Photos: Lyabi-Hauz pond, Bukhara — BeshevI / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0
Expert opinion
Pluses
- Ready-made quests: Did you know? Ulugh Beg measured the year to within 25 seconds Working at his Samarkand observatory, Ulugh Beg put the tropical year at 365 days 5 h 49 min 15 s, about 25 seconds too long, closer than Copernicus a century later. Read more →’s Code and A network of caravan routes between China and the Mediterranean. Samarkand, Bukhara and Khiva grew rich as stops along it. Caravan come with moderators, props, scoring and awards.
- Hands-on every day: Rice cooked in a kazan with carrots, onions and meat: the dish of every Uzbek celebration. Each region cooks it its own way. with a chef, an archery tournament and a ceramics workshop in Gijduvan.
- Fast between cities: the Uzbekistan's high-speed train: Tashkent to Samarkand in 2 hours 30 minutes, Tashkent to Bukhara in about 4 hours. Tickets are tied to your passport. Read more → takes 2 hours 30 minutes to Samarkand and under 2 hours on to Bukhara.
Minuses
- Busy programme: there is a team task almost every day, with little free time.
- Weather outdoors: the city quests run outside; in rain they shorten and the finale moves indoors.
- Hot summer: in July and August Samarkand and Bukhara are out of season because of the heat.
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
- 1
- Longest transfer
- 2.5 h · by train
- Walking
- Medium
Walking: Medium: walks in the old towns and two city quests of 2–3 hours on foot.
Best time
Mar, Nov
March and November: the start and the end of the season, with fewer people and mild weather.
Cool, fewer people: Jan–Feb, Dec
Better to avoid
Jul–Aug
July and August are out of season because of the heat, and the quests are outdoors.
A typical day
On day 2 the teams start Ulugbek’s Code in waves in the morning and race the scoreboard across Samarkand. In the afternoon they buy the ingredients at the Siab bazaar, cook plov with a chef and eat it for dinner.
What the price includes
What is included
- Accommodation: 2 nights in Samarkand and 2 nights in Bukhara with breakfast
- Afrosiyob tickets Tashkent – Samarkand – Bukhara
- Coach transfers throughout, including the trip to Gijduvan
- A guide and a manager with the group, speaking your language
- Entrance tickets to the sites on the programme
- Both team quests: moderators, scenario, props, scoring and awards
- The plov masterclass, the archery tournament and the ceramics workshop
- The welcome dinner, the plov dinner and the gala dinner
Not included
- Venue hire and music for the gala
- The way home from Bukhara: a flight or the train to Tashkent
- Lunches and drinks not listed in the programme
- International flights and visa fees (if applicable)
- Tips and personal expenses
Good for
- Teams of 20 to 120 people who want activities with a score, not just sightseeing
- Companies that want a programme after a sales meeting or a conference
- Groups that move between cities by high-speed train rather than by coach
Maybe not for you if
- Groups that want a quiet, slow trip: there is a team task almost every day
- Anyone who wants Khiva or the mountains in the same trip: the rally stays in Samarkand and Bukhara
Questions about this tour
How much does the programme cost?
The price is given on request: it depends on the dates, the size of the group, the hotels and the events you choose.
How are the team quests run?
Ulugbek’s Code and Silk Road Caravan have roles, a time limit, scoring and a finale with awards. Our moderators run them in Russian or English with a scripted scenario, props and a scoreboard.
What happens if it rains?
The city quests shorten and the finale moves indoors. The Caravan’s Chest, an indoor quest-box with a locked chest for each team, is the back-up.
Where is the gala dinner?
In a historic venue in the old town of Bukhara, booked on request and subject to availability. We suggest the options for your dates.
How do we travel between the cities?
By Afrosiyob high-speed train: Tashkent to Samarkand takes 2 hours 30 minutes, Samarkand to Bukhara under 2 hours. We book the seats as soon as sales open.
Didn’t find your answer? Ask about this tour →
Programme and details
Day-by-day route, prices and terms
Samarkand and Bukhara · 5 Days / 4 Nights · Team Building
Silk Road Rally
Tashkent – Samarkand – Bukhara – Gijduvan – Bukhara
Most groups see Samarkand and Bukhara through a coach window. On this programme the teams work the two cities themselves: they crack Ulugbek’s ciphers in Samarkand, bargain their caravan across Bukhara, cook plov in a kazan and shoot for points in an archery tournament. Every task scores on one table, and the awards come at the closing gala.
| Duration | 5 days / 4 nights (4 days / 3 nights on request) |
| Price | on request |
| Group size | 20–120 people |
| Where | Samarkand, Bukhara and Gijduvan |
| Getting there | Afrosiyob high-speed train: Tashkent – Samarkand 2 hours 30 minutes, Samarkand – Bukhara under 2 hours |
| Format | Team building, incentive, a programme after a sales meeting or conference |
Ideal for teams that want to do things together, not just look at them.
Silk Road Caravan — an urban team race through old Bukhara: negotiate, bargain and decide, 2.5–3 hours.
Plov, bows and clay — a plov masterclass with a chef, an archery tournament and a ceramics workshop in Gijduvan.
Itinerary
Day by Day
Day 1 · Tashkent – Samarkand — Arrival and the Registan
Arrival in Tashkent and the Afrosiyob high-speed train to Samarkand, 2 hours 30 minutes. Samarkand station is more than 6 km from the Did you know? The Registan's sun-carrying lion went on a banknote The Sher-Dor Madrasah (1619–1636) is named for the big cats with the sun on their backs on its portal. The image appeared on the reverse of Uzbekistan's 200-som note of 1997. Read more →, so our coach meets the group on the platform.
Afternoon walk with a guide: the Registan and the Did you know? Timur's tombstone went to Persia and came back The dark-green jade slab on Timur's grave in Gur-e-Amir was carried off by Nader Shah in 1740. It broke, and on his advisers' urging he sent it back to Samarkand. Read more → mausoleum. In the evening, a welcome dinner and the briefing: the group splits into teams that stay together until the finale.
Overnight in Samarkand
Day 2 · Samarkand — Ulugbek’s Code and plov
Morning: Ulugbek’s Code. Teams of 8–12 start in waves and solve ciphers, geometry and observation tasks across the city, with a live scoreboard. In rain the route shortens and the finale moves indoors.
Afternoon: the Samarkand's main bazaar, right next to Bibi-Khanym: Samarkand bread, dried fruit, nuts and halva. Read more → to buy the ingredients, then a plov masterclass with a professional chef. Dinner is the plov the teams cooked.
Overnight in Samarkand
Day 3 · Samarkand – Bukhara — Archery and the move
Morning archery tournament: teams shoot for points, and the scores go onto the rally table. After lunch, the Afrosiyob to Bukhara, under 2 hours. Bukhara station is about 12 km from the old city; the coach takes you to the hotel.
Evening at 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 →, the pond among old mulberry trees and teahouses in the middle of the old town.
Overnight in Bukhara
Day 4 · Bukhara – Gijduvan — Silk Road Caravan and the gala
Morning: Silk Road Caravan. Each team is a caravan that has to get its cargo across the old city: negotiate, bargain and decide, with points for results, time and creative solutions.
Then a trip to Gijduvan: a ceramics workshop and lunch. In the evening, the gala dinner with music and the rally awards in a historic venue in the old town (subject to availability).
Overnight in Bukhara
Day 5 · Bukhara — Departure
Breakfast and transfer to Bukhara airport, or the Afrosiyob back to Tashkent, a little over 4 hours.
4-day option · One night less
We keep both quests, the plov masterclass and the gala, and leave out the archery tournament or the trip to Gijduvan.
Accommodation
Where you stay
| City | Hotels |
|---|---|
| Samarkand | Movenpick, Hilton Garden Inn, Regency or similar |
| Bukhara | Zargaron Plaza, Movenpick, Minorai Kalon or similar |
For a large group we look for one hotel per city that takes everyone; otherwise two hotels next to each other. Hotels are confirmed for your dates before booking.
Price
Price
The price is given on request: it depends on the dates, the size of the group, the hotels and the events you choose.
Good to know
Conditions
- Afrosiyob seats sell out: we book as soon as sales open, up to 60 days ahead, with the full name and passport number of every participant.
- In rain the city quests shorten and the finale moves indoors; The Caravan’s Chest, an indoor quest-box, is the back-up.
- Historic venues for the gala are booked on request and subject to availability.
- Reservations are confirmed with passport copies only.
Cancellation policy
| Cancellation timing | Penalty |
|---|---|
| 30 days or more | Full refund minus costs already incurred |
| 15–29 days | up to 30% |
| 8–14 days | up to 50% |
| 7 days or less | up to 100% |
Train and air tickets are refunded under the carrier’s rules.
🌿 Responsible tourism: we allocate part of our profits to good causes and are preparing for GSTC certification.
