Your holiday summary
| Holiday type |
Adventure holidays |
|---|---|
| Country |
Uzbekistan |
| Travel type |
Fly |
| Price range | From £1465 |
| Travel partner | Wild Frontiers |
| Duration | 10 nights |
|
Need help with your booking? 0330 333 6781 |
Uzbekistan: Journey to Samarkand & The Aral Sea
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The wilds of Central Asia are amongst some of the most mysterious and fascinating regions anywhere on earth. These are lands that still stir the imagination, where glittering palaces of turquoise and gold emerge like shimmering mirages from the desert plains and the call to prayer transports us back to a time of merchant caravans and nomadic invaders.
This incredible journey takes you across landscapes that once thundered beneath the hooves of the Mongol hordes and where Islamic culture and learning reached the zenith of its crowning glory. From the vibrant city of Tashkent we journey into the surreal landscapes of the Aral Sea, entering a world that few have ever seen and one that fewer will ever see again.
You’ll cross the sea bed, following desert tracks that take us past marooned fishing boats and blighted landscapes, to the dying waters of a once great sea. In marked contrast, the second part of our odyssey takes us back to a time when human enterprise left the desert landscapes littered with beacons of human enlightenment. You’ll visit the glittering cities of Khiva, Bukhara and Samarkand, stunning reminders of a golden period of Muslim culture and home to some of the most impressive monuments to Islamic art and architecture in the world.
This is an incredible journey of discovery, where the sublime and the surreal meet across the desert plains of Central Asia.
HIGHLIGHTS
This incredible journey takes you across landscapes that once thundered beneath the hooves of the Mongol hordes and where Islamic culture and learning reached the zenith of its crowning glory. From the vibrant city of Tashkent we journey into the surreal landscapes of the Aral Sea, entering a world that few have ever seen and one that fewer will ever see again.
You’ll cross the sea bed, following desert tracks that take us past marooned fishing boats and blighted landscapes, to the dying waters of a once great sea. In marked contrast, the second part of our odyssey takes us back to a time when human enterprise left the desert landscapes littered with beacons of human enlightenment. You’ll visit the glittering cities of Khiva, Bukhara and Samarkand, stunning reminders of a golden period of Muslim culture and home to some of the most impressive monuments to Islamic art and architecture in the world.
This is an incredible journey of discovery, where the sublime and the surreal meet across the desert plains of Central Asia.
HIGHLIGHTS
- A 4WD adventure out to the remote Aral Sea
- The desert castles of Karakalpakstan
- The well-preserved walled city of Khiva
- Bukhara’s idyllic Lyabi Haus area
- The awe-inspiring Registan of Samarkand
Included
- Full services of a Wild Frontiers Tour Leader with local guides and drivers.
- Meal plan as detailed in the itinerary (B=Breakfast, L=Lunch, D=Dinner) with mineral water as required.
- All transport as outlined in the itinerary.
- All accommodation
- All entrance fees, as per itinerary
Not included
- Visas (if applicable)
- Local airport taxes
- Tips to local guides
- Beverages & any costs of a personal nature.
- International Flights
- Airport transfers (unless booking suggested flights through WF office)
Day 1
Join tour in Tashkent: Accommodation for this night is included in the tour cost, due to the arrival times of our suggested flights. Those on the suggested group flight will arrive early hours of Day 2. Hotel (no meals)
Day 2
Tashkent; fly to Nukus: There’ll be time this morning to relax and get to know Uzbekistan’s vibrant capital. Tashkent is a city with a remarkable history. It lay at the heart of the old Central Asian trading routes, gaining prominence under the Mongols and the Shabanids, before finally being absorbed by the expansionist policies of the Russian empire during the 19th century.
Flattened by a devastating earthquake in the mid 1960s, the city was reinvented by the Kremlin, rising from the rubble to become a city that, to Russians eyes at least, represented the very epitome of the socialist ideal. Beneath the surface of this Soviet Shangri-La though the old city still survives, with 16th century medressahs and intricately fashioned mosques sharing the landscape with more modern creations, such as Mustakillik Square and the city’s Earthquake Monument. Following a midday check-out and lunch we will take a brief orientation tour of the city before heading to the airport, to take the late afternoon flight to Nukus, close to the border with neighbouring Turkmenistan. Hotel (B,L,D)
Day 3
4WD to the Aral Sea: Departing early this morning we drive north in 4WD vehicles, heading towards the saline waters of the Aral Sea, a body of water that until quite recently was considered one of the four largest lakes on the planet. Back in the early 1960s the Aral Sea covered some 68,000 square kilometres; today that figure is down to a mere 10%of its original size. Fed by the waters of the Amu Darya and Syr Darya Rivers, the area was once rich in sturgeon and catfish and the town of Moynaq was a thriving fishing community that lay at the sea’s southern edge.
Today the town lies over 100 kilometres from the nearest water and what remains of its fishing fleet now lies dramatically marooned on the desert sands. We will drive across the bed of what was once one of the largest inland seas in the world, through a landscape that is both fascinating and tragic, the rich waters now replaced by vast open plains of salt. After a chance to look out upon what is left of the sea’s rapidly diminishing shoreline, we will then continue to our overnight camp and a chance to experience the truly unique opportunity of camping amongst one of the most hauntingly alien landscapes on earth. Overnight Wild Camp(B,L,D)
Day 4
4WD to Nukus via Moynaq: After breakfast we will break camp and return by road to Nukus, stopping off to explore Moynaq’s ghostly armada en route. Moynaq, probably more than anywhere else in this area, vividly illustrates the incredible upheavals that have taken place in the region in the past half century. It has been described as a victim of the Soviet attempts to harness nature itself, and indeed the once proud fishing fleet that now lies rusting amongst the desert sands provides a stark and surreal warning as to the true costs of climate change.
A thriving port, Moynaq once employed thousands of people and lay at the heart of a fishing industry that provided the Soviet Union with over one sixth of its entire catch. Today this once vibrant community evokes an eerie sense of bleak desperation that cannot fail to instill a sense of outrage and fascination in all who experience it. From here we retrace our steps back towards Nukus, arriving later this afternoon. Hotel (B,L,D)
Day 5
AM visit to Nukus Museum, PM drive to Khiva via the desert castles: The 6th largest city in Uzbekistan, Nukus is home to the impressively grand sounding State Art Museum of the Republic of Karakalpakstan, more commonly known as the Nukus Museum of Art. As well as the usual collection of traditional artifacts, the museum also houses an impressive collection of Russian and Uzbek modern art from 1918-1935, as well as some remarkable displays of the now sadly vanished or endangered flora and fauna from the Aral Sea region.
Travelling on from here, we then continue to the ancient city of Khiva, following a route that takes us past some of the crumbling remains of the Desert Castles of Ancient Khorezm. Built across the dusty Uzbek plains, along the tributaries of the Amu Darya River, these mud brick fortifications date back to the 7th century BC and testify to a time when these once fertile regions constituted some of the largest oases in Central Asia. We aim to arrive in Khiva in the late afternoon for a quick glimpse of this walled city in preparation for tomorrow’s sightseeing. Hotel/Converted Medresseh (B,L,D)
Day 6
In Khiva: Ancient Khiva was once one of the most important cities in the region, its strategic location along the old Silk Road providing it with the prestige and power that eventually saw it become the capital of the Khanate of Khiva. Whilst its origins still remain something of a mystery, the city entered the modern age when it fell to Russian forces in 1873.
In spite of falling under the domination of Russian overlords much of its ancient heart has survived intact and Khiva today can still boast some 50 historic monuments, as well as a beautifully preserved collection of 18th and 19th century houses. Sheltered behind thick walls, the old city is a rich collection of palaces and harems that still evoke some of the flavour and atmosphere of its halcyon days and, whilst the old 12th century citadel no longer dominates the city as it once did, it still retains something of its powerful presence. A full day tour of the city today will take in some of Khiva’s numerous highlights, including the Kunya-ark Citadel, the 18th century Djuma Mosque and the extraordinary complex of the Tash-Khauli Palace. Hotel/Converted Medresseh (B,L,D)
Day 7
To Bukhara via the Kyzylkum Desert: Leaving Khiva behind we continue to follow the southerly course of the Amu Darya, crossing the red sands of the Kyzylkum Desert towards Bukhara. Home to wild boar and golden eagles, the Kyzylkum Desert is a region of rolling sand dunes and riverside oases that expands across Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan.
We’ll take lunch by the banks of the Amu Darya (the River Oxus of classical antiquity), before continuing our journey to the legendary city of Bukhara, still considered by many to be one of the true centres of Islamic culture. Once we have checked into our hotel, the rest of the afternoon is free to enjoy this stunning setting at leisure, soaking up some of the atmosphere of a city that can trace its ancestry back 2500 years.
A city that prospered under the Samanids, Bukhara lay at the heart of the Persian civilisation. Boasting an astonishing pedigree, the city’s incredible hoard of mosques and medressahs has seen it entered onto UNESCO’s World Heritage list and a walk through its labyrinthine streets and alleys conjures up a world straight from the pages of Arabian history. Hotel/Old Merchants’ House (B,L,D)
Day 8
In Bukhara: Today affords an opportunity to explore in more depth this most beguiling and magical of cities. We will spend the day on an extensive tour of Bukhara, visiting some of the more renowned of its 140 listed treasures. The city is blessed with a rich profusion of architectural wonders including the sumptuous blue-tiled grandeur of the Abdul Khan Medresseh and the towering Kalyan minaret, whose less than poetic moniker - the ‘Tower of Death’ - stems from its somewhat barbaric use as a place of execution, when unfortunate prisoners were flung from its upper floors onto the marketplace below.
We’ll also take in the exquisite Lab-i-Hauz, the centrepiece of a dazzling architectural complex of 16th and 17th century buildings that contains the Kukeldash Medresseh, the largest in the city. On the outskirts of Bukhara the spectacular Royal Ark contains a matchless collection of fortifications and palaces that cover nearly 35,000 square metres and contains a fascinating museum that encompasses the natural, architectural and historical heritage of the area. Hotel/Old Merchants’ House (B,L)
Day 9
To Samarkand: Turning east this morning we head next for the city that marked the pinnacle of Tamerlane’s empiric ambitions. During the 14th century the city was one of the most fabulous in all Asia, endowed with some of the most glittering monuments anywhere in the Islamic world. Granted World Heritage status in 2001, the city is home to the Gur-e Amir Mausoleum, Tamerlane’s final resting place, as well as the fabulous Bibi-Khanym Mosque, once one of the most impressive mosques in the entire Islamic world and which, even today, remains one of the city’s most famous landmarks.
At the centre of the old city sits the resplendent grandeur of the Registan, a truly inspiring ensemble of three imposing medressehs that occupy three sides of a square and span over two centuries of Islamic development. One of the oldest inhabited cities on the planet, Samarkand was not without reason one of the greatest cities of its age.
Centrally located along the old trading routes between China and the west, it also lay at the heart of Islamic scholarly study, possessing some of the finest centres of learning anywhere. In the Ulug-Beg Observatory it also boasted one of the largest observatories in all Islam, where astronomers could predict the movements of the sun with incredible accuracy and compute the length of a stellar year to within 1 minute of the most up to date electronic calculations. Hotel (B,L,D)
Day 10
AM in Samarkand; PM drive to Tashkent: Following breakfast this morning we will explore some more of the city, before driving back to Tashkent this afternoon. We aim to arrive in good time for our final dinner in one of the capital’s many fine restaurants. Hotel (B,L,D)
Day 11
Tour ends in Tashkent: Those on the suggested group flight will have an early morning transfer to the airport in time for their return home. For land only clients, the tour ends today after breakfast. (B)
Extensions
Arrive early to adjust to a new time zone or just to get a feel for the country before your tour starts. Explore the country after your tour on a bespoke Wild Extension or just allow a few days to relax afterwards. Maybe choose all of the above and get cheaper flights mid-week? A sample of what you could do… Turkmenistan is the obvious choice at this time of year. With its uniquely bizarre capital of Ashkabad, ancient ruins of Merv and stunning natural sights such as the Darvaza Crater, this is a great destination for those wanting to see more of the region. Allow approx 1 week.
Join tour in Tashkent: Accommodation for this night is included in the tour cost, due to the arrival times of our suggested flights. Those on the suggested group flight will arrive early hours of Day 2. Hotel (no meals)
Day 2
Tashkent; fly to Nukus: There’ll be time this morning to relax and get to know Uzbekistan’s vibrant capital. Tashkent is a city with a remarkable history. It lay at the heart of the old Central Asian trading routes, gaining prominence under the Mongols and the Shabanids, before finally being absorbed by the expansionist policies of the Russian empire during the 19th century.
Flattened by a devastating earthquake in the mid 1960s, the city was reinvented by the Kremlin, rising from the rubble to become a city that, to Russians eyes at least, represented the very epitome of the socialist ideal. Beneath the surface of this Soviet Shangri-La though the old city still survives, with 16th century medressahs and intricately fashioned mosques sharing the landscape with more modern creations, such as Mustakillik Square and the city’s Earthquake Monument. Following a midday check-out and lunch we will take a brief orientation tour of the city before heading to the airport, to take the late afternoon flight to Nukus, close to the border with neighbouring Turkmenistan. Hotel (B,L,D)
Day 3
4WD to the Aral Sea: Departing early this morning we drive north in 4WD vehicles, heading towards the saline waters of the Aral Sea, a body of water that until quite recently was considered one of the four largest lakes on the planet. Back in the early 1960s the Aral Sea covered some 68,000 square kilometres; today that figure is down to a mere 10%of its original size. Fed by the waters of the Amu Darya and Syr Darya Rivers, the area was once rich in sturgeon and catfish and the town of Moynaq was a thriving fishing community that lay at the sea’s southern edge.
Today the town lies over 100 kilometres from the nearest water and what remains of its fishing fleet now lies dramatically marooned on the desert sands. We will drive across the bed of what was once one of the largest inland seas in the world, through a landscape that is both fascinating and tragic, the rich waters now replaced by vast open plains of salt. After a chance to look out upon what is left of the sea’s rapidly diminishing shoreline, we will then continue to our overnight camp and a chance to experience the truly unique opportunity of camping amongst one of the most hauntingly alien landscapes on earth. Overnight Wild Camp(B,L,D)
Day 4
4WD to Nukus via Moynaq: After breakfast we will break camp and return by road to Nukus, stopping off to explore Moynaq’s ghostly armada en route. Moynaq, probably more than anywhere else in this area, vividly illustrates the incredible upheavals that have taken place in the region in the past half century. It has been described as a victim of the Soviet attempts to harness nature itself, and indeed the once proud fishing fleet that now lies rusting amongst the desert sands provides a stark and surreal warning as to the true costs of climate change.
A thriving port, Moynaq once employed thousands of people and lay at the heart of a fishing industry that provided the Soviet Union with over one sixth of its entire catch. Today this once vibrant community evokes an eerie sense of bleak desperation that cannot fail to instill a sense of outrage and fascination in all who experience it. From here we retrace our steps back towards Nukus, arriving later this afternoon. Hotel (B,L,D)
Day 5
AM visit to Nukus Museum, PM drive to Khiva via the desert castles: The 6th largest city in Uzbekistan, Nukus is home to the impressively grand sounding State Art Museum of the Republic of Karakalpakstan, more commonly known as the Nukus Museum of Art. As well as the usual collection of traditional artifacts, the museum also houses an impressive collection of Russian and Uzbek modern art from 1918-1935, as well as some remarkable displays of the now sadly vanished or endangered flora and fauna from the Aral Sea region.
Travelling on from here, we then continue to the ancient city of Khiva, following a route that takes us past some of the crumbling remains of the Desert Castles of Ancient Khorezm. Built across the dusty Uzbek plains, along the tributaries of the Amu Darya River, these mud brick fortifications date back to the 7th century BC and testify to a time when these once fertile regions constituted some of the largest oases in Central Asia. We aim to arrive in Khiva in the late afternoon for a quick glimpse of this walled city in preparation for tomorrow’s sightseeing. Hotel/Converted Medresseh (B,L,D)
Day 6
In Khiva: Ancient Khiva was once one of the most important cities in the region, its strategic location along the old Silk Road providing it with the prestige and power that eventually saw it become the capital of the Khanate of Khiva. Whilst its origins still remain something of a mystery, the city entered the modern age when it fell to Russian forces in 1873.
In spite of falling under the domination of Russian overlords much of its ancient heart has survived intact and Khiva today can still boast some 50 historic monuments, as well as a beautifully preserved collection of 18th and 19th century houses. Sheltered behind thick walls, the old city is a rich collection of palaces and harems that still evoke some of the flavour and atmosphere of its halcyon days and, whilst the old 12th century citadel no longer dominates the city as it once did, it still retains something of its powerful presence. A full day tour of the city today will take in some of Khiva’s numerous highlights, including the Kunya-ark Citadel, the 18th century Djuma Mosque and the extraordinary complex of the Tash-Khauli Palace. Hotel/Converted Medresseh (B,L,D)
Day 7
To Bukhara via the Kyzylkum Desert: Leaving Khiva behind we continue to follow the southerly course of the Amu Darya, crossing the red sands of the Kyzylkum Desert towards Bukhara. Home to wild boar and golden eagles, the Kyzylkum Desert is a region of rolling sand dunes and riverside oases that expands across Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan.
We’ll take lunch by the banks of the Amu Darya (the River Oxus of classical antiquity), before continuing our journey to the legendary city of Bukhara, still considered by many to be one of the true centres of Islamic culture. Once we have checked into our hotel, the rest of the afternoon is free to enjoy this stunning setting at leisure, soaking up some of the atmosphere of a city that can trace its ancestry back 2500 years.
A city that prospered under the Samanids, Bukhara lay at the heart of the Persian civilisation. Boasting an astonishing pedigree, the city’s incredible hoard of mosques and medressahs has seen it entered onto UNESCO’s World Heritage list and a walk through its labyrinthine streets and alleys conjures up a world straight from the pages of Arabian history. Hotel/Old Merchants’ House (B,L,D)
Day 8
In Bukhara: Today affords an opportunity to explore in more depth this most beguiling and magical of cities. We will spend the day on an extensive tour of Bukhara, visiting some of the more renowned of its 140 listed treasures. The city is blessed with a rich profusion of architectural wonders including the sumptuous blue-tiled grandeur of the Abdul Khan Medresseh and the towering Kalyan minaret, whose less than poetic moniker - the ‘Tower of Death’ - stems from its somewhat barbaric use as a place of execution, when unfortunate prisoners were flung from its upper floors onto the marketplace below.
We’ll also take in the exquisite Lab-i-Hauz, the centrepiece of a dazzling architectural complex of 16th and 17th century buildings that contains the Kukeldash Medresseh, the largest in the city. On the outskirts of Bukhara the spectacular Royal Ark contains a matchless collection of fortifications and palaces that cover nearly 35,000 square metres and contains a fascinating museum that encompasses the natural, architectural and historical heritage of the area. Hotel/Old Merchants’ House (B,L)
Day 9
To Samarkand: Turning east this morning we head next for the city that marked the pinnacle of Tamerlane’s empiric ambitions. During the 14th century the city was one of the most fabulous in all Asia, endowed with some of the most glittering monuments anywhere in the Islamic world. Granted World Heritage status in 2001, the city is home to the Gur-e Amir Mausoleum, Tamerlane’s final resting place, as well as the fabulous Bibi-Khanym Mosque, once one of the most impressive mosques in the entire Islamic world and which, even today, remains one of the city’s most famous landmarks.
At the centre of the old city sits the resplendent grandeur of the Registan, a truly inspiring ensemble of three imposing medressehs that occupy three sides of a square and span over two centuries of Islamic development. One of the oldest inhabited cities on the planet, Samarkand was not without reason one of the greatest cities of its age.
Centrally located along the old trading routes between China and the west, it also lay at the heart of Islamic scholarly study, possessing some of the finest centres of learning anywhere. In the Ulug-Beg Observatory it also boasted one of the largest observatories in all Islam, where astronomers could predict the movements of the sun with incredible accuracy and compute the length of a stellar year to within 1 minute of the most up to date electronic calculations. Hotel (B,L,D)
Day 10
AM in Samarkand; PM drive to Tashkent: Following breakfast this morning we will explore some more of the city, before driving back to Tashkent this afternoon. We aim to arrive in good time for our final dinner in one of the capital’s many fine restaurants. Hotel (B,L,D)
Day 11
Tour ends in Tashkent: Those on the suggested group flight will have an early morning transfer to the airport in time for their return home. For land only clients, the tour ends today after breakfast. (B)
Extensions
Arrive early to adjust to a new time zone or just to get a feel for the country before your tour starts. Explore the country after your tour on a bespoke Wild Extension or just allow a few days to relax afterwards. Maybe choose all of the above and get cheaper flights mid-week? A sample of what you could do… Turkmenistan is the obvious choice at this time of year. With its uniquely bizarre capital of Ashkabad, ancient ruins of Merv and stunning natural sights such as the Darvaza Crater, this is a great destination for those wanting to see more of the region. Allow approx 1 week.
Accommodation will be in good quality hotels and where possible character accommodation. One night remote wilderness camping.
This offer has no departures. [NEED SOME CONTENT HERE].
I always dreamt of seeing Samarkand. The sound of the word is so seductive and dreamlike. Finally seeing these masterpieces of the Islamic architecture simply took my breath away.
May 2011
Ms S Mader
Ms S Mader