Aydarkul and Sarmish-say Tour

For those who love a little ancient history, a trip to Aydarkul and Sarmish-say is just about the best Uzbekistan tour possible. Sarmish-say has a unique petroglyph gallery, with over 10,000 stone carvings depicting scenes from daily life of the people who lived here long ago. Then head out to Aydarkul for a taste of nomadic life, with camel riding and a night in a yurt in the Kyzylkum Desert. Aydarkul Lake and Sarmish-say are conveniently located between Bukhara and Samarkand, so if you have some extra time, add on a city tour extension.

Tour itinerary:

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Day 1: Tashkent – Navoi – Nurata – Yurt camp (155 km, 2 hrs)

At 06:30 transfer from your hotel in Tashkent to the train station. The high-speed train, Afrosiyob

, departs at 07:30 and arrives in Navoi at 10:40. A driver will meet you at the train station, transfer to Sarmish-say to see the petroglyphs. After the Sarmish-say excursion you are to drive to Nurata where you can have lunch and visit a local place of interest – the Chashma Complex with a holy spring. After lunch transfer to the yurt camp. On the way a stop at lake of Aydarkul located in the amidst of a sultry desert. In the evening dinner near the camp fire with a Kazakh akin singing folk songs. Overnight at the yurt camp.
Though meals are included, based on the experience and tips of our guests, we advise to take some food in advance, as there are no shops around yurts.

Day 2: Yurt camp – Samarkand – Tashkent (250 km, 3-3.5 hrs)

In the morning camel riding and free time. Then a drive to Samarkand. Arrival in Samarkand, lunch. At 16:00 transfer to a railway station. Return to Tashkent by high-speed train Afrosiyob, departure at 17:00. Arrival in Tashkent at 19:10. End of Aydarkul and Sarmish-say Tour.

Price includes:

Accommodation in the yurt camp hotel with full board (3 meals);
Economy-class tickets for Tashkent-Navoi and Samarkand-Tashkent trains (on rare occasions when the high-speed train is unavailable, we will replace this with the most-comfortable class of regular train);
Transportation throughout the tour, including airport/train station pick ups and drop offs.