Uzbek and Turkmenistan Adventure 15 Days | Ashgabat, Turkmenistan to Tashkent, Uzbekistan
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TRIP NOTES Uzbek and Turkmenistan Adventure 15 Days | Ashgabat, Turkmenistan to Tashkent, Uzbekistan Discover the highlights of • Khiva - admire the striking city walls • Guided tour of Ashgabat and visit to Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan on and take a guided tour of the Uzbek Kunye Urgench and the Darvaza Gas this 15 day overland adventure. See city including the turquoise Kalta Minor Crater in Turkmenistan Minaret and the palace of Tash Khovli • Guided tour of Khiva, Bukhara & the flaming Darvaza Gas Crater, • Bukhara - discover the gruesome past Samarkand in Uzbekistan marvel at the ruined city of Kunye of the Silk Road city including the Kalyan Urgench and enjoy a tour of the Minaret which is known as "Death Tower" What's Not Included bizarre capital of Turkmenistan - and opt to visit Zindon Prison • International flights and visas Ashgabat. Visit the Silk Road cities • Kyzylkhum Desert - camp in a traditional • Items of a personal nature, additional of Khiva, Bukhara and Samarkand yurt in the remote desert and perhaps meals and drinks take a camel ride across the rolling sand • Tipping - an entirely personal gesture in Uzbekistan, stay in a traditional dunes • Sleeping bag and roll mat - please bring yurt in the Kyzylkhum Desert and • Tashkent - end your adventure in your own for camping end your journey in the Soviet-style Uzbekistan's clean and modern Soviet- metropolis of Tashkent. style capital city Local Payment • Samarkand - visit the jewel in Timur's $660pp, paid in USD empire to see highlights including the HIGHLIGHTS AND INCLUSIONS breathtaking Registan Square and the DETAILED ITINERARY Trip Highlights ruins of the Bibi-Khanym Mosque Day 1 : Ashgabat • Ashgabat - enjoy a guided tour of What's Included Turkmenistan's capital city which is • 10 breakfasts, 3 lunches and 2 dinners known for its white marble architecture • 11 nights in hotels and bizarre buildings including the world's • 2 nights camping without facilities largest indoor Ferris wheel • 1 night in a traditional yurt camp • Darvaza Gas Crater - marvel at the • Airport arrival transfer on day 1 flickering fires of this incredible flaming • All necessary camping equipment crater, nicknamed the "Door to Hell" by (excluding sleeping bags) the locals • Transportation in an overland expedition • Kunye Urgench - explore the ruins of this vehicle Silk Road city in the Karakum Desert, Border Information: Joining in Ashgabat, • Services of two crew (drivers/tour leaders) which was spared by Genghis Khan you will most likely enter Turkmenistan at and local guides along the way during his invasion Ashgabat International Airport (IATA code: • Sightseeing as per itinerary ASB). Uzbek and Turkmenistan Adventure - 15 Days updated on 01-10-2021 08:32:26 www.onthegotours.com This information has been compiled with care and good faith. They give an accurate illustration of the proposed arrangements for this holiday. Circumstances beyond our control such as changes in local conditions, inclement weather or other reasons could force us to make changes to UK 020 7371 1113 [email protected] this itinerary. Any costs shown are subject to change, though are an accurate reflection of costs at time of writing. Please also note that visa AUS 1300 855 684 [email protected] requirements are subject to change and are the responsibility of the traveller and not that of On The Go Tours. NZ 0800 44 77 69 CAN 1 866 890 7038 - 1 - USA 1 866 606 2960 SA 0800 990 311 TRIP NOTES Uzbek and Turkmenistan Adventure with the best of intentions, the drive times are Days 6-8 : Beautiful Bukhara There will be a pre-departure meeting at heavily dependent on traffic, road conditions, 10:00am - please look out for a note from weather, police roadblocks, and many other your leader at the reception of the joining factors - flexibility is essential on any overland hotel upon arrival with more details about trip). this important meeting. Your leader will need to carefully check your visas at this initial Accommodation: Camping without facilities meeting. After the meeting we have an Overnight - Darvaza - (camping without included tour of the city of Ashgabat using facilities) (B, L, D) local minibuses. In Ashgabat we stay in a decent quality local hotel. Day 3 : Kunye Urgench Today we continue our overland journey north On day 6 we have a full day's drive to the Important note: Any tobacco products across the Karakum Desert. We visit the fascinating city of Bukhara, where we’ll spend are practically illegal in Turkmenistan, so Kunye Urgench ruins towards the end of the the next three nights. The next day we have please do not bring them or use them day and camp in the deserts nearby. a guided tour of Bukhara and the surrounding in Turkmenistan. Also please do not bring area, including the Ismail Samani Mausoleum, any medicines containing tramadol, codeine, Estimated Drive Time: 6 - 7 hours Kalon Mosque, Zindon Prison and the Ark temazepam, morphine or opiates to Central Accommodation: Camping without facilities Fortress. Day 8 is free to further explore this Asia. These are illegal in all circumstances in Overnight - Kunye Urgench (camping incredible historic city and its surroundings. In most of Central Asia and you will risk arrest. without facilities) (B, L) Bukhara we stay in a comfortable local hotel. If in doubt about a particular medicine, please do not bring it. Days 4-5 : Khiva Estimated Drive Time (day 6): 8 - 10 hours Accommodation: Comfortable hotel Optional Activities Watch an entertaining evening puppet show, Overnight - Ashgabat featuring many local Uzbek and Tajik poems Day 2 : Darvaza Gas Crater - and songs - USD 5 The Door to Hell See the Indian-style Char Minar Minarets, four towers nestled in a maze of alleyways in downtown Bukhara - Free Visit the gruesome museum at the old prison of Zindon - UZS 4500 Border Information: Exit Turkmenistan at Accommodation: Basic hotel Shovot, enter Uzbekistan at Nijazov. Overnight - Bukhara On the morning of day 4 we visit the market in the border town of Dashoguz, before Day 9 : Nurata & the driving across the border into Uzbekistan. We Kyzylkhum Desert Today we set off north from Ashgabat and continue to the beautiful Silk Road city of head into the Karakum Desert. We have an Khiva. included side trip to the amazing flaming The next day we have a guided tour of Darvaza Gas Crater (also known as the 'Door ancient Khiva. Later, there’s plenty of free time to Hell'). We camp without facilities in the to further explore this wonderfully preserved desert near Darvaza Crater tonight. Khanate city. In Khiva we stay in a comfortable Estimated Drive Time: 5 - 6 hours (please hotel. note that all drive times given here are Estimated Drive Time (day 4): 4 - 5 hours the approximate number of hours that the Today we drive into the Kyzylkhum Desert truck will be in motion only, and does Accommodation: Comfortable hotel near the town of Nurata. In the afternoon not include any time taken for coffee or Overnight - Khiva (B:2) we have the opportunity to head out on an lunch stops, border crossings, photo stops, optional camel ride into the desert and we activities en route, comfort breaks, shopping spend the night staying in a desert yurt camp. stops, toilet stops, etc. The times given are approximate estimates only and whilst given Uzbek and Turkmenistan Adventure - 15 Days updated on 01-10-2021 08:32:26 www.onthegotours.com This information has been compiled with care and good faith. They give an accurate illustration of the proposed arrangements for this holiday. Circumstances beyond our control such as changes in local conditions, inclement weather or other reasons could force us to make changes to UK 020 7371 1113 [email protected] this itinerary. Any costs shown are subject to change, though are an accurate reflection of costs at time of writing. Please also note that visa AUS 1300 855 684 [email protected] requirements are subject to change and are the responsibility of the traveller and not that of On The Go Tours. NZ 0800 44 77 69 CAN 1 866 890 7038 - 2 - USA 1 866 606 2960 SA 0800 990 311 TRIP NOTES Uzbek and Turkmenistan Adventure Estimated Drive Time: 4 - 6 hours free to explore the city independently or join available elsewhere, such as Nurofen! some of the optional activities available. In Please see here for more information Accommodation: Yurt Camp Tashkent we stay in a comfortable hotel with - http://sambuh.com/procedure-psychotropic- Overnight - Nurata (yurt camp) (B, L, D) good facilities. substances.html Days 10-12 : Exploring Estimated Drive Time (day 13): 5 - 6 hours It is very important that you do not bring any Samarkand medications such as this - they will treat this Optional Activities as though you were bringing illegal narcotics Explore urbane Tashkent and experience a into the country. They are very strict about surreal cabaret dinner - Free this, and it does not matter if you are only Visit the nightclubs and Imperial Russian-style transiting through, and it makes no difference cabaret restaurants of Tashkent - Free if you have a prescription or a doctor's note Visit the religious centre of Tashkent at Hast - please do not bring these medications to Imam Square and see the Uthman Koran, Central Asia under any circumstance, as the believed to be the world's oldest extant copy customs agents know exactly what they are of the Koran - USD 5 looking for and the consequences could be Accommodation: Comfortable hotel huge, not only for yourself but for the tour On day 10 we spend some time exploring Overnight - Tashkent (B:2) leaders and especially for our local agents the Nurata Hills and you can opt for a dip and guides.