Highlights of Uzbekistan: Self-Launched Edition

Arrive into Tashkent International Airport at any time. Tashkent is well connected and easy to navigate. Take an official airport taxi or the metro into the city centre (metro is cheap at ~£0.10/ride). Check into your guesthouse in the Yunusabad or Old City area. Spend the evening exploring the lively Chorsu Bazaar and grabbing your first plate of plov (Uzbek rice pilaf) at a local canteen. A welcome dinner of national food will cost under £5.

🚌Airport metro or official taxi to city centre (~£3–5)

🛏Guesthouse or budget hotel in central Tashkent — e.g. Gulnara Guesthouse or similar (~£18–22/night)

• →Arrive and check in to guesthouse
• →Explore Chorsu Bazaar independently
• →Try traditional plov at a local canteen
• →Optional: visit Khast Imam religious complex (free entry)

Take the Afrosiyob high-speed train from Tashkent to Samarkand — a smooth, scenic 2-hour journey for around £10–14 each way. Check into your guesthouse near the Registan. In the afternoon, take a self-booked walking tour or hire a local guide via GetYourGuide to visit Shah-i-Zinda necropolis, Bibi-Khanym Mosque, Siab Bazaar, and the iconic Registan Square. The Amir Timur Mausoleum (Gur-e-Amir) is a short walk away and costs ~£2 entry. The Registan is stunning at dusk — stay for the light show if visiting in season.

🚌Afrosiyob train Tashkent–Samarkand (~£12)

🛏Guesthouse near Registan — e.g. Hotel Malika Samarkand or Emir Guesthouse (~£20–25/night)

• →Afrosiyob high-speed train Tashkent–Samarkand (~£12, book via uzbekistrail.com)
• →Shah-i-Zinda necropolis (entry ~£3)
• →Bibi-Khanym Mosque (entry ~£2)
• →Siab Bazaar — free to wander
• →Registan Square — self-visit or guided tour via GetYourGuide (~£15–20)
• →Amir Timur Mausoleum (Gur-e-Amir) (~£2 entry)

A full free day to explore Samarkand at your own pace. Head to the Ulugbek Observatory on the city outskirts (entry ~£2) — a fascinating astronomical monument. Wander back through local neighbourhoods and stop for green tea at a traditional chaikhana (tea house). Optionally, visit the Tomb of Prophet Daniel (Daniel Maqbarasi) along the Siab river — a pilgrimage site with an 18-metre-long tomb, free or small donation. In the evening, look for a local cooking class through Airbnb Experiences or GetYourGuide — Uzbek manti dumplings and somsa pastries are a highlight.

🚌Walking and occasional local taxi (~£2–4)

🛏Same guesthouse as Day 2 (~£20–25/night)

• →Ulugbek Observatory (~£2 entry)
• →Tomb of Prophet Daniel — free/small donation
• →Tea house experience in the old city
• →Optional: Uzbek cooking class via Airbnb Experiences (~£20–30)
• →Browse local craft shops for ceramics and suzani embroidery

Today's journey takes you into the Kyzylkum Desert. Arrange a shared taxi or private day-hire from Samarkand to the Nurata region (~3–4 hours, £15–20 per person in a shared vehicle). En route, stop at Chashma Complex in Nurata — a pilgrimage site with ruins of Alexander the Great's fortress, Juma Mosque, and a sacred healing spring. It's a genuinely atmospheric and undervisited site. Continue on to Aydar Kul Lake for an optional swim before arriving at a local yurt camp for the night. Most yurt camps include dinner and breakfast — book in advance via Advantour, Stantours, or direct guesthouse referrals. Enjoy an authentic Uzbek dinner and an evening of traditional Kazakh music.

🚌Shared taxi Samarkand–Nurata–Aydar Kul (~£18)

🛏Local yurt camp at Aydar Kul — e.g. Yurt Camp Aydar or similar (~£25–35/night including dinner)

• →Shared taxi Samarkand → Nurata → Aydar Kul (~£15–20/person)
• →Chashma Complex & sacred spring in Nurata (small entry fee ~£1)
• →Ruins of Alexander the Great's fortress
• →Optional swim at Aydar Kul Lake
• →Overnight yurt stay with dinner and traditional music show included

After breakfast at the yurt camp, arrange onward transport to Bukhara. Most yurt camp hosts can arrange a shared taxi transfer to Bukhara (~3–4 hours, £15–20/person) — agree this the night before. Alternatively, travel back to Navoi by shared taxi and pick up a train to Bukhara (~£5–8). Arrive in Bukhara and check into a guesthouse in or near the old city. Spend the afternoon on an orientation walk through the atmospheric old town — Lyab-i-Hauz pond, Nadir Divan-Begi Madrasah, and the covered trading domes are all walkable and free to explore from outside.

🚌Shared taxi yurt camp to Bukhara (~£18)

🛏Guesthouse in Bukhara old city — e.g. Amelia Boutique Hotel or Sasha & Son Guesthouse (~£20–28/night)

• →Shared taxi Aydar Kul → Bukhara (~£18/person, arrange via yurt camp host)
• →Orientation walk around Lyab-i-Hauz pond area
• →Nadir Divan-Begi Madrasah exterior
• →Explore the Trading Domes (Tim Abdullakhan, Toki Sarrofon)
• →Optional: traditional dinner at a local restaurant (~£5–8)

Bukhara's old city is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the best-preserved medieval Islamic cities in the world. Book a local guide through GetYourGuide or directly via your guesthouse (half-day tours typically £15–20/person) to visit the Samanid Mausoleum — a masterpiece of 10th-century Islamic architecture — the Ark Citadel (entry ~£3), and the magnificent Poi-i-Kalon complex featuring the Kalon Minaret, Kalon Mosque, and Mir-i-Arab Madrasah. The afternoon is free to wander the labyrinthine old city lanes, browse artisan workshops, and sip tea by the Lyab-i-Hauz reflecting pool.

🚌Walking throughout the day

🛏Same guesthouse as Day 5 (~£20–28/night)

• →Self-booked local guide for city tour via GetYourGuide (~£15–20/person)
• →Samanid Mausoleum (entry included in city pass ~£3)
• →Ark Citadel (entry ~£3)
• →Poi-i-Kalon complex: Kalon Minaret, Mosque & Mir-i-Arab Madrasah
• →Wander old city bazaars and artisan workshops
• →Evening by Lyab-i-Hauz pond

Bukhara rewards slow exploration. Head out early to visit Bolo Hauz Mosque (the Friday Mosque, free entry) and the Chor Minor Madrasah — a quirky four-towered gateway that's a favourite photo stop. Visit the Summer Palace of the Last Emir (Sitorai Mokhi Khosa) a few kilometres outside the old city — a fascinating blend of Russian and Islamic architecture (~£2 entry). In the evening, look for a live music performance at one of the old city restaurants — traditional Shashmaqam classical music is unforgettable in this setting.

🚌Walking and occasional local taxi (~£3–5)

🛏Same guesthouse as Day 5 (~£20–28/night)

• →Bolo Hauz Mosque (free)
• →Chor Minor Madrasah (small entry ~£1)
• →Summer Palace of the Last Emir (~£2 entry, taxi ~£2 each way)
• →Optional: silk carpet or miniature painting workshop (~£15–25)
• →Evening live traditional music at old city restaurant

Take the Afrosiyob or Sharq express train from Bukhara to Tashkent (~3.5–4 hours, £12–18). Book tickets in advance via uzbekistrail.com or at the station. Arrive in Tashkent mid-afternoon. Check back into a central guesthouse. Spend the afternoon exploring Tashkent's contrasting architectural personalities — Soviet-era monuments and metro stations vs the modern Tashkent City development. The Tashkent metro is an attraction in itself: grand marble halls, chandeliers, and Soviet mosaics throughout.

🚌Sharq/Afrosiyob train Bukhara–Tashkent (~£14)

🛏Guesthouse in central Tashkent — e.g. Caravan Hostel or Platan Hotel (~£18–22/night)

• →Afrosiyob/Sharq train Bukhara–Tashkent (~£14, book in advance)
• →Explore Tashkent metro stations as architecture (tickets ~£0.10/ride)
• →Amir Timur Square and surrounding area
• →Independence Square (Mustaqillik Maydoni) — free
• →Evening stroll through Broadway (Sayilgoh) pedestrian street

Follow in the footsteps of the G Adventures itinerary with a self-booked guided city tour of Tashkent available on GetYourGuide or Klook (~£15–25/person). Highlights include a ride on the iconic Soviet-era metro (visit Kosmonavtlar and Alisher Navoi stations for the best mosaics), the Khast Imam religious complex and its ancient Quran collection, the Museum of Applied Arts (entry ~£2) with its stunning tilework and traditional crafts, and a wander through the Chorsu Bazaar dome. Your guide can bring these layers of Soviet, Islamic, and modern Uzbek history to life.

🚌Metro and walking (~£2 for the day)

🛏Same guesthouse as Day 8 (~£18–22/night)

• →Self-booked Tashkent city tour via GetYourGuide (~£20/person)
• →Tashkent metro sightseeing ride (Kosmonavtlar, Alisher Navoi stations)
• →Khast Imam complex & ancient Quran display (~£1 entry)
• →Museum of Applied Arts (~£2 entry)
• →Chorsu Bazaar — free to explore
• →Farewell dinner at a local plov centre (~£4–6)

Your final morning in Uzbekistan — depart at any time. If you have time before your flight, pick up last-minute souvenirs at Chorsu Bazaar (dried fruits, spices, ceramics) or grab one final plate of plov at a local canteen. The airport is accessible by metro (Yunus Abad line to Tashkent station then taxi, ~£3–5 total) or a direct taxi (~£6–10).

🚌Metro + taxi to airport (~£5)

🛏Check out — no accommodation needed

• →Last-minute souvenir shopping at Chorsu Bazaar
• →Final plov breakfast at a local canteen (~£3–5)
• →Metro + taxi to Tashkent International Airport (~£5)