Hike & Explore the Silk Road in Uzbekistan — Self-Launched

Fly into Tashkent International Airport (TAS). Pre-book a budget hotel or hostel in the city centre — there are excellent options around the Chorsu Bazaar area for £15–25/night. Once settled, explore independently: ride the famous Tashkent Metro (ornate Soviet-era stations, ~£0.10/ride), stroll Independence Square, browse Chorsu Bazaar, and visit the Khast Imam Complex (home to the world's oldest Quran). Head to the Museum of the History of Uzbekistan for a great intro to the country (~£3 entry). In the evening, eat at a local chaikhana (teahouse) — plov, lagman noodles and samsa pastries are all under £3.

🚌Airport taxi to city centre ~£5–8 (negotiate or use the metered Yandex Go app). Metro within the city ~£0.10/journey.

🛏Book a bed in a central Tashkent hostel or guesthouse (e.g. Miran International Hotel or Tashkent Backpackers) — expect £15–22/night for a private room.

• →Tashkent Metro station-hopping (ornate Soviet mosaics, ~£0.10/ride)
• →Chorsu Bazaar — spices, dried fruits, street food
• →Khast Imam Complex & world's oldest Quran (free entry)
• →Museum of the History of Uzbekistan (~£3 entry)
• →Independence Square evening stroll

Take the Afrosiyob or Sharq express train from Tashkent to Bukhara — one of the great Central Asian rail journeys (~4 hours, book in advance at railway.uz, ~£12–18). Arrive around midday and check into a guesthouse in or near the old city. Spend the afternoon on a self-guided walking tour of Bukhara's UNESCO-listed historic core: the Lyabi Hauz Ensemble, Trading Domes, Kalon Minaret & Mosque, Ulugbek and Abdul Aziz Khan Madrasas (~£2–4 combined entry), the Samani Mausoleum (free), and the Royal Ark Fortress (~£2). As the sun sets, wander the quiet backstreets — the atmosphere is magical at dusk.

🚌Train Tashkent to Bukhara ~£12–18 (book in advance on railway.uz). Local taxis/walking within Bukhara.

🛏Guesthouse in Bukhara old town (e.g. Komil Bukhara Boutique Hotel or Fatima Guesthouse) — £18–28/night for a private room with breakfast.

• →Afrosiyob/Sharq express train Tashkent–Bukhara (~4hrs, ~£12–18 — book at railway.uz)
• →Lyabi Hauz Ensemble — the social heart of old Bukhara (free to wander)
• →Kalon Minaret & Mosque (~£2 entry)
• →Ulugbek & Abdul Aziz Khan Madrasas (~£2–4 combined)
• →Samani Mausoleum (free)
• →Royal Ark Fortress (~£2 entry)
• →Sunset stroll through Bukhara's old backstreets

This is the day you leave the cities behind. The best option is to hire a shared taxi or arrange a day transfer through your Bukhara guesthouse to Nurata (~4hrs, ~£10–15 per person in a shared vehicle). In Nurata, visit the sacred spring and ruins of the Nur Fortress (thought to be founded by Alexander the Great — free/small donation). Continue to Lake Aydarkul for a walk along the desert shoreline and a swim if conditions allow. By late afternoon, reach Sentob village in the Nuratau Mountains and check into a community-based homestay (~£15–20/night full board). The community tourism network CBT Uzbekistan (cbtuzbekistan.com) is the best way to pre-book homestays across the Nuratau region.

🚌Shared taxi or arranged transfer Bukhara to Sentob via Nurata and Lake Aydarkul (~£10–15/person). Negotiate at Bukhara's shared taxi stand or ask your guesthouse.

🛏Community homestay in Sentob village via CBT Uzbekistan (~£15–20/night, full board included).

• →Shared taxi or hired vehicle Bukhara–Nurata (~4hrs, ~£10–15/person)
• →Nur Fortress ruins & sacred spring in Nurata (free/small donation)
• →Lake Aydarkul shoreline walk and wild swim
• →Arrival at Sentob community homestay — traditional dinner included

Today's hike through the Kadvan Valley (~8 miles, ~4.5hrs, around 1,200ft ascent) is the highlight of the Nuratau trekking section. Your homestay host or a locally arranged guide can lead you — CBT Uzbekistan provides trained local guides for ~£15–25/day, which directly supports the community. The trail follows a mountain stream past an old watermill, ancient fortress ruins, Arabic rock inscriptions, natural pools (bring swimwear), and abandoned Soviet-era villages. Optional extension of 3 miles to a mountain pass with panoramic views over Sentob Valley and Lake Aydarkul. Back at the homestay in the afternoon, join your host family for a plov-making session — Uzbekistan's national dish cooked in a giant kazan pot. Evening music from local hosts.

🚌Walking/hiking — no vehicle needed today.

🛏Sentob community homestay (same as Day 3, full board ~£15–20/night).

• →Guided hike in Kadvan Valley (~8 miles, 4.5hrs — local CBT guide ~£15–25/day)
• →Old watermill, fortress ruins & Arabic rock inscriptions
• →Natural pools in the valley (bring swimwear)
• →Optional extension to mountain pass with views of Lake Aydarkul (+3 miles)
• →Plov-making experience with host family
• →Traditional music evening at the homestay

After breakfast, set off on today's longer village-to-village hike (~10 miles, ~5.5hrs) toward Majerum on the edge of the Nuratau Nature Reserve, through scenic foothills of orchards and grazing land. At Majerum, a local farming family will welcome you for lunch with seasonal produce from their garden — organic dried apricots, mulberries, and walnuts. After lunch, take a short walk into the Nuratau Nature Reserve to see the legendary arbor vitae tree, said to have been planted by soldiers of Alexander the Great. Transfer ~30 minutes by shared vehicle to Hayat village for your next homestay. Optional horseback riding excursion available locally (~£25–35/person, arrange through your CBT host).

🚌Hiking Sentob to Majerum, then short shared vehicle transfer to Hayat (~£3–5/person).

🛏Community homestay in Hayat village via CBT Uzbekistan (~£15–20/night, full board).

• →Village-to-village hike Sentob to Majerum (~10 miles, 5.5hrs)
• →Home-cooked lunch with local farming family in Majerum
• →Walk to the legendary arbor vitae tree in Nuratau Nature Reserve (free)
• →Transfer to Hayat village (~30 mins, shared vehicle ~£3–5/person)
• →Optional horseback riding in Hayat (~£25–35/person, arrange via CBT host)

A full day's hike (~11 miles, ~6hrs) through the Uhum Valley with rich cultural encounters: watch local women baking bread in tandir ovens, weaving carpets, crafting kurpacha mattresses. In Upper Uhum, see ancient irrigation channels still in use, visit a petroglyph site, and climb to the hilltop site of the old Uhum Fortress. The hike ends at a community water mill still in working order. From Uhum, arrange a shared vehicle transfer (~1hr, ~£8–12/person) to Sayyod Yurt Camp. Yurt camp stays in the Nuratau foothills can be booked directly or via your CBT host (~£20–30/night, full board). Settle in around a fire under a huge Central Asian sky.

🚌Hiking through the day, then shared vehicle from Uhum to Sayyod (~1hr, ~£8–12/person).

🛏Sayyod Yurt Camp — traditional yurt accommodation, full board (~£20–30/night). Book via CBT Uzbekistan or directly with the camp.

• →Guided hike through Uhum Valley (~11 miles, 6hrs — local CBT guide recommended)
• →Tandir bread-baking, carpet-weaving and kurpacha-making observations with local women
• →Ancient irrigation channels and petroglyph rock carvings
• →Uhum Fortress hilltop ruins
• →Community water mill visit
• →Transfer to Sayyod Yurt Camp (~1hr, ~£8–12/person)
• →Dinner and fire at the yurt camp

After breakfast at the yurt camp, set off on the day's longest and most rewarding hike (~9 miles, ~7hrs) to a scenic mountain plateau with sweeping views over the Kyzyl-Kum steppe, Lake Aydarkul, and surrounding villages. Pack a picnic lunch from the camp to enjoy in the highlands. Descend through green terrain toward Sayyod village, where you can engage with locals going about traditional farming and livestock herding. The stillness and scale of the landscape up here is genuinely extraordinary — take your time. Return to camp for dinner and a second night under the stars.

🚌Hiking only — no vehicle needed today.

🛏Sayyod Yurt Camp (same as Day 6, full board ~£20–30/night).

• →Plateau hike from Sayyod Yurt Camp (~9 miles, 7hrs — arrange local CBT guide ~£15–25)
• →Panoramic views over Kyzyl-Kum steppe and Lake Aydarkul
• →Picnic lunch in the highlands
• →Sayyod village visit — traditional farming and livestock herding
• →Evening dinner at yurt camp

Your final Nuratau hike (~7 miles, ~4.5hrs) heads toward the village of Yotok through beautiful valley and foothill scenery. A local family in Yotok can host you for a home-cooked farewell lunch (arrange in advance via your CBT contact, ~£5–8/person). After lunch, arrange a private or shared vehicle transfer to Samarkand (~3hrs, ~£12–18/person — ask your yurt camp or CBT host to help organise). Arriving in Samarkand in the late afternoon, check into a guesthouse near the old city. Take an evening stroll around Registan Square — it's floodlit at night and completely breathtaking. Find a teahouse or restaurant in the old town for dinner.

🚌Hiking in the morning, then private/shared vehicle Yotok–Samarkand (~3hrs, ~£12–18/person — arrange via CBT host or yurt camp).

🛏Guesthouse in Samarkand old town (e.g. Hotel Emir or Bibikhanum Guesthouse) — £20–30/night for a private room.

• →Final Nuratau hike to Yotok village (~7 miles, 4.5hrs)
• →Home-cooked lunch with a local family in Yotok (~£5–8/person)
• →Private/shared vehicle transfer to Samarkand (~3hrs, ~£12–18/person)
• →Evening at Registan Square (free to walk around, floodlit at night)

Dedicate today to Samarkand's iconic sites — one of the most visually stunning cities in the world. Start at Registan Square (combined entry ~£5), framed by three towering madrasas with extraordinary mosaic tilework. Move on to the Gur-e-Amir Mausoleum, final resting place of Tamerlane (~£3). After lunch in the old bazaar, visit the Bibi-Khanum Mosque (~£2), browse the Siyob Bazaar (free — buy spices, dried fruit, and fresh non bread), and walk the Shah-i Zinda necropolis (~£3), a hillside avenue of turquoise-tiled mausoleums. If time allows, visit the Ulugbek Observatory (~£2). For a guided walking tour, GetYourGuide lists local half-day Samarkand walking tours from ~£15–20/person — well worth it for the historical depth. Round off your trip with a farewell dinner at a local restaurant in the old city.

🚌Walking between all sites — Samarkand's old city is compact. Taxi for longer distances ~£1–2.

🛏Samarkand old town guesthouse (same as Day 8, ~£20–30/night).

• →Registan Square — Ulugbek, Sher-Dor & Tilla-Kari Madrasas (~£5 combined entry)
• →Gur-e-Amir Mausoleum — tomb of Tamerlane (~£3 entry)
• →Bibi-Khanum Mosque (~£2 entry)
• →Siyob Bazaar — spices, dried fruits, fresh bread (free to browse)
• →Shah-i Zinda necropolis — turquoise-tiled mausoleums (~£3 entry)
• →Ulugbek Observatory (~£2 entry)
• →Optional: self-bookable Samarkand walking tour via GetYourGuide (~£15–20/person)
• →Farewell dinner at a local old town restaurant

Check out of your guesthouse (usually by 12:00). Your transfer to Samarkand International Airport (SKD) is easy to arrange via your guesthouse (~£5–8 by taxi). If you're flying home from Tashkent instead, take a train from Samarkand to Tashkent (~2hrs, ~£8–12 on the Afrosiyob express — book at railway.uz) and depart from Tashkent International Airport (TAS). Allow plenty of time if connecting via Tashkent — we recommend booking an evening flight. A brilliant trip — from desert caravanserais to mountain yurts, Uzbekistan delivers.

🚌Taxi to Samarkand Airport (~£5–8) or Afrosiyob train Samarkand–Tashkent (~2hrs, ~£8–12 — book at railway.uz).

🛏None — departure day.

• →Check out of guesthouse (12:00 PM)
• →Taxi to Samarkand Airport (~£5–8) OR train to Tashkent (~2hrs, ~£8–12) for onward flight