A Thousand and One Nights Tour - 11 days

• Your odyssey begins in Uzbekistan’s capital, Tashkent, a city that has been a cultural melting pot for over 2,000 years. Upon arrival at Islam Karimov International Airport, you’ll be greeted by our driver, who will take you to your cozy Uzbek hotel.

• Depending on your arrival time, you can relax at the hotel or start exploring the city, one of the Silk Road’s commercial hubs, with a guided tour.

• Tashkent awaits you with its bustling Chorsu Bazaar, the heart of local commerce, where you can lose yourself among stalls filled with spices, fruits, crafts, and textiles.

• You’ll visit the Hazrati Imam complex, an architectural ensemble that includes the Baroqxon Madrasa, Hazrati Imam Mosque, Moʻyi Muborak Madrasa, which houses the famous Usman Quran, one of the oldest copies in the world, and the Qaffol Shoshiy Mausoleum.

• In the evening, you’ll enjoy dinner at a local restaurant, sampling local delights like plov (pilaf), Uzbekistan’s national dish.

• After breakfast at the hotel, you’ll depart for Samarkand, a mythical city that has been a center of power and culture since antiquity. The approximately 4-hour journey offers a constantly-changing scenery, from green plains to the rolling hills that herald the approach of Samarkand, the city of The Thousand and One Nights.

• Upon arrival at around 1:30 PM, you’ll check into a cozy hotel and you will have time to take lunch.

• With your guide, the first stop will be the Ulugh Beg Observatory, built in the 15th century under the Timurid Empire and considered one of the most advanced observatories of its time.

• Next, you’ll head to Shah-i-Zinda, a necropolis extending with a series of tombs and mausoleums dating from the 11th to the 19th century, adorned with turquoise and blue ceramic tiles, and belonging to elite figures. This UNESCO-recognized site is a place of great devotion and beauty, housing over 20 ritual monuments.

• The evening concludes with dinner at a typical restaurant, where you can savor local dishes like shashlik, an iconic dish of Uzbek cuisine, in a setting full of history.

• After breakfast, your third day takes you to explore the heart of Samarkand, starting with the impressive Gur-e-Amir Mausoleum, the tomb of the great conqueror Tamerlane, also known as King Timur.

• Then, you’ll head to Samarkand’s crown jewel and center of the Timurid Renaissance: Registan Square, also UNESCO-protected. This majestic ensemble of three madrasas (Islamic universities): Ulugh Beg, Sher-Dor, and Tilya-Kori, symbolizes the city’s power and grandeur. The complex also includes the Shaybanids Mausoleum and, to the northeast, the Chorsu.

• Your next stop will be the Bibi-Khanym Mosque, built in honor of Tamerlane’s favorite wife.

• After lunch, you’ll stroll through the alleys of the Siyob Bazaar, Samarkand’s largest market, where you can buy local products like dried fruits, spices, and textiles.

• In the afternoon, you’ll visit the Konigil Meros paper factory in Konigil, where you’ll learn about the traditional process of paper making using ancient techniques dating back to the time of Tamerlane.

• In the evening, another delightful dinner awaits at a local restaurant, where you can enjoy more Uzbek dishes, such as lagman.

• After breakfast, you’ll embark on an excursion to the Nourata Mountains. The journey will take 3-and-a-half hours, but it’s well worth it to visit this impressive mountain range, stretching 170 kilometers, with rugged peaks reaching up to 2,000 meters, as well as deep valleys. Nourata is home to one of the most important biosphere reserves and is known for being the habitat of the Asiatic mouflon “Severtov sheep,” a unique species of the region, as well as for its endemic flora.

• In the small village of Nourata, you’ll have the chance to experience Uzbek rural life firsthand. You’ll participate in the preparation of traditional naan bread, baked in clay ovens, and interact with the friendly locals. This authentic experience will allow you to learn more about local customs and traditions while enjoying a day in a beautiful natural landscape, breathing in the fresh air.

• In the evening, you’ll enjoy dinner at a cozy guesthouse, prepared with fresh local products, where you can savor other typical dishes like samsa.

• After breakfast, the fifth day takes you to the Kyzylkum Desert, where, after a 2-and-a-half-hour drive, you’ll visit Lake Aydar, a vast body of water surrounded by arid landscapes that contrast with the lake’s serenity.

• You’ll enjoy a picnic on the lake’s shores, surrounded by beautiful natural scenery, watching migratory birds that rest here during their long journeys, and observing the native fish that make the lake their home.

• You’ll have the freedom to stroll along its shores or, if you’re up for it, take a dip in its calm waters.

• In the late afternoon, you’ll take a camel ride through the Kyzylkum Desert and enjoy a spectacular sunset unlike any you’ve seen before.

• At night, you’ll immerse yourself in Uzbekistan’s nomadic culture by spending the night in a traditional yurt, a unique experience in the world that you must not miss.

• At the yurt camp, you’ll experience Uzbek nomadic hospitality: enjoying a dinner under the stars, savoring typical dishes like chuchvara; and later, listening to Karakalpak music around the campfire—a complete experience that connects you with the ancestral lifestyle of Central Asia’s nomadic peoples.

• After a rustic breakfast, you’ll continue your journey to the historic city of Bukhara.

• The journey takes 3 hours, but you’ll make a first stop at the Fortress of Nourata, an ancient bastion reconstructed by Alexander the Great in the 4th century BC. Here, you’ll also see the sacred Tchachma Spring, which, according to legend, was created by the prophet Job, and is still considered a place of healing by locals and remains a pilgrimage site for Muslims.

• The second stop will be in the city of Navoiy, where you’ll have time to take lunch.

• Finally, around 3:00 PM, you’ll arrive in Bukhara, where you’ll stay in a charming hotel located in the city’s historic center.

• You’ll have free time to relax and stroll through the cobblestone streets, soaking in the unique atmosphere of this ancient city before enjoying dinner at a traditional restaurant, where the taste of history blends with local cuisine and you can enjoy typical dishes like khingal.

• You’ll start with a visit to the Samanid Mausoleum, a masterpiece of 10th-century Islamic architecture, known for its elegant brick design.

• Next, you’ll visit the Chashma-Ayub Mausoleum, also known as the “Spring of Job,” a sacred site dating back to the 12th century.

• You’ll continue to the Bolo Haouz Mosque, famous for its exceptional carved wooden iwan. The mosque was built in the 18th century and is now registered by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.

• After that, you’ll explore the famous Ark of Bukhara, a fortress that served as the residence of the emirs and was the center of power from the 5th century until 1920.

• Here, you’ll take a break to have lunch.

• In the afternoon, you’ll visit the spectacular Po-i-Kalyan complex, the most notable in Bukhara and one of the greatest examples of Islamic architecture in the region, a testimony to the past splendor of the place, UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.

• You’ll explore the Bukhara Photo Gallery, the most captivating photo gallery in Uzbekistan, located in the iconic Olimjon caravanserai.

• You’ll end the afternoon strolling through the bazaars of the trade domes: Toqi Telpak Furushon, Tim Abdulla Khan, Toqi Sarrofon Bazaar, and Zargaron.

• The evening will culminate with dinner at a typical restaurant, where you can savor local dishes like halva, a traditional sweet of the local cuisine.

• After breakfast, on your second day in Bukhara, you’ll explore some of the city’s lesser-known gems. You’ll visit Chor Minor, a curious monument with four towers which was once part of a madrasah. The monument is protected as a cultural heritage site and is also part of the Historic Center, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

• Then, you’ll head to the Bahoutdin Naqshband Architectural Complex on the outskirts of the city, an important pilgrimage site for Sufis, where the tomb of the founder of the Naqshbandi order, Bahaouddin Naqshbandi, is located. This is another 14th-century monument declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

• You’ll stroll through the gardens surrounding the Summer Palace of the Bukhara emirs, Sitora-i Mokhi Khosa, a luxurious complex dating from the 19th century where the emirs used to escape the city’s heat.

• You’ll take a break from exploration to have lunch.

• In the afternoon, 13 kilometers from Bukhara, you’ll visit the Chor-Bakr complex, a necropolis that houses the tomb of Abu-Bakr-Said (970-971 AD), one of the four descendants of the Prophet Muhammad. Certainly a place of great reverence for Muslims, the complex includes the necropolis of family tombs and enclosed courtyards with walls.

• You’ll end the day with dinner at a typical city restaurant, tasting local delicacies such as achik-chuchuk.

• On your ninth day, after breakfast, you’ll leave Bukhara and head into the vast Kyzylkum Desert, the “Red Desert,” which covers much of Uzbekistan, heading towards the region of Khwarazm and passing near the Amu Darya River.

• During the approximately 7-hour journey, you’ll stop for lunch at an oasis, enjoying the desert’s tranquility and observing the local fauna.

• As you approach Khiva, one of the Silk Road’s jewels, you’ll begin to catch sight of the walls of the ancient Itchan Kala citadel, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

• Upon arrival, you’ll check into a hotel within the walled citadel and you’ll then have free time to relax before exploring this fascinating place.

• In the evening, you’ll have another night of dining at a local restaurant to savor more Uzbek dishes like kurut.

• After breakfast, you’ll set out to visit the World Heritage citadel, truly an open-air museum where every corner tells an ancient story. You’ll spend the day exploring the labyrinth of narrow streets, mosques, madrasahs, and minarets. The citadel contains over 50 historical monuments, caravanserais, markets, and houses dating mainly from the 17th to 19th centuries. It is said that the city was built by the Prophet Muhammad and thus has become a sacred place.

• Here are some important places you’ll be able to visit:

o The Konya Ark,

o The Juma Mosque,

o Ak Mosque,

o The imposing Kalta Minor Minaret,

o The Hasanmurod Qushbegi Mosque,

o The madrasahs of Alla-Kulli-Khan, Muhammad Aminkhon, Muhammad Rakhimkhon, Islam Khodja,

o The Mausoleums of Pahlavon Mahmoud, Sayid Allavuddin, Shergozikhon,

o The Tosh-Hovli Palace, 

o The Isfandiyar Palace, a luxurious palace that combines European and Asian elements, reflecting the wealth and power of the last khan.

• During the visits you'll make a stop to have lunch

• In the evening, you’ll enjoy dinner at a local restaurant, celebrating your last night in Uzbekistan with the local culinary art of typical dishes like shurpa.

• On your last day, after breakfast, you’ll be transferred to Urgench International Airport for your return flight to Tashkent.

This 11-day journey through Uzbekistan has been a window into the past, an opportunity to connect with the history and culture of a region that has been a crossroads of civilizations for millennia. With S&P Travel, you’ve not only seen monuments and landscapes but also experienced the hospitality and warmth of a people who have welcomed travelers for centuries. We hope that the memories of the “1,001 Nights” in Uzbekistan will stay with you always until you decide to return to discover more of this fascinating country! May your adventures be ever delightful!