At Exeter International we have been creating memories and crafting our trademark extraordinary journeys to Central Europe, Russia, and Central Asia for 23 years. Our specialty is to distill the best of the best in iconic places that are on so many people’s travel must-do list. We are not a call center of nameless, faceless people. We do not try to be everything to everyone. We are a small team of specialists. We are all committed to providing the best travel experiences to our destinations. Each member of our team has travelled extensively throughout our destinations, giving them insider knowledge lacking in many other tour operators. Our Extraordinary Experiences are different, unusual, and often closed to the general public. We can offer special insider access that takes you beyond the typical tourist sites. We know how important it is to remain authentic and increasingly going beyond the well-known sites is what is important to our guests—discovering the little known museum or street market that adds to their experience. We do this through our local knowledge, cultivating our extensive contacts and regularly visiting each destination to enable us to share the most up-to-date insider information with you, our valued partner. The most important part of your trip will be your guides. We have worked with a core group of the best of the best for over 20 years. We know them like family and if they weren't the best, they wouldn't work for us. Simply stated, a guide can make or break your experience. You should have 100% confidence in who is introducing you to your guide and the level of guiding that you are going to get throughout the countries you will be visiting. The best does indeed cost more and we pay our guides at the very top of the market, with pride. You'll also want to know what kind of vehicle your tour will include. We use luxury late-model vehicles, often Mercedes, Audi, BMW, or Volkswagen, depending on the size of the vehicle you need. You'll want to see things that may or may not be open to the public and go in early or after hours before the crowds whenever possible. We also make every effort to skip lines whenever possible. Avoiding long museum lines is one of our top priorities and we work hard to minimize the wait time to get into the most popular sights in each city, maximizing your time in each destination. You'll want impeccable planning and someone to bounce ideas off of before your trip and speak English as well as you do while planning your trip so there are no cultural misunderstandings when you arrive. You'll also want someone to talk to if your trip is not perfect when you get home. These are all ways that we distinguish ourselves from all other companies. A lot goes into our travel program design. We arrange the program so that it is flawless and effortless for our travelers from the time they set foot in the first city until they leave us. The expertise to set up an itinerary like this comes after years of investing in staff on both sides of the Atlantic, and this too is a value that is incorporated into our traveler's trips with us. Arrival into Tashkent. If you arrive on Uzbek Air in Business class, a CIP arrival will be included for you to make the custom process much easier. If you are not arriving on Uzbek Air in Business, this can be added for about $170 per person. As your airplane lands, look for a CIP bus on the tarmac and give your name at boarding. You will be taken to a CIP arrival hall where a special immigration officer will complete the formalities – your passport and visa will be checked. Provide your luggage tags and luggage will be collected for you. Please note that due to heightened security at the airport, your guide and driver will not be able to meet you inside the terminal building, but at the perimeter gate, clearly visible upon exit from the arrivals area. You will be met by your guide and driver for a transfer to your hotel. Early check-in is included. After checking-in at your hotel, take some time at leisure to relax and settle-in. Today, late in the morning or at noon, you will meet your guide in the hotel lobby for a tour of Tashkent’s main sights. Originally an oasis on the Chirchik River, Tashkent gradually grew to become an important commercial center, which now has a population of over 2 million. Your tour will start in Tashkent’s Old City, where you will visit the Barak Khan Madrasah from the 16th century, and the Tillya Sheikh Mosque. The mosque houses a rich Islamic library with ancient manuscripts, including the famous Uthman Koran, considered to be the oldest copy of the Koran in the world. Dating from 655 and reputedly stained with the blood of murdered caliph Uthman, it was brought by Timur to Samarkand and later seized by the Russians as a war trophy and taken to Saint Petersburg (held in the Hermitage) before it was returned to Uzbekistan in 1989. Later, you will see the 16th-century Kukeldash Madrasah, which is one of the few remaining authentic historic monuments in the Old Town (the massive earthquake of 1968 destroyed most of central Tashkent), which is one of the largest Islamic schools in Central Asia. It was named after Kukeldash, who was a vizier (prime minister), a poet, and a scientist. The main façade of the Madrasah has a high portal, two-story loggias, and angular turrets. In the 18th century it was used as a caravanserai (roadside inn) and later as a fortress. Nowadays it also includes a functioning mosque. Next, you might want to stroll through the Chorsu Bazaar for the true feeling of Tashkent! Bazaars in Uzbekistan are a unique site in each city. You will capture some of your best local photos at these markets, where you will find everything from bins of spices, nuts, fruit and cheese to clothing, toys, tools and everyday goods. If you are interested, your guide will also take you to the Applied Arts Museum. This building was constructed at the end of the 19th century in the elaborate style of the period as a private residence of a wealthy merchant. It now displays various types of national handicrafts, including carpets, jewelry, woodcarving and gold embroidery from the 19th and 20th centuries. This afternoon we recommend visiting the workshop of a famed Uzbek ceramist who comes from a dynasty of ceramic artists. His workshop and peaceful gardens give an insight into the ceramic arts in Uzbekistan. You may also enjoy a masterclass in ceramic making. You will return to your hotel for an evening at your leisure. If you are interested, an evening performance at the Alisher Navoi Theater can be added (subject to availability). Airport Transfer; Vehicle, Driver & Guide (6 Hours) Lotte City Hotel Tashkent Palace Today your guide and driver will take you to the Chimgan mountains, Uzbekistan’s winter- sports center, located about 100km outside of the city. There you will find ski tracks, hiking trails and splendid views from the Great Chimgan, the highest summit in the region. The nearby resort of Beldersay is also worth a visit. Later you will visit the Charvak Reservoir, created recently by the confluent of several mountain rivers. Its stunning blue waters are very popular among local people and half of its 60 miles of coastline is occupied by various recreation zones and summer camps. There you will visit the village of Brichmula, as well as the rock paintings of Khodjikent. Late afternoon return to Tashkent. Vehicle, Driver & Guide (8 Hours) Lotte City Hotel Tashkent Palace This morning, you will be transferred to the airport for the morning flight to Nukus departing at 7:10 and arriving at 8:55AM. (Cost of the flight is not included, business class is currently at around $145 per person. VIP airport procedures are included.) The small city of Nukus in western Uzbekistan is the capital of the autonomous region of Karakalpakstan, home to the Karakalpaks, a Turkic people more closely related to Kazakhs than to Uzbeks. A modern city, Nukus is at the center of an area crisscrossed by old caravan routes and dotted with ancient ruins. The surrounding cotton fields testify to the monoculture that stole the water from the Amu Darya and Syr Darya, the rivers that fed the Aral Sea. About 230 km north is Muynak and the former seashore. Explore the wonderful Savitsky Art Museum. This remote desert museum houses the incredible life's work of founder, Igor Savitsky, who was able to amass a collection of thousands of banned avant-garde Russian art pieces without interference from Moscow and keep it hidden from the watchful eyes of the KGB. The story of this collection has been told in the award-winning documentary, "Desert of Forbidden Art." The collection is the second- largest gathering of Russian avant-garde art after the Russian Museum in St. Petersburg. An exclusive private tour includes an opportunity to go inside the archives to view paintings not on public display and learn about the restoration efforts of this unique collection. (If you do not purchase a permit to take pictures here, you will have to leave your cellphone and cameras checked with your bags in the cloakroom.) Before your transfer to Khiva, you may also visit the Zoroastrian “Tower of Silence” from the 4th century.