Uzbekistan Historical Tour: Tashkent to Samarkand

Ten days tracing the Silk Road through three UNESCO cities and desert camps

A 10-day private historical tour of Uzbekistan starting in Tashkent and moving through Khiva, Bukhara, and Samarkand with a live guide in your chosen language. The itinerary includes domestic flights and train journeys, entry to monuments like the Gur-e-Emir Mausoleum and Shah-i-Zinda Necropolis, one night in a yurt camp on Aidarkul Lake with camel riding, and eight nights in 3-star hotels. All transport, transfers, guide and entrance fees are included. International flights are booked separately.

Step-by-step itinerary

Day 1: Flight to Tashkent and city tour

• Fly to Tashkent
• Meet guide at airport
• Transfer to hotel
• Overnight in Tashkent

Day 2: Tashkent city sightseeing and flight to Urgench

• Visit Amir Temur Square
• Tour Amir Timur Museum
• See Bolshoi Opera and Ballet Theater
• Visit Courage Monument
• Explore Hazrat Imam Complex
• Shop at Bazaar Chorsu
• Ride Tashkent Metro
• Overnight in Tashkent

Day 3: Khiva historical city tour

• Visit Ota Darwaza gate
• Explore Kunya-Ark fortress
• Tour Muhammad Rahim-khan madrasah
• See Kalta-Minar Minaret
• Visit Tosh-Hovli Palace
• Explore Pahlavan Mahmud complex
• Tour Muhammad Amin Khan Madrasa
• Visit Juma Mosque
• Overnight in Khiva

Day 4: Train journey to Bukhara

• Breakfast in hotel
• Take train to Bukhara
• Arrive and overnight in Bukhara

Day 5: Bukhara city sightseeing

• Visit Laybi-Hauz ensemble
• See Magoki-Attori Mosque
• Tour Toki Sarrofon trading dome
• Visit Toki Telpak Furushon dome
• Explore Toki Zargaron dome
• Tour Poi-Kalyan complex
• Visit Ark Citadel
• Overnight in Bukhara

Day 6: Nurata yurt camp and Aidarkul lake

• Drive to Nurata yurt camp
• Lunch and swim at Aidarkul Lake
• Camel riding at yurt camp
• Dinner and folklore show
• Overnight at yurt camp

Day 7: Travel to Samarkand and city tour

• Breakfast at yurt camp
• Drive to Samarkand
• Visit Gur-Emir Mausoleum
• Tour Registan square
• See Bibi-Khanym Mosque
• Shop at Siab Bazaar
• Overnight in Samarkand

Day 8: Samarkand cultural and craft tour

• Visit Shahi-Zinda necropolis
• Tour Ulugbek Observatory
• Visit silk carpet factories
• Tour Konigil Paper Factory
• Overnight in Samarkand

Day 9: Shakhrisabz excursion and return

• Drive to Shakhrisabz
• Try Tandoor mountain dish
• Visit Ak Saray Palace
• Tour Dorut Tilovat complex
• See Ko'k Gumbaz Mosque
• Return to Samarkand
• Evening train to Tashkent
• Overnight in Tashkent

Day 10: Departure from Tashkent

• Check out from hotel
• Transfer to airport
• Flight home

The experience

Ten days gives you time to move slowly through Uzbekistan's three major historical centers without rushing between them. You start in Tashkent, where your guide meets you at the airport and takes you to see the Amir Timur Museum, Hazrat Imam Complex with its 56-meter minarets, and the Chorsu Bazaar before an evening flight to Khiva. The walled city of Khiva (a UNESCO site that feels like stepping into the 1001 Nights) gets a full day: you walk through the Ota Gate, explore the Kunya-Ark fortress, the Kalta-Minar minaret covered in blue tiles, and the Tosh-Hovli Palace with its interconnected courtyards. A train journey takes you from Khiva to Bukhara, where you spend two nights visiting the Poi-Kalyan complex (the 45-meter Kalyan minaret is the symbol of the city), the Ark Citadel, and the three trading domes (Toki Sarrofon, Toki Zargaron, and Toki Telpak Furushon), where merchants once traded along the Silk Road.

The middle of the tour shifts to the desert. After breakfast in Bukhara you drive to Aidarkul Lake, Uzbekistan's largest lake, arriving by midday for lunch and swimming. In the afternoon you move 25 kilometers into the desert to a yurt camp, where you try camel riding and have dinner in the camp restaurant with live folklore songs by a traditional singer around the fire. The next morning you drive to Samarkand, arriving by midday to begin exploring the city's monuments. Two full days in Samarkand let you see the Registan (three massive medieval madrasas), the Gur-e-Emir Mausoleum where Timur is buried, the Bibi-Khanym Mosque, the Shah-i-Zinda Necropolis with its mausoleums from the 11th to 19th centuries, and the Ulugbek Observatory built in 1428. You also visit the Siab Bazaar and can tour silk carpet factories or the Konigil Paper Factory, which has used the same thousand-year-old techniques since the 8th century.

On day nine you make a 2-hour mountain drive to Shakhrisabz, Timur's birthplace, to see the Ak-Saray Palace (never completed after Timur's death in 1405), the Dorut Tilavat complex, and the Ko'k Gumbaz Mosque with its blue dome. You try tandoor, the mountain dish cooked in a clay oven. In the afternoon you return to Samarkand and catch the evening train back to Tashkent. Your final morning is checkout and transfer to the airport. A live guide in English, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian or one of 11 other languages stays with you throughout. All domestic flights, trains, vehicle transfers, monument entries and accommodation in 3-star hotels are included, along with WiFi on board transport and tourist tax.

What’s included

• Domestic flight Tashkent to Urgench in economy class.
• all train journeys in economy class with WiFi on board.
• eight nights in 3-star hotels in single or double shared rooms.
• one night in a yurt camp.
• round-trip transfers and excursions in air-conditioned vehicles.
• entrance tickets to all monuments.
• live guide in your chosen language from start to finish.
• tourist tax and all fees.

Before you book

Days and timesEvery day

Book up to2d before

AgesAdult (7 and older) · Child (3 to 6 years) · Infant (under 3): free

GroupPrivate

Live guideEnglish, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Arabic, Chinese, Hebrew, Japanese, Korean, Malay, Persian, Russian and Turkish

Meeting point and pickupHotel pickup included.You can choose from 5 pickup points.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.

Prices and times updated 5 days ago

Good to know

Low physical effortWheelchair accessibleAccessible transportStroller-friendlyInfant seats availablePets welcomePublic transport nearby

Operated by tourgoCA

Is this one for you?Ten days is the right length to move through three UNESCO cities and a desert camp without backtracking, so you see Khiva, Bukhara and Samarkand fully rather than as quick stops. If you have fewer days, look for a 8-day version. If you want to add more sites or move more slowly, a 12-day tour may suit you better.

Traveler reviews

5.00★★★★★★★★★★

2 verified traveler reviews

Read all the reviews ›

Top questions

What languages is the tour guided in?

Live guide in English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Russian, Korean, Malay, Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, Persian, Hebrew and Turkish.

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Child (3 to 6 years); Infant (under 3): free.

What is the Shah-i-Zinda Necropolis in Samarkand?

Shah-i-Zinda is one of Samarkand's great ancient architectural ensembles, a collection of mausoleums and religious buildings from the 11th, 14th and 19th centuries. The name means "The Living King" and comes from a legend that the cousin of Prophet Muhammad, Kusam ibn Abbase, arrived to preach Islam but was beheaded. He allegedly went down into a well where he has still been living. You visit it on day eight of the tour.

How long is the train journey from Khiva to Bukhara?

The train departs Khiva at 08:23 and arrives in Bukhara at 13:35, so the journey is roughly five hours. You travel in economy class, and the itinerary describes it as a highlight of the trip.

What happens at the yurt camp on Aidarkul Lake?

You arrive at the yurt camp in the desert around 4pm after swimming at Aidarkul Lake (Uzbekistan's largest lake). At the camp you try camel riding, have dinner in the camp restaurant with first course, second course and desserts, and enjoy folklore songs by a traditional local singer (called a Bakhshi) around a fire at night before sleeping in the yurt.

Are international flights included in this tour?

International flights to and from Uzbekistan are not included. You book those separately. The tour includes only the domestic flight from Tashkent to Urgench (about 1.5 hours) and all train journeys between cities.

What is the Gur-e-Emir Mausoleum?

Gur-e-Emir, meaning "Tomb of the Emir" in Persian, is one of the finest examples of medieval architecture in the East. Built starting in 1404 in Samarkand, it is the family tomb of the Timurids and holds Amir Timur (Tamerlane). The walls are decorated with geometric mosaic ornament in light and blue glazed bricks that shine in the sun. The domes and glaze were restored in 1967. You visit it on day seven.