A Thousand and One Nights Tour - 11 days

- Your odyssey begins in the capital of Uzbekistan, Tashkent, a city that has been home to many civilizations for over two thousand years. On arrival at Islam Karimov International Airport, you will be met by our driver, who will take you to a comfortable hotel where you will stay.

- Depending on your arrival time, you'll either relax at the hotel or begin a guided tour of the city, one of the stops on the Silk Road.

- Wander through the bustling Chorsu market, in the heart of the city, among stalls laden with spices, fruit, handicrafts and fabrics.

- Visit Hazrati Imam Square, an architectural ensemble that includes the Barak-Khan Medersa, the Hazrati Imam Mosque, the Muy Muborak Medersa, home to the famous Usman Koran, one of the oldest copies in the world, and the Qaffol Shoshi Mausoleum.

- In the evening, sample local specialities such as plov (rice pilaf), Uzbekistan's national dish.

- After breakfast at the hotel, set off for Samarkand, a center of power and high civilization since ancient times. During the journey, which lasts just over four hours, you'll be treated to an ever-changing landscape, from the verdant plains to the rolling hills on the outskirts of Samarkand, the city of the Thousand and One Nights.

- On arrival at around 1:30 p.m., you'll check into a comfortable hotel and have time for lunch.

- Accompanied by your guide, you'll begin by discovering the Ulugh Beg Observatory, built in the 15th century under the Timurid dynasty and considered at the time to be one of the most advanced observatories of its time.

- Then on to Shah-i-Zinda, a vast necropolis featuring numerous tombs and mausoleums of famous figures, decorated with turquoise and blue ceramic tiles and dating from the 11th to the 19th century. This Unesco-recognized site, a magnificent place devoted to religious rituals, comprises more than twenty buildings.

- In the evening, you'll dine in a restaurant, where you'll enjoy traditional dishes such as shashlik, a typical Central Asian dish, in a setting steeped in history.

- After breakfast, you'll discover the heart of Samarkand, starting with the imposing tomb of Gour Emir, the mausoleum of the great conqueror Tamerlane, also known as Timur.

- Then you'll head for Samarkand's jewel, the center of the Timurid renaissance, the Registan, another UNESCO-protected site. This majestic complex comprises three medersas (or Islamic universities) - Ulugh-Beg, Cher-Dor and Tilla-Kari - representing the power and grandeur of the city. It also includes the Shaybanid mausoleum and, to the northeast, the Chorsu market.

- Your next stop is the Bibi Khanym mosque, built in honor of Tamerlane's favorite wife. Its proportions and architecture bear witness to the majesty of the Timurid dynasty. Built in the late 14th century, it was completed in the early 15th century.

- After lunch, stroll along the aisles of the Siab bazaar, Samarkand's largest market, where you can buy local specialities such as dried fruit, spices and fabrics.

- In the afternoon, you'll visit the Konigil village and its paper mill, "Meros", where you'll discover the traditional paper-making process based on techniques dating back to the time of Tamerlane.

- In the evening, a delicious dinner awaits you in a local restaurant, where you can continue to enjoy Uzbek dishes such as laghman.

- After breakfast, you'll make your way to the Nourata mountains. Although the journey takes almost four hours, this impressive mountain range is well worth the trip. It stretches for 170 kilometers, with peaks rising to over 2,000 meters and deep valleys. Home to one of the world's most important biosphere reserves, the Nourata Mountains are also known as a refuge for a subspecies of the Central Asian mouflon, the argali, found only in this region, whose flora is also endemic.

- In the small village of Nourata, you'll have the chance to share in the life of Uzbek farmers. You'll take part in the preparation of traditional naan breads, baked in clay ovens, giving you the chance to make contact with this hospitable people. This authentic experience will allow you to discover local customs and traditions while spending a day in splendid landscapes, breathing clean air.

- In the evening, you'll enjoy a dinner in a comfortable guesthouse, featuring local produce and other typical dishes such as samsa.

- After breakfast, you'll make your way to the Kyzylkoum desert, where, after a two-and-a-half-hour drive, you'll visit Lake Aydar, an enormous man-made basin surrounded by desert landscapes that don't detract from the lake's serenity.

- Enjoy a picnic on the shores of the lake, surrounded by superb natural scenery, while observing the migratory birds that stop here, and the fish that call it home.

- You'll have time to stroll along its shores or, if you wish, take a dip in its tranquil waters.

- Later in the afternoon, you'll take a camel ride into the Kyzylkoum desert, the perfect opportunity to admire a sunset like you've never seen before.

- Finally, immerse yourself in Uzbek nomadic culture by spending a night in a traditional yurt, a unique experience not to be missed!

- In the yurt camp, you'll enjoy the hospitality of the nomads, while dining under the stars on typical dishes such as chuchvara, Uzbek ravioli, and listening to karakalpak music played around a campfire - a rich experience that immerses you in the ancestral way of life of the nomadic peoples of Central Asia.

- After a rustic breakfast, your route will take you to the ancient city of Bukhara.

- During the three-hour drive, your first stop is the Nourata fortress, an ancient stronghold rebuilt by Alexander the Great in the 4th century BC. Here, you'll also see the sacred Chashma spring. Legend has it that it was invented by the prophet Job. Still considered a place of healing by the locals, it has also long been a major pilgrimage site for Muslims.

- You'll then stop off at Navoi, where you'll have time for lunch.

- Finally, at around 3 p.m., you'll arrive in Bukhara, where you'll check into a charming hotel in the city's historic center.

- You'll be free to stroll or wander the cobbled streets, taking in the unique atmosphere of this ancient city, before dining in a traditional restaurant, combining a taste of history with local cuisine and typical dishes such as khingal.

- You'll start by visiting the Samanid mausoleum, one of the masterpieces of 10th-century Islamic funerary architecture.

- Then you'll visit the mausoleum of Chashma Ayub, also known as "Job's Well Mausoleum", a sacred site dating from the 12th century.

- Continue on to the Bolo Haouz mosque, famous for its exceptional carved wooden iwan. Built in the 18th century, it is now a Unesco World Heritage Site.

- Next, you'll visit the famous Bukhara Citadel, a fortress that served as the residence of the emirs and was the center of power from the 5th century until the 1920s.

- Here, you'll pause for lunch.

- In the afternoon, you'll visit the spectacular Poyi Kalon architectural complex, a landmark of Bukhara and one of the region's finest examples of Islamic architecture, testimony to its past grandeur.

- You'll visit Bukhara Photo Gallery, the finest art gallery in Uzbekistan, located in the famous Olimjon caravanserai.

- End the afternoon strolling through the bazaars under the domes dedicated to different trades: Toqi Telpak Furushon, Tim Abdullah Khan, Toqi Sarrofon Bazaar, and Toqi Zargaron.

- The evening ends with dinner in a typical restaurant, where you can enjoy traditional dishes such as halva, a local confectionery.

- After breakfast, on your second day in Bukhara, you'll discover some of the city's lesser-known gems. You'll visit the Tchor Minor. This edifice, located in the historic center of Bukhara, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

- Next, you'll be taken to the Bahauddin Naqshbandi complex on the outskirts of the city, an important place of pilgrimage for Sufis, home to the tomb of the founder of the Naqshbandiyya dervish order, Bahâ'uddin Naqshband. This is another of the 14th-century monuments inscribed on Unesco's World Heritage List.

- Stroll through the gardens surrounding the summer palace of the Bukhara emirs, Sitoraï Mokhi Khossa, a group of luxurious 19th-century buildings in which the emirs took refuge from the hustle and bustle of the city.

- You'll have time for lunch after your visit.

- In the afternoon, 13 km from Bukhara, you'll visit the Tchar-Bakr necropolis, home to the tomb of Abu-Bakr Said, one of the four descendants of the Prophet Mohammed. This site, eminently sacred to Muslims, also houses the tombs of his three other brothers, within walled courtyards.

- Your day ends with dinner in a typical local restaurant, where you can sample local specialities such as achik-chuchuk salad.

- On the ninth day, after breakfast, you'll leave Bukhara and head for the immense Kyzylkoum "red sand" desert, which not only crosses Uzbekistan, but extends into the Khwarezm region, passing close to the Amou-Daria river.

- Your journey, which lasts around seven hours, is interrupted by lunch in an oasis, where you can enjoy the tranquillity of the desert while observing the local wildlife.

- As you approach Khiva, one of the jewels of the Silk Road, you'll begin to see the walls of the Itchan Kala citadel, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

- On arrival, after checking into a hotel within the citadel walls, you'll have plenty of time to relax before setting off to explore this exceptional site.

- In the evening, you'll once again have the opportunity to dine in a typical Uzbek restaurant, where you can sample other Uzbek dishes such as kurut.

- After breakfast, you'll head off to visit the citadel, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, an open-air museum where every nook and cranny recalls a piece of history. Throughout the day, you'll explore its maze of narrow streets, mosques, medersas and minarets. The citadel includes over fifty historic monuments, caravanserais, markets and houses dating mainly from the 17th to 19th centuries. It is said that the city was built by the Prophet Mohammed. This is why it is said to have become a sacred site.

- Here are some of the main places you can visit:

o Konya Ark, the ancient citadel of Itchan Kala ;

o Djuma Mosque

o Ak Mosque;

o The imposing Kalta Minor minaret;

o Hasan Murad Qushbegi Mosque;

o Medersas of Alla Kouli Khan, Mohammed Amin Khan, Mohammed Rahim Khan, Islam Khodja;

o Pahlavan Mahmud, Saïd Allaouddin and Shergozikhon mausoleums;

o Tach Khaouli;

o Isfandiyar Palace, another luxurious palace in which European and Asian elements were deliberately combined by the last khan.

- During your visits, you'll stop for lunch.

- In the evening, celebrate the end of your stay in Uzbekistan with dinner in a typical restaurant, featuring gourmet specialties such as shurpa.

- On the last day, after breakfast, you'll be taken to Urgentch international airport, from where you'll fly to Tashkent.

This eleven-day journey through Uzbekistan will have opened a window on the past, and been an opportunity to discover the history and culture of a region that has been at the crossroads of many civilizations for millennia. With S&P Travel, you will not only have contemplated monuments and landscapes, but also enjoyed the hospitality and warmth of a people who have been welcoming travellers for centuries. We hope you'll treasure the memories of these "Thousand and One Nights" in Uzbekistan, until you decide to return to this fascinating country to discover new wonders! May your next adventures be as enjoyable as ever!