Spring Festival in Uzbekistan – Navruz 2026

Arrival at Tashkent International Airport. Meeting with a guide and driver. Transfer to the hotel. Accommodation.

At 11:00, the sightseeing tour of Tashkent begins. Visit:

• Museum of History of Uzbekistan,
• Amir Timur Square,
• Independence Square,
• Tashkent Metro, which will surprise you with its thematic design at each station.

After lunch, continue the tour of the old part of Tashkent:

• Khast-Imam complex, which is the sacred heart of the city. The complex includes a mosque, an Islamic university, a museum, and a small bazaar of handicrafts.
• Barak Khan Madrasah,
• Kaffal Shashi Mausoleum,
• Juma Mosque.

The tour ends at the Chorsu oriental bazaar, where you can buy national souvenirs, fruits, and more.

Overnight in Tashkent

Breakfast at the hotel. Departure to Samarkand (300 km). Arrival in Samarkand. Accommodation at the hotel. Lunch at a local restaurant.

After lunch, start a sightseeing tour of Samarkand.

Our tour begins with the magnificent Registan Square, which includes 3 madrassas (Sher-Dor, Tillya-Kori, Ulugbek), completely covered with tiles and lapis lazuli mosaics. This square is one of the most unusual monuments of Central Asia.

Next, a visit to the Bibi Khanum Mosque, built by Timur for his beloved wife.

After visiting the Bibi Khanum Mosque, we lead our way to the eastern Siab bazaar, located in close proximity to the main gate to the city. Today, the Siab bazaar is the largest and most ancient market. It welcomes tourists with an abundance of fruits and vegetables growing in the fertile Zarafshan Valley. Pyramids of watermelons and melons, seedless raisins and dried apricots, bunches of grapes and tempting figs attract their visitors. Red apples and fragrant pears lie on the counters next to leathery pomegranates. The air smells of spices: pepper and saffron, cardamom and nutmeg, cumin and caraway. And, of course, you can see seventeen types of Samarkand flatbread to choose from

Night in Samarkand

Breakfast at the hotel.

The whole day will be dedicated to the mythical city, the pearl of the East, the crossroads of the Silk Road – Samarkand. You will visit:

• the impressive Shahi Zinda necropolis (meaning “the grave of the living king”),
• the Afrosiab museum, with its old fresco from the seventh century,
• the Ulugbek observatory,
• the Gur-Emir mausoleum – a Timurid mausoleum with a beautiful fluted dome.

Lunch.

After lunch, we will visit one of the relics of the Muslim world – the Imam al-Bukhari memorial complex, located twelve kilometers from Samarkand. The eminent Sunni theologian Imam Muhammad ibn Ismail Abu Abdullah al-Bukhari is known as the author of the most authoritative book after the Quran – “Al-Jami-al-Sahih”, which is a collection of the most reliable hadiths (Muslim traditions).

Return to Samarkand.

Night in Samarkand

Breakfast at the hotel. On the day of Navruz celebration, we will visit a local family to see and learn about the preparations for the holiday. Departure to the village of “Tersak”, near Samarkand, to celebrate Navruz with a local family. You can participate in the preparation of the holiday, cook dishes and taste these dishes with a local family, you will discover the lifestyle and customs of the village people who live in the mountainous region. Also, on this day of our trip, we have a chance to take part in one of the ancient Uzbek horse games Buzkachi (Ulak-Kupkari) in the village. The main goal of the game Ulak-Kupkari is that the rider must lift the “Ulak”, a specially processed goat carcass, from the ground. You will be able to watch this interesting game.

At the end of the day we return back to Samarkand.

Night in Samarkand

In the morning departure to the homeland of Amir Timur, to the city of Shakhrisabz. We will visit:

• the ruins of Ak-Saray (meaning “White Palace”) – the summer residence of Tamerlane (14th-15th centuries);
• the mausoleum of Muhammad Jahangir – the mausoleum of the eldest and favorite son of Tamerlane;
• the Dorus-Saodat complex (14th century), which includes the “Khast Imam Mosque” – a multi-step mosque with a hall and domes decorated with aivanami;
• Gumbaz-Saiyidan (14th century) – the mausoleum of the Saids (relatives of the Prophet Muhammad);
• Kuk-Gumbaz mosque (translated as “Blue Dome”) – which was built by Ulugbek.

Departure to Bukhara. Arrival. Accommodation. Rest

Night in Bukhara

Breakfast at the hotel.

All those people who have visited Bukhara, most likely, paid attention to the strange “shaggy caps” on the tops of the minarets. These are storks’ nests. This white bird of hope can serve as a symbol of the city, a symbol of its resilience and stability. More than once, throughout its history, this rich city suffered from the invasion of various enemies. The most destructive was the invasion of the Mongols. But each time Bukhara was reborn and, most interestingly, was always reborn in the same place, as if remaining true to its roots. For centuries, the city was a fertile oasis in the Zarafshan River valley on the Great Silk Road, a leading center of science and culture. And the foundation of the city goes back centuries.

Today, Navruz is celebrated annually on March 21, when the Sun enters the sign of Aries on the astrological calendar. In the Northern Hemisphere, this date often coincides with the vernal equinox, the day when the number of hours of daylight is equal to the number of hours of night.

During the city tour you will visit:

• Samanid Mausoleum – the oldest brick building in Central Asia;
• Chashma-Ayub, a masterpiece of world architecture (9th-10th centuries);
• Bolo-Khauz Mosque (early 20th century);
• Ark Citadel – the center of the Bukhara state system (4th century BC);
• silk carpet shops;
• Poi-Kalyan Complex (“leg of the Great”): Kalyan Minaret – the main symbol of sacred Bukhara (12th century), Kalyan Mosque, Mir-Arab Madrasah (16th century). C) — one of the main respected spiritual Islamic universities;
• Toki Zargaron — the dome of jewelers (15th-16th centuries);
• Ulugbek Madrasah (15th century) — the first of three madrasahs built by Tamerlane’s grandson Ulugbek;
• Abdulazizkhan Madrasah (1588-1590);
• Imam Al-Bukhari Madrasah.

Night in Bukhara

After breakfast — departure by transport to Khiva, the route crosses the desert Kyzylkum “red sands”. During the stops, lunch and short walks for taking photos are planned. Arrival in Khiva and accommodation in a hotel. Dinner and free time.

Night in Khiva

Breakfast at the hotel.

Sightseeing tour:

• Itchan-Kala architectural complex (12th-19th centuries);
• Kunya-Ark (“Khan’s Fortress”) – the inner citadel of Itchan-Kala (16th century, 17th centuries);
• Kalta-Minor (“Short Minaret”), which was supposed to be the tallest and largest minaret in Central Asia;
• Muhammad Amin-Khan Madrasah (19th c.);
• Juma Mosque with 212 wooden columns;
• Tash-Khauli Minaret (“Stone Yard”);
• Ak Mosque (“White Mosque”) – a small quarter mosque at the Palvan-Darvaza gate (1838-1842);
• Pakhlavan Makhmud Memorial – the main religious center of Ichan-Kala (1810-1913 cubic cm);
• Islam Khoja Residence (1910) – the residence of the grand vizier of the last Khiva Khan.

Free time for dinner and rest.

Night in Khiva

Breakfast at the hotel. Transfer to Urgench airport. Flight to the Homeland