Unique & Creative tour in Uzbekistan (14 days)

Flight with Turkish Airlines to Istanbul and on to Urgench. Transfer to the hotel.

Our unique tour starts in the central city of Khorezm. Today is dedicated to sightseeing in Khiva. We visit the old town surrounded by a magnificent wall with its palaces, mausoleums, madrasahs, and minarets. A huge, covered prayer room with 212 decorated wooden columns awaits us in the Friday Mosque, which is inconspicuous from the outside. In two madrasahs that have been converted into a museum, we can get an overview of the old architecture as well as an overview of the Uzbek handicrafts or the great medieval scholars of the Silk Road. After further sightseeing, we end the day in the middle of the winding streets with a beer or tea on a roof terrace with a view. Two nights in the old town of Khiva.

In the morning we take an excursion into the desert to see the ruins of the ancient fortresses of Toprak Kala and Ayaz Kala, which were founded by the Kushana some 2000 years ago. At that time the rule of the Kushana extended from today’s Chinese Silk Road through Central Asia to India. Today lunch is in a yurt camp, then drive back to Khiva and final sightseeing in the picturesque old town.

Further sightseeing of Khiva and after lunch transfer to the train station from there by train to Bukhara which is the amazing part of the unique and creative tour. Arrival at 9 p.m. From the train station, we drive to dinner.

A city like in 1001 Nights: Bukhara is the cultural highlight of the trip! There we visit the great Samanid mausoleum, built in the Persian style, and the nearby Chasma Ayub mausoleum, built in a Turkish style. Continue on foot to the Registan, a large open square where the old fortress and the Bolo Hauz Mosque face each other. From there we walk to the bazaar of Bukhara and the magnificent Kalon ensemble, where the magnificent Minare towers skyward between the elaborately decorated entrance facades of the mosque of the same name and the Mir-i-Arab madrasah. Passing the one-way bazaars of money changers, jewelry makers, and hat makers crowned with domes, we continue to the Koran schools of Ulug Beg and Abdul Aziz Khan.

We do more sightseeing in Bukhara and make a pilgrimage to Chor Minar, which is surrounded by four minarets. A trip into the area brings us to the Tsarist-influenced summer palace of the Emir of Bukhara from the 19th/20th centuries. In the afternoon there is time for your activities.

We drive east from Bukhara to the Kizilkum desert. On the way we stop in Nurota and visit the ruins of a fortress that Alexander the Great once had built. It is right next to an ancient sacred spring that still supplies the entire city with water. Our unique tour continues to a simple yurt camp in the middle of the desert. A yurt corresponds to a double or single room, the toilets and showers are in a separate building. After unpacking our bathing suits, we drive a few kilometers further to a beautiful bathing bay of the huge Aydar Kul Lake. Here we can relax after the journey by swimming or bathing, enjoying nature, or looking out for waterfowl. For dinner, the traditional sounds of the nomads around the campfire and the indescribable starry sky of the desert await us.

The next morning, as the part of creative tour, we continue to the Nurata Mountains, which have only been developed for tourism in the last 10 years. We visit the mountain village of Sentob, where we can have lunch in a beautiful garden and explore the valley on foot. Afternoon drives to a millennia-old cypress planted by Alexander the Great, according to legend. Late in the afternoon, we reach the mountain village of Hayat where we will stay overnight in a nice but simple guesthouse.

We can enjoy a lovely half-day trek along a footpath over the ridge into the next valley up to Ukhum – those who are not so good on foot can drive the first part and relax with the local guide at our lunch spot. If you want, you can hike further up the valley from there along a lively mountain stream to the Nurata.

Nurata Reserve where we can discover beautifully preserved rock paintings that are around 4000 years old. Back there is a lunch together in the beautiful nature and in the afternoon we continue to Samarkand. (easy hike, 12 km, approx. 5-6 hours) In the evening we can already take a walk to the fairytale-illuminated Registan, whose splendor testifies to the self-confidence of the Timurids and their successors. 2 nights.

In the morning we visit Registan, one of the greatest historical places in Asia, which is framed by three Koranic schools and a mosque. In the afternoon we can learn about the early history of the 2700-year-old city with a visit to the Afrosiyab Museum. Among other things, well-preserved wall paintings from the 7th and 8th centuries await us there. The Ulug Beg Observatory is a reminder of another glorious period in the city’s history. Gur Emir, the beautifully decorated tomb of Timur, shines in the evening light – and reminds of one of the greatest conquerors in history.

Our unique and creative tour offers driving by car over a 1788 m high pass road to Shakhrisabz, in the hometown of Timur. We visit the monumental ruins of his “White Palace” Ak Saray as well as the magnificent mausoleums of his relatives and Sufi masters. In the afternoon we take an excursion to Langar Ota in the mountains of the Hissar Mountains. Surrounded by beautiful scenery, here is another Sufi tomb on a hilltop opposite an ancient mosque, which is worth seeing for its original architecture and pre-Islamic decorations. Drive back to Shakhrisabz and overnight.

In the early morning, we set off into the Hissar Mountains and undertake a hike along the wild Kizildarya River into the ever-narrowing Tatar Gorge. The path is the goal here. But those who are good on foot can walk the path to a picturesque waterfall in around 90-120 minutes – sturdy shoes and sure-footedness required.

We have a light lunch in the city of Shakhrisabz and drive back to Samarkand in the afternoon. In the evening we are guests of an Uzbek family.

On the 12th day of our unique and creative tour, we explore the magnificent ruins of the Bibi Khanom Mosque, which is located right next to our hotel, on foot and from there we continue to the Hazrat Hizr Mosque. Then we continue to stroll on foot through the bazaar, where bread and vegetables, as well as all kinds of oriental sweets, are on display, and then we visit the masterfully decorated mausoleums of the Shah-e-Zinda necropolis, which mark another artistic highlight in the city history of Samarkand. In the afternoon some time to relax or for your exploration or shopping, in the evening we take the express train to the capital Tashkent. Two overnight stays.

A whole day to get to know the second-largest capital of Central Asia after Kabul! After breakfast, we go on a tour of discovery through the Russian-Soviet-Oriental capital, which is the only city in Central Asia not only to have a metro but also to have several subway stations worth seeing in the Soviet Union! The historical museum, also built in the classic Soviet style, gives a first and sometimes fascinating insight into the ancient culture of the Silk Road in Uzbekistan: Tashkent is considered one of the cities with the most beautiful Soviet architecture in the world! We continue by metro to Chorsu, the largest market in the city, where Tashkent shows its oriental side.

It is the end of our unique and creative tour-Scheduled flight with Turkish Airlines to Istanbul and on to home.