Uzbekistan-Turkmenistan Tour - 311 Days | Tashkent, Samarkand, Bukhara, Khiva, Darvaza, Ashgabat, Mary, Merv

Arrive in Tashkent. You will be met by Advantour 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 Old City part of Tashkent with Khast-Imam Complex where the world famous Quran of Caliph Uthman – Ottoman has been preserved. In Khast-Imam visit Madrasah of Barak-Khan, Tillya-Sheykh Mosque, Mausoleum of the Saint Abu Bakr Kaffal Shashi and the Islamic Institute of Imam al-Bukhari. Explore Chorsu bazaar. Then take a ride on Tashkent Metro to city center to walk through Amir Timur Square, Independence Square and visit Applied Arts Museum. Overnight at the hotel.
Duration of sightseeing tour: 4-5 hours

After breakfast transfer from your hotel to the railway station. The high-speed Afrosiyob train departs Tashkent and arrives in Samarkand in two hours (300 km). Your guide and driver will meet you at train station to begin the city tour in Samarkand. Visit spectacular Registan Square, remains of Bibi-Khanum Mosque, Siab Bazaar, Ulugbek Observatory, Shakhi-Zinda Necropolis and Gur-Emir Mausoleum – the mausoleum of Amir Timur. Overnight at the hotel.
Duration of sightseeing tour: 6-7 hours

Continue sightseeing: visit Afrasiab Museum and the Tomb of Saint Daniel. Then drive to Konigil village to explore traditional way of making Samarkand paper from mulberry. Enjoy free time with car and driver at your disposal after sightseeing tour. Overnight at the hotel.
Duration of sightseeing tour: 3-4 hours

In the morning depart Samarkand and drive to Bukhara (280 km, 4 h.*). Stop on the way at Rabat-i-Malik Caravanserai. Continue driving to Bukhara. Arrive in Bukhara, check in to the hotel. Spend your afternoon in fascinating Old Bukhara which is listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. Explore Kalyan Minaret, Kalyan Mosque and Miri-Arab Madrasah, Magoki-Attori Mosque, madrasahs of Ulugbek and Abdulazizkhan, trade domes, Lyabi-Khauz Ensemble, Chor-Minor Madrasah. Overnight at the hotel.
Duration of sightseeing tour: 3-4 hours
*The drive on vans and buses is on average an hour longer.

Start the second day in Bukhara discovering Ark Fortress, Bolo-Khauz Mosque, Samani dynasty and Chashma-Ayub mausoleums. Then visit Sitorai Mokhi-Khosa – the summer residence of Bukhara’s last emir, unique site combining Oriental and Russian architecture. Continue to the Mausoleum of Bakhouddin Naqshbandi. Enjoy free time in the afternoon. Overnight at the hotel.
Duration of sightseeing tour: 5-6 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 en-route to enjoy views of the desert and Amu Darya River. Arrive in Khiva late in the afternoon, check in to the hotel. Time for rest. Overnight at the hotel.
*As the cafés and restaurants on the way are basic and offer limited menus, you may wish to take a packed lunch on this trip (your hotel or guide can help you arrange this the day before).
**Some parts of the road are not in the best condition.

Today you will visit Ichan-Kala Fortress, 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. Try yourself at climbing Islam-Khoja minaret, the highest minaret in Uzbekistan. Enjoy breathtaking panoramic views of Old Khiva in Kunya-Ark. Free time in the afternoon.

In the morning drive to Turkmenistan border point Shavat-Dashoguz (60 km, 1 h.). Go through border formalities on both checkpoints. Cross the 1.5 km neutral zone (transportation may not be available). Meet your Turkmenistan guide and drive to Darvaza gas crater located in the middle of Karakym desert (270 km, 4 h.). Set up the camp. Enjoy a delicious fire-cooked meal for dinner near the burning gas crater. Overnight in tents.

After camp style breakfast depart to Ashgabat (280 km, 4 h.). Upon arrival check in to the hotel. Start sightseeing tour in Ashgabat, the capital of Turkmenistan that 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 you will explore an archaeological site of Old Nisa (included in UNESCO World Heritage list) and 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 newly built Independence Park. Intense and interesting excursion also includes a stopover at the Akhalteke horse stables and Lenin Monument. Overnight at the hotel.
Duration of sightseeing tour: 6 hours

Breakfast. Transfer to the airport to take a morning flight to Mary (370 km, 40 min.). Upon arrival 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 park with Sultan Sanjar Mausoleum, Large and Small Gyz Gala, Erk Gala, Gyaur Gala, Keshk Fortress and others. Merv blossomed during the Persian Empire of the Achaemenids and later under the Parthian, Sasanian, Arab, and Seljuk Turk rule. Return to Mary. Visit History Museum of Merv region. Take the return flight to Ashgabat (370 km, 40 min.). Upon arrival transfer to the hotel. Overnight at the hotel.
Duration of sightseeing tour: 4-5 hours

Check out from the hotel at noon. Free time until transfer to Ashgabat International Airport. End of the tour service.