Fast trains between Silk Road cities, bazaars that smell of cumin and warm bread, an evening on the lit Registan. Uzbekistan suits people who travel with one bag. We are a local tour operator in Tashkent and help with the parts that are easier to arrange from here: train tickets that sell out, a guide for one day, a seat on a group trip, a ride from the airport at night.
Tashkent, Samarkand, Bukhara, Khiva: the route with a backpack
Most people who travel light cross the country along one line, by train from the capital to the walls of Khiva. Here is what waits at each stop: what to see, the legend our guides tell, what to eat, and where we can help.
Tashkent: palaces underground and a bazaar under a dome
Start below ground. Every Tashkent metro station is decorated in its own way, with marble, carved plaster and chandeliers, and the trains run until midnight. Then come up at Chorsu: under the big blue dome they sell dried apricots, spices and flatbread still warm from the tandir, and the rows go on long after you think you have seen them all. A short walk away, the Hazrati Imam complex keeps one of the oldest Qurans in the world.
The Afrosiyob from Tashkent takes a little over two hours, and the first view of the Registan is the moment many people remember from the whole trip: three madrasahs facing one square, every wall covered in tiles. Climb the lane of blue mausoleums at Shah-i-Zinda in the morning, before the heat, and come back to the Registan in the evening, when the square is lit.
Old Bukhara is small enough to walk end to end in a day: from the Ark fortress to the Kalyan minaret, through the old trading domes, down to the Lyabi-Hauz pond. In the late afternoon take a teahouse table by the water and watch the town slow down. In the evening, dinner with a local family shows you how people here live.
The train to Khiva stops about half an hour’s walk from the old city. Inside the walls of Itchan Kala the streets lead from minaret to minaret: the wide turquoise stump of Kalta-Minor, the tall Islam Khoja. Stay for sunset, when the brick turns gold, and walk the lanes again after dark. From Khiva it is a short drive into the Karakum desert for a night in a yurt.
Off the main line: mountains, villages and a lake in the desert
When the cities start to blur, go outside them. The Chimgan mountains are a day trip from Tashkent, with trails for a day hike. Further west, Lake Aydarkul lies in the Kyzylkum desert, and in the villages of the Nuratau ridge families take guests into their homes.
High-speed trains link Tashkent, Samarkand, Bukhara and Khiva, and seats on the popular ones go fast. We buy tickets for your dates, night trains included, and confirm the seats we got.
A guide for one day
Walk the cities on your own and take a guide for the day when you want the stories behind the buildings: in Tashkent, Samarkand, Bukhara or Khiva.
Short trips with a group
Bukhara in two days or Khiva in three by night train from Tashkent, or Samarkand on a weekly group departure. Train tickets, a hotel and sightseeing come in one booking.
A ride when you need one
A pick-up at the airport or station, a transfer to another city, a car with a driver for half a day. Useful when you land at night or the bus does not go where you need.
Evenings you will not find online
Dinner with a local family in Bukhara or Khiva, a night in a yurt in the Karakum desert near Khiva, a day hike with a guide in the mountains above Tashkent.
An independent route, ready to go
Eight days with hotels, trains and transfers booked and no guide. You choose excursions and buy entrance tickets on the spot.
Book one service or a whole route. Send us your dates, and we will reply with options.
Small things that make the road easier
Plov is a lunch dish: by evening the big pots are often empty, so come at midday.
Carry some som in cash for the bazaar; cards work in most hotels, cafés and shops.
Drink bottled water. It is sold in every shop.
Order taxis in an app such as Yandex Go, especially in the evening.
Book the Afrosiyob and the train to Khiva as soon as your dates are set.
A scarf is handy for women visiting mosques and mausoleums.
Short and simple tours
Ready-made trips that keep costs down: trains instead of a private car, group departures, an independent route without a guide. The price is on each tour page.
Yes. Book a single ticket, one transfer or a guide for one day. You do not need to buy a tour.
How much does it cost?
Ready-made tours show their price on the tour page, and Travel Moments services show a price or say «on request». Send us your dates and route, and we will reply with options for your budget.
How early should I book train tickets?
Sales open 60 days before departure, and the high-speed trains fill up first. Send us your dates as early as you can.
Can I join a group trip if I travel alone?
Yes. Group trips have a minimum number of travellers, and when you send a request we tell you whether your date is going ahead.
What language does the guide speak?
We find an English- or Russian-speaking guide. For another language, ask us and we will check who is available on your dates.
Tell us what you need
Your dates, your route and which services you want: tickets, a guide, a transfer or a short tour. We reply with options and prices.
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