13-Day Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan Tour with Darvaza and Silk Road Cities

• Arrive in Tashkent.
• You will be met by a driver and transferred to the hotel.
• Check in to the hotel at noon.
• Meet your guide to start your Uzbekistan-Turkmenistan tour with sightseeing in the capital and the biggest city in Central Asia.
• Visit the Old City part of Tashkent with the Khast-Imam complex, where the world-famous Quran of Caliph Uthman - Ottoman has been preserved.
• In Khast-Imam, visit the Madrasah of Barak-Khan, Tilla Sheikh Mosque, Mausoleum of Saint Abu Bakr Kaffal Shashi, and the Islamic Institute of Imam al-Bukhari.
• Explore Chorsu Bazaar.
• Then take a ride on the Tashkent Metro to the city center to walk through Amir Timur Square and Independence Square, and visit the Applied Arts Museum.
• Overnight at the hotel.

• Early morning transfer for the flight to Urgench (1093 km, 1 h. 40 min.).
• Arrival in Urgench, followed by a transfer to the hotel in Khiva (30 minutes' drive).
• Later, proceed for a guided walking sightseeing tour.
• Spend the day in Ichan-Qala, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
• Visit Mukhammad Aminkhan Madrasah, Mukhammad Rakhimkhan Madrasah, Kalta-Minor, Juma Mosque, Tash-Khovli Palace, Pakhlavan Makhmud Mausoleum, Kunya-Ark, and the Minaret of Islam Khoja.
• Free time in the afternoon.
• Overnight at the hotel.

• After breakfast, depart for Nukus (200 km, 3 h.).
• On the way, visit the archaeological monuments of ancient Khorezm: Chilpyk Zoroastrian dakhma and Toprak-Kala - the capital of Khorezm dating back to the 3rd century A.D.
• Arrive in Nukus and check in to the hotel.
• Visit the Savitsky Karakalpakstan Art Museum.
• The museum hosts the world's second-largest collection of Russian avant-garde art, as well as an exposition of Karakalpak applied arts items.
• Have a short drive around the center of Nukus to see the statue of Karakalpak poet Berdakh, Nukus City Hall, and the Drama Theatre.
• Overnight at the hotel.

• In the morning, drive to the Uzbekistan-Turkmenistan border point at Xojayli.
• Go through border formalities at both checkpoints.
• Cross the 1.5 km neutral zone (transportation may not be available).
• Meet your Turkmenistan guide and drive to Kunya-Urgench (20 min.).
• Visit the Kunya-Urgench historical site, including the mausoleums of Tyurabek-Khanum, Sultan Tekesh, Sultan Il Arslan, Najmuddin-Kubra, and Sultan Ali.
• Discover the Kutlug-Timur Minaret and Kyrk Molla Hill.
• Drive to the Darvaza gas crater in the Karakum Desert (270 km, 4 hours).
• Set up camp.
• Enjoy a delicious fire-cooked meal for dinner near the burning gas crater.
• Overnight in tents.

• After a camp-style breakfast, depart for Ashgabat (280 km, 4 h.).
• Arrive in Ashgabat and enjoy free time.
• Overnight at the hotel.

• Start the day with a sightseeing tour in Ashgabat, the capital of Turkmenistan, which has recently been noted by the Guinness Book of World Records as having more white marble buildings than any other city in the world.
• During the city tour, explore the archaeological site of Old Nisa, included in the UNESCO World Heritage List, and the Spiritual Mosque, one of the biggest mosques in Central Asia.
• You will visit the National Museum of History, the Monument of Neutrality, Presidential Square, Ertugrul Gazi Mosque, and the newly built Independence Park.
• This intense and interesting excursion also includes a stop at the Akhalteke horse and Lenin Monument.
• Overnight at the hotel.

• Take a morning flight to Mary (370 km, 40 min.).
• Arrive in Mary and drive through the desert to the archaeological camp of Gonur Depe (110 km, 3 h.).
• Discover the excavations of the ancient Margush country capital - Gonur, which consists of the Palace of the city, Fire and Water Temples, and the Royal Necropolis.
• Return to Mary.
• Visit the History Museum of the Merv region.
• Overnight at the hotel.

• Drive to Merv (40 km, 30 min.), an ancient city that was a major center of international trade and crafts located on the Silk Road.
• Discover historical parks with Sultan Sanjar Mausoleum, Large and Small Gyz Gala, Erk Gala, Gyaur Gala, Keshk Fortress, and others.
• In the afternoon, depart for the Turkmenistan-Uzbekistan border point (45 km, 1 h).
• Go through border formalities at both checkpoints.
• Cross the 1.5 km neutral zone (transportation may not be available).
• Meet your driver and continue to Bukhara (100 km, 1 h. 30 min).
• Arrival in Bukhara and check in to the hotel.
• Free time in the Old City.
• Overnight at the hotel.

• Enjoy a walking sightseeing tour with a guide in the Old City.
• Visit Lyabi-Khauz Complex, Magoki-Attori Mosque, Chor-Minor Madrasah, the trade domes, Kalyan Mosque and Minaret, Miri-Arab Madrasah, Madrasah of Ulugbek and Abdulazizkhan, Ark Fortress, Bolo-Khauz Mosque, Samani dynasty Mausoleum, and Chashma-Ayub Mausoleum.
• Overnight at the hotel.

• Continue the sightseeing tour with a guide.
• Drive out of the city to Sitorai Mokhi-Khosa - the summer residence of Bukhara's last emir. Then head to the Mausoleum of Bakhouddin Naqshbandi and Chor-Bakr Necropolis.
• In the afternoon, depart for Samarkand (280 km, 4 h.).
• Stop on the way at Caravanserai Rabat-i-Malik, dating back to the 11th century.
• Arrive in Samarkand late in the afternoon and check in to your hotel.
• Overnight at the hotel.

• Meet your guide and driver in the hotel lobby to start a city tour.
• Visit spectacular Registan Square, the remains of Bibi-Khanum Mosque, Ulugbek Observatory, Siab Bazaar, Shakhi-Zinda Necropolis, and Gur-Emir Mausoleum - the mausoleum of Amir Timur.
• Overnight at the hotel.

• Check out from the hotel by noon.
• Continue sightseeing with visits to the Afrasiab Museum and the Tomb of Saint Daniel.
• Then drive to Konigil village to explore the traditional way of making Samarkand paper from mulberry.
• Enjoy free time with a car and driver at your disposal after the sightseeing tour.
• At 16:00, transfer to the railway station.
• Take the high-speed Afrosiyob train departing for Tashkent at 17:00 (300 km).
• The scheduled arrival time is 19:10.
• Pick-up and transfer to the hotel.
• Overnight at the hotel.

• Check out from the hotel at noon.
• Free time until transfer to Tashkent International Airport.

End of the tour.