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© SAIGA Tours
Start
Jul 25, 2022
Samarkand
Samarkand
2022-07-25
End
Aug 2, 2022
Tashkent
Tashkent
2022-08-02
Duration
9 days
Price
US$1495.00
TOUR OVERVIEW
Uzbekistan has a lot to offer – you’ll have heard about some pretty amazing places like the Registan, maybe Bibi Khanum’s mosque, and the old cities of Khiva and Bukhara. We do all of them. Then there are some of the slightly weirder places like Nukus and the Aral Sea, and believe it or not, there’s more to do in the ancient cities than just the famous ancient sites too, like a quirky fashion show! And then we’ve got a couple of really cool SAIGA specials – the second largest solar furnace in the world, where you’ll learn all about the world of solar furnaces, and an almost abandoned formerly closed Soviet mining town, where we’ll spend the afternoon exploring and speaking to the few locals that are left before staying the night in a nearby sanatorium.
INCLUSIONS:
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Accommodation in twin share at roughly 3 star hotels/guesthouses, breakfast included |
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Transport as per itinerary |
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Entrance fees to most sites (as per itinerary) |
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✓ |
SAIGA guide and local guides |
SINGLE SUPPLEMENT: $300
EXCLUSIONS:
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Visa fees if necessary |
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Visa support if necessary |
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Some activities, eg. treatments at sanatorium (as per itinerary) |
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Meals other than breakfast |
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Transport to and from the start and end of tour |
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Personal expenses such as souvenirs or any optional activities |
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PCR Tests and any other COVID related expenses |
TOUR HIGHLIGHTS
Get lost in the ancient laneways of Bukhara
See the world's worst man-made distater at the Aral Sea
Eat the national dish Plov at the Plov Centre in Tashkent
Explore the formerly closed research town of Yangiabad
Itinerary
Day 1Mon Jul 25
Samarqand
- Today we'll meet at our hotel in the afternoon.
- Once known as the Pearl of the Muslim World, Samarqand is a city synonymous with the Silk Road. Full of towering minarets, shimmering domes and home to a splendid technicolour bazaar, it is the oldest continuously inhabited city in Central Asia.
- We’ll start our time in Samarqand with a visit to the famous and spectacular Registan Square which is flanked by three beautifully decorated, sparkling blue mosaic madrassas. Once the city's commercial centre, Registan Square is modern Samarqand's centre piece.
- Optional wine tasting at the Khovrenko Winery, a small local wine factory with adjoining museum.
Day 2Tue Jul 26
Samarqand
- Today we will explore the main sites of Samarkand. Having already visited the Registan the day before, we’ll start today’s tour with a walk through the centre of town.
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Having died in September 2016, Islam Karimov, the First President of Uzbekistan,
now has his mausoleum on the newly renamed Islam Karimov Street.
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Winding through the narrow streets of the old city, we'll stop at a particularly unique synagogue. Totally unrecognisable from the outside, it looks like any of the typical houses on either side, but inside is a bizarre and unique mixture of Uzbek and Jewish décor.
- We'll also pay visits to Bibi Khanum Mosque, Siyab Bazaar, and the grave of St. Daniel which is said to grow a foot in length every ten years.
- Visit Romanenko House, a place that is difficult to describe. This small suburban house has been transformed into a completely unique textile workshop where thirty men and women redesign ancient Central Asian clothing into colourful, modern designs.
Day 3Wed Jul 27
Samarqand, Bukhara
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Catch the train to Bukhara in the morning, and then we'll take
a walking tour of the old town, including Lyabi Hauz Square, Bolo-Hauz Mosque, and the elegant blue-tiled Ulughbek Madrassa.
- On your way in and out of town you won't be able to miss a huge structure that looks like a giant ark. Known as the Ancient Ark Fortress, this was the Palace of Bukhara's Emirs, and parts of it are still open for us to visit.
- In the evening we'll sit by the lake, chilling out and taking it all in over a cold drink and a chat.
Day 4Thu Jul 28
Bukhara, Nukus
- You might like to get up for a sunrise view over Bukhara. With minarets a-plenty, there are loads of great viewing points, and the sunrise can be quite spectacular over the old city.
- We’ll leave early in the morning for the long drive to Nukus, with plenty of road side stops along the way.
- In the afternoon we'll visit the Museum of Savitskiy. The Karakalpakstan State Museum of Art hosts the world's second largest collection of Russian avant garde art (after the Russian Museum in St. Petersburg). Savitskiy himself went to great lengths to save prohibited pieces of art during the Soviet Union, and amazingly you can see some of them now in this museum.
- Overnight in Nukus.
Day 5Fri Jul 29
Aral Sea
- Departure from Nukus first thing in the morning to drive towards the Aral Sea. Stopping at some Silk Road ruins and a canyon on the way, we'll drive up on to the Usturt Plateau.
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Picnic lunch at a ruined Soviet gulag, near the edge
of one of the small parts of the remaining sea.
- Arriving at the main part of the sea, if you're game, you can go for a swim. There used to be 10mg of salt per litre in the sea, but now with 160g (yes, grams, not miligrams, so 16,000 times more!) it's not far off the Dead Sea (180g/l), and now you can easily float on top of the water. That’s if you can bring yourself to get to the water, past all the oil and grime that’s collected at the side of the sea.
- We’ll spend the night in a yurt camp near the shore, from where you can watch the sun set over the rapidly disappearing sea.
Day 6Sat Jul 30
Aral Sea, Nukus, Tashkent
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You can wake up early to see the sun rise over the water, otherwise it's breakfast then on to Moynak village, which used to be a thriving coastal town, but is now a disheveled and quiet desert town, most famous now for the ship cemetery.
- Ships lay abandoned on the old seabed as the sea receded. A lot of them were removed and destroyed, supposedly so the metal could be recycled, but a dozen or so of them were saved and are now in Moynak.
- Back in Nukus in the early evening to fly to Tashkent.
- There will have been various points during the trip where you’ve felt like you’ve returned to civilsation to different extents – arriving in Osh after Song Kol and Jalalabad, then Dushanbe after the Pamirs, Samarqand after Khoja Obigarm, but Tashkent really is the big smoke, and it will be quite exciting to get there.
Day 7Sun Jul 31
Tashkent
- There will have been various points during the trip where you’ve felt like you’ve returned to civilisation to different extents – arriving in Osh after Song Kol and Jalalabad, then Dushanbe after the Pamirs, Samarqand after Khoja Obi Garm, but Tashkent really is the big smoke, and it will be quite exciting to get there.
- Our first stop in Tashkent will be the famous Chorsu Bazaar, with its iconic blue dome that's now home to meat, dairy and dried fruits. Exploring the stalls you'll learn about traditional bread-making methods, local remedies for everything including of course virility issues, and how Uzbek babies are taught to go to the toilet.
- Take a walk from Independence Square, formerly Lenin Square, through the park and past the statue of Amir Timur. Stop and browse in a small market in the park, full of old Soviet trinkets and sit under a shady pagoda for a cold drink or ice cream.
Day 8Mon Aug 1
Parkent, Tashkent, Parkent
- Heading out of Tashkent, we'll drive to Parkent district where we've been granted permission to visit a spectacular example of Soviet technology and architecture – a solar furnace. Still functioning, though never really having managed to fulfil its purpose, it's not open to the public.
- Return to Tashkent just in time for lunch. You'll have plenty more opportunities to try plov, but there's no better place to have it than at the Plov Centre. This gigantic hall, decorated as if for a wedding in the 1980's, is set up for large numbers of people to eat plov in. Mixed and cooked just outside by an army of Uzbek women, it is some pretty good plov, but more than that, it is an exceptionally unique experience.
- Go to Tashkent TV Tower for fabulous views of the city.
- Visit Tashkent Land, Central Asia's answer to Disneyland. With it's faded welcome sign, crumbling gift shop and creaky rides, this is definitely a step back in time. Most tourists don't make it to this gem of Soviet infrastructure, but we just can't resist it. If you're really game you can try out the “Boomerang” rollercoaster, or if you'd like something a bit more relaxing you can take a ride on the “African tour”, a boat trip through the jungleand.
- Next we'll visit the Museum of Railway Techniques’. This outdoor museum is full of all sorts of old locomotives, and they don't mind us climbing all over them. We can even take a little train ride around the train museum. You don't have to be a train lover to enjoy this charming museum.
Day 9Tue Aug 2
Parkent, Tashkent
- Today we finish our tour of Uzbekistan.
- We'll organise a transfer to the airport for you.
- Uzbekistan is really the heart of Central Asia and is a great spring board to the other 'Stans. Please let us know if you want to continue your Central Asian adventure.
Extensions
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3 Stans Extended Tour
This tour is for those who want to really get a great insight into Central Asia, with our SAIGA spin on things.
Southern Kazakhstan Tour
This is a great tour for the Soviet lovers out there, we’ve got some really special places to show you that are just completely unknown by the outside world.
Kazakhstan Mega Tour
From the cosmopolitan, leafy streets and café culture of Almaty, to the futuristic custom-built capital of Nur Sultan, we include stops at Soviet mining towns, Soviet test sites, yurts and ancient madrassahs.
Kazakhstan Polygon Tour
Kazakhstan’s answer to Chernobyl, the test site at Semeypalatinsk is where the Soviet Union did the majority of their nuclear testing.
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