The Classic Silk Road

10 days|Tashkent · Samarkand · Shakhrisabz · Bukhara · Khiva|Group of up to 12, or private

Overview

The full journey through Uzbekistan’s four great cities. Walk the Registan at dawn, sleep inside Bukhara’s old town, cross the Kyzylkum desert to Khiva and finish in the walled city of Itchan Kala. High-speed Afrosiyob trains link the cities, with a private vehicle for the desert crossing.

Itinerary

Day 1

Arrival in Tashkent

Airport meeting and transfer. Evening walk through Amir Temur Square and dinner of Tashkent plov.

Day 2

Old and new Tashkent

Khast Imam complex and its 7th-century Quran, Chorsu Bazaar, and a ride on the decorated metro.

Day 3

Train to Samarkand

Morning Afrosiyob train. Gur-e-Amir, Temur’s mausoleum, and the Registan lit at dusk.

Day 4

Samarkand

Shah-i-Zinda necropolis, Bibi-Khanym mosque, Siab Bazaar and the Ulugh Beg observatory.

Day 5

Shakhrisabz

Day trip over the Takhtakaracha pass to Temur’s birthplace and the ruins of the Ak-Saray palace.

Day 6

Train to Bukhara

Arrive by midday. Lyabi-Hauz, the trading domes and an evening at a family-run courtyard hotel.

Day 7

Bukhara

The Ark fortress, Po-i-Kalyan ensemble, Samanid mausoleum and a master class with a local miniaturist.

Day 8

Across the Kyzylkum

Overland to Khiva along the Amu Darya, roughly seven hours with stops in the desert.

Day 9

Khiva

A full day inside Itchan Kala: Kalta Minor, Juma mosque, Tash-Hauli palace and sunset from the walls.

Day 10

Departure

Transfer to Urgench airport for your flight home or onward to Tashkent.

Included

Licensed English-speaking guide

Hotels with breakfast

All transfers and trains

Entrance fees to listed sites

Bottled water on the road

Not included

International flights

Lunches and dinners unless listed

Visa fees, where required

Tips and personal expenses