Tashkent, Samarkand, Bukhara and Khiva: 12-day sightseeing tour

Day-by-day itinerary

1. Day 1

   The first day is only arrival and check-in, without transport and excursions. Tashkent is shown here as a multifaceted capital: ancient monuments, medieval buildings and modern buildings stand side by side. You can walk through the new part of the city yourself and feel its scale.

2. Day 2

   The day is entirely given to the Old City. The main impression is Hast Imam Square with the manuscript of the Uthman Quran and ancient madrasahs, and nearby are the quarters of makhallas with adobe houses and narrow streets. Lunch takes place in the Besh Qozon pilaf center, where pilaf is cooked in giant kazans. In the second part of the day — Independence Square, Theatre Square and Amir Temur Square.

3. Day 3

   This is a day of science and mountains. First — the Physics-Sun heliocomplex, where you can see solar heliostats and go up to the upper floor of the concentrator, from where a panorama of the Chatkal Range opens. Lunch — in a local chaikhana with Parkent shashliks. Then a drive to Chimgan and accommodation at the Archazor resort among a pine forest.

4. Day 4

   The day is about water and mountains. The ascent on the cable car of the Amirsoy resort opens a panorama of the Chatkal Range, Lake Charvak and the village of Brichmulla. After lunch — a walk along the trails of the Ugam-Chatkal National Park with rock paintings and an old plane tree that is more than 800 years old. The finale of the day is the shore of Lake Charvak with turquoise water and a sandy beach, then return to Tashkent.

5. Day 5

   Tashkent again, but from a different angle: the cathedral, the TV tower from the outside and the metro — an underground Museum with the decoration of each station. Then the Risola House of Crafts with a collection of ceramics from different regions. A separate impression is a master class on Bukhara pilaf Oshi-Sofi, which is simmered in layers and not stirred. Free time can be spent in Ankhor Park or in the MagicCity amusement park.

6. Day 6

   A calm day: free time in Tashkent without service. After lunch — a drive to Samarkand, the former capital of Tamerlane's empire and a city of caravan trade. The road takes several hours, and upon arrival — accommodation at the hotel.

7. Day 7

   A whole day in Samarkand. The main thing is Registan Square with three madrasahs and the Gur-Emir Mausoleum, the tomb of Tamerlane. Also in the program are the Bibi-Khanym Mosque, the Siab Bazaar, the Shah-i-Zinda ensemble and the Ulugh Beg Observatory Museum with a fragment of a sextant underground. The pace is busy, but everything happens within one city.

8. Day 8

   The day begins in Gijduvon, at the Narzullaev family — hereditary ceramicists: you can see how ceramics are made and painted. Lunch — in the house of the ceramicists with Gijduvon shashliks. Then a drive to Bukhara, accommodation and a tour: the Sitorai Mokhi-Khosa Palace, the Lyabi-Hauz ensemble with a pond and a monument to Khoja Nasreddin, as well as the quarter of covered bazaars.

9. Day 9

   Continuation of Bukhara, and here the emphasis is on antiquity. The Samanid Mausoleum, the Chashma Ayub Mausoleum, the Bolo-Hauz complex with carved columns, the Ark Fortress and the Poi-Kalyan complex — the main symbol of the city. Closer to the end — the Abdulaziz Khan Madrasah with ornaments and the Ulugh Beg Madrasah. The pace is measured, everything within the historical center.

10. Day 10

    The longest drive of the trip — through the Kyzylkum Desert along the Amu Darya. On the way — stops among the dunes with reddish sand and a view of one of the largest rivers of the region. The day ends in Khiva with a walk through Itchan Kala, the inner part of the Old Khiva behind the fortress wall.

11. Day 11

    The day is entirely in Khiva. Itchan Kala here reveals itself as a living medieval city: the Pakhlavan Mahmud complex, the Kunya-Ark Fortress, the Tash Hauli Palace. A separate impression is the Islam Khodja Minaret, the tallest in the city, from where the whole city is visible. Also in the program are the Juma Mosque with carved columns and the Muhammad Amin Khan Madrasah.

12. Day 12

    The final day: breakfast and a group transfer from Khiva to Urgench airport. The tour program ends here, then — the flight home.