Markets & Minarets

Departing: Tashkent - 14 days
Countries visited: Uzbekistan

A classic journey to the famous Silk Road oases of Tashkent, Samarkand, Bukhara and Khiva, and the markets and bazaars of the Fergana Valley. Mosques and madrasas, markets and minarets and the old covered bazaars where traders still offer their wares in a tradition little changed in 2000 years. Discover the history and culture, colour and bustle of modern Uzbekistan. A brilliant introduction to the heart of Central Asia with time to really explore its ancient cities.

Itinerary

Day 1. Arrive Tashkent
Arrival into the Uzbek capital. Even though its past has seen many different rulers and influences, among them the Arabs, Mongols and Timurids, many aspects of Tashkent today reflect its most recent conquerors - the Russians.

Days 2-4. Fergana Valley
Today we travel into the little visited Fergana Valley where we spend our next three days. Based in Fergana, we explore the delightful market town of Margilan, a pleasant Russian built city with tree lined streets where the friendly locals still dress in traditional costume. With hardly a tourist in sight, take pleasure in the sights, sounds and aromas of the most interesting bazaar in the Fergana Valley. In Rishton, a town renowned for its master potters, we visit a local pottery exhibition at a private artisan's house. Further into the valley we visit Andijan, one of the Silk Road's earliest and most important centres and the birth place of Babur, father to India's great Moghul Empire.

Day 5. Kokand to Tashkent
Into the town of Kokand which offers a number of impressive palaces, mosques and madrasas before returning to Tashkent. In Tashkent there is free time to explore the city and its many parks and well planned squares. Day 6. To Samarkand To the fabled city of Samarkand - the turquoise spangled capital built by Tamerlane and completed by his grandson Ulug Bek. No city is so evocative of the Silk Road as 'golden' Samarkand. We have two further days to explore this remarkable city of which much has been said, written and dreamed about.

Days 7-8. Samarkand
Registan Square is the most spectacular architectural ensemble in Central Asia. Consisting of three madrasas (places of learning) and a mosque, this beautiful square is inspiring. Other highlights include Shah-i-Zinda, the narrow alley of tombs and mausoleums, Bibi Khanym Mosque and the Ulug Bek Observatory.

Day 9. To Bukhara via Shakrisabz
Our drive into the Zerafshan Mountains provides us with magnificent views as we travel to Shakrisabz, birthplace of Tamerlane, and where the ruined entrance towers of his Ak-Serai palace still stand. Shakrisabz is a pretty market town with winding mud lanes of traditional homes and a relaxed atmosphere among its many mosques and tea-houses. This afternoon we arrive in Bukhara where the faces in the bazaar reveal a place where time has stood still and where a new millennium is still hundreds of years away.

Days 10-11. Bukhara
Bukhara is alive with history, the Ark Fortress, the Samanid Mausoleum, one of the world's oldest monuments and the Kalyan Minaret standing at 47 metres, one of the tallest in Central Asia. At the covered bazaars, rugs, silks and spices are still traded in a time-honoured tradition dating back centuries. Lose yourself in the old town, wander through the alleys and backstreets or relax with the locals and pass the time at a chaikhana (tea-house) in Lyabi-Hauz.

Day 12. To Khiva
Across the vast open plains of the Kyzyl Kum Desert to the wonderfully preserved city of Khiva. Our evening in Khiva will be spent within the old walled city - Ichan Qala. Khiva is a living museum with mosques, madrasas and caravanserai crowded within its walls. Our walking tour will visit the Kunya Ark - former residence of the khan, the beautiful Kalta Minar Minaret and the extraordinary Tash Khauli or ‘stone palace’.

Day 13. To Tashkent
This morning is free to explore Khiva. After lunch return by air to the capital.

Day 14. Tashkent
A last chance to explore the old town and Chorsu Bazaar. This incredible journey, tracing the path of defeats and victories, of births and deaths, ends where it all began.

Essentials

Group Size
Group Size 15 maximum, plus Group Leader

Accommodation
Hotels & Guesthouses - 13 nights (twin share)

Meals
13 in total. Breakfast (13)

Travel by
Small mini bus/van: subject to group size.
Local Flight: Between Khiva and Tashkent.
Other: For 'Scheduled Sightseeing' we generally use the same vehicles as for the overland sections and for 'City Exploring' we use local taxis, public transport and go on foot.

Sightseeing
Scheduled Sightseeing is part of the itinerary and includes all transport, entrance fees and English speaking local guide. 'Scheduled Sightseeing' is provided in the following cities: Tashkent, Khiva, Bukhara, and Samarkand. Full details in the Trip Dossier. City Exploring is further sightseeing outside the itinerary guideline, with the Group Leader.

Local Payment
Your Local Payment is the final balance payment of your tour price and is to be paid directly to your Group Leader at the Pre Departure Meeting on day 1 of your tour. The Local Payment is utilised by your Group Leader to pay for various locally provided services.

Visas
Required for Uzbekistan.