Uzbekistan - Tajikistan - Turkmenistan 12 days- 1

Flight to Tashkent.

Afternoon/evening 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” .

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. 

09:00 Meet the guide at the lobby.  Start sightseeing tour of Tashkent (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 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.

Resting time in the evening. Overnight at the hotel.

Breakfast at the hotel

08:00 Meet the driver in your hotel in Tashkent, transfer to the Uzbek-Tajik border "Oybek" (~100 km)

Border-passing formalities: visa and passport control usually take 30 min - 1,5 hr.

Meet the driver and guide on the Tajikistan side of the border and transfer to Khudjand (70km, 1h.) – the center of the Sugd region of Northern Tajikistan.

Khujand was the furthest point Alexander the Great reached in Central Asia. The city was named Alexandria Eschate (Alexandria the Farthest), and it became one of the important entrepôts on the great Silk Road.

Start sightseeing in Khujand: 

- Pushkin Square with Kamoli Khudjandi Square;

- Timur Malik’s fortress and the Sugd Museum of Archeology and Fortification; 

- Muslihiddin memorial complex;

- Panjshanbe bazaar, with its distinctive decoration of the facade, is the central market in Khujand.  Panjshanbe is translated as “Thursday” in Persian,  meaning the main bazaar days were traditionally on Thursdays.

- Arbob Palace.

Resting time in the evening. Overnight at the hotel.

Breakfast at the hotel.

08:00 Transfer to Marguzor lakes, also known as Haftkul ( Seven lakes). 

Each lake looks different whenever the sun changes its position. Colors may vary from deep blue to an indie color ripple. Most of them are too cold to swim in, even in summer. These lakes belong to the Fann Mountains system.

Lakes are called Marguzor,  but each of the lakes has its own name: Nezhigon, Soybean,Gushor, Nofin, and Hurdak. Hiking part from Lake Marguzor to Lake Hazorchashma. 

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

Easy hike at the lakes. Lunch in a guesthouse.

Afternoon border crossing BP "Jartepa" to Uzbekistan (takes about 30 min-1 hr), meet the driver at the Uzbekistan side of the border ( 16:30).

Transfer to the Samarkand hotel.  

Resting time in the evening. Overnight.

Breakfast at the hotel.

09:00 Meet the guide. Start the Samarkand sightseeing tour by visiting

– 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;

– Continue to the famous 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 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) belonging to the Muslim person named Saint 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;

– Samarkand bazaar – Siyab.

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

Breakfast at the hotel.

10:00 Transfer to Bukhara, 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 extra), a master-class of painting ceramics, suzani embroidery, and traditional bread baking.

Continue to Bukhara.

Arrival in Bukhara in the afternoon, check-in the hotel.

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.

09:00 Start Ashgabat city tour with visiting

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

- Neutrality Arch - unique composition that  rotates slowly after the sun;

- National Museum, where you can see more than 166 unique exposition from Ancient Merv and Nissa;

- A trip to ancient Nissa (18km from Ashgabad), which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Visit the ruins of the ancient city ;

- Turkmenbashi Mosque-Mausoleum is considered the biggest in Central Asia (tens of thousands of people). There are beautiful gardens and fountains. 

- In the afternoon, transfer to the Darwaza crater and change from the asphalt road to the Karakum desert track, and continue 10 km deep inside. 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. 

Camp-style dinner and overnight stay in a yurt.

Camp- style breakfast

09:00 Transfer to Ashgabat with short stops en route:

- mud and water craters.

Arrival in Ashgabat. Transfer to the hotel.

Resting time before the return flight. Overnight at the hotel.

Breakfast at the hotel.

Transfer to Ashgabat International Airport.

Transfer to the airport for a morning/midday departure flight.

End of the tour.