Breakfast at the hotel. Transfer to the airport. Morning flight to Nukus, on the edge of the Kyzyl Koum desert. Visit to the Nukus Art Museum, home to the incredible collection of over 80,000 paintings rescued by artist and collector Igor Savitsky from the arbitrary Stalinist regime, which, from 1936 onwards, tolerated only Soviet realist art. The works on display change frequently, but always have the Russian and Soviet Avant-Garde of the early 20th century as their guiding theme, to which are added "regional" works with a Central Asian theme. Lunch at the restaurant. Free time in Nukus. Dinner and overnight at the hotel.

PD. 4×4 drive to the Aral Sea. Stop on the banks of Lake Sudochiy for a picnic lunch. Arrival at the edge of the sea in the afternoon, crossing the relatively green steppe and wild animals. Settle into the nomads' yurts and walk to the seaside. Walk along the edge of the sea, which continues to dry up. Return to the yurts and enjoy a traditional nomad dinner. Night in the yurts (no other accommodation).

PD. Drive to Muynaq, crossing the dry sea where there are natural gas fields. Arrival in Muynaq, a fishermen's town in Soviet times, now renovated. Visit the old fishermen's port with its boats lying on the sand. Lunch with a local in Muynaq. Drive to Nukus. Arrival and dinner in town, overnight in hotel.

PD. Drive to Khiva, visiting the desert fortresses of Ayaz Kala and Toprak Kala en route. Lunch on the way. Arrival in Khiva. Check-in at hotel. Dinner in an old medersa in Khiva. Night in hotel.

Khiva

PD. Full day devoted to visiting this open-air museum-city, classified by UNESCO as a World Cultural Heritage Site and a former stopover on the Silk Road: visit to Ichan Kala (inner city), the Kalta Minor minaret (19th century), the Mohamed Aminkhan medersa, the King's seat and the former Kounya Ark palace. Lunch inside the fortress, then on to the medersa of Mohamed Rahimkhan, the Friday Mosque with its 218 wooden columns, the mausoleum of Saïd Alouddin, the mausoleum of Pahlavan Makhmud decorated with extraordinary mosaics, the minaret of Islamkhodja, one of the highest in the Islamic world, the Tochhovli Palace and the Khan's Harem, the medersa of Ollokoulikhon. Dinner in a local restaurant with traditional Khiva dishes. Overnight at the hotel.

Khiva-Bukhara (450 km, 7 hrs drive)

Departure for Bukhara. Departure for Bukhara by car with air conditioning. The road passes through the Kizil Koum (Red Sand) desert. The particular beauty of this Central Asian desert brings to mind the days of the brave caravaneers who crossed this sea of sand on camels. Picnic lunch in a café on the way. Arrival in Bukhara in the late afternoon. Settling in. Dinner in a local restaurant in the city. Night in hotel.

Breakfast at the hotel. Day of sightseeing. Bukhara the divine! One of the oldest cities in Central Asia, a pillar of Islam with its 365 mosques. A spiritual and commercial centre whose importance has not diminished over the centuries. We begin our visit with the Mausoleum of the Samanids, the Persian dynasty that ruled Central Asia. Visit to the Prophet Job Mausoleum and the well with the sacred water. Visit to the Ark citadel, residence of the emirs of Bukhara and the Bolo Khauz mosque. Visit to the central part of the city - Shakhristan: the Poi-Kalon complex, the Great Minaret of Bukhara, here you will find out why Genghis-khan left this minaret and destroyed all the other monuments. The Mir-Arab Medersa (the first Koranic school in Central Asia), the Great Mosque (unique in Central Asia for its size). Lunch at a tchaikhana (a type of local restaurant). Continuation of the tour of Bukhara. Visit to the medersa of Abdulazizkhan and the medersa of Ulugbeg, Tamerlane's grandson. Walk through the merchant domes. Visit to the Magokki Attori mosque, which was a Zoroastrian temple before the arrival of Islam in Bukhara. The Labi Khauz complex: the Khanaka Nodir devonbegi (dwelling place of dervishes and Sufis), the Medersa Nodir devonbegi, ask your guide for the legend about the construction of the khanaka and medersa. Dinner with local people. Overnight in a charming hotel.

Bukhara

After breakfast, visit the outskirts of the city: the summer residence of the Bukhara emirs, Sitora i Mokhi Khossa, and Bukhara's most revered monument, the Mausoleum of Bakhaouddin Nakhchbandi, named after a highly respected founding saint of Sufi Islam who is said to have said: "If you sow the seed of goodness, it will grow in seven years and produce seven hundred good deeds". Lunch at a local chaikhana. Visit to the Chor Bakr necropolis, the mausoleums of the descendants of the Prophet Mohammed, in the village of Soumitan, 5 kilometres from Bukhara. Return to Bukhara. Afternoon visit to the silk embroidery workshop where the famous Bukhara suzanis are made. Dinner in the Nodir devonbegui medersa with the folkhloric show and silk costume parade. Overnight at the hotel.

Bukhara - Nurata-Asraf (250 km, 5 hrs drive)

Breakfast, then early departure for Nourata. En route, visit to the Summer Residence of the Amirs of Bukhara and a stop to visit the Gijduvan Private pottery workshop. Presentation by the ceramist on the types of Uzbek ceramics. Lunch on the way. Stop at the Nourata oasis and visits: the ruins of Alexander the Great's fortress, the Tchil Ustun and Panjvakhta mosques. Drive to the mountain village of Asraf, where you will stay with local people. Short walks in the village. Meeting with mountain villagers. Dinner at a local home. Overnight at a local's house.

Then breakfast. Drive to Samarkand (250 km, 4 h). Lunch en route. Arrival in Samarkand in the late evening. Check-in at the hotel. Dinner in a local restaurant. Night in hotel.

Breakfast at the hotel. Visits to the monuments of Samarkand, capital of Tamerlane. Visit to the Gur Emir Mausoleum (Tamerlane's Tomb), a veritable "threshold to paradise" for artists and dreamers: Reghistan Square surrounded by the marvellous Medersas of Ulugh Beg, Shir-Dor and Tilla-Kari, decorated with dazzling faience and bearing witness to the evolution of Timurid architecture. The Bibi Khanoum mosque. The Chakhi-Zinda necropolis (built around the tomb of Koussam Ibn Abbas, cousin of the Prophet Mahomed s.a.w). Lunch during the visits. Visit to the Observatory of Ulugbek, Tamerlane's grandson. Visit to the paper-making workshop.
Dinner in a local restaurant. Night at the hotel.

Breakfast at the hotel. Departure for Chakhrissabz (110 km), birthplace of Tamerlane. Arrival and tour of Chakhrissabz. Visit to the ruins of the White Palace - Ak Saray (14th c.) Behind the walls of the mausoleum is the mosque of Khazrati Imam (Holy Imam) dating from the 19th c. which completes the architectural complex known as Dorus Saodat (Abode of Power). Visit to the Dorut Tyllawat complex (Abode of Reflection), which consists of two mausoleums: the mausoleum of Sheikh Chamseddin Kulal (14th century) and the Gumbazi Saidon mausoleum (15th century) and the Kouk Goumbaz mosque (15th century). Lunch in a local restaurant. Return to Samarkand through mountainous areas, meeting dried fruit sellers along the way. Arrival in Samarkand and transfer to Samarkand station for departure by train to Tashkent. Arrival and check-in at the hotel. Dinner and overnight at the hotel.

PD. Drive to the Ferghana valley by minibus via the Kamchik pass (2200 m). Arrival in Kokand, the former capital of the valley. Lunch stop. Visit to the Khudayrkhan Palace, the last governor of Kokand, a sublime palace with different rooms and courtyards. On the way to Ferghana, stop at the workshop of the famous potter Usto Said, a typical old-fashioned ceramic workshop. Arrival in Ferghana, dinner and overnight at the hotel.

PD. Visit to Marghilan, 15 km from Ferghana, visit to the Yodgorlik factory (traditional silk weaving) and talk by the master manufacturer, visit to the Marghilan bazaar, famous Marghilan bread. Lunch and dinner in town in local restaurants. Overnight in Marghilan.

PD. Drive to Tashkent via the Kamchik Pass, a picturesque landscape. Planned stops. Lunch en route. Arrival in Tashkent. Check-in at the hotel. Night in hotel.

PD. Drive to Chimgan, stroll along the shores of Lake Tcharvak and hikes. Picnic lunch. Return to Tashkent. Dinner in a local restaurant.

PD. Transfer to Tashkent airport for your return flight.