Tashkent, Samarkand, Bukhara and Khiva: 11-day sightseeing tour

Day-by-day itinerary

1. Day 1

   Arrival in Tashkent and free time without transport and sightseeing services. You can walk on your own through the modern part of the city and feel the contrast between new buildings and old quarters. Night in a hotel.

2. Day 2

   Sightseeing tour of the Old City: Hast-Imam Square with the manuscript of the Uthman Quran, the Barak-Khan Madrasah, the Kafal-al-Shashi Mazar Mausoleum. A separate stop is the Chorsu Bazaar under a huge dome, where spices and handicrafts are sold. Lunch in the Besh Qozon pilaf center, where pilaf is cooked in cauldrons. Then transfer to Samarkand.

3. Day 3

   The day is entirely devoted to Samarkand. The main impression is Registan Square with three madrasahs and the Gur-Emir Mausoleum, the tomb of Tamerlane. Also in the program are the Bibi-Khanum Cathedral Mosque, the Siab Bazaar, the Shahi-Zinda Ensemble and the Ulugh Beg Observatory Museum with a fragment of a sextant. The pace of the day is measured, with walks between monuments.

4. Day 4

   On the way to Bukhara — a stop in Gijduvon, at the family of hereditary ceramicists the Narzullaevs: they show how ceramics are made and painted. Lunch in the house of the ceramicists with a tasting of Gijduvon shashliks. In Bukhara — the Sitorai Mokhi-Khosa Country Palace, then the Lyabi-Hauz Ensemble with a pond and madrasah, as well as the quarter of covered bazaars.

5. Day 5

   Continued acquaintance with Bukhara: the Samanid Mausoleum, Chashma Ayub, the Bolo-Hauz Complex with carved columns, the Ark Fortress and the Poi-Kalyan Complex. Among the monuments are the Abdulaziz-Khan Madrasah with ornaments and the Ulugh Beg Madrasah. The day is calmer than the previous transfer day.

6. Day 6

   A long transfer to Khiva across the Kyzylkum Desert along the Amu Darya River. Along the way — several stops among the dunes, the sand here is indeed reddish. Upon arrival — a walk through Ichan-Kala, the inner part of Old Khiva, surrounded by a fortress wall.

7. Day 7

   Sightseeing tour of Ichan-Kala: the Pakhlavan Mahmud Complex, the Kunya-Ark Fortress, the Islam Khodja Minaret, the Tash Hauli Palace, the Allakuli-Khan Madrasah with the Avicenna Museum of Medicine. The Juma Mosque with carved wooden columns stands apart. The day is busy, but everything is nearby, inside the walls.

8. Day 8

   The road to the ancient settlements: Ayaz-Kala with a labyrinth at the entrance and Toprak-Kala, where among the excavations quarters, a square and a sanctuary of fire worshippers can be read. Lunch on Lake Akchakol. Then transfer to Nukus. The day combines archaeology and a long journey.

9. Day 9

   Sightseeing tour of Moynaq: an observation deck on the highest point of the city, from where the bottom of the former sea is visible, and the Ship Cemetery with rusting hulls. A visit to the museum at the House of Culture with paintings about the Aral Sea and the Amu Darya. After lunch — the Mizdahkan Necropolis with mausoleums of different eras, including the Tomb of Adam and the Yerejep-Khalif Mausoleum.

10. Day 10

    Morning in Nukus — a tour of the I. V. Savitsky Museum with a collection of Russian avant-garde and Karakalpak applied art. Then transfer to Khiva and accommodation in a hotel. The day begins with art and ends with a long road.

11. Day 11

    The first meal is breakfast, after which the group departs from Khiva to Urgench Airport. This is where the trip ends.