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Silk road cities

Samarkand :: Khiva :: Silk Road

Tour merken!

13 days

3/5

1.850,00 €

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Silk Road Cities 2013

Date: 7^th - 19^th October 2013

Start Point :Tashkent

End Point :Tashkent

Maximum number of people :10

Day 1 Tashkent

Arrival and briefing. Early arrivals will have time for a city tour of Tashkent. Exploring the traditional markets of the old city including the Hast Imam complex home of the giant deer hide Osman Koran, said to be the world's oldest Koran.

Day 2 Tashkent - Nukus

We will take an early morning flight out to the rarely visited region of Karakalpakstan. Karakalpakstan (land of the black hats) is situated in the deserts of western Uzbekistan and we will explore it's much neglected capital Nukus including the incredible Savitsky art museum. In the 1930's all art in the Soviet Union which was not Socialist Realism was banned yet Igor Savitsky, the curator of this museum, managed to collect over 80,000 pieces. The museum contains almost all of the world's examples of Soviet avant garde art form the period and even for non-art lovers is a fascinating place to visit.

Day 3 Nukus – Moynaq – Nukus

Forty years ago Moynaq sat on the edge of the Aral Sea, the world's fourth largest lake. It had a large fishing fleet, a ferry service and attracted holiday makers to it's shores. Today it is almost a ghost town, 150km from the sea and slowly sliding into oblivion. Not a normal tourist attraction but the rusting fishing fleet on the sea bed is a haunting melancholic sight that will last long in the memory.

Day 4 Nukus - Khiva

We will drive through the Kyzilkum desert and cross the Amu Darya river (the Oxus to those that studied classics) to the Khorezm province and the city of Khiva. En route we will stop off at Ayaz Qala, one of a set of abandoned forts abandoned centuries ago as the river changed course and the fertile landscape turned to desert.

Day 5 Khiva

Khiva was an essential stop on the silk road and was famed for being the centre of a slave trading Khanate in the 19^th century. Nowadays it is restored as a city museum and we will take full day to explore the Ichan Kala (old city) including the sturdy Kalta Minaret, the Friday mosque and the Khuna Ark, the residence of the Khan's of Khiva.

Day 6 Khiva – Bukhara

The drive from Khiva to Bukhara will pass into the Kyzlkum desert to, a picturesque fort set against the bleak desert landscape.

From there we drive down to Bukhara, Central Asia's holiest city.

Days 7 and 8 Bukhara

Bukhara has a sprawling historic centre made of narrow alleyways and great squares. Towering minarets and small local mosques. We will have two days to explore the winding streets of Bukhara, including the central pool or Lyabi Hauz, the covered bazaars, the majestic Kalon minaret as well as the ark and the jumah mosque. Of all the silk road cities in Uzbekistan, Bukhara deserves plenty of time to explore, take tea and watch life go by.

Day 9 Bukhara – Samarkand

We will head off from Bukhara in the morning allowing us an afternoon to enjoy Samarkand.

Day 10 Samarkand

Samarkand was the capital of Timur's Central Asian empire in the 14^th and 15^th centuries. He brought back architects and builders from each place he conquered and set them to work in his Capital. The city is dotted with vast relics from this era including the awesome Registan complex as well as the vast Bibi-Khanum Mosque, Shah i Zinda and Guri Amir, the last resting place of Timur. We will have time to explore them all.

Day 11 Samarkand - Shakhrisabz – Samarkand

We will head out of Samarkand for a day to the Shakhrisabz, the home town of Timur which rivals Samarkand with it's array of fabulous blue tiled buildings. This includes the Ak-Saray Palace and Kok Gumbaz Mosque. We will head back to Samarkand that evening.

Day 12 Samarkand – Tashkent

After a morning walk around Samarkand to see any sites we may have missed or pick up some souvenirs, we head back to Tashkent for the last night in Uzbekistan.

Day 13 End

We will ensure that you are taken to the airport to catch your flight.

You will be accompanied by 2 team leaders from Untamed Borders for the entire length of this trip.

The trip includes:

All accommodation
Breakfast
Transport/transfers
Guides
1 internal flights within Uzbekistan (Tashkent/Nukus)

The trip does not include:

Any necessary visas
Insurance
Flights to Uzbekistan
Entrance fees
Lunch & Dinner
Drinks
Tips

Basic Cost – £1850

A deposit of £250 is required to reserve your place on this trip.

Flights and Visas:

We do not directly arrange flights and visas but we can suggest the best routes and operators. If you go to the links suggested on ourfact file page or contact us we think you will find the help you need.

If you have the time and inclination, Uzbekistan does not have to be the end of the journey. Travel into other central Asian states as well as Afghanistan are easily managed and we can suggest itineraries or introduce you to friends and colleagues from these areas.

Food:

Apart from breakfast, meals are not included as part of the trip. In our experience people sometimes want to eat different things in different places at different times. We know some great places and will also happily show you some of our favourite restaurants and tea houses. Some are luxurious, some are earthier but all have character. However, we do not pretend to be the arbiters of good taste and are equally happy for you to go off and find your own favourites.

Accommodation:

We do not and cannot offer a uniform accommodation standard on our itineraries. We consider comfort, location, design, character, historical interest and whether the money we spend will go into the pockets of the local community when we make our choices of where to stay.

The accommodation will be based on 2 people sharing.

Transport:

When we choose our vehicles and drivers we take into consideration the road conditions, the length of journey and the competence of the man behind the wheel. Your comfort and enjoyment of the journey is the first priority.

Guides:

On this trip you will be accompanied by 2 team leaders from Untamed Borders. This means that there will always be someone on hand to help or assist you even if the other team leader is busy arranging something.

Sometimes we also hire local guides. If we are a large group, we may wish to split into smaller groups for city tours to allow greater flexibility. An extra local guide allows us to do that.