Arrival in Tashkent

Tashkent - Meet outside the airport terminal building with the driver and transfer to the hotel.

Fly Tashkent-Urgench, transfer from Urgench to Khiva and sightseeing in Khiva

Tashkent - The driver will pick you up from your hotel in Tashkent at 5 am for a 7 am flight.

Urgench - Upon arrival, exit the airport terminal building where a metal fence marks the meeting area. Our driver will be waiting with a name board to transfer you to Khiva, which is 35 km away.

Itchan Kala - Ichan Qala Fort, a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1990, is an open-air museum representing the old part of the city. Surrounded by walls, it has been turned into the State Historical Archaeological Museum, covering 26 hectares. The Inner Fortress transports visitors back in time with its narrow lanes, low houses, mosques, mausoleums, and madrassahs (Quran schools).
The sightseeing in Ichan Qala Fort includes:
Muhammad Amin Khan Madrassa (1855)
Kalta Minor
Zindon (city jail)
Kunya Ark (Kuhna Ark in Uzbek)
Muhammad Rakhim Khan Madrassa (1871)
Pakhlavan Mahmud Mausoleum
Islam Khoja Madrassa
Islam Khoja Minaret (the tallest minaret in the city; climbing costs 100,000 sum per person and is not included in the tour price)
Juma Mosque (1788)
Tash Hauli Palace (Stone Palace in Uzbek) with a separate entrance to the reception court (ishrat hauli).

Transfer from Khiva to Bukhara with a private driver

Bukhara - Transfer from Khiva to Bukhara, a 7-hour drive crossing the Amu Darya River (historically known as Oxus) and the Kizilkum Desert. Optional lunch stop at a tea house (chayxana).

Sightseeing in old town Bukhara and afternoon train to Samarkand

Bukhara - This walking tour covers art, history, old town, architectural monuments, and food. Bukhara, a UNESCO-listed city, is one of Central Asia’s oldest cities with a 2500-year history. It has been known by various names such as Bumichkat (New Castle), Al Madina as-sufriyya (Copper City), Madinat at-tujjor (City of Traders), and Foxira (Honorable City).

Moschea Bolo-khauz - Bolo Hauz Mosque (18th century) is a functioning Friday mosque consisting of a reservoir, mosque, and minaret. Note: Visitors can only view the mosque from outside as it is a functioning Friday mosque.

Ark of Bukhara - The Citadel Ark (1st-20th centuries) dates back to the beginning of the 1st millennium BC. The fortress has been destroyed and rebuilt several times, with most reconstructions occurring in the 18th-20th centuries.

Great Minaret of the Kalon - Poi Kalon complex (12th-16th centuries) includes a mosque, madrassah, and minaret. It was a major center of trade and scholarship along the Silk Road. The minaret’s beauty even amazed Genghis Khan.

Magoki Attori Mosque - Magoki-Attari Mosque is Central Asia’s oldest surviving mosque. Before the Arab invasion, the site housed a Buddhist monastery and later a Zoroastrian temple. It now contains the Museum of the History of Carpet Weaving.

Lyab-i-Hauz - Labi Hauz Complex (The edge of the pond in Persian) was constructed around 1620 by Nadir Divan Begi, the Grand Vizier of Bukhara.

Bukhara Synagogue - The 16th-century synagogue is located south of Labi Hauz Square in the Jewish Quarter of the old town. Jews have been a significant minority in Bukhara since their forced migration in the 14th century. Most have emigrated to Israel and the US since the 1970s. Note: The synagogue is often closed, but if open, visitors can see the old Torah inside.

Monument to Hodja Nasreddin - The statue of Hodja Nasruddin, a philosopher and humorist, on his donkey. While he is generally considered Turkish, Uzbeks claim he was born in Bukhara.

Samarkand - Late afternoon transfer to Bukhara train station (15 km) to catch the train to Samarkand (subject to availability). Upon arrival, meet the driver outside the train station for transfer to the hotel.

Sightseeing in Samarkand

Samarkand - Samarkand, a fairy tale city along the ancient Silk Road, has been called “The Mirror of the World,” “The Garden of the Soul,” “The Jewel of Islam,” and “The Precious Pearl of the Moslem World.” In ancient Greece, it was known as Marakanda.

Ulugh Beg Observatory - Built by astronomer-king Ulugbek, grandson of Amir Temur, in the 15th century.

Shah-i-Zinda - The Shahi Zinda complex (12th-20th centuries) is the burial place of royals and nobles and one of Uzbekistan’s most spiritual sites.

Bibi Khanym Mosque - Built in the 15th century in honor of Temur’s chief wife, Saray Mulk Khanum.

Gur Emir Mausoleum - The Gur-Amir mausoleum (The tomb of the king in Uzbek) from the 15th century.

Registan - Registan Square (15th-17th centuries) is a stunning architectural ensemble with intricate Islamic designs and calligraphy on its mosques and madrassahs.

Travel by train from Samarkand to Tashkent. Sightseeing in the capital of Uzbekistan and departure to final destination

Tashkent - Early morning transfer to Samarkand train station for the train to Tashkent (subject to availability). Upon arrival, meet the guide outside the train station and start sightseeing in Tashkent.

Monument of Courage Earthquake Memorial - This memorial commemorates the earthquake in Tashkent on April 26, 1966, and is located near the earthquake’s epicenter.

Ensemble Hazrati Imam - The Khazrati Imom Complex (16th-20th centuries) is the historical spiritual heart of the city. It includes the functioning Khazrati Imom Mosque (2007), Barak-Khan Madrassa (16th-18th centuries, now a shopping area), Tellya Sheikh Mosque (19th century), Muyi Moborak Library (which holds rare Oriental manuscripts, including the world-famous Caliph Osman-Koran from the 7th century), and the mausoleum of Abu Bakr Mohammed Kaffal Shashi, one of Central Asia’s first Koran preachers and a renowned scientist.

Chorsu Bazaar - Chorsu Market (Four roads in Uzbek) has been the commercial heart of the city for centuries.

Amir Temur Square - The center of modern Tashkent, featuring green spaces, flowers, and fountains. The square includes important political and cultural buildings, a statue of Amir Timur (Tamerlane) on horseback, Hotel Uzbekistan (built in 1974), the University of Law (formerly the Women’s Gymnasium), the Museum of Amir Timur, the Tashkent Clock Towers (the first built in 1947 to house a clock mechanism from Eastern Prussia, a war trophy brought back by watchmaker Ayzenshteyn), and Uzbekistan Forums Palace.

Tashkent - Transfer to Tashkent International Airport.

• Entrance tickets to the monuments
• Transfer from Khiva to Bukhara in a private vehicle
• Domestic air ticket from Tashkent to Urgench
• Air-conditioned vehicle
• Train ticket from Samarkand to Tashkent
• Train ticket from Bukhara to Samarkand
• Breakfast
• English speaking local tour guide for sightseeing in Khiva, Bukhara, Samarkand and Tashkent
• Accommodations (double or twin shared) in high rated Hotel 3* or central located boutique hotel

• Lunch and Dinner
• Photo and video charges 5 usd (for photography cameras. It is free if travelers use phone cameras)
• Single room supplement 30 usd per night/single room
• Personal travel insurance
• Hotel extra services
• Gratuity/Tips for guide/drivers