Take part in a cultural exploration and visit remarkable sites: spectacular city of Khiva, ; open-air museum Boukhara and finally, Samarkand, the Pearl of the East. Spend a night in a yurt camp and ride a camel, have a diner around a bonfire and picnic by a lake.
Departure from Moscow by non-stop flight HY 606 to Urguentch. Check in at 7:30am. Reception at the airport and transfer to Khiva (30 km, 30 min). Arrival and breakfast at the hotel. Accommodation in the rooms in the morning or afternoon (depending on the availability of the hotel)
Meet your guide for a guided tour of Khiva: behind its powerful walls, we will discover the inner city of Ichan-Kala, the once prosperous city of the ancient kingdom of Khorezm. Following small alleys we will discover the architectural treasures of this true open-air museum : Kounya Ark, The" Old Fortress", the madrasa of Khan Mukhammad Amin and the mausoleum of Said Allaoudin.
Visit of the Islam Khodja ensemble: The madrasa of Islam Khodja and the highest minaret of Khiva (44.5 m high).
Dinner and night at the Hotel.
Breakfast at the hotel.
Meet your guide for a day of sightseeing: the Juma Mosque with its 212 carved wooden columns and the Khan Tashkhaouli Palace. Visit of the mausoleum of Pakhlavan-Makhmoud, the enamelled ceramic apotheosis of Khorezm, housing the Tomb of the patron saint of the city of Khiva.
Discover the fruit, vegetable, cereal and spice market of Khiva, a real Asian Bazaar. Dinner in a local restaurant in town.
Transfer to the airport for flight HY58 to Bukhara (9pm-10pm). Arrival in Bukhara, transfer, set up and overnight at the hotel.
Breakfast at the hotel.
Meeting with your guide for a day of visits : the Tchor Minor (the four Minarets), the POI Kalon ensemble, including the minaret nicknamed "minaret of death", the mosque and madrasa of Miri Arab, the madrasa of Ulug Beg, the madrasa of Abdulaziz Khan, The Fortress Ark (citadel), the ensemble Bolo Khauz (mosque, minaret and Basin) and finally the mausoleum of the Samanids nicknamed "The Pearl of the East", oldest Muslim dynastic tomb in Central Asia.
Check-in at the hotel at 2pm. You then visit the mausoleum of Tchachma Ayub (the healing spring of Job), then a Covered Market dating back to the 16th century.
Dinner at the locals place and overnight at the hotel.
Breakfast at the hotel.
Meeting with your guide for a morning visit: the Madrasa Nodir Devon Begui, the Liabi-Khauz ("Bank of the Basin"), the madrasa Kukeldash and the Magokki Attariet mosque. Finally you will discover the Khanaka. This is where the important hosts came down to give mystical lectures.
We will then have a cup of tea in a small museum, set up in the House of Faizulla Khodzhayev, a prosperous merchant and the first ruler of the Soviet Republic of Uzbekistan, with a presentation of the traditional Uzbek costumes.
Free afternoon . Dinner in a restaurant in town and overnight in hotel.
Breakfast at the hotel.
In the morning, departure for Nurata (160 km – 3 hours) and visit of the workshop of ceramists in Guijduvan. Visit of the fort of Alexander the Great, then visit of Chashma, a miraculous spring venerated already in the Sogdian era, as well as the pond with the sacred fishes of the mosque.
Lunch. In the afternoon, transfer to yurt camp (180 km).
Dinner with local songs in the camp restaurant. Night in a yurt (4/5 people per yurt).
Breakfast at the camp.
Morning camel ride (10-15 min). Walk along the shores of Lake Aydarkoul and swim in the lake.
Lunch. In the afternoon, transfer to Samarkand (235 km).
Dinner. Overnight at the hotel.
Breakfast at the hotel.
Meeting with your guide and continuation of the visit of Samarkand: Registan square with its three madrasas (Ulug Begh, Tillya Kori, Dear Dor), the mosque Bibi-Khanym. Walk in a local market and visit the Shakhi-Zinda necropolis. You will enjoy a panoramic view of the Archaeological Site Afrosiab before visiting the city Foundation Museum.
Dinner at the local's place. Overnight at the Hotel.
Breakfast at the hotel.
Meeting with your guide to finish the visit of Samarkand: the Gour Emir mausoleum with the tombs of Tamerlan and his descendants and with its superb turquoise-blue dome, the Rukhobod mausoleum, the ouloug Beg Observatory. Visit of the workshop of the famous papier-mâché of Samarkand.
Afternoon off. Dinner.
Transfer to the airport and return to Moscow by flight HY 605 (9.55pm-12.10am).
. Accommodation in hotels mentioned or similar in double/twin rooms (except overnight in yurts))
. Half board (8 breakfasts, 2 lunches, 8 dinners ))
. Drinks: each meal includes a bottle of water of 0,5 L + tea (coffee is charged, saud for breakfast))
. Transfers between the airport and the hotel in Ourguentch and Samarkand
. Transport between cities and sites (the type of vehicle depends on the number of passengers)
. Tourist tax for Uzbekistan
. Entrance tickets to the sites for all visits mentioned in the program
. The services of local francophone guides in each city
. One map of Uzbekistan per couple or per person upon arrival
. International flights and flights between Ourguentch and Bukhara
. The supplement for a single room (see below)
. Lunches (non-specified in the program)
. The supplement for lunches (4 300 RUB / person for the duration of the stay)
. Uzbek visa fees
. Photo/Video rights on the sites
. Possible excess baggage
. Tips for guides, drivers...
. Personal expenditure (souvenirs...)
. 30% deposit upon reservation
. Balance payment one month before departure
. The order of the excursions can be modified according the touristic sites or for any other technical reasons
. Non-binding pictures
. According to the Warsaw Convention, in case of delayed baggage delivery, in the context of air travel, the passenger must personally hand in a written protestation letter to the effective carrier (the air company ensuring the flight, which can be different from the selling company, in case of code-share flights) no more than 21 days after said luggage was given to them
. If the cancellation is made more than 30 days before departure, the fee is 100€
. Between 30 and 20 days before departure, cancellation fee equals 25 % of the total amount of the trip price
. Between 19 and 13 days, the fee equals 35 %
. Between 12 and 9 days, the fee equals 60 %
. If the cancellation is made less than 9 days before departure, the cancellation fee is 100% of the total amount
Ticketing service: except if specified otherwise, flight and train tickets are non-changeable and non-refundable
Other services: insurance and administrative fees are non-refundable
