UZBEK LIFESTYLE: CULTURES, TRADITIONS, HANDICRAFTS

Duration: 10 days, 9 nights

Customizable? Yes Day 1 Tashkent, sightseeing Day 2 Drive to Samarkand Day 3 Seeing Samarkand Day 4 Drive to Bukhara via Gijduvan Day 5 Full day in Bukhara Day 6 Drive to Khiva Day 7 Full day in Khiva Day 8 Ancient Khorezmian fortresses, flight to Tashkent Day 9 Flight to Ferghana, sightseeing Day 10 Drive to Tashkent via Rishtan, departure

Tour Summary: Fascinating tour which will plunge you into the colorful world of Uzbek indigenous culture and handicrafts. You will also explore scenery of some of the 1001 nights legends in Bukhara and Samarkand. Do not forget your 1001 nights book and follow the tale! Visiting Tashkent, Samarkand, Bukhara, Khiva, Ferghana.

Budget Package Standard Package Luxury Package 01. Accommodation in Tashkent, Samarkand, Bukhara, Khiva (2-3* hotels); 02. Meals on bed and breakfast arrangement; 03. All excursions/transfers; 04. Entrance fees; 05. Transport (a/c sedan or minivan); 06. Uzbek visa support; 01. Accommodation in Tashkent, Samarkand, Bukhara, Khiva (2-3* hotels); 02. Meals on bed and breakfast arrangement; 03. All excursions/transfers; 04. Entrance fees; 05. Transport (a/c sedan); 06. Uzbek visa support; 07. Accompanying English speaking guide; 01. Accommodation in Tashkent, Samarkand, Bukhara, Khiva (4-5* hotels); 02. Meals on bed and breakfast arrangement; 03. All excursions/transfers; 04. Portages at airport/hotels; 05. Accompanying English speaking guide; 06. Entrance fees; 07. Transport (a/c sedan or minivan); 09. Uzbek visa support; 10. 50 digital photos of the tour; 11. Free mineral water on the tour; Accommodation/Hotels: Malika Tashkent Mukhandis, Samarkand Murod-Zarina, Bukhara Arkonchi, Khiva Malika Tashkent Malika Samarkand Siyavush, Bukhara Arkonchi, Khiva Le Meridien Tashkent Afrosiyob Palace, Samarkand Bukhara Palace, Bukhara Khorezm Palace, Urgench

Tour price, US$*: Persons 1 2 3 4 5 6 Budget package 1019 631 502 467 423 393 Standard package 1413 847 658 594 531 490 Luxury package 1940 1185 977 904 835 789 (*)Note: The prices shown above are calculated per person. They are valid for special departure dates and subject to availability of tours and rooms in hotels. Please contact us for details.

Detailed itinerary

Day 1
You arrive in Tashkent, we meet you at the airport and take to one of local comfortable hotels. Then, you have a full day tour of Tashkent, a city with two thousand years of history. You visit the old part of Tashkent and its medieval Kafal Shashi Mausoleum and Barak-khan Madrassah. You take a quick overlook of the modern city's most spectacular buildings, the complex of Oliy Majlis, People's Friendship Palace etc. Then you attend the Museum of Applied Arts. Lunch can be organized in a private house with genuine Uzbek cuisine and traditional atmosphere. Right after lunch you will attend the Uzbek Art Gallery and Abul Kosim Madrassah where professional Uzbek artisans display their handicrafts and refined paintings. In the Madrassah, you enjoy a show demonstrating some of Uzbek traditions. In the evening you will be invited to the Opera and Ballet Theatre to watch Swans Lake or other ballet performance. Overnight in Tashkent.

Day 2
Drive to Samarkand (289 km, 4 hours). PM you have an excursion in the Museum of History possessing a huge collection of exhibits and a fine art gallery. Then your have free time. Overnight in Samarkand.

Day 3
The whole day is devoted to Samarkand's attractions. You visit the Observatory of Ulugbek, Afrosiab Museum, Bibi Khanum mosque, Shahi Zindah and city bazaar. After lunch you continue with the three famous Madrassah at Registan Square. Workshops in the Madrassah offer a variety of locally made handicrafts, of which musical instruments and carpets are made with exquisite taste. The artisans will tell you about Uzbek musical instruments and play charming old melodies. Then you visit Guri Amir, the mausoleum of Tamerlane, and a nice gallery of modern Uzbek paintings. One of the day's highlights is the beautiful evening show in the Sher Dor Madrassah, when its ancient walls get red at sunset rays and pigeons watch the performance. Overnight in Samarkand.

Day 4
Drive (270 km, 4 hours) to Bukhara, a shining star of the Orient. About 50 km before reaching Bukhara, you visit the famous center of traditional ceramics in Gijduvan, where prominent people like Prince of Wales, Charles, Mrs. Hillary Clinton and other celebrities used to come and buy Uzbek ceramics. Upon arrival in Bukhara you have free time. Overnight in Bukhara.

Day 5
While in Bukhara, you visit the old city, Ark fortress, Bolo Hauz mosque, Ismail Samani mausoleum, Chashma Ayub, Kalyan minaret, Trading Domes with all kinds of handicrafts, carpets and jewelry being sold there. You take pleasure of a lunch arranged in the comfortable setting of a private house in the old part of Bukhara. After lunch, you visit Maggoki Attori mosque, Lyabi Hauz square, Kukeldash Madrassah, Nadir Divan Begi Madrassah, and the Indian style Chor Minor of 19th century. In the evening, you will be a guest in the Nadir Divan Begi Madrassah, where nice music and local dances are combined with a European-style fashion show, performed by the top Bukhara models, and a delicious dinner. Overnight in Bukhara.

Day 6
You undertake a long drive through the Kyzylkum desert to reach the capital of ancient Khorezm, Khiva. The rest of the day is at leisure. Dinner is organized in a cozy house on a terrace just the way locals usually do it. Overnight in Khiva.

Day 7
You have a full day tour of Khiva and visit Ichan Kala, the inner fortress, Muhammad Aminkhan Madrassah and its minaret, Kunya Ark and Juma mosque with 218 wooden pillars, the Harem of Khiva Khans, mausoleum of Pakhlavan Makhmud, a famous ancient wrestler and poet who patronized Khiva. Also, you see Islam Khodja complex with a chance to climb up the 45m minaret and enjoy a breathtaking view of the evening Khiva at sunset from the top. Overnight in Khiva.

Day 8
You drive out to a remote ancient fortress Ayaz Kala, observe the tremendous fortifications and eat a lunch in a Yurt, round tent, which for centuries served to local nomadic tribes as shelter in the desert. Then you return to Urgench, the present-day capital, to take a flight back to Tashkent (1.5 hours). Overnight in a Tashkent.

Day 9
You fly to Ferghana, center of the ancient and picturesque Ferghana Valley. City tour includes a visit to Margilan, the city known for handmade silk production. The owner of the private silk factory will take you around and show all the stages of traditional Uzbek silk production. We will take you for lunch to a local Choykhona - the teahouse - where you can taste Uzbek pilau, prepared especially for you. A visit to Vodil, the small village, will give you a chance to see the oldest (and biggest!) plane-tree in Uzbekistan, which was planted by Alexander the Great according to local legends. Overnight in Ferghana.

Day 10
You drive back to Tashkent via Rishtan, a village known for its traditional ceramics. One of the famous local artisans - Mr. Rustam Usmanov - will take you around his workshop and show how a piece of clay becomes a piece of art in his hands. Upon arrival in Tashkent, you will be transferred to the airport for a flight home.

Note: Air fares Urgench - Tashkent (about US$75) and Tashkent - Ferghana (about US$40) are not included.