Bukhara- Guri Emir Mausoleum Samarkand
- Khiva
History & Archaeology
Uzbekistan: Unveiling History
Uzbekistan
from £2,149 per person 10 2 Including optional travel insurance or a price reduction of £71 if not required-
VIP door to door
Turquoise domes, towering minarets and more…
Embark on an eastern adventure to the exotic cities of Uzbekistan, an historic crossroads on the Great Silk Route's path across Central Asia. Explore the ancient cities of Khiva, Bukhara, Samarkand and Tashkent where towering minarets, glazed arches and gleaming turquoise domes etch the skyline, and travel across deserts little changed since the days of Genghis Khan, the mighty khanate states and the Soviet Union. Get off the beaten track and see pioneering work in recently uncovered archaeological sites, and all in the company of a local archaeology academic.
Including...
- Expert Lecturer
- Local archaeologists in Khiva and Bukhara
- Saga Tour Manager
- Included themed activities
- Expert Host Talks
- Hosted welcome drinks reception
- Meet and greet with expert host
- 20kg checked-in luggage
- Free hotel Wi-Fi
- Hotel porterage
- Optional travel insurance underwritten by Great Lakes Insurance SE, UK
- Return flights and transfers
Plus, this hotel features:
- 9 nights in hotels and 1 in flight
- 22 meals: 10 breakfasts, 3 lunches and 9 dinners
- Tourist visa for full British Citizens resident in the UK
Excursions and visits:
- Walking tour of historic Khiva
- Medieval Bukhara guided tour
- Baha-ud-Din Naqshband's mausoleum visit
- Visit Samarkand's Museum of Afrosiyab
- See Tamerlane's tomb in Samarkand
- Visit to the ancient Timurid centre of Shakhrisabz
- Sightseeing tour of Tashkent
View Full Itinerary
Day 1 UK-Tashkent
After taking Saga’s included UK VIP door-to-door travel service to the airport, fly overnight to Tashkent.
Day 2 Tashkent
Transfer to the Lotte City Palace (4Q), or a similar hotel, for a one night stay. Have breakfast at the hotel and meet a Professor of Archaeology who will give a number of talks and visit some key sites including the Museum of History, the Muyi-Mubarak Mosque and the Khast-Imam complex. B, D
Day 3 Tashkent-Urgench-Khiva
This morning fly to Urgench. Visit the ancient fortresses of Ayzkala, a 2nd-century defence frontier that protected the oasis, and have lunch in yurt camp. Transfer to Khiva for an overnight stay at the Asia Khiva (3Q) or a similar hotel. Enjoy a short city tour around Khiva's inner fortress, Itchan Kala, an architectural treasure trove of carefully restored mud-walled monuments. B, L, D
Day 4 Khiva to Bukhara
Join an early morning tour of the Ismail Khodja Mausoleum, the 16th-century Kunya-Ark Castle and 19th-century Muhammed Amin Khan Madrassah. Then journey across the Kyzyl-Kum or Red Desert, a route that once took camel caravans laden down with silk and spices a month to make. Arrive in Bukhara in the evening, and relish dinner at a local hotel. Stay three nights at the Asia Bukhara (3Q) or a similar hotel. B, L, D
Day 5 Bukhara
A centre of trade and education for more than 2,000 years, Bukhara is the best example of a medieval city in Central Asia. Seek out its key sights on an included three-quarter day walking tour of its old town, including the 10th-century Samanids Mausoleum, the Citadel Ark, and the heart of sacred Bukhara – the 12th century minaret Kalon, the Kalyan Mosque and Miri Arab Madrassah. Look forward to an included dinner at a local restaurant. B, D
Day 6 Bukhara
Head out of the city for the day to learn more about the Paykend settlement, a former trading town buried by desert sands and dubbed the Asiian Pompeii. Continue to Varakhsha, where you'll find the painstakingly unearthed remains of this beautiful city of the Bukhara oasis. B, D
Day 7 Bukhara to Shakhrisabz and Samarkand
Travel to Samarkand via the ancient settlements of Kasbi, Bazda and see the remains of Erkurgan, which was abandoned in the 6th century. Stop for lunch in Shakhrisabz then visit the ruins of the ancient town of Kesh that date back to the 8th century BC. Stay two nights at the Grand Samarkand (4Q) or a similar hotel. B, D
Day 8 Samarkand
Head out of the city to visit the Afrosiab Museum, the archaeological sites of Kafyr-kala and Jartepa. This evening enjoy dinner at a local restaurant. B, D
Day 9 Samarkand to Tashkent
Admire the colourful mosaics, blue domes and lofty arches of Registan Square on today's included tour. This grand plaza is bordered on three sides by a group of splendid structures spanning the 14th to 16th centuries, built by the Timurid dynasty. Wonder at the beauty and history of the Guri Emir Mausoleum, still a place of pilgrimage. This afternoon take the bullet train journey to Tashkent. Stay two nights at Lotte City Palace (4Q) or a similar hotel. B, D
Day 10 Tashkent
Transfer to the archaeological site of Kharashkent to see the ruins of this ancient town that dates back in parts to the 2nd century BC. This evening, enjoy a farewell dinner at a local restaurant. B, D
Day 11 Tashkent-UK
Explore Tashkent on an included sightseeing tour before your return flight to the UK and your included UK door-to-door travel service home. B
