Arrive in Tashkent on suggested flights and transfer from the airport to the hotel (transfer included in tour price). Renaissance Tours or your travel agent can assist you with your flights and other travel arrangements, including travel insurance (a condition of travel) and accommodation either before or after the tour.

At 20:00, join your tour leader Stefano Carboni and fellow travellers for welcome drinks at the hotel.

Begin the morning with a talk from Stefano followed by an orientation tour of Tashkent to view the sights of this remarkable city, including Independence Square, Amir Timur Square and the Opera House.

Then, visit the Uzbekistan State Museum of Applied Arts, housed in an exquisitely carved wooden building built at the end of the 19th century in the Uzbek national style and formerly the residence of Russian diplomat A.A. Polovtsev. The museum contains an extensive collection of textiles and ceramics dating from the 19th century to the present.

(BL)

Today, visit the Institute of Art Studies of the Academy of Sciences of Uzbekistan, which is dedicated to the preservation, documentation and research of Uzbekistan’s artistic and cultural heritage. Founded in Samarkand in 1928, the institute later relocated to Tashkent.

Continue to the State Museum of History of Uzbekistan for an insight into the country’s fascinating history, traditions and archaeological treasures. One of Central Asia’s largest scientific-educational institutions, the museum features an ancient art collection which includes a 2nd-millennium BCE stone statue of two intertwined snakes from the Fergana Valley and 7th- to 8th-century wall paintings from Afrasiyab.

(B)

This morning, check out of the hotel and transfer to Tashkent domestic airport for a flight to Nukus (flight included in tour price). Located in the Kyzylkum desert region near the Amu Darya River, Nukus was originally established as a small settlement in 1932. The city grew rapidly and, by the 1950s, had become a large modern Soviet city with broad avenues and large public buildings.

Visit the renowned Igor Savitsky Museum, home to the world’s second-largest collection of Russian avant-garde artworks, as well as galleries of antiquities and Karakalpak folk art. The museum was founded in 1966 by Russian collector Igor Savitsky, who became the museum’s first curator.

(BLD)

Depart Nukus and travel to Chilpik Qala, an ancient Zoroastrian funerary site overlooking the surrounding desert. Afterwards, visit Toprak Qala, the remains of a fortified settlement and palace complex.

Then, continue to the 2,500-year-old historic walled city of Khiva. Historically a Silk Road trading post, the city is renowned for its well-preserved Islamic architecture constructed from clay-coloured mud brick and straw.

Arrive in Khiva in the afternoon and check in to the hotel. Dinner is at a nearby restaurant.

(BLD)

Following a morning talk by Stefano, enjoy a walking tour of Khiva. Explore the historic inner quarter, Ichan Kala, featuring mazes of clay buildings, mosques, minarets and palaces dating from the 10th century CE.

After lunch, visit Tash-Khovli Palace. Built between 1830 and 1841 for the ruler of the Khiva Khanate, it served as the residence for Allah Kuli Bahadur Khan and his four wives. With beautifully decorated interiors, it offers a glimpse into Khiva’s royal history.

(BL)

Check out of the hotel and travel to Bukhara. Founded in the 6th century BC, Bukhara was a powerful Islamic centre for trade, scholarship, culture and religion. Now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, it offers a glimpse into its Persian past through its mosques, madrasas and bazaars.

On arrival in Bukhara, check in to the hotel, followed by dinner at a local restaurant. 

(BD)

This morning, enjoy a talk by Stefano before visiting the 10th-century Magoki-Attori Mosque, believed to occupy the site of an ancient Zoroastrian fire temple, and the Ulugh Beg Madrasa and the Abdulaziz Khan Madrasa, constructed on the Persian model with a large courtyard, divided by four iwans (open-sided arched halls).

Continue to the Poi Kalyan complex dominated by the Kalyan Minaret, the main symbol of the city, and enjoy some free time to explore the old bazaars.

Return to the hotel with some time to relax before dinner at a local restaurant.

(BD)

Begin the day with a visit to the Ismail Samani Mausoleum, renowned for its exquisite brickwork and intricate geometric patterns. Continue to the nearby Chashma Ayub Shrine and the 18th-century Bolo Hauz Mosque, located within Bukhara’s UNESCO World Heritage-listed historic centre and distinguished by its slender timber columns and richly decorated ceiling.

After lunch, delve further into Bukhara’s history with a visit to the Ark of Bukhara, a formidable 5th-century fortress that served as a royal court for over a millennium. Explore the citadel and its atmospheric Zindan Prison, a fortress-like structure of clay and brick that now houses a public history museum.

(BL)

Today, visit Sitorai Mokhi-Khosa, the summer palace of the last emirs of Bukhara, a unique blend of European and Oriental architectural features originally completed in 1917 just before Soviet forces occupied Uzbekistan. Continue to the memorial complex of Bahauddin Nakshbandi, founder of one of the largest Sufi Muslim spiritual orders, which is now a place of Islamic pilgrimage.

After lunch, return to the hotel for the rest of the day at leisure.

(BL)

This morning, visit Chor Minor, the historic gatehouse for a now-destroyed madrasa which features four iconic, blue-domed minarets.

After lunch, transfer to Bukhara railway station for the train to Samarkand (train ticket included in tour price), one of the oldest cities in Central Asia. Founded in the 7th century BCE, the town was a key trading centre on the Silk Road connecting China and the West.

Arrive at the hotel in the late afternoon and enjoy dinner at the hotel’s restaurant.

(BLD)

Begin the morning with a talk by Stefano before visiting the Shah-i-Zinda necropolis, a complex of stunning 14th- and 15th-century Timurid tombs mostly of female family members of Timur. Lavishly decorated with tile work, the necropolis is protected by a portal built by the renowned Timurid sultan, astronomer and mathematician Ulugh Beg, and ends at an Islamic shrine built over the remains of a centre of a pre-Islamic cult.

After lunch, visit the Afrasiyab Museum and the extraordinary, preserved frescoes painted by a Sogdian ruler just before the city of Afrasiyab was destroyed during the Mongol conquest in 1220.

(BL)

Early this morning, transfer to Samarkand railway station for the train to Tashkent (train included in tour price). On arrival, enjoy lunch at a local restaurant before checking in to the hotel and enjoying the rest of the afternoon at leisure.

Tonight, celebrate the conclusion of the tour with a special farewell dinner with Stefano and fellow travellers at a local restaurant.

(BLD)

Tour arrangements conclude with a transfer to the airport for suggested flights to Australia and New Zealand (transfer included in tour price). Renaissance Tours or your travel agent can assist you with your flights and other travel arrangements, additional nights’ accommodation either before or after the tour and travel insurance (a condition of travel).