Tour itinerary:
Samarkand – Penjikent – Khujand –Tashkent
Season:
all year round
Days:
2 |
Nights:
1
A short tour to elder Tajik cities - Penjikent & Khujand, two places that are older that most of Uzbekistan cities, places that saw Alexander the Great, Sogdianians and living Silk Road golden age.
You will see the ruins of old Penjikent, Sarazm Important bird area, Timur Malik's fortress and many other sights of Tajikistan.
Welcome to Central Asia!
Meet the driver at the hotel in Samarkand.
08:30 Transfer to border Jartepa (45 km. about 1 hr). Border crossing usually takes 30 min- 1 hr.
Meet the guide and driver at Tajikistan part of the border.
Transfer to Penjikent - an ancient town in Sogdiana and now it is a city in the Sugd province of Tajikistan on Zeravshan River.
Start excursion in Penjikent visiting:
- The Sarazm Important Bird Area (UNESCO World Heritage) lies downstream of the city on the tugay -vegetated floodplain of the river.
- The archaeological site of the ruins of old Penjikent - a walled inter-city (2500-years ago) - was once a Sogdian trading city on the Silk Road. Today, only ruins are left owing to the fact that the main construction material was clay-bricks.
Transfer to Khujand via Istaravshan town.
Located in the northern foothills of the Turkistan mountain range, 78 km southwest from Khujand, Istaravshan is one of the most ancient cities of Tajikistan (more than 2500 years). Ancient name Cyropolis founded by Cyrus the Great in 544 BC as a boarding fort of the Achaemenid Empire.
During the Soviet era, the city was known as Ura - Tyube.
Overview sightseeing in Istaravshan visiting:
- Mazori Sharif mausoleum,
- Kog Gumbaz madrasa (16th century)
- Kuhi Mug, the ruins of the ancient fortress.
Transfer to Khujand.
Resting time in the evening. Overnight at the hotel.
Breakfast at the hotel.
09:00 Start sightseeing tour in Khujand:
- Khujand, the second-largest city and one of the oldest cities in Tajikistan, the furthest point Alexander the Great reached in Central Asia, so the city was named Alexandria Eschate (Alexandria the Furthest).
- Pushkin square with Kamoli Khudjandi Square;
- Timur Malik’s fortress and Sugd museum;
- Muslihiddin memorial complex;
- Panjshanbe bazaar (The name Panjshanbe comes from Persian language meaning “Thursday”) is one of the oldest markets in Tajikistan;
- Arbob palace.
Transfer to border Oybek. Border crossing usually takes 30 min- 1 hr.
Meet the guide and driver at Uzbekistan part of the border.
Transfer to Tashkent (96 km, 1,5 hr).
Arrival in the hotel in Tashkent.
End of the tour.
- Accommodation in standard twin - shared rooms in Khujand;
- All transfers as per program by comfortable tourist class transport as per road conditions including transfers to- from the borders;
- English speaking escorting guide in Tajikistan;
- Single entry tickets to the sites, museums, mausoleums and nature fees as per program;
- Meals: breakfasts in the hotel in Khujand;
- Tourist tax per person;
- Bottled water 1 l per person per day.
- International flights;
- Accommodation in Samarkand and Tashkent ( can be added by request);
- Photo/video fees (professional camera);
- E-visa to Uzbekistan; Tajikistan e-visa (if required);
- Meals: lunches and dinners;
- Personal travel/medical insurance, portage, tips, personal expenses, and other services not specified under “Tour Price Includes”.
- Check-in 14.00, check-out time 11.00. No early check-in/ late check-out is included unless indicated;
- Please note that the drivers do not speak English or can speak only basic English;
- All the changes in the basic itinerary, the timing for transfers depending on the international flight departure/arrival time are to be discussed and pre-agreed;
- After the date of publication, any changes in the hotels, air/train ticket prices, tax increase, and exchange rate fluctuation may influence the tour prices;
- We highly recommend acknowledging the necessary documentation before the trip: valid passport with expiration not later than 6-month, visa / e-visa.
- Anur Tour is not responsible for the force majeure occasions: weather conditions during the tour, changes in air/train schedule due to weather, technical conditions; repairing-reconstructing works at some parts of roads; government decrees for blocking some parts of the roads during national holidays and government acts and decrees in changing the train /air schedule/visa formalities and customs regulations.
Accommodation:
| City |
Standard |
Nights |
|---|
| Khujand |
Feruz |
1 |
|---|
