Tourist Program: Khiva, Bukhara, Nurata, Samarkand, Tashkent 9 Days / 8 Nights

Description:

During the tour of Khiva, you will two magnificent minarets: the highest minaret in town - Islam-Khoja, and the least tall one - Kalta Minor. The contrasting rivalry of these two towers creates a unique architectural image of the city, the history of which is associated with biblical characters.

A tour of Bukhara where the hospitality of the local residents is as warm as the heart of the ancient Uzbek land. It will tell the story of the formation of the center of Muslim culture, the centuries-old struggle of the proud emirate for independence, dozens of centuries of the development of unique techniques of the Bukhara handicraft school. The history of Bukhara is inseparable from the fight against the desert.  You will learn about the Bukhara’s urban planning and the reasons for existence of Chashma Ayub Museum, the Water Museum. Hint: what is customary to store in museums? Main treasures.

Excursions in Samarkand and its turquoise galleries will unveil the story of this city of Uzbekistan; its chronicles have been carried out since the 8th century BCE. As a parallel of times, imagine that in the same century, the first Olympic Games were held in Greece, and Homer created his Iliad. Since the time of the Timurids, the image of “Lion and the Sun” has been the symbol of Samarkand. But if mythical phoenixes could have existed in the Zarafshan Valley, they could well become the patrons of Marakanda (the city’s ancient name). Samarkand, whose beauty and grandeur so many times turned to dust by the raids of the conquerors, like a legendary bird, each time rose time and again to a greater beauty.

Excursion in Tashkent, resembling an illustration in miniature of the history of Turkestan, will tell us about the influence of the Russian Empire on the centuries old way of life of local residents and about the times of more ancient times, when the Zoroastrians worshiped fire in the modern capital of Uzbekistan. A tour of Tashkent will show you instantly recognizable monuments of the Soviet era heritage - hotels and typical housings that are present in every city of the USSR. Tashkent is the custodian of the trade traditions of the Silk Road. There are two largest oriental bazaars in the capital city of Uzbekistan: Chorsu and Alay bazaars, the true eyewitnesses of those glorious times.

The Program includes:

• Accommodation in the specified (or of the same level) hotels at double occupancy (registration of residence)

• Meals: Breakfast in hotel + Dinner in the desert
• Comfortable air-conditioned transportation for the entire route
- 1-2 persons in a four seat car
- 3-7 people in a 10 seat mini-van
• Meeting at / seeing off at the airport
• Railway ticket from Samarkand to Tashkent (Afrosiab or Shark trains) economy class
• Guided tours of monuments and landmarks in Russian
• Local tour guides for all excursions as shown in the program
• Good mood and great service :)

The price does not include the following:

• International air ticket 
• Accompanying tour guide
• Entrance tickets to the sightseeing sites and monuments. Paid on the spot
• Alcoholic and soft beverages
• Meals (lunch and dinner)
• Cost of visa and its processing 
• Fees for photography and video filming in museums
• Tipping and porters at hotels/airports
• Personal expenses
• Other services not shown above

Check-in at hotels is after 2:00 PM, check-out time is before 12:00 PM.

Payments for all early / late check-ins / check-outs are made on the spot to hotel administration.

The pricing varies and depends on the season and airline and railway tariffs