zSilk Road of Uzbekistan

Check in to the 5-star InterContinental Hotel and settle in to your spacious guestroom. Travelers arriving by 10:00 this morning will have time today for an included city tour. After time to refresh, your guide will meet you in the lobby to show you the highlights of the Uzbekistani capital, founded more than 2,000 years ago. Your sightseeing will include the Old City, the Barak-Khan Madrassah with its brilliant blue dome, Independence Square, the National Theater of Opera and Ballet and the Kukeldash Madrassah, built in 1570.

Transfer to the station for your first class rail journey to Samarkand, where you’ll be warmly greeted and escorted by private car to the Samarkand Plaza Hotel. Freshen up and then join your personal guide for an intimate and engaging afternoon tour around town.

Samarkandc was hailed as the Heart of the Great Silk Road – and Registan Square was revered as the Heart of Samarkand. Your privately guided tour explores the handsome medieval buildings that still grace the Square and also includes the imposing Bib Khanum Mosque and Gur-Emir Mausoleum. Meals B,L,D

After breakfast, your privately guided sightseeing of Samarkand continues this morning with the 15th century Shah-i-Zinda Necropolis, the ancient Ulugbek observatory and the Afrosiab Museum. Then join your guide to browse in a colorful local bazaar before returning to your hotel. The balance of your afternoon is free to explore and enjoy as you wish. Meals B,L,D

Journey by private car, following the fabled Great Silk Road to the ancient city of Bukhara and check in to the comfortable Sasha and Son Hotel. Your private afternoon tour showcases the finely-preserved architecture of the Poli Kalon Ensemble including the Kalyan Minaret erected in 1127 and the Miri-Arab Madrassah. Meals B,L,D

Nearly destroyed by Genghis Khan, Bukhara still offers a wealth of ancient sites, a legacy of its location on the Great Silk Road. Your private sightseeing continues this morning as you visit several more significant sites including the Bahouddin Naqshbandi Complex, dedicated to a great Sufi hermit born in Bukhara in 1318. Return to your hotel where the rest of your afternoon is at leisure. Meals B,L,D

Travel overland to Khiva and check in to the Malika Khiva Hotel. Meals B,L,D

With a small population and 2,500 years of history, Khiva is a living museum – its Old City capturing the exotic charm of an ancient town of the Orient. Your privately guided tour explores these sites in-depth, including the Kunya-Ark Fortress and Tash Hauli Palace. After sightseeing, journey with your private car and driver to the airport in Urgench for your included flight back to Tashkent. Upon arrival, you’ll be met and escorted once again to the lovely InterContinental Hotel. Meals B,L,D

Your tour with us finishes this morning. Meals B