Uzbekistan Classic Tour

Group flights arrive early; land-only travellers can join any time this morning. In the afternoon we tour Tashkent: Independence Square, the Khast Imam complex with the world’s oldest Quran, Chorsu Bazaar and a ride on the ornate Soviet-era metro. Much of the city was rebuilt after the 1966 earthquake, so its broad boulevards and fountains contrast with the older Silk Road towns ahead.

An early Afrosiyob train brings us to Samarkand by mid-morning. The city — 2,500 years old and once the capital of Tamerlane — has its heart in the Registan, framed by the Ulugbek, Sherdor and Tilya-Kori madrasahs. We also visit the Gur-Emir Mausoleum, Tamerlane’s resting place, and Ulugbek’s 15th-century observatory.

Morning visits to the giant Bibi-Khanym Mosque, the Shah-i-Zinda necropolis with its tiled mausoleums, and Siab Bazaar for bread, dried fruit and nuts. In the afternoon we head to the countryside to meet a local family, then end the day with dinner and a tasting at the historic Khovrenko winery.

We drive west through the Kyzylkum desert to Aydarkul Lake, with an optional camel ride and time for a swim in summer. Continuing past the Nuratau mountains, we arrive in 2,000-year-old Bukhara in the evening.

Bukhara’s centre has hardly changed in centuries — over 140 protected monuments in walking distance. We visit the Ark Fortress, seat of the Emirs, the 10th-century Ismail Samani Mausoleum, and the Po-i-Kalyan ensemble with the 12th-century Kalyan Minaret.

A slower day around Lyabi-Hauz, the covered trading domes and the four-towered Chor Minor, plus the Emir’s summer palace, Sitorai Mohi-Xosa. In the evening we take the train back to Tashkent.

Transfer to the airport for your onward flight. Land-only travellers are free to leave at any time today.