Solar Furnace near Tashkent Tour takes you off Uzbekistan’s well-beaten historical routes for a scientific discovery like no other. In Parkent village to the east of the capital is Physics-Sun Institute of Material Science, where the eye-catching Big Solar Furnace operates with a capacity of 1000 kW. The second-largest solar furnace in the world, it continues to serve as a hub for breakthrough scientific research.
Your day tour of Big Solar Furnace will include visits to a field of huge mirrors, a hydrometeorological station and a small museum. Climb the concentrator and watch the process of melting objects at scorching heats before enjoying mountain views on the hills nearby. You will also have the option of extending this tour with visits to local historical and culinary sights.
Tour Itinerary:
In the morning, meet your guide and driver at your Tashkent hotel. Drive to Parkent village (55km, 1hr, 20 min), to tour Big Solar Furnace, a truly unique Soviet relic at The Physics-Sun Institute of Materials Science, also known as the Solar Institute of Uzbekistan.
Upon arrival, begin your tour of the institute’s Big Solar Furnace, a technical complex with a solar concentrator, technological tower and special mirrors (heliostats) which work in harmony to create an ideal environ for solar energy research.
During the tour you will visit the following:
- Heliostat field, filled with 62 mirrors;
- Solar museum;
- Hydrometeorological station;
- Concentrator of the Big Solar Furnace (BSF), which you can climb to observe the process of melting materials at temperatures reaching 3000 degrees Celsius (Note that melting does not occur on weekends, as well as on some weekdays.);
- The upper area of BSF, which has a nice mountain view and fresh air (As of April 4, 2023, the elevator is out of order, so the observation deck is only conditionally accessible. To get there, you need to climb 13 floors on an external staircase on foot.).
The complex is located at an altitude of 1100 meters in the foothills of the Tien Shan Mountains, so after your tour of Physics-Sun you will have free time to enjoy the beauty of nature before returning to Tashkent.
End of Solar Furnace near Tashkent Tour.
Tour Duration:
BSF tour time - 3 hours
Travel time – 6 hours
Optional Activities:
- Taste the famous kebab in Sukkok village (20 km from BSF);
- Visit the ancient plane tree of Ali Buva and the holy spring in Kumushkon village (12 km from BSF);
- Visit nearby poppy fields (May only);
- Visit nearby vineyards (September only).
Price includes:
- Transportation throughout the tour (1-2 ppl in sedan; 3-8 in minivan);
- Pick-up and drop-off from your Tashkent hotel;
- Escort guide;
- Entrance fee to Solar Institute of Uzbekistan.
Price doesn't include:
- Cost of lunch;
- Additional costs for Optional Activities.
Prices, per person
Prices are for 2024 in US$ per person, with discounted prices for larger groups available on request.
Tour Request
The tour is private with your personal guide. There will be no other people joining the tour.
Our guides will follow your own pace.
The starting time of the tour is up to you and may vary from 09.00 am to 16.00 pm.
We are happy to offer this tour for air/train passengers too. Our guide will meet you at the arrival station.
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