara to get him out of the Ark Fortress in the centre of Bukhara.
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Bakhauddin Nakhshbandi Ensemble - Bukhara’s holiest place of shrines, stories and superstition and the burial place of one of its holiest saints Baha-al-din (1318-1389)
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Check into hotel and lunch at one of Bukhara’s many cafes or the chaikhana beside Lyab-i-Hauz’s 16th century pool. Bukhara is very easy to navigate and a great city for shopping. You can explore its beautiful streets including the Jewish quarter and its synagogue.
Day Five: Bukhara
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Breakfast in our hotel followed by a half day sightseeing tour (mainly on foot) of this beautiful Silk Road city where most of the highlights are located in the old town. The tour will include The Ark Citadel, the perfectly preserved 1000 year old Samanoi Mausoleum which was discovered under sand in 1934 and Zindan Prison where British Captain Stuart Conolly and Colonel Charles Stoddard were held in the infamous Bug Pit. We will also visit the five vaulted and domed Bukhara Bazaars and the Poi-Kalon Ensemble (12-14 century) with its towering Kalon Minaret which was spared by Ghengis Khan when he razed the city in 1219.
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Free time in the afternoon. There is great shopping in Bukhara and the bazaars are easy to reach on foot.
Day Six: Bukhara - Khiva
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Breakfast at the hotel and a chance to have a morning stroll through Bukhara before boarding the train (if available) or coach to Khiva.
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Khiva has the status of a museum city and indeed this walled city is like an open-air museum, lost in time. Parts of the wall are thought to date from the fifth century and stepping through one of its gates is like stepping into a different era.
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Evening arrival in Khiva and check-in to hotel. Dinner at leisure and the chance to wander the beautiful streets of Khiva at night when the moonlit silhouettes of columns and madrassas from twisting alleyways are at their most captivating. We will book a restaurant in advance for those who would like to join the group for dinner.
Day Seven: Khiva
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Breakfast at the hotel.
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10am - 1pm - Walking tour of Khiva’s Ichan Kala (inner walled city) including:
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Kunya Ark (12c) - Khiva rulers’ own fortress and residence including the harem, mint, stables, arsenal, barracks and mosque.
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Kalta Minor Minaret - the unfinished, fat turquoise-tiled minaret
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Free time for lunch, shopping or walking the walls of Khiva.
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Day Eight: Khiva
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Breakfast at the hotel.
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10am - Walking tour of Khiva including:
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Juma Mosque - 218 wooden columns - each different and some from the tenth century - support the roof of this interesting mosque.
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Tosh-hovli Palace - this palace contains Khiva’s most sumptuous interior
decorations including ceramic tiles and carved stone and wood. -
Allakuli Khan Bazaar & Caravanserai - a domed market arcade still catering to traders and opening onto Dekhon Bazaar.
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Afternoon at leisure.
Day Nine: Nukus
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Nukus is in the semi-autonomous province of Karakalpakstan and is home to the Savitsky Collection which is the second largest collection of Russian avant-garde art in the world.
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Early breakfast followed by coach to Nukus via the Kyzylkum Desert with visits to Toprak-Kala - the ruins of an ancient city of 2500 where Khorezmian kings lived from 2nd to 6th centuries - and the ruins of the feudal fortress of Ayaz-Kala.
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Visit the Tower of Silence built by Zoroastrians for funeral practices
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Visit to Savitskiy State Museum of Arts of the Republic of Karakalpakstan followed by dinner.
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Flights to Tashkent and transfers to hotel.
Day Ten: Tashkent
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Breakfast at hotel followed by departures.
Day One : Tashkent
Uzbekistan - Silk Roads
There is also the option of organising your own dates for groups of four or more. These trips can be tailor-made to suit your needs and although they are not accompanied, local guides with excellent english will be available in each city.
Additional Information
Price:
£2187 double occupancy. Single supplement £380 International flights not included.
Bring:
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Comfortable walking shoes.
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Lip balm and moisturiser (it is a very dry climate).
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Sun screen.
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A jacket or sweater - morning and evenings can be cool.
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Cash - many places do not take credit cards although this is changing. US dollars can be used in some places outside of Tashkent and US dollars, euros and sterling can be easily exchanged at banks. There are some cash machines but they tend to charge a hefty surcharge and give a poor rate.
Included:
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Accommodation in central hotels with breakfast.
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All ground transportation by comfortable air-conditioned minibus.
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Group Airport transfers from Nukus to Tashkent.
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Train Station transfers.
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Business class Afrosiyob train tickets Tashkent-Samarkand - Bukhara.
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Coach from Bukhara to Khiva (train if available).
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Domestic economy flight Nukus -Tashkent.
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Sightseeing with local English speaking guides.
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Entrance tickets to the monuments and museums on all tours.
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Bottled water provided daily (one bottle per person per day).
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Visa support letter (where required).
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Bottled water is provided on every bus journey.
The price does not include:
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Visa cost (no visa required for EU, UK, Canada, Australia).
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International flights.
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Lunches and dinners.
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Any additional transportation to anywhere not listed in the schedule.
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Any charges at monuments and museums for using video or cameras.
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Hard drinks.
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Porter service if required.
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Tipping for drivers and guides.
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International arrival/departure transfers can be arranged for approx $25 each way.
