Uzbekistan – Turkmenistan – Tajikistan 16 days

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

05:30 Transfer to Tashkent Airport/ Terminal 3.

07:15 Departure flight Tashkent - Nukus  HY 11.

08:55 Arrival in Nukus Airport.

Come out of the terminal to meet the driver and guide at the meeting zone.

- Visit Savitsky Museum exhibiting a unique collection of antiques of Khorezm and Karakalpak, Uzbek fine arts and the 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 the piece-by-piece collecting of the finest works of modern artists of Uzbekistan and Russian avant-gardists. In the 70s it was quite risky to become an anti-Soviet propagandist. During perestroika and the first years since Uzbekistan's independence, the museum earned world recognition and rightfully deserved the must-see sight status in Central Asia.

Transfer to Khiva en route photo stops.

- Ayaz-Kala and Toprak-Kala, the fortresses of the Kushan period of Ancient Khorezm, used to be mighty border forts protecting the residents from raids of nomadic tribes.  The forts were built in the 4th-7th centuries 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 of the monumental forts that are currently drowning in sand.

Arrival in Khiva. Check in at the hotel.

Resting time in the afternoon. Overnight at the hotel.

Breakfast at the hotel.

09:00 Meet the guide at the lobby.

Start the walking excursion in the historical part of Khiva – Itchan-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;

- Pahlavan Mahmud Mausoleum;

- Minaret and Islam-Khoja Madrassah, Mosque and Jami Minaret.

Free time in the evening. Overnight at the hotel.

Breakfast at the hotel.

08:00 Morning transfer from Khiva/ Urgench to the Uzbek - Turkmen border pass "Shavat" (60 km). 

Border passing, migration formalities - visa/ passport control usually take 2-3 hours.

The guide at the Turkmenistan side of the land border. 

Transfer to the Darwaza 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 - Darwaza. The views are impressive, especially at sunset and night, when the mild sunlight and burning crater evoke incredible and ambiguous feelings. 

Dinner and overnight stay in a yurt.

Breakfast at the yurt camp.

Transfer to Ashgabat, on arrival in Ashgabat, start sightseeing:

Takeaway breakfast
Transfer to the airport.
06:20 Departure for Mary by morning flight.

07:00 Arrival at Mary Airport. 

Transfer to the land border, Farab - Alat. Border crossing, migration formalities ( visa/ passport control). 
The driver meets at the Uzbekistan side of the border. Transfer to Bukhara.

Resting time in the afternoon. 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 even for 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 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.

11:00 Meet the driver at the lobby of your hotel in Bukhara.

Transfer to the famous Gijduvan pottery workshop ( about 50 min drive from Bukhara), where visitors are welcome for a tour around the workshop and to 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 of painting ceramics, and lunch at the master's house.

After drying and burning the painted ceramics, the master will send the handmade ceramics to your hotel in Samarkand within the next two days.

Continue to the hotel in Samarkand. 

Resting time in the evening. Overnight at the hotel.

Breakfast at the hotel.

09:00 Start sightseeing in Samarkand ( 6 hr)

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

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

- Bibi Khanum Mosque – the biggest medieval building in the city- 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.

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.

Transfer to Khujand via Istaravshan town, 78 km southwest of Khujand.

 Istaravshan is one of the most ancient cities of Tajikistan (more than 2500 years old). Ancient name Cyropolis was founded by Cyrus the Great in 544 BC as a boarding fort of the Achaemenid Empire.Overview sightseeing in Istaravshan visiting:

- Mazori Sharif mausoleum;

- Kog Gumbaz madrasa (16th century);

- Kuhi Mug, the ruins of the ancient fortress.

Arrival in Khujand, check-in at the hotel.

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 the Persian language meaning “Thursday”) is one of the oldest markets in Tajikistan.

- Arbob palace had its particular significance in 1992, when it was the place for the meeting of the Tajik Soviet ministers, who officially declared independence from the Soviet Union. Also, it was the site where the Tajik flag was chosen.

Transfer to the border Patar/ Andarhan.

13:00 Border crossing usually takes 30 min- 1 hr.

14:00 Meet the driver at the Uzbekistan part of the border. Transfer to Kokand. 
Arrival at the hotel in Kokand.

Resting time in the evening. Overnight at the hotel.

Breakfast at the hotel.

09:00 Meet the guide at the lobby. Transfer to Fergana with sightseeing en route.

- Rishton (50 km west of Fergana) is famous all over the world for its pottery that is decorated according to the ancient tradition that is more than 800 years old. 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, lagans, and beautifully decorated jugs and vases.

Master class on painting ceramics and lunch in the master's house.

Transfer to Fergana

- Fergana  is a relatively young city that was founded as a strategic fortified point in Turkestan in 1876 during the tsarist period of the region. The town was initially called New Margilan and, later, in the Soviet period, renamed as Fergona in 1924. Nowadays, Fergana is a flourishing, beautiful town, and despite its young history, it has become the central point of the Fergana Valley.

- Visit Ahmad Al-Fargoni monumental complex and the Regional Museum of Fergana.

Transfer to the hotel.

Resting time in the evening. Overnight in the hotel.

Breakfast at the hotel.

10:00 Meet the guide at the lobby. Transfer to Margilan

- Margilan (“Marg” from Persian green grass, “lon”- “place“) was an inhabited settlement in the Fergana Valley since the 4th-3rd centuries BC. The town was well known for its crafts and finest silk fabrics from the Great Silk Road period up to now.

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

- Silk workshop of Sobirjon aka, where visitors are welcome to observe the process of silk manufacture with traditional decoration “ikat”.

15:00 Transfer to the railway station in Margilan.

16:03 Departure for Tashkent by train "O'zbekistan".

21:17 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.

Take-away breakfast/ Breakfast at the hotel.

Transfer to Tashkent International Airport.

Morning departure flight from Tashkent.

End of the tour