From
$1,785 USD
Uzbekistan East-Bound — Guaranteed Departure
Tour overview
Land in Khiva, finish in Tashkent — the route run backwards
- Trip code
- PT-GAR7
- Days
- 7
- From
- Khiva
- To
- Tashkent
- Country visited
- Uzbekistan
- Group size
- 2–12
- Min age
- 8+
- Physical
- Guide languages
- 18 languages
The classic cities run east instead of west: land at Urgench for Khiva, cross the Kyzylkum to Bukhara, then Samarkand and Tashkent — with lunch included every day.
Running the route east instead of west solves the problem everyone has with day one: instead of landing in a capital city and being walked around it on no sleep, you land at Urgench, drive thirty minutes, and are inside a walled medieval town before lunch. Khiva is small, dense and immediately legible — the best possible first morning in Uzbekistan.
The trade is that the desert crossing comes on day two, while you are still fresh, and Tashkent closes the trip rather than opening it.
This departure runs half board: breakfast at the hotel and lunch in a local restaurant every day, which removes the daily question of where to eat in a language you do not read.
Inclusions & activities
What’s included
Destinations
Urgench · Khiva · Bukhara · Samarkand · Tashkent
Meals
Breakfast · Lunch
Transport
Private vehicle · High-speed train · Walking
Accommodation
3* or 4* hotel in Khiva · Hotel in Bukhara · Hotel in Samarkand · Hotel in Tashkent
Included in the price13
- 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
- Half board — six lunches in local restaurants
- Early check-in on arrival day in Khiva
- Economy-class train Samarkand–Tashkent
- Italian- or English-speaking guide throughout
Not included10
- 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
- Extras beyond the set lunch menu
Optional, at local prices3
- Folk show at the Nodir Devon Begi madrasah — 315,000 UZS (~$25) · Evening performance
- Spiced tea tasting — 90,000 UZS (~$7) · Short stop, in the old town
- Khovrenko winery and museum tasting — 565,000 UZS (~$45) · Samarkand wines, about 90 minutes
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
Urgench → Khiva → Bukhara → Samarkand → Tashkent
Khiva
Day 1 of 7
Road
Day 1 Arrive at Urgench, transfer to Khiva
Land at Urgench in the early morning, meet your driver and cover the 30 km to Khiva. Early check-in is included, so you can shower and eat before the first walk. Ichan-Kala, the walled inner town, is a UNESCO site you can cross in twenty minutes and spend a day inside. The Kalta Minor — a fat turquoise stump of a minaret abandoned when its khan died — then Kunya Ark fortress, the Muhammad Amin Khan madrasah, Tash-Hovli palace with its harem courtyards, the Pakhlavan Mahmud mausoleum and the Juma mosque, where 213 carved wooden columns hold up a roof in near-darkness.
Moderate
- Ichan-Kala
- Kalta Minor
- Kunya Ark
- Tash-Hovli palace
- Juma mosque
Stay
3* or 4* hotel in Khiva
Getting around
Road · 30 km, about 40 minutes
Breakfast, Lunch included
Road
Day 2 Khiva to Bukhara across the desert
The Kyzylkum crossing — 460 km, seven to eight hours, red sand on both sides of the road. Lunch on the way, arrival in Bukhara in the evening.
Moderate
Stay
Hotel in Bukhara
Getting around
Road · 7–8 hours, 460 km
Breakfast, Lunch included
On foot
Day 3 Bukhara
Bukhara is walkable in a way Samarkand is not — the old town is one continuous monument. The Ark citadel, lived in for fifteen centuries; Bolo Hauz mosque with its twenty painted columns; the Poi-Kalon ensemble, where the 47-metre minaret was left standing by Genghis Khan when he levelled everything around it. Then the Samanid mausoleum, the oldest brickwork in Central Asia, Chashma Ayub, and the trading domes where silk and gold have been sold on the same corners since the sixteenth century.
Moderate
- Samanid mausoleum
- Ark citadel
- Poi-Kalon complex
- Lyabi-Hauz
- Toki Zargaron and the trading domes
Stay
Hotel in Bukhara
Getting around
On foot · Walking day, about 5 km
Breakfast, Lunch included
Optional, at local prices
Folk show at the Nodir Devon Begi madrasah · Evening performance315,000 UZS (~$25)
Spiced tea tasting · Short stop, in the old town90,000 UZS (~$7)
Road
Day 4 Bukhara to Samarkand via Gijduvan
Fifty kilometres out of Bukhara, the Gijduvan ceramics workshop: the museum room, the kiln, and pieces you can buy from the family that made them. Then on to Samarkand, check in, and start with Registan square and Gur-e-Amir.
Moderate
- Gijduvan ceramics workshop
- Registan square
- Gur-e-Amir mausoleum
Stay
Hotel in Samarkand
Getting around
Road · About 4 hours driving, 280 km
Breakfast, Lunch included
On foot
Day 5 Samarkand
Shah-i-Zinda in the morning, then Bibi-Khanym and the noise of Siab bazaar next door. Afternoon: Ulugh Beg’s observatory, the Afrosiab museum, and the mausoleum of the prophet Daniel.
Moderate
- Shah-i-Zinda
- Bibi-Khanym mosque
- Siab bazaar
- Ulugh Beg observatory
- Afrosiab museum
Stay
Hotel in Samarkand
Getting around
On foot · Full day, short drives
Breakfast, Lunch included
Optional, at local prices
Khovrenko winery and museum tasting · Samarkand wines, about 90 minutes565,000 UZS (~$45)
Train
Day 6 Samarkand to Tashkent, and the capital
Morning train to Tashkent, then straight into the city: the Hazrati Imam complex and Chorsu bazaar, then the applied arts museum, Independence square, the Navoi theatre square and a walk down Broadway.
Moderate
- Hazrati Imam complex
- Chorsu bazaar
- Museum of Applied Arts
- Independence square
Stay
Hotel in Tashkent
Getting around
Train · Train 2h10 to 3h20 depending on service
Breakfast, Lunch included
Flight
Day 7 Depart Tashkent
Breakfast, then a transfer to Tashkent international airport.
Moderate
Getting around
Flight · Airport transfer, 30–40 minutes
Breakfast included
Khiva
Day 1 of 7
Read this first
Before you book
This departure is confirmed with a minimum of two travellers and capped at fifteen.
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.
Hotel check-in is 14:00 and check-out 12:00. Early check-in on arrival day is included only where the itinerary says so. Most Uzbek hotels are low-rise conversions without lifts, and the local star rating is not the European one — every hotel we use has en-suite bathrooms, air conditioning and daily housekeeping.
Dates & prices
Choose your start date
DepartingFinishingAvailabilityPer person
Before you book
Questions about this trip
Why start in Khiva rather than Tashkent?
Because the first morning is the one you are most jet-lagged for, and Khiva is the easiest city in Uzbekistan to absorb — a walled town you can cross in twenty minutes, with everything inside it. Starting in Tashkent means spending your worst day on the least remarkable city. It also puts the long desert drive on day two, while you still have energy for it.
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.
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Regular price $1,42529% off
From $1,000 USD
on 17 Nov 2026
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