Uzbekistan – Tajikistan – Turkmenistan 12 days - 2

Flight via Istanbul to Tashkent by TK 370.

Arrival at Tashkent International Airport (ETA 01:50).

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

Transfer to the hotel. Extra night.

12:00 Meet the guide at the lobby and start the Tashkent sightseeing tour (5 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.

- Theater Square with the Opera House: The State Academic Theater of Uzbekistan named after Alisher Navoi, built in 1947, is one of the best opera theaters in the world that 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 the Uzbek people, the Cabinet and the Senate, and 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 the 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 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 7th century (original Quran Othman). Khast Imam is one of the most significant spiritual centers in Central Asia and attracts pilgrims and visitors from all over the world.

- Chorsu bazaar – the ancient bazaar of Tashkent. “Chorsu” means “four water”, symbolically meaning the conjunction of four major parts of the old city in the bazaar where people come for trades. The bazaar's 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 the oriental tiled bazaar from different souvenir shops with ceramics, handicraft works, carpets, and jewelry, the whole pavilion full of delicious fruits to the finest textiles and colorful fabrics.

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

Transfer to the hotel. 

Resting time in the evening. Overnight at the hotel.

Take-away breakfast.

07:00 Transfer to the railway station in Tashkent.
08:00 Departure for Samarkand by high-speed train "Afrosiyob"/"Sharq".

10:08 Arrival in Samarkand.

Come out of the terminal and meet the driver and guide.

Start sightseeing program in Samarkand (6 hours):

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

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

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

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

– Samarkand bazaar – Siyab.

Resting time in the evening. Overnight at the hotel.

Breakfast at the hotel.

08:00 Transfer to the border Jartepa. Border crossing ( visa/ passport control usually takes 30 min- 1,5 hr).

Meet the guide and driver at the Tajikistan part of the border.

Take an off-road trip to pristine lakes located in the Fann Mountains; locals call the lakes Haftkul ( Seven Lakes) or Marguzor, after the name of the largest and most beautiful lake. 

 Every lake has its own name:  Nezhigon  (or Mizhgon),  Soybean, Gushor,  Nofin,  Hurdak,  Marguzor,  Hazorchashma. Six of the lakes are of dammed origin, besides Lake Hazorchashma.

The difference in level between the upper and lower lakes is 692 meters

Please note there are some shaky/ bumpy parts of the road; there is a mountainous, narrow track with photo stops.

Lunch at the guesthouse ( traditional meals).

Transfer to Penjikent.

Resting time in the evening. Overnight at the hotel.

Breakfast at the hotel.

09:00 Start sightseeing tour in Penjikent, visiting :

- Museum of Rudaki – As Penjikent is the birthplace of Abu-Abdallah Rudaki, the forefather of Persian poetry. Before lunch, visit the local bazaar and mosque.

- The Sarazm Museum (UNESCO World Heritage).

- The archaeological site of the ruins of old Penjikent - a walled intercity (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.

14:00 Transfer to the Tajik - Uzbek border post Jartepa,

Migration formalities ( border crossing usually takes about 30 min-1,5 hr).

The driver will meet at the Uzbekistan side of the border. Transfer to Samarkand.

Resting time in the evening. Overnight at the hotel.

Breakfast at the hotel.

Meet the driver at the hotel in Samarkand.

10:00 Transfer to Asraf village. 

Arrive in the village by lunchtime.  

A warm welcome from the local family. Lunch in the guesthouse to enjoy the traditional meals.

Easy hiking in the surroundings.

- Nurata National Park is a beautiful natural sight known for a large collection of ancient petroglyphs, a waterfall, and some of the earliest ones are dated 9000 BC, while the latest inscriptions of the 15th century were made by Sufi dervishes in Arabic. Nowadays, the stone gallery of petroglyphs is included in the National Park Reserve. 

Photo time and easy hiking to feel past centuries rooted in ancient art and legends.

Resting time in the evening. 

Dinner and overnight in the guesthouse.

Homemade breakfast.

10:00 Transfer to Samarkand, en route visiting Gijduvan. 

-  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. 

Master class in painting ceramics. Lunch at the master's house.

Continue to Bukhara.

Arrival in  Bukhara in the afternoon.

Resting time in the evening. Overnight at the hotel.

Breakfast at the hotel.

09:00 Meet the guide in the lobby. Start walking sightseeing program in Bukhara (5 hrs):

- 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);

- 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. Nowadays, visitors can 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.

Take-away breakfast/ Breakfast at the hotel.

07:30 Meet the driver at the lobby. Transfer to the Uzbek-Turkmen border post Alat.

Border-passing formalities (passport and visa control usually take about 3 hours. Meet the guide and driver at the Turkmen side of the border.

Transfer to Mary en route to visit the Ancient Merv (UNESCO).

 Sightseeing in  the historical park, visiting

- Sultan Sanjar Mausoleum,

- Mohammed bin Said Mausoleum,

- Medieval castles – “Kesk” fortresses (6th-7th centuries);

- History museum of the Merv region.

Transfer to the Mary airport.

19:35 Evening flight to Ashgabat.

20:15 Arrival in Ashgabat. Transfer to the hotel.

Resting time in the evening. Overnight at the hotel.

Breakfast at the hotel.

10:00 Start sightseeing in Ashgabat

- Ancient Nissa (18km from Ashgabad), UNESCO World Heritage Site. Visit the ruins of the ancient city (the date of foundation is 1st millennium BC - I millennium BC).

- Turkmenbashi Mosque-Mausoleum. It is considered the biggest in Central Asia (10 thousand people). There is a beautiful garden and fountains near the mosque.

- Ertogrul Gazy Mosque,  with four minarets reminding the Blu Mosque of Istanbul, was built in honor of Ertogrul, the father of Osman I, the founder of the Ottoman Empire.

- Independence Park with the Monument of Independence (it's a 118 m column that is considered the highest building in the country);

- Neutrality Arch - a unique composition that rotates slowly after the sun.

Afternoon transfer to the Darvaza crater and change from the asphalt road to the Karakum Desert track ( off-road).

In 1971, geologists accidentally found an underground cavern filled with natural gas. To avoid poisonous gas discharge, it was decided to burn the gas. Geologists hoped the fire would go out in a few days, but it has been burning ever since. Locals have named the cavern The Gate - Darvaza. The views are impressive, especially at sunset and night, when the mild sunlight and burning crater evoke incredible and ambiguous feelings. 

Camp-style dinner and overnight stay in yurts.

Camp-style breakfast.

Transfer from the Darvaza gas crater to the Turkmenistan-Uzbekistan border post Dashoguz/Shavat by car (5 hours). Please note that some parts of the road are off-road desert tracks. 

Border formalities on both sides of the land border, visa/ passport control usually take 1.5-3 hr.

The driver will meet at the Uzbekistan side of the land border.

Transfer to Khiva.

Resting time in the afternoon. Overnight at the hotel.

Breakfast at the hotel.

10:00 Start walking excursion in the historical part of Khiva – Ichan-Kala (translated as “Inner Town”). Ichan-kala - 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,

- Minaret and Islam-Khoja Madrassah,

- Mosque and Jami Minaret.

21:00 Transfer to Urgench Airport.

22:55 Departure flight Urgench – Tashkent by HY 58 

00:15 Arrival at Tashkent Airport / Terminal 3 ( internal airlines).

The driver will meet at the exit of the terminal. 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