Tours to Uzbekistan from Almaty: prices from 395,000 KZT

buhara v avguste eto koncehno peklo no ya kak budto popala v drugoe vremya, te ulochki i etot zapah sushenyh fruktov na bazare — ipakchilik prosto kosmos, hotya odnogo dnya mne pokatalos malo chtoby vse oblazit iznutri i obyazatelno zaydite v mechet kalyan tam vnutri prohladno i kakaya-to nerealnaya mosch. esche ponravilos kak ekskursovod ne iz tg pokazyval svoi lyubimye mesta gde sam v detstve begal, a ne prosto zauchennyy tekst iz plana, i eta glinyanaya posuda iz gizhduvana teper u menya na polke — vezla ee kak rebenka vsyu obratnuyu dorogu. tur kupili v agentstve dney za pyat do vyleta i nikakih nervov s biletami i otelem ne bylo voobsche, v sleduyuschiy raz vozmu u nih zhe samarkand, nadeyus i on ne razocharuet

Хива — бұл мүлдем басқа әлем, мұндайды мен өмірде алғаш рет көрдім, саз балшықтан соғылған қабырғалар мен мұнаралар дәл бала кезімде ертегіден елестеткенімдей, осы кішкентай көшелермен өрмелеп жүргенде, менеджер тағы жергілікті гид алуға кеңес берді, өкінбедім, тіпті +40-тағы күн де кедергі бола қоймады, дегенмен дем алу қиын болды, бірақ кешке қала мүлдем өзгеріп, сиқырлы болады. Сол жерде күннің жартысын өткіздім, аяқтар ащы гүілдеп қалды, бірақ керемет әсермен оралдым, бұл соңғы жылдары сатып алған ең жақсы нәрсем, мүлдем өкінбеймін әрі сіздерге де айтамын, ал келесіде Самарқанға міндетті түрде барамын, ол жақта да вау дейді.

so I went with this agency of theirs to Samarkand, well what can I say — the heat was insane, but the view from the hotel windows made up for everything, especially in the evening when the city lights up. the guide was quite a chatterbox, but they showed us Registan so well that I even forgot about the stuffiness, although local tourists were elbowing each other and kinda ruined the vibe. I tried a flatbread right from the tandyr there, burned my fingers but it was divine, and those blue domes too — you take photos and can't believe you're seeing it with your own eyes. souvenirs are better to buy at the old bazaar rather than in the shops by the square, the prices there are about twice as nice even if you don't know how to haggle. overall I came back happy but with one regret — I should've taken the tour for a day longer, there was so much left unseen there)))

Even didn’t expect that the Bukhara tour would turn out so colorful. Went to the market, bought a bunch of ikebana made of dried fruits with a donkey, local tea smells of smoke, a nice touch. Impressions are strong overall, the hotel fell short by just one star, but that’s a trifle, still got to see the Kalyan minaret in the sunset rays and was happy.

went for mom's dream, she wanted to see Bukhara with her own eyes her whole life, so we took a tour from the agency, didn't even look for train tickets ourselves. walked around the old city for an hour, the walls are so worn-out and alive, and in a shop bought a silk scarf for pennies, could feel right through my fingers how the fabric shimmered. in the evening drank tea on the roof and watched the minarets glow in the sunset, seemed all great, but a bitter aftertaste remained because of the constantly rushing local guide, like he just wanted to get rid of us faster..

This trip turned out spontaneous, but I never regretted it once. flew through acquaintances, took a tour to Tashkent and that's it, didn't even google much. The city immediately appealed to me — it's kinda fancy, yet alive, with crowds of people at the bazaar. What I remembered most was the taste of flatbreads, hot, straight from the tandyr, we chewed them the whole way after.. the plov at a cafe near the metro was deadly tasty, I specifically found that place on the guide's advice, but his bazaar is also gorgeous. A day and a half we just walked around the old city, touched the carved doors of mosques with our fingers, such cool work — centuries old. Here even time feels different: everything is unhurried, without fuss, some kind of vibe of calm, though there's a lot of people. Had a good trip, great attitude toward it

Asked for a tour for my mom’s sake — she’d wanted to go to Samarkand for a long time, and I was scared to let her go alone, so we took two. On my own I’d probably have picked something simpler, but the agency talked us into a group tour with a city-wide sightseeing, and I didn’t regret it — the old madrasahs grab you harder than I thought, though the crowd on the square is, of course, like rush hour in the subway, only instead of a crush around you there’s oriental patterns and the smell of plov. Came back happy, but with a residue: the restoration is too fresh in places, looks like a fake antique, and you want real oldness, but that’s my own nitpicking, not the organizers’ fault.

Had to go to Dushanbe for work, and since I was already heading to that part of the world, decided to swing by Samarkand, where I'd never been, got just a transfer from the border through the travel agency back home in Almaty and that's it. Flew in at night, border crossing was quick, though I thought we'd be stuck there for half a day, nothing of the sort — got through in an hour. Left at dawn to see the city, Registan in the morning — unreal, you just stand there staring, the tilework on the portals is literally glowing, and then I wandered around Shah-i-Zinda — still asking random passersby if they've seen blue glaze like that, telling everyone I know about it. On the way back grabbed a bite at a chaikhana nearby, had some samsa — it's got pumpkin in it there, unusual, but kinda works, also bought a flatbread hot straight from the tandyr for some reason, almost burned my tongue. As for the company, I'll tell my boss, I had two days, and I wouldn't have pieced together an itinerary like that on my own, but here — everything was done neatly and no questions came up, left satisfied with the trip, a solid five.

khiva in winter is a whole different vibe, people tired of heat won't get it, but I liked it more than the same Samarkand a year ago. The manager by the way was putting this tour together for us an hour before the flight, everything fit perfectly with the connections, I didn't even expect such hustle. in the evening the city is totally empty, you walk out of the madrasah and around you it's silence and just the light of lanterns on old walls, you walk and it's like you fal into that atmosphere. on the way back on the plane I was thinking the only downside was the restaurant near the hotel, they fed us plov three days in a row and I was already feeling sick..

Wanted to fly to Uzbekistan while there are direct light flights, so that's why I went to the agency and didn't look for tickets myself — wanted everything to be already ready and without any nerves. The manager put in my folder both a city map and a money memo, explained everything in a very human way, and in the end, despite the fact that in Samarkand at the end of November it was chilly and windy I still came back super happy, because Registan in the evening is just something else. Never would've thought I'd just stand and stare at the bluue domes like an idiot, though I still never got the courage to try the shawarma at the bazaar.

First time flying with this outfit and right away such a route — Central Asia. Checked prices with a two-digit number of tour operators and their offer was adequate, close to a DIY budget but with an organized transfer. The trip turned out to be a package one, with a long ride by rail, which honestly adds some flavor. All the pickup points and boarding for the train and excursions picked us up on time, never once had to run around looking for the guide. Most of all in Samarkand I was staring at the cladding of Registan Square — it glows from the inside somehow, main thing is don’t forget a second power bank, your phone dies instantly from filming. Missed one sightseeing boat trip (or was it just a walk down to the water?) — oh well, better we hung out in a local teahouse, they make plov in a cauldron right on the street. Only thing that didn’t land — first day was packed too tight, by one in the morning I was collapsing from the architecture. Though, honestly, lost time due to the heat ended up more than from the schedule, but by the end I got so used to the chill of 35° I even got into those feelings, meanwhile back home it’s already November frost. I can definitely say there was no mistake with the money: came back with a ton of photos and a full trunk of dried fruit for pennies. Overall it all feels like one big attraction, where the main thing is to be near the right blue door in the sleeper car on time. A guy at the airport said our guide is a real treasure and over the whole time he at least once changed the schedule, adapting to our tiredness. Won’t say everything is super-duper nutritious, breakfasts are a bit monotonous, but the lunch outside the city — that very osh in the cleanliness and quiet of that shop where they make flatbreads — that’s a delight and main thing I made it to the train buy this item for mom as a gift. service there is really as it’s meant to be in kazakhstan at a high level, but without growing pompousness, you just see when people burn with their work). I trusted them from the very start because I asked in the messenger for a booking, when my phone started acting up and they calmly sent everything over via sms. Samarkand is huge now in my chat and in the read book about those lives there, definitely recommend taking not less than three days if you need a balance of history and calm. By evening the golden air here stands so above everything, that I’d extend the new interchange of the ancient minarets’ ski run, otherwise your ears get clogged so differently from the local singing. Want to go back to the mountains to watch the silence inside my contacts, give an algorithm to these people I’ll bring a realtor next time we decide it’s stuffy in the apartment) for sure five out of five!

needed to urgently book a visit card and tickets to Bukhara, so at the agency I grabbed the tour too by the way on the spot it wouldn't have been cheaper. flew with a layover but that was even convenient had time to stretch, the guide honestly worked his five hours — such flavor only here, though at the restaurant the portion of plov looked a bit watery to me, but the teahouse guy quickly made up for it with a flatbread, the city itself better to walk! came back happy as an elephant, next time I'm already planning Samarkand with the same guys, and the temperature in November better check: the sun was blazing during the day, and by evening I wanted to put on a jacket. so a five for sure.

Had to urgently sort out a visa and tickets for my mother, she barely managed to wrangle time off work — so off we flew to Bukhara through the agency, since there was no time at all to figure it out myself. There and back everything was done in one visit, including picking a hotel in the old city, and I never regretted it, claustrophobics with a view of the air conditioners won't get in, but breakfast with plov on the hotel roof — that's what made the whole thing worth it)))

Flew to Khiva via Tashkent, and the city itself was so hot that even the walls of the Itchan-Kala fortress seemed scorched by the sun – by around four o'clock I was already hiding in the shade of every iwan. I really liked that the manager had thought through all the excursions in advance and left enough free time to just wander along the narrow streets and touch the old masonry with my hands, rough and dusty. The emerald Kalta-Minor minaret impressed me to goosebumps, although, to be honest, the stairs in the minaret scared me for real, because the steps are worn down and very tall – so I never went up). But the local plov in a tiny chaikhana was just something else, the most fragrant mix of spices and sweet carrots right on the plate, and in the evening after the walk we climbed the city wall to watch the sun set over the Kyzylkum desert – I only saw it from above with a glimpse of the edge. The organization was calm without any rush everything started on time so I came back absolutely happy and with lungs full of dry hot air I liked that I didn't have to worry about anything.

Sezdil v Tashkent na 4 dnya, v tselom norm, no bez vostorgov — plov na bazare Chorsu realno vkusnyy, pryam taet vo rtu, a vot metro kak muzey pryamo ochen ponravilos, stantsii vse raznye — ezdil i spetsialno vyhodil posmotret, potomu chto nu kak tak mozhno tak krasivo oformit podzemku. Bral cherez mestnoe agenstvo, oni mne i gostinitsu podobrali i transfer, vse chetko, hotya sam gid bolshe pro istoriyu rasskazyval, a mne by prosto po gorodu poboltatsya, nu i ladno, zato sam na taksi pokatalsya i ponyal pochemu u nih mashrutki nazyvayut marshrutkami — privychnee vse zhe nashe metro, no ne zhaleyu chto sezdil (tolko shumnovato v tsentre nochyu, ochn uzh gromkie konditsionery).

Khiva just tore me apart. It’s like I fell into a fairytale, only an ancient one with dust on your teeth — the wind there constantly drives this suspension around, the feeling that the city is building itself out of sand and clay. I walked around all the walls, climbed every minaret they let me into, and my hands were all covered in a white film from the masonry afterwards, a pleasant kind of roughness. What got me the most was the local food, pumpkin samsa, I ate it three times a day and wasn’t ashamed. That interior of the madrasah, the blue tiled patterns, it shimmers so much at five in the morning when the sun just rises, like it glows from within. We stayed right inside the old city in a guesthouse, and at night you can hear storks walking on the roof, I heard that for the first time, honestly, it was a bit scary, but magical too. The trip organization didn’t let me down, everything connected smoothly, transfers came on time, not a single hiccup, even though I was worried because I booked everything in a panic. The dome of the bazaar above your head presses down on you in a pleasant way somehow, so huge, stone, with coolness inside, even though outside the heat is unbearable, I ran around so much for souvenirs that my legs were buzzing. I liked that there wasn’t pushy salesmanship, they come up lazily, offer, but if you don’t look at the merchandise — they back off, without that vibe. I recommend it to anyone who doesn’t want to just lie on the beach stupidly, but to wander around and look at things, five points to them for sure, because I came back in a good mood and with a suitcase full of some textiles that now gather dust at home).

Poleteli za vizoy v zagranpasport v Tashkent, potomu chto almatinskie sroki voobsche beshenye, a tut turfirma nashla variant s otelem i transferom v odnom flakone. Vizu sdelali za dva dnya, poka ya gulyala po gorodu i taskala s bazara Chorsu suveniry, aromat spetsiy do sih por v kurtke ostalsya. Vernulas schastlivaya, pyat zvezd za to, chto ne prishlos dumat o logistike, a metro s golubymi stantsiyami prosto bomba.

алыска турга келдем, уақыт тығыз болды сол себепті тура сол жерге бардым, керектісін тез тауып берді. самарқандқа баруды көптен ойлап жүргем, бір аптаға жуық жұмыстан қол үзіп мүмкін болды. ұшақпен ұштық, қонақүйге келіп орналасқанда бірден ескі қалаға бет алдық, таңғажайып. регистан алаңы түнде жарық қосылғанда, бір қарасаң керемет, ал күндіз күн ыстықта көлеңке жоқ, сонда тұрып сусын ішіп шаршадық (бірақ автоматтар көп екен, бағасы да қалыпты). гид бізге әрбір медресе туралы айтып берді, мен жартысын ұмытыппын, тек ескі кітаптардың иісін, қолыммен ұстаған керамиканың кедір-бұдырын еске аламын. тағы бір күні шаһрисабзға барып қайттық, жолдағы көріністер — дала, дала... бірақ ол жақтағы мұнараның тепкісінен қарасаң деміңді алады екен. пешене тәттісі мен самсаны, тартылған шайды ауыз тидік, тойып қайттық, қарнымыз ашқан жоқ сонда ешкім. қайтарда әлі жетпеймін деп өкіндім, бес күн аз екен, келесі жолы үш күнге қосымша қосып келсем деймін, жалпы мен асқан ризамын бәрі де ыңғайлы болды, лайықты демалдым мен үшін бәрі сапалы өтті

I contacted this agency for a trip to Tashkent because they were the only ones with a group tour that didn't require me to deal with visas and flights myself, and going back home to March with winter blues was not appealing at all, so I figured why not bolt for four days. The city is just a city, but that ceramics at the eastern bazaar — I almost left my bag behind while staring at the bowls, though the guide, of course, dragged us around mausoleums so much that my legs were buzzing by evening.

a tenant from Khiva tipped me off in the house chat that going through Uzbekistan works out cheaper than direct, so off I went, especially since the Schengen was dead in the water anyway. Itpa the walk around the Ichan-Kala fortress — that’s something, I touched the walls, the hot clay, felt like time had stopped, but the mahalla around it is all new, nothing but newbuild, that kinda blurred the picture, merchants with robes running around everywhere trying to pull you in. grabbed a flatbread right from the tandyr at the entrance, scorching hot, taste of childhood from some past life with the local ayran, should’ve grabbed more of the local iris candy, melts in your mouth, but overall happy, that antiquity hit me like a ton of bricks in broad daylight..

such a packed schedule in Tashkent that I didn’t even understand where three days went. came back home with legs humming — because everything on foot, and that’s right. took just the city, without guides, on my own: the local metro really saved me, clean to a shine. the metro is underground and cold in august, while upstairs there’s nothing to breathe, walls with tiles wait for selfies, and tea in the teahouse is different every time and damn tasty.. it’s surprising how fast you get used to the smell of spices even there, and already you miss it

Took a tour package from the agency, and gotta say, the manager sorted everything out fast — didn't even have to ask anything twice. Tashkent hits you with heat, you only escape it in the shade of a tea house, but the bazaar with flatbreads and dried fruits is worth walking around three times. Anyway, I came back satisfied, and for that price — a solid five.

Was initially going to relatives in Tashkent, and Khiva turned out to be a spontaneous add-on after they insisted themselves and we took an extra tour in the same agency. The city is really like an open-air museum, climbed the fortress wall until it got dark and I almost broke my neck on some ancient staircase, but then we drank tea right in the courtyard of the madrasah and it was vibey. Five points because everything went smooth starting from the transfer and ending with the guide not overloading with extra info but just showing cool places.

processed quickly, but the excursion... supposedly group, but turned out it was just us two and the guide — absolutely brilliant, touched the Gur-Emir Mausoleum with my hands, the tile is so cool and almost alive, then registan just doesn’t fit in my head, how could they have built all that. the bazaar is insane, bought ceramics and forgot about them while drinking tea in a chaikhana, tore a hot flatbread — steam right in the face, unreal tasty, didn’t even notice how the day flew by, came back happy, recommend to everyone

had to fly to Tashkent for family stuff, so walked into the first agency I found near home, thought I’d just grab tickets, and they even picked a hotel with transfer for me, very timely actually, cause I don’t get all this booking and card business at all, almost forgot Uzbekistan has its own currency, asked them — they explained, even told me the approximate rate, just two hours and the whole trip was ready. the trip itself turned out great, the city is beautiful, people friendly, the metro in Tashkent is basically a museum, escalators long-long and stations unrealistically clean, even at rush hour nobody shoved. handled all the documents, went to the bazaar, bought dried fruits and a couple of rugs for gifts, came home happy, really everything simple and reliable.came back and wrote a review right away, can’t leave such things unappreciated..

Went to Uzbekistan in January, thought it would be cold, but there was sun and +10, wore my coat open. Bukhara is like a time machine, only without buttons — old madrasahs, mazes of streets, and some guy right in front of me baked flatbreads in a tandyr, I even warmed my hands on the wall, nice. Bought a full package at the travel agency, the tour company in Almaty organized everything clearly, no hiccups, even the airport transfer was waiting with a sign, that was a pleasant surprise. Walked around the Samanid mausoleum, the monument is ancient — and there’s this smell of dampness and dust, but the brickwork is beautiful, all patterned, I touched the bricks with my hands like an idiot. Uzbek cuisine is a whole other topic, they cook plov in huge cauldrons right in front of everyone, the rice is fluffy, the meat melts, and the carrots are yellow for some reason, we don’t eat those, but we should. The guide talked about the emir and about how the British spied in Central Asia — literally like a spy novel, I had no idea it was all so serious. The weather was perfect, locals are incredibly friendly, every sceond seller tried to treat me to tea and show me a carpet. But by evening my feet were killing me from the stone roads, we don’t walk like that here, so much walking is tough, the beds in the rooms were kind of hard, sleep couldn’t be called ideal. As for the downsides I can also recall this — I had to haggle for souvenirs myself, there’s like no difference in price, they stand their ground like robots. Came home a bit drained, but this turned out to be one of the best trips in recent times, definitely giving it five out of five.

Менеджер маршрут бойынша жақсы айтты, мен өзім бәрін тексере қоймасам да, Чорсудан басқа жердің бәріне үлгердік — онда сондай адам көп, мен шаршап кетіп, салқын кафеде шай ішуге кеттім. Тур қарапайым, қисығы жоқ, бірақ Ташкент үшін дәл келеді, бір ғана нәрсе — кешке нөмірдегі кондиционер трактордай гуілдеді, өшіріп, терезені ашып жаттық, е, болады, қаланы сезіндім)).

The trip to Bukhara turned out great. I was there in August, the heat was insane, but in the evening the city breathes differently — just magic, honestly. The manager at the travel agency picked everything out for us quickly, for which a special thanks to him, although the office was noisy and I didn't immediately understand where to go. The architecture around — oh my god, the ancient madrassas give you straight goosebumps, they've been standing for so many years and I only just got around to seeing them. I walked around the old town barefoot in some kind of sandals and filled my feet with dust. but the atmosphere is incredible, the spice market — definitely go check it out, that very smell of dried apricots and cumin I can still feel. We took a guide for one day, but I had enough of my own feet to get lost in the alleyways. The plov there is varied, sometimes a bit greasy, but the locals in the tea house showed me how to eat it properly, with hands. I came home and for another week couldn't snap out of that state of calm) the memory of the trip warms me better than any souvenir, although I did buy a couple of bowls.

flew to Samarkand because I had to urgently sort out an inheritance issue and at the same time finally see the city, relatives advised me to take a tour so I wouldn't have to hassle with tickets and a hotel myself. The manager set everything up in one day fast and clear, around the city (purely out of my own stupidity) I walked on foot until I got blisters, but it'd be better to just buy a proper excursion in advance at the same office than to stomp around in that heat like that. some old guy at the local market treated me to flatbread and tea for free, in the mosque I was blown away by the blue glazed domes, the trip turned out full and rich, came back happy as a clam.