10-day Silk Road in Uzbekistan Tour from South Africa10 Days | Private | Tashkent, Kokand, Fergana, Margilan, Rishtan, Samarkand, Bukhara, Khiva

Day 1: Tashkent – Arrival

 

Arrive in Tashkent. You will be met by Advantour driver and transferred to the hotel. Check in to the hotel at noon. Meet your guide to start sightseeing in the capital of Uzbekistan, the biggest city in Central Asia. Visit Old City part of Tashkent with Khast-Imam Complex where the world famous Quran of Caliph Uthman has been preserved. Explore Chorsu Bazaar. Then take a ride on Tashkent Metro to the city center to visit Applied Arts Museum and walk through Navoi Theater to Amir Timur Square where you will end Tashkent city tour. Overnight at the hotel.
Duration of sightseeing tour: 4-5 hours

Day 2: Tashkent – Kokand – Rishtan – Fergana

 

At 07:00 transfer to the Tashkent train station. Take the train departing to Kokand at 08:05 (Alternative transport is available, see below). Arrive in Kokand at 12:16. Meet your guide and driver and start sightseeing tour in Ferghana Valley. Visit the Khudoyar-Khan Palace, Jami Mosque and Norbut-biy Madrasah. Continue to Rishtan to the house of a well-known ceramic master, Rustam Usmanov, whose works are exhibited on world exhibitions. At pottery master’s you will visit the workshop, see the process of pottery creation and see collection of local ceramics. Afterwards, we will continue to Fergana city. Arrival in Fergana, check in to the hotel for overnight.
Alternative transportation is a car with a driver; the road takes 4 hours and lies through Kamchik Mountain Pass.

Day 3: Fergana – Margilan – Tashkent

 

In the morning visit Akhmad Al Fergani Park. Drive to Margilan and visit Said Akhmad-Khoja Madrasah. Today, madrasah is a home to a number of craftsmen producing handmade carpets and silk. Have a walk on traditional market and continue to Yodgorlik Silk factory to see the production process of silk with traditional Ikat patterns. If it is Thursday or Sunday, visit Kumtepa Bazaar, the largest market in Fergana Valley. Drive back to Tashkent (320 km, 5 hours). Arrive in Tashkent, drop off at your hotel or residence.

Day 4: Tashkent – Samarkand

 

Morning transfer to the railway station for the high-speed Afrosiyob train ride to Samarkand (journey time 2 h 10 min). Your guide and driver will meet you at train station to begin the city tour in Samarkand. Visit spectacular Registan Square, remains of Bibi-Khanum Mosque, Siab Bazaar, Ulugbek Observatory, Shakhi-Zinda Necropolis and Gur-Emir Mausoleum, the final resting place of the Turco-Mongol emperor, Timur. Overnight at the hotel.
Duration of sightseeing tour: 6-7 hours

Day 5: Samarkand

 

Continue sightseeing: visit Afrasiab Museum and the Tomb of Saint Daniel. Then drive to Konigil village to explore traditional way of making Samarkand paper from mulberry. Enjoy free time with car and driver at your disposal after sightseeing tour. Overnight at the hotel.
Duration of sightseeing tour: 3-4 hours

Day 6: Samarkand – Bukhara

 

In the morning depart Samarkand and drive to Bukhara (280 km, 4 h*). On the way stop at Rabat-i-Malik Caravanserai. Continue driving. Arrive in Bukhara, check in to the hotel. Spend your afternoon in fascinating Old Bukhara which is listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. Explore Kalyan Minaret, Kalyan Mosque and Miri-Arab Madrasah, Magoki-Attori Mosque, madrasahs of Ulugbek and Abdulazizkhan, trade domes, Lyabi-Khauz Ensemble, Chor-Minor Madrasah. Overnight at the hotel.
Duration of sightseeing tour: 3-4 hours
*The drive on vans and buses is on average an hour longer.

Day 7: Bukhara

 

Start the second day in Bukhara discovering Ark Fortress, Bolo-Khauz Mosque, Samani dynasty and Chashma-Ayub mausoleums. Then visit Sitorai Mokhi-Khosa – the summer residence of Bukhara’s last emir, unique site combining Oriental and Russian architecture. Continue to the Mausoleum of Bakhouddin Naqshbandi. Enjoy free time in the afternoon. Overnight at the hotel.
Duration of sightseeing tour: 5-6 hours

Day 8: Bukhara – Khiva

 

In the morning depart Bukhara and drive to Khiva (480 km, 7-8 h*). Today we will have an overland transfer from Bukhara to Khiva through Kyzylkum desert**. Caravans on the Great Silk Road carrying porcelain and spices used the same route for hundreds of years. Arrive in Khiva late in the afternoon. Check-in to the hotel. Free evening in Khiva.
*As the cafés and restaurants on the way are basic and offer limited menus, you may wish to take a packed lunch on this trip (your hotel or guide can help you arrange this the day before).
**Some parts of the road are not in the best condition.

Day 9: Khiva – Urgench – Tashkent

 

Check-out from the hotel till noon. Today you will visit Itchan-Kala Fortress, a UNESCO World Heritage site. The tour features visits to Mukhammad Aminkhan Madrasah, Mukhammad Rahimkhan Madrasah, Kalta-Minor, Juma Mosque, Tash-Khovli Palace, Pakhlavan Makhmud Mausoleum and Islam-Khoja Minaret, the highest minaret in Uzbekistan. Free time in the afternoon. In the evening you will be transferred to Urgench airport (30 km, 35 min) for flight to Tashkent (1093 km, 1 h 40 min). Upon arrival transfer to the hotel for overnight.
Duration of sightseeing tour: 5 hours

Day 10: Tashkent – Departure

 

Check-out from the hotel at noon. Free time until transfer to Tashkent International Airport. Departure. End of Silk Road in Uzbekistan Tour from South Africa.

Price includes:

• All transfers 1-2 pax by sedan type car; 3-7 pax by minivan type car;
  8-13 pax by 30 seat bus, 14 pax and more by 40-50 seat bus;
  to Fergana Valley: 1-3 pax by sedan type car;
• Accommodation based on double/twin room sharing, breakfasts included;
• Sightseeing tour program in each city with local guides;
• Entrance tickets to sights as per itinerary;
• Tickets for trains Tashkent-Kokand and Tashkent-Samarkand (on rare occasions when the high-speed train is unavailable, we will replace this with the most-comfortable class of regular train);
• Economy class ticket for flight Urgench-Tashkent.

Price doesn't include:

• Tour leader to accompany the travellers for the whole period of the tour;
• Full board (lunches and dinners);
• Hotel charges for additional services;
• Consular fees for Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan tourist visas;
• Tips are not included, but would be appreciated;
• Travel insurance.