Overview
Between Samarkand and Bukhara lies a different Uzbekistan: walnut-shaded mountain villages in the Nuratau range, the sands of the Kyzylkum and the long blue lake of Aydarkul.
This private three-day trip replaces the usual highway transfer with a night at a village guesthouse, a night in a yurt camp with an evening fire and folk songs, and a visit to the holy spring of Nurata on the way to Bukhara.
Your trip is planned and run by Khikmatilla, a licensed Uzbek tour guide and founder of Tashkentguide DMC, with an experienced guide with you for all three days.
Highlights
- Homestay in a Nuratau mountain village
- Walk to ancient rock carvings
- Camel ride in the Kyzylkum desert
- Yurt camp by Lake Aydarkul with a campfire evening
- Holy spring and fortress of Nurata
Prices are per person for a private tour and fall as your group grows.
What's included
- Night at a village guesthouse and night at a yurt camp, with breakfasts, 2 lunches and 2 dinners
- Camel ride
- Guide for the whole trip
- Private air-conditioned vehicle with driver for all transfers and sightseeing
- Entrance fees to the sights listed in the itinerary
- 0.5 L bottled water per person per day
- 24/7 support from our Tashkent team
- Hotels in Samarkand and Bukhara
- Drinks, personal expenses and tips
- Camera fees at some monuments
- Travel insurance
Meeting and pickup
Your hotel in Samarkand
Your hotel in Bukhara
Itinerary
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1
Day 1 · Samarkand – Nuratau mountains (approx. 220 km)
Pickup from your Samarkand hotel and drive north-west to a village in the Nuratau range. After lunch, walk with a local host to rock carvings above the village. Dinner and overnight at a family guesthouse.
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2
Day 2 · Nuratau – Aydarkul yurt camp
After breakfast, drive to the edge of the Kyzylkum desert and the yurt camp. Ride a camel across the dunes, then continue to the shore of Lake Aydarkul for a swim in season. Evening dinner around the fire with a local akyn singer. Overnight in a yurt (shared facilities).
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3
Day 3 · Nurata – Bukhara (approx. 230 km)
Visit Nurata with its holy spring, sacred fish and the ruins of a fortress attributed to Alexander the Great. Continue to Bukhara, arriving in the afternoon at your hotel.
Cancellation policy
- Cancel at least 720 hours before departure: 100% refund.
- Cancel at least 168 hours before departure: 50% refund.
- Less notice than that, or a no-show: 0% refund.
Full refund up to 30 days before arrival, 50% up to 7 days before, no refund after that.
Times are local Tashkent time (UTC+5).