Silk Road Highlights: Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan

BM-17406

5.0Based on

13 days

“

This was an outstanding explore trip. The combination of both Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan and the fascinating differences between the two countries and the places visited made it a varied and interesting trip. A friendly group and the camaraderie definitely added to the trip. We had excellent leaders in both countries. Jenny / Yevgemina in Turkmenistan ensured everything ran smoothly and was so organised and helpful, even translating a whole menu for us on one occasion. Visiting the local bazaar on Sunday was really interesting. Ashgabat unlike anywhere I’ve ever visited, the buildings and their scale, and image projected, really fascinating. She really went the extra mile literally to help us negotiate the intricacies of the border crossing. She took us to an amazing variety of restaurants so we could experience the local cuisine and was really knowledgeable at all the historical sites visited. We visited some really interesting ancient Silk Road cities Merv and Abiverd. Shokrat was equally helpful in Uzbekistan and gave us excellent insights to the history of his home town Samarkand. Again all the arrangements ran smoothly and he gave us lots of insights into the history of his country and its culture as well as current life in the country. He took us to a plov restaurant specialising in the National dish and accompaniments which only a local would know. The overnight train journey was an interesting and enjoyable experience. The sights in Uzbekistan are amazing, difficult to name highlights but I really enjoyed Uleg Beg observatory and the mausoleums in Samarkand. I really enjoyed Bukhara and Khiva as cities as they had distinct older city areas and it might have been nice to have a bit more time in Khiva to explore. I really enjoyed the dancing and music show in Bukhara and would highly recommend this. The accommodation was excellent, staying in a caravanserai (modernised) in Bukhara and a madrasah in Khiva and staff at all the hotels were so friendly and helpful. My only comment is that whilst the local guides in Uzbekistan were really knowledgeable and passionate about their country’s history, some of the explanations could have been a bit shorter as there was a lot to take in. Tashkent was a vibrant, modern city and has excellent museums. The local guide here was the best on tour in terms of his succinct and clear explanations and information provided. We enjoyed visiting the bazaar and travelling on the metro. I was pleased I stayed an extra day to explore the city and museums and would recommend adding this on. Some of the journeys are long and the road to the border is really bumpy but the buses were all really comfortable. This trip had been on my list for years and it didn’t disappoint.

Nerys | Traveled in November

5 - Excellent

Carbon neutral

13 daysDuration

Small Group TourUsually 8-12 participants

16 peopleMaximum group size

16 - 99 yearsAge range for participants

EnglishGuide language

Moderate

Involves sustained activity requiring a reasonable level of fitness and endurance.

Starts

Ends

Tashkent, Uzbekistan

Select Date

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Highlights

Ashgabat - Explore Turkmenistan's remarkable capital city, where the ancient and the modern collide. Khiva - Walk through the 'open-air museum', the historic heart of one of the great Silk Road cities. Samarkand - Discover the beautiful, intricately mosaicked mosques and madrassahs of Tamerlane's city.

Itinerary

Travel through Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan along the legendary Silk Road, exploring the ancient Turkmen cities of Ashgabat and Mary, as well as the picture-perfect Uzbek gems of Khiva, Bukhara, and Samarkand. Discover Central Asia's rich history, vast desert landscapes, and spectacular Islamic architecture on this immersive small-group adventure.

day 1Trip starts in Ashgabat. Free morning and afternoon city tour

Our tour starts today in Ashgabat, the capital of Turkmenistan. Once a prosperous frontier town along the Trans-Caspian railway, Ashgabat was destroyed by a massive earthquake in 1948, only to rise from the ashes and become the capital of an independent Turkmenistan in 1991. The city was the personal project of President Niyazov, who set about forming it in his own unique image, renaming the streets and changing the face of the city on an almost daily basis as he approved the destruction of its suburbs to make way for several controversial planning projects. For those arriving on time today, our tour leader plans to meet you in the hotel reception at 12pm for a welcome meeting, followed by a tour of the city. We'll head out to take in the highlights of both the Soviet and Niyazov reigns, visiting Independence Park where we'll see the Independence Monument, a large structure designed to resemble traditional Turkmen hats. We'll also pay a visit to the Turkmenistan National Museum of History, a rich cache of 150,000 objects and artefacts that date back to Neolithic times and the Bronze Age era of the Margiana civilisation. If you'd like an airport transfer today, you'll need to arrive into Ashgabat International Airport (ASB), which is a 20-minute drive from the hotel. For those arriving on flights in the early hours of this morning, we'll arrange for your hotel room to be available immediately upon your arrival. If you'd like to add additional days to your holiday pre-tour, please get in touch with us to book your accommodation. Please note, if you'd like to join the afternoon city tour today, you need to arrive at the hotel by 12pm. If you're booking your own flights, we recommend giving yourself at least one to two hours to clear the airport. From the airport to the hotel is around a 15-minute drive, therefore the latest your flight can arrive is 9am. If you miss the welcome meeting, our tour leader will inform you of any essential information at 6pm.

Accommodation

Sport Hotel

day 2In Ashgabat, visit Sunday market and Nissa Fortress; free afternoon

day 3Drive to Mary stopping at Kaka Oasis

day 4From Mary, explore the ancient site of Merv; afternoon visit to Mary Historical Museum

day 5Drive across the border to Bukhara (Uzbekistan); afternoon orientation walk

day 6In Bukhara, discover the Ark Citadel, Emir's Palace and Char Minar Mosque

day 7Free day in Bukhara for further exploration

day 8Drive through the Kyzylkum desert to Khiva

day 9In Khiva, orientation tour of the Old City; drive to Urgench to take sleeper train to Samarkand

day 10In Samarkand, discover Registan Square, Gur Emir Mausoleum and Bibi-Khanym Mosque

day 11In Samarakand, visit Ulug-Beg Observatory and the Shah-i-Zinda; free afternoon

day 12Drive to Tashkent, explore the city and ride the Tashkent Metro

day 13Tour ends in Tashkent

What's Included

Accommodation

Sport Hotel (2 nights)Hotel Mary (2 nights)Royal Bukhara Hotel (3 nights)Feruzkhan Hotel (1 night)Overnight Train from Khiva to Samarkand (1 night)Hotel Asia Samarkand (2 nights)Hotel Inspira-S Tashkent (1 night)

Meals

12 Breakfasts, 1 Lunch

Transport

Driver(s)BusTrain

Guide

Explore Tour Leader

What's Excluded

Customer Reviews

4.8

based on 5 reviews

Availability

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Good to Know

Travel Insurance

Visa

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