In the heart of Silk Road
Uzbekistan 2022
Why Uzbekistan?
Experienced travelers know the magic of central Asia very well. But many others were asking me: why Uzbekistan and which “stan” it actually is? My dream to visit these lands is anchored at a romantic idea about caravans crossing the continents and spreading not only silk and spices, but also knowledge and awareness about other cultures. After one of my multiple business trips to China, I have visited Xinjiang in summer 2019. And yes, there are many things there going on that are not ok regarding suppression of the Uyghur culture – but behind that I could still see and smell what I have been looking for. As my eyes saw the tiled Afaq Khoja Mausoleum in Kashgar, I knew that another central Asian trip is not so far away. And Uzbekistan is in the heart of all of it, with its jewels as Samarkand and Bukhara. You are right, many years of Soviet times destroyed not only the Aral Sea – but thousands of years of history can’t be eliminated. This area went through all kinds of changes and troubles and the population of mixed ethnicities is strong and until now, in every corner I found what I was looking for – complex history with traces of neolithic petroglyphs, Alexander the Great, Djingiskhan, introduction of Islam, Soviet times, and new independent Uzbekistan. Smells of spices, tea, plov, dried fruits, roasted meat, and flat bread. Mixture of religions including ancient Buddhism. Camels with long hair ready to stand hot and cold weather. Deserts, steppe, plateaus, salt lakes. Nights under the stars in a yurt. Architecture and colorful tiles. Long drives. Carpets. Silk. Trade. Knives. Ceramic. And importantly - extremely nice local people, as I could witness in many conversations with locals in my shabby Russian. And since this country needs to boom its tourism, let me add that it is safe, you get top service for very good price and you will come home with memories that you will never forget.
My recommended guides and travel agencies
I prepared this special page about the guides and agenices I can reccommend. There are many and I dedicated a lot of time to prepare my itinerary and to get the best quality for the best prize. There are several big ones with detailed online itineraries and might be even good. But it is hard to discuss with them details of each day’s programm - for me an important part. Instead I opted for smaller local agencies that provided excellent service and I could decide at each place what I want to do. But make sure to leave some days without a guide too, like that you can absorb the atmosphere alone and interact with locals alone.
Practical tips
Get a local SIM card - it is cheap and apart completely isolated locations it works perfectly well. Book hotels yourself, here you can find list of my hotels . I was changing hotels even when staying at the same place few nights - the choice is big. As a rule of thumb, I recommend smaller and often cheaper hotels (like 20-30 USD per nigh) - they have exrtraordinary traditional decorations and warm welcome. You can contact hotels before your travel and they are often very helpful with arranging guides etc. For local transportation you have several options… Uzbek Airlines provides very cheap local flights, but they get often changed and you might not be notified (as it happened to me). Renting a car with a driver is a great option - roads are not always the best and the drivers know the area. Guides mostly do not drive themselves. This service has a very good price even for long distance drives. Uzbekistan is rich in gas and most of the cars use it. For my Termez to Tashkent 700 km overnight drive (yeah, this is this cancelled flight story…) I paid about 60 USD and the driver brought me even a big pillow to be able to sleep on the back seats. There are also fast trains but I did not use them… the countryside itself is so rich, that I preferred to be able to stop along the way. But train is an excellent option if you want to see mostly cities. Take with you USD in cash if you can, they are accepted almoste everywhere - Euros not so much. But many hotels and shops now accept also the credit cards. ATMs are also easy to find to take out local Soms with which you get quickly millionairs - they are however useful for paying smaller amounts.
4600 km tracked with mapy.cz - much better than google maps!
You can download offline maps that are very detailed and easy to understand.
Navigaton does not work well, but a good map is often enough, especially when you walk or even drive in a remote area. Landmarks, viewpoints and smallest trails are all there!
Fergana valley (day 1 - 2)
April 9: Arrival in Tashkent - Kokand - Rishdan – Margilan
April 20: Margilan – Chust – Tashkent
Two day trip by car from Tashkent over Kamchik pass to Fergana valley. with visit to overnight in Marghilan. International flights are landing after midnight and it was possible to start the 4-5 hours trip already at 3AM. Two days in this remote and less visited area where the highlight are local people and their crafts. Second day return to Tashkent at night, overnight close to the airport.
Aral Sea with 4 x 4 (day 3 - 5)
April 11: Nukus - Muynak - Canyons of Ustyurt plateau - Aral Sea
April 12: Aral sea and Ustyurt plateau
April 13: Kurgancha-kala (caravanaserai) - Kubla-Ustyurt village - Sudochye lake and Urga - Mizdakhan Necropolis
6AM flight from Tashkent to Nukus. from where I start a co-shared trip with one 4x4 car to the Aral sea with 2 nights at the yurt camp. Ecological disaster of lost water due to extensive irrigation of the cotton fields during Soviet times, but also spectacular views, Ustyurt plateau, geology, history, ships’ cemetery in Muynak, salt planes, nomad cemeteries and of course a dip in the super salty and super cold waters of the remnants of the Aral Sea. On arrival to back to Nukus, we visit historical Mizdakhan.
Nukus and Shimbay (day 6)
April 14: Nukus - capital of the Karakakpak autonomous region and Shimbay: Savitsky museum in Nukus and an afternoon spent in Shimbay, visiting the famous yurt workshop and a local family, teaching me how to cook their specialities. Then one hour drive back to Nukus via the 19th century Ishan-Kala of Khalkabad, where Islam was tought.
Khorezm fortresses “kalas” (day 7)
April 15: Khorezm was an independent kingdom from the 4th century BC to the 1st AD. There are about 50 fortesses sprinkled around this dry and hot region that made possible to preserve this mud-based treasures. Some of them are included in the tenatitve list of the UNESCO world heritage. I have visited 7 fortresses along the way from Nukus to Khiva: Chilpek, Gyaur-Kala (The Fortress of infidels), Jampik Kala (Irregular fortress), Kyzyl Kala (red fortress), previous capital from the 3d century AD Toprak Kala, Ayaz Kala, and the fortress of the 40 girls Big Kirkkiz Kala. A strenous super full day of extraordinary history. I was picked up at 6AM from Nukus and arrived at sunset to Bukhara.
Khiva - UNESCO World Heritage site (day 8)
April 16: the city of Khiva was established circa 1500 years ago and playes a role of a caital city throughout the history (of is the former capital of Khorezm, Khanate of Khiva and Khorezm People's Soviet Republic. Khiva was the first site of Uzbekistan to be inscribed in the World Heritage List in 1991. I spent the whole day in the old city Itchan-Kala: do not plan less and if you can, do plan more. It is a pure magic to be there and you will feel as in a fairytale. I spent some hours with a guide to learn facts and afternoon and evening alone to absorb the atmosphere.
Khiva to Bukhara by car (day 9)
April 17: It takes practically the whole day to drive 450 km from Khiva to Bukhara. Still, it was my preferred choice since there is no fast option and with a car you can stop along the way. And if you leave early, you can enjoy a relaxing evening in Bukhara - including a dance spectacle or experience in historical hammam Bosori Kord. I managed both!
Bukhara (days 10 and 11)
Two days and three nights is a minimum time that I reccommend to spend in this jewel. Enjoy historical sites, great food, hammams, and the best shopping !
April 18: I spend the day exploring the city by myself on foot. Chor Minor, Lyabi Hauz square around the pond and its historical buildings, trading domes, Po-i-Kalyan complex, Ulugh Beg and Abdulazziz Khan Madrassas, Arch of Bukhara, Bolo Hauz, Samanid Mauseoleum.
April 19: The second day I took a guide with a driver to easily reach sights outside of the city center. Bakhoutdin Naqshbandi Mausoleum, Sitorai-Mokhikhosa a summer residence of Bukhara’s last emir, UNESCO World Heritage Site Chor-Bakr Necropolis from 16th century, and historical house Fayzulla Khodjaev. I finish the day with shopping and last night photos of the old city.
The city existed here for about 2,5 millenia and served as a center of trade, scholarship, culture, and religion. The mother tongue of the majority of people of Bukhara is Tajik, orginitaing from Farsi, Persian language (note: Uzbek language belong to the group of Turkic languages). Bukhara was capital of the Samanid Empire a good thousands years ago, of the Khanate Empire in the 16th century and of Emirate of Bukhara until 1920. Imam al-Bukhari who compiled the hadith collection known as Sahih al-Bukhari, regarded by Sunni Muslims as the most authentic was born here in 810. Its historic center is listed under UNESCO as World Heritage Site.
Sarmysh Gorge, Aydarkul lake, Kyzylkum desert, and Dara Valley (days 12 and 13)
April 20: 7AM pick up from the hotel in Bukhara. On the way we stop at Rabat Malik Caravanserai and cistern right in from of it. Quick visit of Navoiy town where we pick up my guide. We continue to Sarmysh-say gorge to marvel on thousands years old petroglyphs. In Nurata we visit Alexander the Great’s fortress ruins and the holy spring. And then drive through the Kyzylkum desert and Aydarkul lake.
April 21: Morning visit of Dungalak village among the sand dunes. Then a drive to Dara Vallye with spectacular volcanic rock formation and afternoon arrival to Samarkand.
Samarkand (day 13, 14, and 15)
Samarkand is among the oldest continuously inhabited cities in Central Asia (probably founded in the 8th century BC) and at times one of the largest cities in this area. As in Bukhara, locals are Persian-speakers of Tajik ethnicity. UNESCO added the city to its Wrold Heritage List as Samarkand – Crossroads of Cultures.
April 21: I used the evening for a night visit of Registan square, and climb to one of the minarets of the Ulugh Beg Madrasah. Do not limit yourself to watching of Registan from a viewing platform and pay the entrance.
April 22: I returned to Registan square and took a guide for a shorter visit. Then by myself I visted Siab basaar and adjacent gigantic Bibi-Khanum mosque. Hazrat Khizr Mosque has the oldest origins but the most recent look after restorations. Adjacent President Tomb is the resting place of the first president of Uzbekistan, Islam Karimov. Walk to splendid Shah-i-Zinda sacred necropolis. Taxi ride to see the performance of El Merosi.
April 23: I took a guide to the Samarkand outskirts including Gur-e-Amir, Ulugh Bek Observatory, Tomb of Saint Daniel, and Afrasiab museum and adjacent mould. Then flush it down with local beer and visit in Enology Museum and Khavrenko winery.
Shahrisabz (day 16)
April 24: Shahrisabz is known as a bitrhplace of Amir Timur in 1370. Thanks to several impressive monuments from the Timurid Dynasty the city was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List.
It is a great stop along the travel from Samarkand to Termez by car. You can visit Ak-Saray Palace, Mausoleum of Jakhongir, son of Amir Timur, as the remains of the Dor-us Siyodat complex, the tomb intended for Amir Timur but never used by him, as well as Dorut Tilavat ensabmble with Kok-Gumbaz Mosque.
Termez (day 17)
Termez is located at the southermost tip of Uzbekistan, surrounded by borders with Turkemistan, Afganistan, and Tajikistan. It is notable as the site of Alexander the Great's city Kamyr Tepa, Alexandria on the Oxus (today’s Amu Darya river), as a center of Early Buddhism through which this religion was spread from India to Eastern Asia, as a site of Muslim pilgrimage, and as a base of Soviet Union military operations in Afghanistan, accessible via the nearby Hairatan border crossing over the “Friendship bridge”, today not accessible unless you cross border.
April 24: on the way from north we stop in Kamyr Tepa, Alexandria on the Oxus .
April 25: Early start at the Buddha's stupa Zurmala Tower, Kara Tepe and Fayaz Tepe Buddhist monasteries. Mausoleum of Al-Hakim at-Termezi, who was theorist of Islamic misticism and the founder of the dervishes order is a famous pilgrimage site right next to the Old Termez ruins mostly non accessable. Kyr-Kyz (40 girls) fortress, Kokildor-Ota Khanaka, Sultan Saodat Ensemble and finally amazing Arecheological Museum. My night flight to Termez was cancelled without notice and I got an incredible 700 km overnigt taxi for about 50$.
Tashkent (day 18)
I arrived to Tashkent after a long 700 km night taxi drive. Yes, in Uzbekistan with cheap gas it is possible, when they cancel your flight without any notice… after shower and breakfast, full day immersion to see the city and then taking a night flight back home…
April 26: I start at Chorsu Bazaar and at a neraby mediaval Ko'kaldosh Madrasasi I meet my guide. We rush to Central Asian Plov Centre to see plov preparation before lunch time. White Mosque, Hazrati Imam Complex , guided tour at the State Museum of the History of Uzebkistan. Then I continue alone in the Applied Art Museum, State Museum of Art, Tashkent subway and a walk through the Amir Timur square to close it all.