15-day Uzbekistan Jeep Tour

Arrive in Tashkent. You will be met by Advantour driver and transferred to the hotel. Check in to the hotel at 14:00. Your tour will start with meeting your guide to start sightseeing in the capital of Uzbekistan, the biggest city in Central Asia. Begin at the Courage Monument, which commemorates the 1966 earthquake and honours the resilience of the people of Tashkent, before continuing to the historic Old City. Visit the Mausoleum of Kaffal Shashi, walk past the Khast-Imam Complex, view the exterior of the Islamic Civilization Center, and stroll along the newly developed Zarkaynar Street. Next, explore Chorsu Bazaar and a local pottery gallery, then ride the beautifully decorated Tashkent Metro to the modern city centre. Enjoy free time for lunch on Taras Shevchenko Street, known for its lively dining scene, then continue to the State Museum of Applied Arts and admire the elegant facade of the Alisher Navoi Opera and Ballet Theatre, concluding the tour at Amir Timur Square.

09:00-11:20 Transfer to Paltau region (100 km). Early in the morning, a driver and a mountain guide will meet you at the hotel. Leaving Tashkent towards the Chimgan Mountains, a wide highway brings you to the foot of the huge Charvak reservoir in an hour. Here the road rises higher, winding through the foothills. Driving alongside Charvak, we will park and begin the walk. There will also be a passage of a small border post. 11:30-12:30 Here begins the active part of the tour to the Obi-Rahmat grotto and the Paltau waterfall. Walk the dirt road to the Obi-Rakhmat grotto (2.5 km). Enjoy the surrounding landscapes, including beautiful view of the Chatkal River and the rock formations of Okhotnichiy Mountain. Turning to the gorge of the Paltau River, after a few of kilometers you reach the rocks. 12:30-13:00 A rocky ridge leads you to the entrance to the Obi-Rakhmat grotto. Traces of archaeological work remain, and you can inspect the site, learning about the people who lived more than 50 thousand years ago! Climbing the ridge you will discover two hidden caves. 13:00-14:00 After visiting the cave, the steep path to the bed of the Paltau River begins, taking you upstream (1.5 km). This path is narrow and steep in places – you will have to focus on walking and overcome small natural obstacles with the help of the guide. At the end, you will see a view of the whole 38-meters of the Paltau waterfall. Now you rest, relax and cool down. 14:00-15:00 Lunch is provided at the waterfall. Take photos with the backdrop of the waterfall, and even ‘shower’ and swim under the waterfall. 15:00-16:30 Return to the car via the same route. Transfer to hotel. Free time in the evening. Overnight at the hotel. Note: In case of bad weather guides reserve the right to change the route.

In the morning drive to a brand new Amirsoy resort. Ride the cable car to the Kumbel Ridge (2,300 m) where you can clearly see the surrounding mountains and the peak known as 'Big Chimgan' (3,300 m). Continue drive to Tashkent. Lunch in Tashkent and drive to Zaamin district in Jizzakh (280 km, 4-5 hrs). Enjoy its majestic mountains, beautiful nature, clean and healthy air conceal. Check in to the hotel. Free time. Overnight at the hotel.

Free day in Zaamin Natural Reserve in Jizzakh. Overnight at the hotel.

In the morning depart Zaamin for Samarkand (160km, 2.5hours). Upon arrival in Samarkand meet with the guide and start sightseeing Samarkand. The tour begins with a visit to Ulugbek Observatory, where part of the XV c. sextant is preserved. Continue to Shakhi-Zinda Necropolis and remains of Bibi- Khanum Mosque. Walking on the 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 colorful Siab bazaar with stalls full of oriental sweets, local fruits, and variety of freshly baked traditional breads. The last point of interest to be visited is Gur-Emir Mausoleum – authentic shrine of Tamerlane. Duration of sightseeing tour: 6-7 hours

In the morning, depart Samarkand for Tim village. Visit Arab – Ata mausoleum which is located in one of the oldest cemeteries. The mausoleum’s age is more than thousand years and hides unreachable secrets of history in it. Leave Tim till noon and drive to Aksay (Sazagan). You will be at the foot of the mountain (on the height of 980m) with two roads leading there: stairs of 1303 steps and a horse road. Walking up the stairs takes much time; thus it is better to choose the latter and get to the top on horses or donkeys. Riding a horse for half an hour, you will be at the mosque and viewing platform (on the height of 1280m) where you will have an excellent panoramic view of the Samarkand valley. After seeing the mosque and enjoying wonderful views, you will go (200 steps) downstairs to Hazrat Daud Cave. There you will enjoy view of the cave, walk along the tunnel until the fingerprints of palms and feet of Hazrat Daud. Then, return to the mosque and go down the stairs (1300 steps) to the Aksay village. Return to Samarkand. Overnight at the hotel. Note: Horse ride cost is extra charge and not included in the price. The guide will accompany in the same car during the trip.

In the morning drive to Khatyrchi District of Navoi Region where you will be visiting Sangijuman stone. The Spring season, when nature awakes from winter sleep, attracts many people to this extraordinary place. Some of them, believing in legends, pray for health, others – want to see these majestic stones. The beauty of nature and uncommon landscape draw tourists for photo shooting or just for enjoying the view. Moreover, there is a stream nearby that comes from under the ground, with crystal clear spring water.) After visiting Sangijuman, the driver will take you to Nurata. Arrive at Safari yurt camp. Free time. Overnight in yurts.

In the morning visit desert Aydarkul Lake. Free time on the lake. Extras to do in the area: Option 1. Camel ride to Aydarkul Lake through the desert (8.5 km, 3 h., paid additionally). Enjoy your time on the lake and have lunch. Option 2. Take a short camel ride to a nearby village Dungalak (1.5 km, 30 min, paid additionally). Participate in baking traditional bread “non”. Take a short walk in the village to see life of locals and return to the camp. In the afternoon depart the yurt camp and drive Gijduvan, 50 km away from Bukhara. Visiting a workshop of Gijduvan pottery masters. Then drive to Bukhara (250 km, 5 h, in total.). Arrival in Bukhara. Check in to the hotel and overnight. No guide service on this day

A guide will meet you at hotel, which is a starting point of the city tour. Enjoy a walking sightseeing tour with a guide in Old City. Visit Lyabi-Khauz Ensemble, Magoki-Attori Mosque, Chor-Minor Madrasah, trade domes, Kalyan Minaret, Kalyan Mosque and Miri-Arab Madrasah, Ulugbek and Abdulazizkhan Madrasahs, Ark Fortress, Bolo-Khauz Mosque, Ismail Samani and Chashma-Ayub mausoleums. Duration of sightseeing tour: 6-7 hours

In the morning depart Bukhara and drive to Khiva (480 km, 7-8 h.*). The Great Silk Road once routed through Bukhara and Khiva ran through the Kyzyl Kum Desert, as the present road does nowadays**. Stop along the way to enjoy the views of the surrounding desert. Arrive in Khiva late in the afternoon, check in to the hotel. Time for rest. Overnight at the hotel. *we advise preparing lunchboxes for this trip. **some parts of the road are presently being renovated.

Check-out from hotel till noon. Today you will visit Itchan-Kala Fortress which is 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. Free time in the afternoon.

In the morning depart to Nukus (200 km, 4-5 h.). On the way visit archaeological monuments of Ancient Khorezm: Chilpyk Zoroastrian dakhma, Ayaz-Kala and Toprak-Kala – the capital of Khorezm dating back to the 3rd century A.D. Continue drive to Nukus. Arrive in Nukus and visit the Savitsky Karakalpakstan Art Museum*. The museum hosts the world's second largest collection of Russian avant-garde art and exposition of Karakalpak applied arts items. Check in to the hotel and overnight. *Due to renovations at Savitsky Museum, some of the archeological and applied arts exhibitions remain closed indefinitely. Duration of sightseeing tour: 5 hours

Meet your guide and driver to start a full day trip to Aral Sea through Usturt Plateau. The distance till the water line of Aral Sea is 450 km and it takes approximately 8-9 hours to cover it. Pass via Kungrad district, which used to be one of the trading centers on the Silk Road. On the way, see remains of a lighthouse; pass by the ruins of abandoned settlement Urga. Photo stop at the Lake Sudochie. The next stop is the small village of Kubla-Ustyurt, built during the Soviet era. Here, you will learn about the region’s past. On the old runway, you can photograph an interesting building set against the rural landscape. Have a picnic lunch on the way. Continue driving on the immense Usturt Plateau. Arrive at the Aral Sea late in the afternoon. Set up the tent. Camp-style dinner. Overnight in tent. Meals: Lunch, Dinner

Early wake up to take pictures of sun rise. After breakfast head back to Nukus. Stop to take pictures of beautiful canyons and the collapsed land. Drive on the dried bottom of the sea. Stop in Muynak to have a look at the former port with abandoned ships in the sand – “Cemetery of ships”. In Muynak, visit Local History Museum (might be closed without prior notice). Picnic lunch. On the way to Nukus, stop at Mizdakhan memorial complex and Gyaur-Kala Fortress. Arrive in Nukus. Transfer to the airport. Take the flight to Tashkent. Arrive in Tashkent. Transfer to the hotel. Overnight at the hotel. Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Transfer to the international airport. Departure. End of Jeep Tour around Uzbekistan.