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Uzbekistan: Samarkand, Bukhara and Khiva on the Silk Road

10 days from Tashkent: three nights in Samarkand, two in Bukhara, two inside Khiva's walls, the fast train across the country and a flight back.

10 days · Round trip from Tashkent · up to 12 guests

The Kalta Minor minaret and Itchan Kala, seen from the Kuhna Ark in Khiva Photo: Fabio Achilli from Milano, Italy, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Khiva,_Kalta_Minor_Minaret,_Uzbekistan_(6132641582).jpg)

The facts

At a glance

Length
10 days, 9 nights
Start and end
Round trip from Tashkent
Group size
7 to 12 guests
Activity level

Moderate

Walking days of 5 to 9 km on paving, cobbles and uneven old-town lanes, with short flights of steps at Shah-i-Zinda and an optional steep climb up the Islam Khoja minaret in Khiva. Spring and autumn days can still reach 30 C, so we walk in the morning and late afternoon, and you can sit out any afternoon at the hotel.

Meals included
9 breakfasts, 6 lunches, 2 dinners
Room of your own
+ CAD 730 (estimated price)
Season
April to June and September to October

Highlights

Why this trip

  • Shah-i-Zinda at opening, its avenue of tiled tombs quiet before the tour groups
  • The Registan at sunset and lit after dark, then its madrasa courtyards at opening the next morning
  • Three nights in Samarkand, with the Afrosiab Museum, Ulugbek's Observatory and a paper workshop in Konigil village
  • Bukhara's Po-i-Kalyan at golden hour, with the Kalyan Minaret that has stood since 1127
  • Across the Kyzylkum to Khiva, and two nights at the walls of Itchan Kala instead of one
  • The forest of carved wooden columns in Khiva's Juma Mosque and the city from the Kuhna Ark
  • Tashkent's painted metro stations and the old Quran at Khast Imam, with time in both halves of the capital

What makes this trip different

  • Free time is part of the plan

    Free time and choices are marked on the days they fall.

  • Solo without the penalty

    A room of your own is + CAD 730 (estimated price).

Day by day

Itinerary

UZBEKISTANKYZYLKUM DESERTTURKMENISTANKAZAKHSTANAmu Darya1234TashkentDays 1 to 2, 9 to 10SamarkandDays 2 to 5KonigilDay 4BukharaDays 5 to 7KhivaDays 7 to 9

Tap any stop on the map to open that day

Arrive in Tashkent

Tashkent International Airport to your hotel in Tashkent

  • Welcome dinner
  • Stay in Tashkent
  • Drive about 15 min

Fly into Tashkent International Airport (TAS), only a short drive from the centre of the capital, and a driver meets you in the arrivals hall.

Evening

Plan to land by about 4 pm to reach the evening briefing; the latest arrival time is confirmed with your final itinerary. Tashkent was largely rebuilt after the 1966 earthquake, so its centre is wide Soviet boulevards, fountains and parks rather than an old town of mud brick, and it makes a calm first evening. If you arrive early, walk to Amir Timur Square or along the shady pedestrian street locals call Broadway. In the early evening your See Sight Tours guide meets the group for a short briefing on the trip: how the trains work, what to wear at mosques and shrines, and how the days are paced. Then we sit down together to a welcome dinner of salads, bread from the tandoor and grilled shashlik at a local restaurant.

Included

  • Pick-up at Tashkent International Airport (TAS)
  • Welcome briefing with your guide
  • Welcome dinner

Free time: Free until the evening briefing

  1. Tashkent1 night
  2. Samarkand3 nights
  3. Bukhara2 nights
  4. Khiva2 nights
  5. Tashkent1 night
  • Overnight stop
  • Day trip
  • By boat or train
Print itinerary

Wildlife and weather: April to June and September to October bring warm, dry days and cool evenings. July and August are very hot in Bukhara and Khiva, often above 40 C, and winter is cold, so we do not run this trip in those months.

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Get the day-by-day itinerary by email, or ask us anything about this trip. A trip planner replies the same or next business day.

Before you book

Right for you?

Good for you if you want

  • Travellers who want Samarkand, Bukhara and Khiva with two or three nights in each
  • Architecture, history and bazaars at an unhurried pace
  • Trains and a short flight rather than long days in a bus
  • Solo travellers who want a small group and fair single pricing

Not for you if you want

  • Step-free access: old-town lanes are uneven and some sights have stairs
  • Travellers who want nights in a desert yurt camp
  • A beach or nightlife holiday
  • July and August travel, when the cities pass 40 C

Book flights after we confirm your seat.

9 nights

Where you'll stay

Your hotels are named in your trip confirmation.

  • Tashkent1 night
  • Samarkand3 nights
  • Bukhara2 nights
  • Khiva2 nights
  • Tashkent1 night

One price

What's in the price

Included

Accommodation

  • 9 nights in central hotels of a 3-star-plus standard: 1 in Tashkent, 3 in Samarkand near the Registan, 2 in Bukhara near Lyabi-Hauz, 2 in Khiva inside or at the gates of Itchan Kala, and 1 more in Tashkent
  • Rooms shared, or your own for a supplement
  • Hotels named when we confirm your dates

Transport

  • Pick-up and drop-off at Tashkent International Airport (TAS)
  • Our own vehicle and driver for the group in each city, including station and airport transfers
  • Reserved seats on the Afrosiyob high-speed train from Tashkent to Samarkand and from Samarkand to Bukhara
  • Bukhara to Khiva across the Kyzylkum in our own vehicle, or by daytime train on dates it runs (confirmed for your date)
  • Flight from Urgench (UGC) to Tashkent

Your guide

  • A See Sight Tours guide with the group from day 1 to day 10, including on the trains and the flight
  • Licensed local guides in Samarkand, Bukhara and Khiva where sites require them

Activities

  • Tashkent: the Khast Imam complex and the Uthman Quran, Chorsu Bazaar, a metro ride through the decorated stations, Amir Timur Square, the Alisher Navoi Theatre and the Courage Monument
  • Samarkand: Gur-e-Amir, the Registan at sunset and its three madrasas at opening, Shah-i-Zinda, the Afrosiab Museum, Ulugbek's Observatory, Bibi-Khanym Mosque and Siyob Bazaar
  • Konigil: a paper-making workshop
  • Bukhara: Lyabi-Hauz, the trading domes, Magoki-Attari, the Ulugbek and Abdulaziz Khan madrasas, Chor Minor, the Ismail Samani Mausoleum, Chashma-Ayub, Bolo-Hauz, the Ark and the Po-i-Kalyan
  • Khiva: the Itchan Kala walls at sunset (and the wall walk where open), the Kalta Minor, the Kuhna Ark, the Juma Mosque, the Tosh-Hovli palace, the Pahlavon Mahmud mausoleum and the Islam Khoja minaret
  • All entrance fees for included sights

Meals

  • 9 breakfasts
  • 6 lunches: plov in Tashkent, a home-cooked lunch with a Samarkand family, lunch in Konigil village, lunch in Bukhara, lunch on the way to Khiva and lunch in Khiva
  • 3 dinners: a welcome dinner in Tashkent, dinner on arrival in Khiva and a farewell dinner in Tashkent

Not included

  • International flights to and from Tashkent
  • Visa fees, if your passport needs a visa
  • Travel insurance
  • Meals not listed above
  • Drinks
  • Tips for your guide, local guides and driver
  • Optional activities: the Sitorai Mohi Hosa palace, a hammam and a winery tasting
  • Photo fees where a site charges them
  • Personal expenses

Extras

Room of your own
CAD 730 (estimated price)

When you can go

Dates and prices

Pick your start date when you request to book. We check that date and confirm it in your quote.

Prefer to travel without a group or guide? Ask us about arranging hotels, transport and city tours for you to travel independently.

Before you book

Booking terms

Nothing is charged now. Full terms and the cancellation schedule come with your quote, before you accept.

Business addresses

See Sight Tours Trips (USA): 3172 N Rainbow Blvd, Las Vegas, NV 89108, United StatesSee Sight Tours Trips (Canada): 5305 50 Avenue, #1091, Red Deer, AB T4N 4B6, Canada+1-888-961-6584

Guest reviews

What guests say

Reviews from guests on our day tours.

Cornelius Amann
October 06, 2026
google

5/5

Parminder did a great job guiding us around, giving us tips & teaching us the history of the falls. A great experience!

Jane
October 06, 2026
gyg

5/5

Good views of the surrounding area of Halifax in a comfortable minivan

Susan
October 06, 2026
gyg

5/5

June was brilliant- made good contact beforehand and really attentive and knowledgeable. Made me feel like I was special- something only experience can do. Thank you June.

Tom L
October 05, 2026
tripadvisor

5/5

Our host was very knowledgeable, friendly and even provided some humor.

MandL83
October 05, 2026
tripadvisor

5/5

Peter was a very good guide, giving us insight into the various parts of the Park, including parking lot congestion details, trail and viewing location suggestions.

Darren O
October 05, 2026
tripadvisor

5/5

Excellent morning spent with my guide Nancy. Very knowledgeable and friendly. Thoroughly enjoyed my trip

4.7/5 from 38,601 guest reviews

Good to know

Questions

What does the Uzbekistan trip price include?

Nine nights in central hotels, 9 breakfasts, 6 lunches and 3 dinners, airport transfers, our own vehicle and driver, reserved seats on the high-speed trains, the road or train crossing to Khiva, the flight from Urgench to Tashkent, your See Sight Tours guide throughout, local guides where required, and the entrance fee for every sight on the day plan.

How big is the group?

The small-group trip runs with 7 to 12 guests, fewer than the 16 most Uzbekistan group tours take, so everyone hears the guide inside a madrasa and fits around one table at lunch.

Who leads the trip?

A See Sight Tours guide travels with the group from arrival to departure, on every train and the flight too. Licensed local guides join in Samarkand, Bukhara and Khiva where sites require them. We name your guide when we confirm your dates.

How fit do I need to be?

Moderately. Most days involve 5 to 9 km of walking on paving and uneven old-town lanes, often in warm sun, with short stairs at Shah-i-Zinda and the Kuhna Ark. Afternoons are mostly free to rest, and the minaret climb in Khiva is optional.

I am travelling solo. What does a single room cost?

A room of your own costs CAD 730 more on the small-group trip, shown up front before you book. You join the same dinners, tables and activities as everyone else; the supplement only covers the hotel room.

When is the best time to visit Uzbekistan?

April to June and September to October. Days are warm and dry, evenings cool, and the gardens and bazaars are full. July and August often pass 40 C in Bukhara and Khiva, and winter is cold, so we do not run departures then.

Do I need a visa for Uzbekistan?

Canadian citizens can currently visit Uzbekistan without a visa for up to 30 days. Rules differ by passport and change from time to time, so we check yours when you book. Hotels register you with the authorities each night; keep the slips they hand you.

How do you get from Bukhara to Khiva?

By road or by daytime train across the Kyzylkum Desert, confirmed for your date. The train runs only some days of the week, so most dates go by road: about 450 km in our own vehicle, six to seven hours with stops and a sit-down lunch. It is the trip's one long travel day.

Is there an overnight train or a yurt camp?

No. Some Uzbekistan trips return to Tashkent on a night train in shared compartments, or spend a night in a desert yurt camp with shared bathrooms. We fly from Urgench to Tashkent and stay in hotels every night.

How does booking work?

Choose a start date and request to book. We confirm your place within 24 hours, and no payment is taken when you send the request. Prices are per person sharing a room, taxes included: from CAD 3,645 on the small-group trip.

Can we travel privately or on our own dates?

Yes. The trip also runs as a private trip for your party only, on a date you choose, from CAD 6,560 per person. If you would rather travel independently on your own dates, ask us from the dates section and we will quote the same hotels, trains and local guides.

Can I drink alcohol and is Uzbek food vegetarian friendly?

Beer and wine, including Uzbek wine, are sold in most city restaurants and hotels. Uzbek cooking leans on lamb and beef, but bread, salads, soups and vegetable dishes are easy to find; tell us your diet when you book and we brief each restaurant.

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