Tour to the Aral Sea in Uzbekistan. Traveling to the Aral Sea is a whole adventure. You will pass through the black and red sands of the famous Central Asian deserts, cross the rocky plateau of Ustyurt, learn what it means to be a nomad and spend the night on the quiet bank of the Aral Sea. You have to spend many kilometers on the road, but don’t worry, the difficulties of the road will be only a slight inconvenience compared to what you see, hear, feel.
Day 1 Tashkent
Arrive to Tashkent’s airport at TBA from TBA, meet and greet service (COMPANY SIGN for meeting), transfer to hotel. After passport and customs controls you will be met by your guide/driver.
Depart airport to hotel. Check in, rest.
Day 2 Tashkent-Nukus
Breakfast and check out from the hotel.
City tour in Tashkent: Museum of Applied Arts, Monument of Courage, and Khazrat Imam Complex with the Museum of Islamic Calligraphy.
Afternoon transfer to the airport for domestic flight Tashkent – Nukus, according to schedule. Upon arrival transfer to hotel, check in. Overnight at hotel.
Day 3 Nukus – Aral Sea
Breakfast and check out from hotel.
Departure from Nukus at 8 o’clock in the morning, to discover the Usturt Plateau and Aral Sea life. Pass via Kungrad district – which used to be one of the trading centers on the Silk Road. Continue to the Usturt Plateau. Stop at the Lake Sudochie, have picnic or have lunch at the café in Kungrad. Visit the fishermen’s house, the old fish factory Urga. Continue the way to Aral Sea. Stop to take pictures of beautiful Canyons and the collapsed land. Arrive to Aral Sea around 5 p.m. time for little swim in Aral Sea (optional).
Set up sleeping tents, dinner and overnight in the tents
Day 4 Aral Sea – Moynaq – Khiva
Wake up early for those who wish to see and shoot the Sun rise. Enjoy the view and imagining the bygone beauty and power of the Sea, before transferring to Moynak town, which is also known as “cemetery of ships” nowadays. Drive on the dried bottom of the sea, pass the gas towers, arriving to Uchsai –Gas Plant. Picnic on the way, continue to Khiva, on the way stop at Mizdak-khan architectural complex of the XIV c and Gaur kala that was destroyed by Genghis-Khan. Arrive in Khiva around 7 p.m.
Overnight in Khiva
Day 5 Khiva
Breakfast at hotel.
City tour at World Heritage site, as per UNESCO list – Ichan Kala Complex, visit: Kalta Minar, Muhammad Amin khan Madrassah, Kunya Ark, Tomb of Sayid Allauddin, the Mausoleum of Pakhlavan Mahmud – the Patron of Khorezm, the Shirgazi Khan Madrassah, the Islam Khodja Madrassah and Minaret, the Djuma Mosque and Tash Khavli and the harem.
Return to your hotel. Overnight at hotel.
Day 6 Khiva – Bukhara
Breakfast and check out from hotel.
Depart to Bukhara via the Kyzyl-Kum (red sands) desert. En-route stop to see a panoramic view over The Amu Darya river (Oxus).
Arrive afternoon to Bukhara and transfer to the hotel, check in.
Overnight at hotel.
Day 7 Bukhara
After breakfast start your city tour.
Visit to the Citadel Ark, the palace of the rulers of Bukhara, Bolo Khauz Mosque with beautiful ayvan in traditional style. Take a walk through the old part of the city towards Chashma Ayub Mausoleum in city park area. Continue to the Samanid Mausoleum, Toki Zargaron – trading dome of jewelers, Abdulla khan Tim – a center of silk trade, Toki Telpak Furushon – trading dome of the hat sellers, and Toki Sarrafon – trading dome of moneychangers, Magoki Attor Mosque one of the oldest Mosques in Central Asia, and the Lyabi Khauz in the heart of the old city.
Return to your hotel for overnight.
Day 8 Bukhara
Breakfast at hotel.
Today we are going to visit Eco-Center near the Bukhara. This Eco-Center is the state research-industrial organization, which was established in May of 1977 with the aim of breeding rare species of animals.
Currently Eco Centre “Jeyran” has been breeding such species listed in the Red Book of Uzbekistan and the Red List of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN):
Jeyran – Gazella subgutturosa;
Kulan – Equus hemionus;
Horse of Prijevalskiy – Equus ferusprzewalskii;
Bukhara mountain sheep – Ovis orientalis bokharensis;
Markhor – Capra falconeri;
Free in the afternoon and optionally dance-folk show in the evening.
Overnight in Bukhara.
Day 9 Bukhara – Shakhrisabz – Samarkand
Breakfast at hotel and check out.
Depart early to Shakhrisabz, birth city of Tamerlane, city tour of ancient city Shakhrisabz includes: ruins of Oq-Saroy Palace, Dor-ut Saodat complex (Khazratiy Imam Mosque), Jahongir mausoleum, Dor-ut Tillavat complex: Gumbazi-Seiidan, Kok Gumbaz Mosque. Afternoon depart to Samarkand, the former capital city of Tamerlane’s Empire. Check in to hotel.
Overnight in Samarkand
Day 10 Samarkand
Breakfast at hotel.
City tour including Registan Square, the center of trade and cultural life in medieval Samarkand, Bibi Khanum Mosque, erected by his wife as a surprise for Temur on behalf of his victorious Indian campaign, Gur Emir Mausoleum, family tomb of Timurid’s, Shakhi Zinda Necropolis; visit a site of pilgrimage since the 11th century, there you can enjoy the finest samples of majolica, mosaic and terracotta tile works, mausoleums are concentrated around the shrine of Qusam Ibn Abbas. Further proceed to Afrosiyab (old Samarkand). Among the sites of Samarkand outstanding one is the Museum of Ulugbek Observatory, with the remains of sextant.
Overnight in Samarkand
Day 11 Samarkand – Tashkent
Breakfast and check out from the hotel.
Depart to Tashkent by The Pamir Mountains, and on the way cross Sir Darya River.
Optional evening city walking around Tashkent, take a walk along the Alisher Navoi Theatre, Independence Square, through Pedestrian Street towards newly build Alisher Navoi library. Take a ride on famous Tashkent Metro.
Overnight in Tashkent
Day 12 Tashkent
Breakfast at hotel.
Check out from the hotel for the International flight to the next destination.