Urgench, Khiva, Nukus and Aral Sea: 6-day sightseeing tour
Days: 6Flight from Almaty is priced separately
for 2 adults
instalments from 36,394 ₸/month Banks and terms
| Term | Per month | Total |
|---|---|---|
| Kaspi | ||
| 12 mo | 72,787 ₸ | 873,438 ₸ |
| 24 mo | 36,394 ₸ | 873,438 ₸ |
| Home Credit Bank | ||
| 3 mo | 263,053 ₸ | 789,159 ₸ |
| 6 mo | 127,696 ₸ | 766,173 ₸ |
| 12 mo | 72,787 ₸ | 873,438 ₸ |
| 18 mo | 50,227 ₸ | 904,085 ₸ |
| 24 mo | 37,671 ₸ | 904,085 ₸ |
| BCC | ||
| 3 mo | 263,053 ₸ | 789,159 ₸ |
| 6 mo | 135,996 ₸ | 815,975 ₸ |
| 12 mo | 71,510 ₸ | 858,114 ₸ |
| 18 mo | 50,440 ₸ | 907,916 ₸ |
| 24 mo | 39,905 ₸ | 957,717 ₸ |
Total is the tour price including the bank fee.
About the programme
This trip is about Uzbekistan as few imagine it: not only about turquoise domes and madrasahs, but also about a sea that no longer exists. Over five nights the route will go from Khiva through Nukus to the Aral Sea and back, and day by day the landscape will change more than one might expect from a single country. First — a tight, warm, almost toy-like inner city, where everything is gathered behind one wall. Then — a long road across the Ustyurt Plateau, a night in a yurt by the water and a slow return to the city through places where the sea receded and left behind rusty ship hulls. The rhythm is uneven: calm city walks alternate with long drives. This is a tour for those who are ready to travel a lot and do not expect a postcard picture outside the window all the time.
The first half of the trip is about the architecture and history of Khorezm: a city that has preserved a medieval shahristan, a minaret, a mosque with carved columns, a fortress and palaces. The guide leads through streets that look like stage sets but remain alive. The second half is already a different country in feel: desert, salt flats, bird lakes, a yurt camp on the shore and a city that was once a port.
A night in a yurt is a separate part of the experience. Accommodation is for several people, bedding is provided, dinner is cooked right there. This is not a hotel, and it is worth accepting as part of the route, not as an inconvenience.
The tour ends where it began — in Khiva and Urgench. This makes sense: the route is a loop, and after the Aral the return to inhabited places is perceived differently than at the beginning.
Day-by-day itinerary
Day 1
The day begins with a meeting at Urgench airport and a group transfer to Khiva — this is the first and shortest leg of the journey. Check-in at the hotel, and after that the time remains free: no transport, no excursions. This is a day of acclimatization and first acquaintance with the city — you can simply go out and wander wherever your eyes lead. Khiva here does not yet reveal itself as an excursion, but its walls are already visible.
Day 2
The main day in Khiva is about the inner city, Itchan Kala, and its main points. The pace is calm, on foot, with stops: the Pakhlavan Mahmud complex, the Kunya-Ark fortress, the Islam Khodja madrasah and minaret — the tallest minaret of Khiva, the Tash Hauli palace, the Juma mosque with carved columns and the Allakuli Khan madrasah. Most memorable are the 213 carved wooden columns of the Juma mosque. Then they return to the hotel.
Day 3
The longest and most "desert" day: an early departure to Nukus, a change of transport and a long road to the Ustyurt Plateau through Kungrad. Along the way — Lake Sudochye with birds and the abandoned village of Urga, but the main impression of the day is the chinks themselves, the rocky walls of the plateau that rise straight out of the sand. Towards evening the route reaches the Aral Sea: receding water, a desert sandy shore and sunset. They spend the night in a yurt camp, where dinner is also served.
Day 4
The morning begins in the yurt camp, and then — a drive across the exposed seabed to Moynaq. Here there are two strong impressions: the viewpoint at the monument on the highest point of the city, from where both the city itself and the former seabed are visible, and the "Ship Cemetery" — rusty hulls among salt and sand. They also visit the museum at the House of Culture, where paintings of the former Aral and the Amu Darya hang. Lunch is at a guesthouse, after which there is a transfer to Nukus and check-in at the hotel.
Day 5
The day in Nukus is urban and museum-related, the calmest in pace. The main stop is the I. V. Savitsky Museum with a collection of Russian avant-garde of the first half of the 20th century and objects of the culture of ancient Khorezm: about 90000 exhibits, and this is truly an unexpected place in the middle of deserts. After the museum — a transfer to Khiva and check-in at the hotel. This day feels like a return from the desert to the inhabited world.
Day 6
The last day is short: breakfast at the hotel, then a group drive from Khiva to Urgench airport, and that is where the tour ends. No new route points — only the road and the flight home. This is a day for packing and farewell, without excursions.
Dates and prices
for 2 adults
| Departure date | Places | Price | Leave a request |
|---|---|---|---|
| On request | from $1,700 ≈ 766,173 ₸instalments from 36,394 ₸/month | Leave a request |