From
$575 USD
Fergana Valley Extension
Tour overview
Silk from the loom, ceramics from the kiln, three days from Tashkent
- Trip code
- PT-FER3
- Days
- 3
- From
- Tashkent
- To
- Tashkent
- Country visited
- Uzbekistan
- Group size
- 2–12
- Min age
- 6+
- Physical
- Guide languages
- 18 languages
A three-day add-on east of Tashkent into the Fergana valley: the khan’s palace at Kokand, the ishkor-glaze potters of Rishtan and the silk looms of Margilan.
Most Uzbekistan itineraries stop at Samarkand and Bukhara, which means most travellers never see where the things in the bazaars are actually made. The Fergana valley is where the country still manufactures its own culture: silk in Margilan, ceramics in Rishtan, knives in Chust.
At the Yodgorlik factory in Margilan the whole chain is visible in one courtyard — cocoons boiled, thread reeled, warp tied and dyed for ikat, then woven on hand looms. Nothing is mechanised, and the workshop will happily sell you the piece that came off the loom while you watched.
Rishtan is quieter and stranger. The glaze is made from a mountain plant burned to ash, and the potters can tell whose kiln a bowl came from by the colour.
This runs as a three-day extension from Tashkent and pairs with any of our classic routes.
Inclusions & activities
What’s included
Destinations
Tashkent · Fergana
Meals
Breakfast · Lunch
Transport
High-speed train · Private vehicle · Walking
Accommodation
Hotel in Fergana · Hotel in Tashkent
Included in the price12
- Hotel accommodation on a twin/double sharing basis
- Breakfast every morning at the hotel
- Air-conditioned private vehicle with a professional driver
- Licensed English-speaking guide for all sightseeing
- Entrance fees to every monument named in the itinerary
- 1 litre of bottled water per person per day
- Hotel and city tourist taxes
- Arrival and departure transfers
- 24/7 support from our Samarkand office during the trip
- Two lunches in local restaurants, with tea and water
- Economy-class train Tashkent–Kokand
- Silk factory and ceramics workshop visits
Not included9
- International flights to and from Uzbekistan
- Visa fees where a visa is required
- Travel and medical insurance
- Lunches and dinners unless listed as included
- Drinks, including bottled water at restaurants
- Photo and video permits at monuments
- Tips for the guide and driver
- Porterage at airports, stations and hotels
- Personal expenses and anything not listed as included
Your contact for this trip
Muzaffar Shermamatov
Founder
“Write to me with any question. I reply within 24 hours and will adjust the route to you.”
Route & itinerary
Tashkent → Fergana
Fergana
Day 1 of 3
Train
Day 1 Tashkent to Kokand and on to Fergana
An early transfer to the station for the 08:05 train through the Kamchik tunnel, arriving in Kokand at 12:20. Khudayar Khan’s palace first — the last court of the Kokand khanate, its facade a wall of glazed tile — then the Dakhma-i-Shokhon royal tombs, the Modari Khan mausoleum, the Norbutabek madrasah and the Juma mosque. Lunch, then on to Rishtan for the ceramics and to Fergana for the night.
Light
- Khudayar Khan palace
- Dakhma-i-Shokhon
- Norbutabek madrasah
- Rishtan ceramics workshop
Stay
Hotel in Fergana
Getting around
Train · Train 4h15, then about 2 hours driving
Breakfast, Lunch included
Road
Day 2 Margilan silk, then back to Tashkent
Ten kilometres to Margilan and the Yodgorlik silk factory, where the entire process runs by hand from cocoon to bolt — and where you can watch ikat warp being tied before it is dyed. Then the Said Ahmad Hoja madrasah. Lunch, and the long drive back to Tashkent over the pass.
Light
- Yodgorlik silk factory
- Said Ahmad Hoja madrasah
Stay
Hotel in Tashkent
Getting around
Road · About 5 hours driving, 350 km
Breakfast, Lunch included
Flight
Day 3 Depart Tashkent
Breakfast, then a transfer to the airport — or straight on to the next leg of your trip.
Light
Getting around
Flight · Airport transfer, 30–40 minutes
Breakfast included
Fergana
Day 1 of 3
Read this first
Before you book
This is designed as an add-on to a longer Uzbekistan trip, but it runs perfectly well on its own from Tashkent.
The Fergana–Tashkent leg is driven in sedans with three passengers per car, so a larger group travels in convoy rather than one vehicle.
Uzbek railways release seats 60 days before departure and no earlier, so we need full passport details at least 62 days ahead to ticket you. In peak season Afrosiyob seats are occasionally withdrawn for government use; if that happens we move you to the Sharq train or a domestic flight at no extra cost to you.
Before you book
Questions about this trip
Is the Fergana valley worth three extra days?
If you care about how things are made, yes — it is the only place in the country where you see the crafts as a working industry rather than a souvenir stall. If you are short on time and mainly want the architecture, spend the three days on a second night in Bukhara and the Aral or the desert instead.
How big is the group?
Never more than twelve travellers. Group departures run from two people; if a date sells beyond twelve, we open a second group with its own guide rather than enlarge the first. On a private tour the group is just your own party.
When is the best time to do this trip?
April to early June and September to early November are the two sweet spots: 20–28°C, clear light on the tilework, and fruit in the bazaars. July and August regularly pass 40°C, so summer departures start earlier and keep the middle of the day for museums and lunch. Winter is cold but empty — Registan without a crowd is worth the coat.
Do I need a visa for Uzbekistan?
Citizens of most of Europe, the UK, Japan, South Korea, Israel, Turkey and much of Latin America enter visa-free for 30 days. Everyone else can apply online at e-visa.gov.uz, which takes two to three working days. Your passport must be valid for six months beyond the date you arrive. We will confirm what applies to your nationality when you book.
Can I join as a solo traveller?
Yes. Solo travellers pay a single supplement for their own room, which we quote with the trip. On group departures we do not pair strangers in a room unless both of you ask us to.
What if I am vegetarian or have allergies?
Tell us when you book. Uzbek cooking is meat-heavy but every restaurant we use can produce good vegetarian food — the salads, breads, pumpkin manti and vegetable stews are excellent — and we brief each restaurant ahead of your arrival. Gluten-free is harder because bread is central, but it is workable with notice.
Payment, date changes and cancellation
- Nothing to pay until 60 days before the start — the booking holds without a card.
- Change your dates free of charge up to 60 days ahead; from day 59, 20% of what you have paid.
- Cancel 60 days or more ahead and nothing is kept.
Places on this trip
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- Uzbekistan
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From $945 USD
private, on your dates
Take the itinerary with you
We’ll email you the full day-by-day plan for Fergana Valley Extension as a PDF — read it offline, print it, or share it with your travel companions.
One email with the PDF, no mailing list. We may follow up once about this trip — reply “no thanks” and that’s the end of it.
Reading for this trip
Let’s talk about your dates
Tell us when you want to travel and how many people you are. We come back within 24 hours with a tailored proposal and exact pricing — no auto-replies.