Solo-ish Uzbekistan

Welcome to Uzbekistan! Arrive to Tashkent and meet your arrival transfer at the airport. Then join your Welcome Meeting at the hotel before you're off to your Dinner Party. Meet your hosts and learn about the local ingredients you'll use to make traditional Uzbek Laghman noodles. Alongside your new Solo-ish travellers, learn how to hand stretch the noodles, then sit down together to enjoy your delicious creation!

Explore Uzbekistan's capital city of Tashkent's rich history and interesting culture on a tour of the city led by your amazing CEO. Alongside your fellow Solo-sh travellers, admire the soviet-era landmarks, medieval buildings and Islamic architecture in central Tashkent. Visit the iconic Independence Square, the intricately designed metro stations and the famous Chorsu Bazaar. In the evening, join your crew for dinner in a garden together. A perfect day to get to know Tashkent and your new Solo-ish travel mates better!

Enjoy another epic day in the city of Tashkent alongside your incredible CEO and awesome new Solo-ish mates. Start today at the Institute of the Sun and admire the architecture and reflections of the beautiful surroundings. Afterwards, get ready for lunch and a surprise! Then travel to the beautiful city of Nukus this evening.

Take a guided tour of one of the most unique and interesting art museums in Uzbekistan, the Savitsky Museum. Igor Savitsky fled the Soviet Union in 1984 to Nukus with his anti-soviet art collection. The museum is now known as one of the best collections of avant-garde art in the world. Finish the tour and enjoy some free time in Nukus before driving to Khiva. Check into your hotel and join your CEO for an orientation walk of Khiva.

Before exploring this historic town on your own, enjoy a guided tour to learn about local life here. Wander through the narrow labyrinth mudbrick alleyways of old town, bargain with locals at the bazaar, admire the madrassas, mosques, and blue mosaic domes, climb up towering minarets, and venture into the dark dungeons Khiva was infamous for back in the 10th century. Explore the inner walls of Ichon-Qala, and enjoy spectacular sunset views on the sand-coloured buildings.

Leave Khiva and drive to Bukhara through the beautiful Kyzylkum Desert. Known for its sweeping hills of red colored sand, keep an eye out for gazelles, sand cats and corsac foxes along the way. Arrive this evening to Bukhara and settle in with an orientation walk with your CEO.

Explore Bukhara on a half-day guided walking tour around the beautifully restored mosques, madrassas, and covered markets, or trading domes, that make up the Old City. A centre for pottery, cloth, and carpets, Bukhara is centered around Lyabi-Hauz, a delightful pool of water surrounded by ancient mulberry trees. Wander the artisan shops and narrow twisting streets and alleyways, or sit at a café table and let the evening drift by. Opt to watch a local puppet show held in an old caravanserai, or indulge in a rejuvenating hammam bathhouse.

• Carpet Museum: The Magok-i Attari Mosque (Museum of Carpets) offers information about the art of carpet making and some fine examples to boot. Perhaps more impressively, the building the museum is located in was once used for Jewish, Muslim, and Christian services, demonstrating the diversity and open-mindedness of this intriguing city.
• Bukhara Hammam Visit: There are a few hammam choices in the city and they are often gender specific - Hammam Kunjak for ladies and Bozori Kord Hammam for gentlemen. Depending on the day of the week and when you want to go, your CEO can advise you on some options.
• Chor-Bakr Complex: This UNESCO World Heritage Site is the burial site of Abu-Bakr-Said, one of the four descendants of the Prophet Muhammad. Wander around the necropolis of family tombs and enclosed courtyards while admiring the simple, yet intricate beauty.
• Jewish Area and Synagogue Visit: Bukhara has a fascinating Jewish history, with Bukharan Jews speaking a Turkic-Persian dialect with a Hebrew script. The city once was home to 40,000 Jews and now has a community of about 25-30 families. The synagogue is well worth a visit (donation expected) and houses a Torah that is roughly 1,000 years old. Please note that on Friday evenings and Saturday, the Synagogue is usually closed for Shabbat.

Spend the day in Bukhara exactly how you wish on your Me Day adventure! Opt to join your CEO and other Solo-ish travel friends to explore the winding backstreets of Bukhara. Immerse yourself in this off the beaten path part of the city that feels like a historic labyrinth. If you'd rather strengthen your solo traveler skills, you can opt to explore on your own. Visit a hammam, a local steam bath, make paper mache doll at a local craft shop or enjoy a tea tasting.

Drive from Bukhara to Samarkand this morning. Opt to enjoy a delicious lunch made by a local family, then join your CEO and follow Solo-ish friends to embark on a city tour. Visit Ulugbek Observatory, Shaki Zinda complex, the bazaar, Bibi Khanum, and Registan Square.

Start today with a visit to the Teshik Tash Stone, a large stone with a window through it, carved by nature over millenia. Continue on to a local Uzbek Village and hike to the top of Aman Kutan, through a walnut grove. Admire the rocky covered mountain and beautiful views from the Lion's Cave, another important archeological site where Neanderthal remains were found. After hiking back to the village, we'll gather for lunch at a local home. Return to Samarkand for a free afternoon to explore the Samarkand sights. Have a cuppa in a local tea house, or wander around the bazaar. Opt to explore the Tomb of Prophet Daniel, famous for the Biblical story of Daniel and the lions.

• Tomb of the Old Testament Prophet Daniel Visit: Enjoy a visit to the Tomb of the Old Testament Prophet Daniel, famous for the Biblical story of Daniel and the lions. A legend says that his body grows by half an inch every year!

Take a morning train from Samarkand to Tashkent. Arrive in the early afternoon and enjoy one last free afternoon with your crew.

You arrived a solo traveller and are leaving with many new friends. Say goodbye to your fellow Solo-ish travellers and depart at any time.