Expert opinion
Pluses
- Navruz day in Bukhara: On 21 March the programme has a morning walk through festive Bukhara, an introduction to Navruz traditions and a tasting of sumalak and national sweets.
- Four cities in eight days: Khiva, Bukhara, Samarkand and Tashkent over 8 days and 7 nights, with entrance tickets and local guides on excursion days included.
- Three nights in Bukhara: Days 3 to 5 are in Bukhara, leaving a day after Navruz for The fortress-residence of the rulers of Bukhara on a high artificial hill: the oldest structure in the city. Read more →, Did you know? Diggers went 13 m down and never found its base The Kalyan Minaret of 1127 rises about 46 m, and an excavation reached 13 m without finding the bottom of its foundations. Genghis Khan reportedly ordered it spared. Read more →, A 9th–10th-century family tomb of the Samanid dynasty, one of the oldest surviving monuments of Islamic architecture in Central Asia, built entirely of patterned brick. Read more → and the The summer palace of the last emirs of Bukhara, built in the late 19th and early 20th century in a mix of European and Central Asian styles. residence.
Minuses
- Cool March: Daytime is only about 14–17 °C and nights 2–5 °C across the four cities, and Samarkand and Tashkent get about 66–73 mm of rain in March.
- Other meals extra: Only the festive dinner on 21 March is included; other meals are paid separately.
- Desert road day: Day 3 is a drive from Khiva to Bukhara across the The Kyzylkum, or Red Sands: the desert between the Amu Darya and Syr Darya rivers that the road and the railway cross on the way to Khiva., and the hours are not stated in the programme.
AroundCA numbers
How we counted
By the AroundCA programme: we count only what is written in the day-by-day programme of this tour. If the programme gives no figure, we show nothing.
- Hotel changes
- 3
- Walking
- Medium
Walking: Medium: four to six sights a day on foot with a guide, for example on day 2 Kunya-Ark, Tash-Hauli, the Juma Mosque and the Islam Khoja minaret, on day 5 the Ark, Kalyan, the Samanid Mausoleum and the trading domes, and on day 7 four sights in Samarkand. There are no climbs or treks in the programme.
A typical day
Day 4, Bukhara, Navruz: a morning walk through festive Bukhara with its city squares, decorated streets and music, an introduction to Navruz traditions and a tasting of sumalak and national sweets. The evening is a festive dinner with Uzbek cuisine (included in the price).
What the price includes
What is included
- Accommodation per the programme in Khiva, Bukhara, Samarkand and Tashkent
- All transfers and road legs, including Khiva–Bukhara across the Kyzylkum
- Train tickets Bukhara–Samarkand and Samarkand–Tashkent
- Entrance tickets per the programme
- Local guides on excursion days
- Drinking water
- Navruz festive dinner on 21 March in Bukhara
- Accommodation per the programme: Zarafshan (Khiva), Makon (Bukhara), Grand Samarkand (Samarkand), Inspira-S (Tashkent)
- Navruz festive dinner on 21 March (day 4, Bukhara)
Not included
- Flights to Urgench and from Tashkent
- Other meals (except the Navruz dinner)
- Tour leader, on request
- Personal expenses, tips, insurance
Good for
- Travellers who want to see a real local festival, not just monuments
- First-timers who want the four main cities in one trip
- Those who like travelling with a group on set dates
Maybe not for you if
- Those who can't travel 18–25 March — the dates are fixed
- Travellers who dislike long drives — Khiva to Bukhara is a full day across the Kyzylkum
Questions about this tour
What is included?
Everything that is and isn’t included, and what you pay on site, is in one list: What the price includes
Is the Navruz festive dinner included?
Yes, the festive dinner on 21 March in Bukhara is included in the price.
Are meals included?
Only the Navruz festive dinner on 21 March; other meals are paid separately.
How do I get there and back?
The tour starts at Urgench airport and ends at Tashkent airport; these flights are not included.
Can I have a room to myself?
Yes, a single room is available with a supplement.
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Arrival, departure, transfers
Programme and details
Day-by-day route, prices and terms
Spring Journey · fixed-date group tour
21 March — Navruz in Bukhara
Eight spring days, where the ancient cities lead to the highlight of the route — Navruz in Bukhara.
Khiva · Bukhara · Samarkand · Tashkent
Arrival 18 March
Departure 25 March
Route
Urgench → Khiva → Bukhara → Samarkand → Tashkent
This journey is built around Navruz — the festival of spring, of new beginnings and a generous table. In Khiva the route picks up pace, in Bukhara it stops for the main date, and Samarkand and Tashkent continue the story after the celebration.
| Days | City | What’s inside |
|---|---|---|
| 1–2 | Khiva | Ichan Kala, minarets, palaces and the first spring days behind the walls |
| 3–5 | Bukhara | Drive across the Kyzylkum, Navruz on 21 March, cuisine and the old town |
| 6–7 | Samarkand | Samarkand's main square, framed by three madrasahs: Ulugh Beg (15th century), Sher-Dor and Tilya-Kori (both 17th century). Read more →, The mausoleum of Amir Timur and his descendants, early 15th century, with a ribbed turquoise dome and a gilded interior. Read more →, A street of mausoleums on the edge of old Samarkand, built from the 11th to the 19th century, most of them under Timur and his descendants. Known for its glazed tilework. Read more → and the Siab bazaar |
| 8 | Tashkent | High-speed train, transfer to the airport and departure |
Programme
Day by day
Click a day to expand the description.
Day 1 · Urgench — Khiva
Meeting at Urgench airport and transfer to Khiva. Hotel check-in.
Evening: a walk through the Ichan Kala — fortress walls, minarets, carved doors and the first scents of spring in the old town.
Day 2 · Khiva
Kunya-Ark, the Tash-Hauli Palace, the Juma Mosque and the Islam Khoja minaret. In Khiva spring is most visible in the details: sunlight on the clay walls, fresh greenery in the courtyards and tea on an open terrace.
The evening is free for walking and craft shops.
Day 3 · Khiva — Bukhara
Drive across the Kyzylkum. The desert road gradually leads to Bukhara — a city of trading domes, teahouses and quiet courtyards.
Check-in, rest and an evening by Did you know? Bukhara's ponds were once its water supply Pools like Lyabi-Hauz, dug around 1620 and 46 × 36 m, were the city's main source of water. Most were filled in during the 1920s–30s because they spread disease; Lyabi-Hauz survived. Read more →.
Day 4 · Bukhara. Navruz — 21 March
The main day of the journey. In the morning — a walk through festive Bukhara: city squares, decorated streets, music and spring treats. An introduction to the traditions of Navruz, a tasting of sumalak and national sweets.
Evening: a festive dinner with Uzbek cuisine and the atmosphere of a real Eastern celebration.
Day 5 · Bukhara
After the celebration — Bukhara in its usual, no less expressive rhythm: the Ark fortress, the Kalyan minaret, the Samanid Mausoleum, madrasahs and trading domes. After lunch — the Sitorai Mohi-Hosa country residence of the emirs.
The evening is left free for a A teahouse: green tea, plov and conversation on wide wooden beds called topchan., shopping and unscheduled walks.
Day 6 · Bukhara — Samarkand
Transfer to Samarkand on the high-speed train. After check-in — the Registan: three madrasahs, a vast square and mosaics that look especially vivid in the March sun.
Day 7 · Samarkand
The Gur-Emir Mausoleum, the The great mosque Amir Timur ordered after his Indian campaign of 1398–1399, one of the largest of its time. Read more → Mosque, the Shah-i-Zinda necropolis and the Siab bazaar. Here you can choose Samarkand halva, dried fruit and fresh flatbread for the road.
In the afternoon — the high-speed train to Tashkent, hotel check-in.
Day 8 · Tashkent
Breakfast, transfer to the airport and departure. Spring stays with you as the scent of cumin, sweet sumalak, the blue mosaics of Samarkand and Bukhara greeting nature’s new year.
Price
Price per person for the whole tour
| Occupancy | Price per person |
|---|---|
| Double / Twin room | $850 |
| Single room | $1098 |
Fixed-date group tour: 18–25 March. Single supplement — +$248.
Where others see one option — we see ten. AroundCA — MICE & Travel
