10-day Uzbekistan Food Tour

Arrival in Tashkent. You will be met by Advantour driver and transferred to the hotel. Standard check in time is after 14:00. Meet with your guide to start sightseeing in the capital of Uzbekistan, the biggest city in Central Asia. Visit Old City part of Tashkent with Khast-Imam Complex. In Khast-Imam visit Madrasah of Barak-Khan, Tillya-Sheykh Mosque, Mausoleum of the Saint Abu Bakr Kaffal Shashi and the Islamic Institute of Imam al-Bukhari. Then take a ride on Tashkent Metro to the city center to visit Applied Arts Museum and walk through Navoi Theater to Amir Timur Square where you will end Tashkent city tour. During the tour stop at Plov center for lunch (working hours 12:00 – 13:00). Overnight at the hotel. After the tour or later in the evening you can visit the Islamic Civilization Center in Tashkent on your own (optional). Duration of sightseeing tour: 5-6 hours

At 07:00 transfer from your hotel to railway station. The high-speed train Afrosiyob departs Tashkent at 08:00 and arrives in Samarkand at 10:10 (300 km). Your guide and driver will meet you at the train station. The tour begins with a visit to Ulugbek Observatory, where part of the sextant from the 15th century is preserved. Continue to Shakhi-Zinda Necropolis and remains of Bibi-Khanum Mosque. Walking through an alley with souvenir shops, you will reach the spectacular Registan Square which has been the center of Samarkand for many centuries. During sightseeing you will have a chance to visit the colorful Siab bazaar, eastern market. Siab bazaar is the largest and the oldest marketplace in Samarkand. Its stalls offer to try and haggle for vegetables, fruits, nuts, oriental sweets, spices, cereals. The market houses rows of street food cafes that offer national dishes, most of them cooked on firewood. You will find there shashlyk (barbeque, usually from minced and diced beef), pilaf (Uzbek signature dish similar to Indian briani), lagman (hot noodle soup with beef and vegetables topping), shurpa (soup with rather big pieces of red meat and vegetables), samsa (stuffed puff pastry), khanum (steamed rolled dough with some shredded potato). The last point of interest to be visited is Gur-Emir Mausoleum – the final resting place of Timur, a great emperor. After the sightseeing drive to the wine factory named after Khovrenko for wine degustation. Transfer to the hotel for overnight. Duration of sightseeing tour: 6-7 hours

In the morning your driver will take you to national guest house where master class on cooking Samarkand pilaf will be conducted. After lunch continue sightseeing: visit Afrasiab Museum and the Tomb of Saint Daniel. Then drive to Konigil village to explore traditional way of making Samarkand paper from mulberry. Free time. Overnight at the hotel. Duration of sightseeing tour: 3-4 hours

At 08:50 am transfer to the Railway station to get the fast-going train departing to Bukhara at 09:50 am. Upon arrival a Bukhara at 11:20 transfer to Gijduvan (48 km, 1h). Stop in Gijduvan to visit the Gijduvan Ceramics Center and Workshop. The owner of the center is Alisher Narzullaev, one of the most well-known and respected ceramics masters of modern Uzbekistan. Activities at the center include: Tour of the ceramic painting workshop, including a demonstration of the related production techniques; Master Classes on ceramic painting; Ceramics Museum, displaying works from five generations of potters; Gallery of ceramics; Cooking master class, where you’ll make a traditional Uzbek dish and bake Gijduvan bread. In the afternoon, continue driving to Bukhara (48km, 1hr). Arrive in Bukhara and check in to the hotel. Spend your afternoon in fascinating Old Bukhara that has been listed as the World Heritage Site by UNESCO. Explore Kalyan Minaret, Kalyan Mosque and Miri-Arab Madrasah, Magoki-Attori Mosque, Madrasahs of Ulugbek and Abdulazizkhan, trade domes, Lyabi-Khauz Ensemble, Chor-Minor Madrasah. Overnight at the hotel. Duration of sightseeing tour: 3-4 hours

Start your second day in Bukhara discovering Ark Fortress, Bolo-Khauz Mosque, Samani dynasty and Chashma-Ayub mausoleums. Then visit Sitorai Mokhi-Khosa – the summer residence of Bukhara’s last emir, unique site that combines Oriental and Russian architecture. Continue to the Mausoleum of Bakhouddin Naqshbandi. You will have master class on cooking shurpa (soup with rather big pieces of red meat and vegetables) or mampar (soup with diced red meat, vegetables and plain dough). Dinner. Overnight at the hotel. Duration of sightseeing tour: 5-6 hours

At 10 am transfer to Shirin Ethno House situated at Vabkent village, 30 km from Bukhara. Today you will cook national soup Nohat shurak (nohat-shorak) is a chickpea soup with meat and “Somsa”, stuffed puff pastry for lunch. Spend your day with a local family, preparing apricot kernels and seeing the cotton collection site at the village. In the evening return to Bukhara hotel. Overnight at the hotel.

At 9 am depart Bukhara and drive to Khiva (480 km, 7-8 h.*). The Great Silk Road once routed through Bukhara and Khiva ran through the Kyzylkum Desert, as the present road does nowadays**. Stop en-route to enjoy views of the desert and Amu Darya River. Arrive in Khiva late in the afternoon, check in to the hotel. Time for rest. Overnight at the hotel. *As the cafés and restaurants on the way are basic and offer limited menus, you may wish to take a packed lunch on this trip (your hotel or guide can help you arrange this the day before). **Some parts of the road are not in the best condition.

At 9 am meet your guide at the hotel lobby. Today you will visit Ichan-Kala Fortress, a UNESCO World Heritage site. The tour features visits to Mukhammad Aminkhan Madrasah, Mukhammad Rahimkhan Madrasah, Kalta-Minor, Juma Mosque, Tash-Khovli Palace, Pakhlavan Makhmud Mausoleum and Islam-Khoja minaret, the highest minaret in Uzbekistan. Master class on cooking tukhumbarak (unusual Khiva ravioli stuffed with raw eggs) at national house of Zaravshan-opa. Dinner. Overnight at the hotel. Duration of sightseeing tour: 5 hours

In the morning transfer to Urgench airport (30 km, 35 min.) for flight to Tashkent (1093 km, 1 h. 30 min.). Upon arrival you will be met by the driver, who will take you to Chorsu Bazaar – one of the oldest bazaars in Uzbekistan. On counters of this oriental Bazaar you can find almost everything: fresh fruits, amber-colored dried fruits, Uzbek bread (Non) with delicious smell and many other things. They all are so attractive that one can’t pass by them. Your Uzbekistan food tour will be summed up with a very local lunch here. Transfer to the hotel. Free time. Overnight at the hotel.

Check out by 12:00. Free time till transfer to the international airport. Departure. End of Uzbekistan Food Tour.