Bestseller Kazakhstan – Uzbekistan Tour

Flight to Almaty.

Morning arrival at Almaty International Airport (ETA 03:00).

Migration formalities usually take 30 min to 60 min: passport control and baggage claim. Come out of the terminal and meet the driver with a sign “ANUR TOUR”.

Transfer to the hotel. Arrival at the hotel. Extra night

Resting time after the flight.

Breakfast at the hotel.

11:00 Sightseeing around Almaty includes visiting:

- Panfilov Park. The name of Panfilov Park comes from the heroes of Panfilov. There is a big monument in commemoration of the heroic actions made by 28 Almaty soldiers who died in 1941 near Moscow.

- Zenkov Cathedral. The Zenkov Wooden Cathedral is one of the eight unique wooden buildings in the world. It is one of the few buildings to survive the 1911 earthquake, even though it is built entirely of wood and constructed without nails;

- National Musical Instruments Museum. In the Museum of Musical Instruments, one can find various national musical instruments.

Breakfast at the hotel.

Transfer to Charyn Canyon. Sightseeing in the "Valley of Castles".

Charyn Canyon is a natural complex, unique in its kind, not only in Kazakhstan but also worldwide. It was formed during the Paleogene and resembles the Grand Canyon of the Colorado River in North America, although it is inferior to it in size. The height of the steep slopes of the canyon is up to 150-300 meters. Extraordinary dissection of the terrain is striking: the numerous ravines form a dense, chaotic network. Wind and water have created the beautiful "Valley of Castles", where you are always surrounded by the fancy towers composed of sedimentary rocks. The length of the valley is more than 2 km, and the width is 20-80 meters. For millions of years, nature has been creating a unique architecture, erecting magnificent castles carefully and slowly.

Transfer to Kolsai Lakes, easy hiking near Kolsai Lake 1 (1800 m above sea level).

Breakfast at the guesthouse.

Afternoon transfer to Almaty.

Resting time in the evening. Overnight at the hotel.

Breakfast at the hotel.

Transfer to Almaty International Airport.

Flight Almaty - Tashkent by KC 128.

Arrival at Tashkent International Airport.

Migration formalities usually take 20 min to 60 min: visa/passport control and baggage claim. Come out of the terminal and meet the staff holding a sign “ANUR TOUR” or with your name on it.

Transfer to the hotel. As Tashkent airport is not far from the city center, the transfer will take about 20 – 40 minutes, depending on the hotel location.

Arrival at the hotel. Check-in.

Resting time in the evening. Overnight at the hotel.

Breakfast at the hotel 

06:30 Transfer to Tashkent Airport/ Terminal 3 of domestic airlines.

07:28 Departure for Bukhara by morning flight. 

08:55 Arrival in Bukhara. Come out of the terminal and meet the driver.

Transfer to the hotel to drop off the bags and meet the guide at the lobby.

Start the WALKING sightseeing program in Bukhara (5 hours):

- Ensemble Lyabi Hauz (Nadir Divanbegi Madrassa, Khanaka, Kukeldash Madrassa, and the monument of Khodja Nasreddin);

- Magoki Attari Mosque is one of the oldest mosques to survive in Bukhara from the time before the Mongolian invasion;

- Abdullakhan’s Tim with numerous handicraft shops of souvenirs, ceramics, national clothes, and carpets;

- Caravanserai Sayfuddin (the Center of Handicraft Development of Bukhara);

- There are three trading domes, or so-called covered bazaars, Toki Sarrofon, Toki Telpak Furushon, and Toki Zargaron, preserved from the 16th century, and these bazaars were the centers for trade of silk, jewelry, and money exchange. Today as well, one can enjoy and purchase different souvenirs of a wide range, from small souvenir magnets to the famous Bukhara carpets;

- Ulugbek and Abdulazizkhan Madrassas or so-called Kosh (pair) madrassas, opposite each other with the distinctive style of facade ornamental decoration;

- Poi Kalon Square with Kalon Minaret and Mosque, Mir Arab Madrassa – the heart of Bukhara, a monumental complex that impresses the imagination;

- Ark Fortress – the oldest citadel, dating back to the 1st century BC, where one can feel the history of the great fortress covered in beautiful legends and myths.

Resting time in the evening. Overnight at the hotel.

Breakfast at the hotel.

Morning at leisure in Bukhara, 

11:00 Transfer to Samarkand, en route visiting the famous Gijduvan pottery workshop where visitors are welcome for a tour around the workshop and observe the process of ceramic making and painting.

The owners demonstrate the stages of making ceramics, from turning the potter’s wheel to making paints from natural ingredients, decorating the ceramics in a distinctive style, drying, and firing.  Take a tour around the museum hall of ceramic masterpieces with a unique collection of ceramic items from Gijduvan and other regions of Uzbekistan. 

By request ( as an extra), a ceramic painting master class.

Continue to Samarkand.

Arrival in Samarkand in the afternoon, check in at the hotel.

Resting time in the evening. Overnight at the hotel.

Breakfast at the hotel.

09:00 Meet the guide and driver. Start Samarkand sightseeing: 

– Gur Emir Mausoleum – a burial vault of Timur the Great and his descendants, decorated with gold ornaments and considered one of the most significant places in the world;

– Continue to Registan Square – the heart of Samarkand and a real masterpiece of Central Asian medieval architecture—which consists of three grandiose buildings: Ulughbek Madrassa, Madrassa Sherdor, and Madrassa Tilla Kori.

– Bibi Khanum Mosque – the biggest medieval building in the city, which was one of the most magnificent mosques in the Islamic world in the 15th century;

– Samarkand Bazaar Siyab.

Transfer to the hotel.
Resting time in the evening. Overnight at the hotel.

Breakfast at the hotel.

10:00 Meet the guide. Start the sightseeing program in Samarkand, visiting (5-6 hrs):

– Shahi Zinda Necropolis – a unique complex of Mausoleums on both sides of the cenotaph (an imaginary grave) of Abbas ibn-Kussam;

– Ulugbek’s Observatory – one of the finest astronomical centers in the medieval world was built by order of Ulugbek, an outstanding scholar and astronomer;

– Mausoleum of Hoji Doniyor, also known as Saint Daniel.

– Paper factory "Meros”  in Konigil village that produces unique paper that can be preserved for more than 400 years and is used in craftworks.

18:10 Departure for Tashkent by high-speed train "Afrosiyob".

20:30 Arrival in Tashkent. Transfer to the hotel/airport. 

Come out of the terminal; the driver meets you with a sign “ANUR TOUR”. Transfer to the hotel.

Resting time in the evening. Overnight at the hotel.

Take-away breakfast/ Breakfast at the hotel.

Transfer to Tashkent International Airport.

Morning departure flight from Tashkent.

End of the tour