Tour to Navruz to Uzbekistan – an unforgettable acquaintance with ancient traditions. You will find a celebration of spring and renewal in the company of like-minded people, tasting the ritual dishes “sumalak” and delicious “green” samsa, songs and dances. You will visit Tashkent, Bukhara, Samarkand and see their most interesting sights.
Number of people on the tour: 1-8
Navruz is a colorful spring holiday celebrated in Uzbekistan on March 21. This is the day of the vernal equinox, symbolizing the reviving nature and the onset of a new astronomical year. Nowruz has very ancient roots, at the dawn of its appearance, it was associated with the cult of the Sun and Zarathustra. Today it is an official public holiday, which is celebrated on a large scale.
Choosing our tour to Navruz, you can plunge into the atmosphere of an ancient holiday, listen to traditional songs, see a very interesting process of making a sweet festive dish of germinated wheat called “Sumalak”. On Navruz, it is customary to richly cover the festive table so that the whole next year goes well. Come to the colorful spring festival and spend it surrounded by hospitable Uzbeks!
Day 1 – March 20. Fri: Arrival in Tashkent
At the airport you will be met by our driver and taken to the hotel. Check in hotel. Free time. Overnight at the hotel in Tashkent.
Recommended flights:
- Almaty – Tashkent, KC127, 12: 15-12: 50
- Nur Sultan – Tashkent, HY722, 11: 30-12: 30
- Nur Sultan – Tashkent, KC123, 21: 15-22: 20
- Moscow – Tashkent, HY604, 11:10 – 17:05
- Moscow – Tashkent, HY614, 16:45 – 22:40
Day 2 – March 21, Sat: Tashkent – Bukhara
On March 21, Navruz is celebrated throughout Uzbekistan – an ancient holiday symbolizing the entry of spring into its own rights. This bright celebration takes place with cheerful dances, songs and, of course, traditional treats. You can taste a special samsa stuffed with greens, which is prepared only in the spring. In addition, you will definitely be offered to try sumalak – a dish of sprouted wheat, which is associated with the peoples of Central Asia with Navruz.
Early breakfast at the hotel. Extract from the hotel. Transfer to the train station. A high-speed train leaves from Tashkent to Bukhara. Here you will be met by the driver and taken to the hotel (check-in at 14:00).
A guide will be waiting for you in the hotel lobby. Full day walking tour of Bukhara. A guided tour of the historical center of Bukhara, included in the UNESCO World Heritage List, awaits you. Visiting Ark fortress, Samanid mausoleum, Chashma-Ayub mausoleum, Kalyan architectural ensemble, Miri-Arab madrasah, Magoki-Attori mosque, Ulugbek and Abdulazizkhan madrasah, shopping domes, Lyabi-Khauz complex.
Free time. Overnight at the hotel in Bukhara.
Tour Duration: 5 hours
Day 3 – March 22, Sun: Bukhara – Gijduvan – Samarkand
Breakfast in the hotel. Free time for independent walks along the old streets of Bukhara, where you can visit the legendary puppet workshop, the famous factory of handmade Bukhara silk carpets, the forge for making knives, and buy colorful souvenirs for memory. At 11:00, transfer from Bukhara to Samarkand through the city of Gijduvan. Gijduvan is a small city, since ancient times, being the center of traditional crafts. Gijduvan ceramics has long been known in Asia and is recognizable thanks to its original color and style. You will visit the ceramics center and the museum, and after you will have a tasty and hearty dinner. Next stop in the caravanserai of Rabat-i-Malik (XI century). You will also see Sardoba Malik (reservoir). Departure and arrival in Samarkand. Hotel accommodation. Free time. Overnight in Samarkand.
Day 4 – March 23, Mon: Samarkand – Tashkent
Breakfast in the hotel. A guide and driver will be waiting for you in the hotel lobby. On this day you will visit the famous Registan Square, which has been the center of Samarkand for many centuries, as well as the Bibi Khanum Cathedral Mosque, the construction of which is associated with many folk legends and beliefs. You will also go to the Siab market where you can buy oriental sweets, fresh juicy fruits and national souvenirs. In addition, you will visit the observatory of Ulugbek – the grandson of Amir Timur, the ruler of Samarkand and the great scientist of the Middle Ages, the Shahi-Zind complex, which is a magnificent ensemble of mausoleums of the Samarkand nobility and the mausoleum of Gur-Emir – the tomb of Amir Timur and Timurids. A visit to the tomb of St. Daniel.
Transfer to the train station. Departure by high-speed train to Tashkent. Arrival in Tashkent and transfer to the hotel. Overnight in Tashkent.
Tour Duration: 6 hours
Note: you can also arrive in Bukhara on March 20 from Moscow (HY608, 09:25 – 15:20 and UT807, 12:05 – 18:00) and join the group on the 2nd day.
Enabled:
Transfers in accordance with the program (1-2 sedan, 3-8 people in a minivan);
Double accommodation in a hotel with breakfast;
Excursion service in each city with local guides (day 2, 4 and 5);
Entrance tickets to excursion objects;
Lunch and museum visits in Gijduvan;
Tickets for Tashkent-Bukhara, Samarkand-Tashkent trains (in rare cases, if a high-speed train is unavailable, we will replace it with another train).
Not Included:
Fee for additional hotel services;
Full board (lunch / dinner);
Escort of the tour leader during the tour;
International flights;
Personal insurance;
Early check in and late check out at an additional cost.