Tashkent Tours in October 2026

It was an excellent trip with a delightful group many of whom are committed ‘explorers’ who had visited many countries. We all enjoyed the company of our young Uzbek leader whose English was exceptional as well as his pride in his country and his ambition for sustainable tourism. My first trip with ‘Explore’, I was impressed by their determination to fund local family-run small hotels in or just outside the gates of the old cities. Mohammed gave us good tips where we could eat at night and it was splendid to have free time to wander the streets and workshops in our own ways . Everywhere we found great friendliness and welcome even without a common language, though the Uzbeks language skills, particularly among the young are impressive and shaming. Their charm, business sense, command of technology, long tradition of beauty, colour and design in their architecture and crafts, their energy and ambition bodes well for their future prosperity.

A really enjoyable and interesting trip with a lovely group and very helpful leader, as well as local guides in each city. We learned a lot about the history and culture and travelled on all sorts of different modes of transport. Most of the hotels were excellent, but the one in Samarkand had been changed and didn't match up to the "upgraded" category on either facilities or location. I had a very small room without bedside light and very little storage space. Having said that, the other hotels were lovely! The meals included on the trip were excellent and there were helpful recommendations for the other nights, although most of us had guidebooks too. Worth doing some reading up about the Silk Road beforehand.

The trip was very well run with the tours and transport always smooth and on time. The guides were well informed and there were plenty of breaks and the tours weren't exhausting. The hotels were pleasant especially in Khiva and Tashkent. Our tour leader Fariddun was extremely helpful, well-organised and coped with all sorts of small and larger problems with ease and grace. He never seemed stressed or out of his depth.

Excellent holiday, fascinating destinations. Group was very friendly and we laughed a lot. I would have liked an extra day in Tashkent not necessarily part of the tour as both countries felt very safe but maybe as a suggestion at the time of booking.

I thought this was a great trip. The pace was quite fast but we had some free time as well. The Moslem architecture of the mosques and madrasas is stunning and I also greatly enjoyed the Savitsky art gallery and museum in Nukus, where we had an extremely well-informed guide. Uzbekistan is a very clean and safe country for tourists. As a female travelling alone, I had no concerns about exploring the cities on my own when we had free time. Our guide was very knowledgeable, efficient and pleasant, and everything ran like clockwork. We all particularly enjoyed Bukhara, where the hotel was conveniently located in the heart of the old town; it had a variety of interesting sights and a vibrant atmosphere, without being overwhelmed by tourists in the way that Khiva and the key attractions of Samarkand were. We were also lucky to be there at the time of the first Bukhara Biennial, which was an added bonus. The hotels at Tashkent and Samarkand, though very good, were located some way outside the city centres; at Tashkent this necessitated negotiating the underground and walking quite a distance to the nearest station when we had free time, while in Samarkand it was not an issue as we had no time to explore directly from the hotel. If you want to do souvenir shopping, I would advise doing it in Khiva and Bukhara as the options and time for this are limited in Samarkand. Bottled water is freely available in all the hotels and on the coaches. For anyone who enjoys almost guaranteed sunshine and warm weather (in September at least), comfortable travel in spacious coaches, beautiful architecture, and learning about the culture and history of this fascinating region, I would thoroughly recommend this trip.

Excellent trip. Busy with very good guides but with some days to explore the wonderful cities on our own. Perfect for us. The yurt was too basic for us oldies!!