Bestseller Grand Uzbekistan Tour

Tour itinerary: Tashkent – Kokand – Fergana – Margilan – Tashkent – Nukus – Aral – Nukus – Khiva – Bukhara – Samarkand

Season: April – November

Days: 14 | Nights: 14

Bestseller Grand Uzbekistan Tour is a two week journey around the Great Silk Road cities.

The tour is a well-balanced itinerary to explore handicraft centre Fergana valley, a jeep tour to mysterious Aral sea and Muynak, historical sightseeing Nukus and ancient fortresses of ancient Khorezm, marvellous Khiva and Bukhara, visiting ceramic workshop Gijduvan and enjoying sightseeing the in fabulous Samarkand.

Grand Uzbekistan tour is your tailor-made Silk Road adventure!

Day 1

Tashkent

Flight to Tashkent.

Arrival in Tashkent International Airport (ETA 00:50).

Migration formalities usually take 20 min to 60 min: visa/passport control and baggage claim. Come out of the terminal and meet the driver with a sign “ANUR TOUR”.

Transfer to the hotel. Hotel check-in. Extra night.

Breakfast at the hotel.

Morning at leisure to rest after the flight.

12:00 Meet the guide in the lobby.Start sightseeing tour of Tashkent (5-6 hrs):

- Amir Timur Square, founded in 1882 and originally called Konstantinovsky Square, was renamed on August 31, 1994 after Amir Timur to honor the cultural and historical contribution of the great conqueror.
Around the Square, there is the Museum of History of Timurids, Uzbekistan hotel, Forum Palace, and famous Tashkent striking clock.

- Theater Square with the Opera House: State Academic Theater of Uzbekistan named after Alisher Navoi built in 1947 is one of the best opera theater of the world performs both classical and national repertoires.

- Independence Square, the main square of Uzbekistan reflects the past, present, and future of the country. There are fountains standing for the life energy of Uzbek people, the Cabinet and the Senate, the “Eternal flame" in honor of soldiers who died during the Second World War.
- Earthquake Memorial, the composition is devoted to the tragic date of earthquake in Tashkent on April 26, 1966, and is erected in the approximate place of the earthquake epicenter. Residents still come to the monument to honor those people who took a part in the reconstruction of Tashkent;

- Khast Imam Square – a religious center of the city consisting of the Barakkhan madrasah; Kaffal Shashi Mausoleum and the library of Islamic Literature with the Holy Koran Book of the VII century (original Quran Othman). Khast Imam is one of the most significant spiritual centers in Central Asia and attracts the pilgrims and visitors all over the world.

- Chorsu bazaar – the ancient bazaar of Tashkent. “Chorsu” means “four waters”, symbolically meaning the conjunction of four major parts of the old city in the bazaar where people come for trades. The bazaar beautiful blue dome, built in traditional style after the Tashkent earthquake, is often depicted in postcards and international magazines and became one of the major sights of interest both for locals and guests – one can see oriental tiled bazaar from different souvenir shops with ceramics, handicraft works, carpets and jewelry, the whole pavilion full of delirious fruits to the finest textiles and colorful fabrics.

- Tashkent Metro (the first line was launched in 1977) with beautiful train stations each decorated in thematic style with traditional ornaments and special lightning.

Transfer to the hotel.

Resting time in the evening. Overnight at the hotel.

Day 2

Tashkent – Kokand – Fergana

Breakfast at the hotel.

07:00 Transfer to the railway station in Tashkent.

08:07 Departure to Kokand by train.

12:13 Arrival in Kokand.

Meet with your guide and driver at the meeting zone.

Kokand (mentioned as Khavakand or Kokan derived from a tribal name) is an ancient city that due to favorable location was one of the convenient fortified points of caravan routes in the Great Silk Road.

Nowadays, Kokand is a modern town at the crossroads of Tashkent, Fergana valley to Andijan and the other route to Khujand (Tajikistan) and is considered as one of the most important pre-border points.

Start sightseeing tour around Kokand visiting:

- Khudoyar-Khan Palace of 19th century is listed in the world heritage of UNESCO, at present days houses Kokand Regional History Museum that exhibit a unique collection of more than 3000 artefacts from ancient, khanate and tsarist periods of the region. The large palace was built in several stages from 1822 to 1867 and the facade was decorated with exquisite ceramic patterns by Rishtan and Kashgar masters.

- Norbut-Biy Madrassah, the largest madrassa in Kokand. The madrassa was built in XVIII century by captured architects as well as the famous Bukharian architect Usto Muhammed Salih Kasim, so the design and construction is quite typical to some monuments of XVIII Century in Bukhara.

- Modari Khan Mausoleum ( Modari-khan means Mother of Khan”) was built in 1825 by order of the widow of Umarkhan, famous poetess Nodira to honor the tomb of her mother-in-law. Since then the mausoleum became the family mausoleum where most of the female members of khan family were buried.

- Rishton (50 km west of Fergana) famous all over the world for its pottery that is decorated according to ancient tradition that is more than 800 years. Masters hand down their trade secrets from father to son. The unique red clay ceramic masterpieces are decorated with naturally made ultramarine, turquoise and azure ornaments known as blue glaze "ishkor",

- Workshop of the famous potter Rustam Umarov where visitors are welcome to observe the finest Rishtan ceramics in wonderful handmade and painted tea sets and lagans and beautifully decorated jugs and vases.

Transfer to Fergana.

Resting time in the evening. Overnight at the hotel.

Day 3

Fergana – Margilan – Tashkent

Breakfast at the hotel.

10:00 Meet the guide at the lobby. Continue sightseeing in Fergana valley:

- Ahmad Al-Fargoni monumental complex and Margilan visiting

- Said-Ahmad Hodji Madrassah where craftsmen produce original silk carpets,

- Silk factory Yodgorlik where visitors are welcome to observe the process of silk manufacture with traditional decoration “ikat”.

15:40 Transfer to the railway station in Margilan.

16:48 Departure for Tashkent by speed train.

21:38 Arrival in Tashkent.

Come out of the terminal and meet the driver.

Transfer to the hotel.

Resting time in the evening. Overnight at the hotel.

Day 4

Tashkent – Nukus – Aral Sea

Breakfast at the hotel.

Meet the driver at the hotel in Tashkent.

06:00 Transfer to the local airport.

07:25 Flight Tashkent - Nukus HY 11.

09:05 Arrival in Nukus.

Come out of the terminal and meet the driver.

Transfer to Aral Sea lake shore with sightseeing and photo stops en-route.

The Aral Sea is the former fourth largest lake in the world bordering on Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. In 1960-s the construction of melioration canals for cotton irrigation from the Amu Darya River began, the Aral Sea began to shallow. The area of the Aral Sea is rapidly decreasing, towns and villages that once the seaports are now far away from the present sea line.

The same is with Muynak, once located on the shore of the Aral Sea, now it is separated from the sea by 200 kilometers.

Photo stop in Ustyurt Plateau to enjoy unusual landscapes.

Arrival in the yurt camp, located the nearby Aral Sea.

Resting time in the afternoon.

BBQ dinner and overnight in a yurt.

Day 5

Aral Sea – Muynak – Nukus

Camp-style breakfast.

09:00 Transfer to Muynak via beautiful Red Canyons with the beautiful and unusual Martian landscape. Arrival in Muynak city that used to be one of the richest cities in the delta of Amu-Darya,” the gates to Uzbekistan from the sea”. Nowadays there is only the cemetery of the Aral Sea.

- Visit Mizdakhan necropolis on the way back to Nukus (about 20 km from Nukus), an ancient cemetery, and located next to the remains of the Gyaur-Kala fortress (4-3 Century BC).

- Gaur Kala (translated as the fortress of pagans) was a Zoroastrian town with the citadel, the fire altar, and a large cemetery nearby. Even after the Arab invasion and Islam expansion, the town was inhabited until 14th Century and people continued to bury their relatives in Mizdakhan as they believed the place was a sacred place.

Arrival in Nukus.

Resting time in the afternoon. Overnight at the hotel.

Day 6

Nukus – Khiva

Breakfast at the hotel.

09:00 Meet the driver in the lobby.

- Visit Savitsky Museum exhibiting a unique collection of antiques of Khorezm and Karakalpak, Uzbek fine arts, and second-largest collection of Russian avant-garde works after the Russian Museum in Saint Petersburg.

The founder of the museum, Igor Savitsky devoted his life to piece-by-piece collecting of the finest works of modern artists of Uzbekistan and Russian avant-gardists. In 70 s it was quite risky to become an anti-Soviet propagandist. During perestroika and first years since Uzbekistan independence, the museum earned world recognition and deserved rightfully the must-see site status in Central Asia.

Transfer to Khiva (180 km, ~ 3,5 hours) en-route photo stops at the ruins of fortresses of ancient Khorezm.

- Ayaz-Kala and Toprak-Kala, the fortresses of the Kushan period of Ancient Khorezm that used to be mighty border forts protecting the residents from raids of nomadic tribes. The forts were built in ~4-7th century BCE, during the ages when Khorezm achieved its independence. The fortresses are located on the hills quite close to each other and visitors are welcome to have a short overview tour in the monumental forts that currently are drowning in sands.

Arrival in Khiva. Check-in the hotel.

Resting time in the afternoon. Overnight at the hotel.

Day 7

Khiva

Breakfast at the hotel.

09:00 Meet the guide and start walking excursion in the historical part of Khiva – Ichan-kala (translated as “Inner town”) - the largest Museum in the open air in Central Asia:

- Ata-Darvaza, Kunya- Ark;

- Madrassah of Muhammad Rahim Khan;

- Madrassah of Muhammed Aminhan;

- Kalta Minor, the Palace of the Allakulihan Khan of Khiva;

- Tash Hauli, where the harem of 40 concubines was;

- Caravanserai and Tim Allakulihan;

- Mausoleum of Seyd Allaudin,

- Islam-Khoja Madrassah - was built in 1908 by Islam-Hoja of the Prime Minister of Khan. The minaret is a symbol of the country, is an early example of the architecture of the XIV century.

- Mosque and Jami Minaret.

Resting time in the evening. Overnight at the hotel.

Day 14

Samarkand

02:40 Transfer to Samarkand International Airport.

05:40 Early morning departure flight from Samarkand by TK 373.

End of the tour.

Book it!

Price included
Not included

- Accommodation in standard double/twin rooms;

- Accommodation in shared yurts in the yurt camp near the Aral Sea;

- Local English-speaking guide ( 2 standard excursions);

- All transfers as per program by a comfortable tourist class/ SUV transport for Aral Se trip as per road conditions including transfers to-from train stations, and airports;

- English-speaking professional licensed local guides in Uzbekistan (6 standard excursions);

- Meals: breakfasts in hotels; camp style breakfast, 2 lunches and dinner in a yurt camp during Aral Sea trip (fixed menu, alcohol excluding);

- Single entry tickets to the sites, museums, mausoleums and natural fees as per program;

- Internal flight Tashkent - Nukus (economy class);

- Train tickets Tashkent – Kokand, Margilan – Tashkent by speed train (economy class)

- Tourist tax per person.

- International flights to/from Tashkent;

- Photo/video fees (professional camera);

- E-visa to Uzbekistan (if required);

- Meals: lunches and dinners except those specified in the “Tour Price Includes” section.

- Transport and guide service for free time/free days (can be added by request) and after the standard city tours; transport for a walking tour in Khiva and Bukhara;

- Personal travel/medical insurance, portage, tips, personal expenses, and other services not specified under “Tour Price Includes”.