The Vanishing Sea & The Forgotten Cities
About this tour
A thoughtful welcome in Tashkent
Begin your journey in the capital with a balance of ancient and modern: visit mahallas and madrasas, stroll Soviet-era squares, and ride the artful metro.
Travel by train, travel with care
Experience the comfort and sustainability of five scenic train rides — from Tashkent to Samarkand, Samarkand to Bukhara, and through the desert to Khiva.
Hands-on encounters with tradition
Take part in cooking classes (manty, plov, shivit oshi), miniature painting, and explore workshops in paper-making, carpet weaving, and silk dyeing.
Silk Road legends come to life
Walk among the architectural wonders of Samarkand, Bukhara, and Khiva — UNESCO-listed cities with stories carved in tile, brick, and wood.
Off the beaten path in Shakhrisabz
Cross the Kitab Pass to Timur’s birthplace and explore grand ruins and quiet tombs surrounded by mountain air and epic landscapes.
Khorezm’s desert fortresses
Journey deep into the Kyzylkum desert to explore the haunting beauty of Toprak-Kala, Kyzyl-Kala, and Ayaz-Kala — silent witnesses of ancient empires.
Art and memory in Nukus
Visit the remote Savitsky Museum*, home to a world-famous collection of forbidden Soviet avant-garde and Karakalpak art.
Witness the Aral Sea crisis
Visit the ghost town of Muynak, walk through the Ship Cemetery, and reach the shores of the vanishing Aral Sea — where you’ll sleep in a yurt under the stars.
Meet the landscapes and their stories
Climb to the Ustyurt Plateau, swim in the saltwater, watch sunrise over silence, and explore long-forgotten villages and sacred sites like Mizdakhan.
A journey with meaning
This is not just a sightseeing trip — it’s a thoughtfully designed experience that balances beauty with awareness, connection with care, and history with humanity.
Day-by-day itinerary
Day 1: Tashkent, Uzbekistan
You arrive in Tashkent, Uzbekistan’s capital a city where Soviet boulevards meet Eastern courtyards. We’ll meet you at the airport and greet you with a small welcome gift: a reusable shopper made by local artisans. It’s a simple thing, but it reflects how we travel thoughtfully and with care for the places we visit. From the airport, a short drive brings you to your hotel. The rest of the day is yours: rest, walk, or just take in the feeling of being somewhere completely new.
Day 2: Tashkent, Uzbekistan
Tashkent isn’t just a starting point it’s a quiet key to understanding Uzbekistan today. A city of contrasts, memory, and surprising calm. Today we explore: - Khast-Imam Complex — a sacred ensemble of mosques and madrasahs, home to one of the world’s oldest Qur’ans - Chorsu Bazaar — not touristy, but alive: pyramids of fruit, clouds of spices, and faces that speak every Central Asian language - Walk through a mahalla — a traditional neighborhood, where life unfolds in courtyards and shared tea Later, we descend into the Tashkent Metro, where each station tells a story in ceramic, marble, and mosaic a Soviet gallery with traditional element beneath the ground. This is a day to feel how old and new can quietly coexist, not compete. Free evening. Overnight in Tashkent.
Day 3: Tashkent, Uzbekistan to Samarkand, Uzbekistan
We travel to Samarkand by high-speed train — a more sustainable and relaxed way to cross the land. This city has long captured imaginations: from Alexander the Great to Marco Polo. We begin with: - Registan Square — three madrassahs that define Islamic architecture, UNESCO-listed for good reason - Gur-Emir Mausoleum — final resting place of Tamerlane, under a dome the color of dusk - Shakhi Zinda Ensemble — a sacred necropolis, where a row of deep-blue tombs leads you into centuries of silence and faith - Bibi-Khanym Mosque — once one of the largest in the Islamic world, built by the emperor in memory of his wife - Siab Bazaar — the city’s stomach, where locals still barter over fruit, bread, and wedding sweets Samarkand is often called a museum under the sky. But for us, it’s more than that it’s a place where past and present still trade glances. Free evening. Overnight in Samarkand.
Day 4: Samarkand, Uzbekistan
We believe the best way to understand a culture is through your hands today is dedicated to that idea. - Cook manty — plump Uzbek dumplings with a local family, and enjoy a shared meal - Learn how to make paper at village, using ancient techniques - Visit the Ulugh Beg Observatory where science once rivaled empires - Stop at a carpet weaving workshop, where each knot tells a story Craft isn’t a performance here. It’s a form of memory and a form of survival. Free evening. Overnight in Samarkand.
Day 5: Samarkand, Uzbekistan to Shahrisabz, Uzbekistan
We travel overland through the Kitab Pass not just to reach a town, but to follow the same mountain paths traders once used. - Explore the ruins of Ak-Saray Palace - Stand in the quiet courtyards of Dorus Saodat - Connect with locals who know what it means to live at history’s edge There are no crowds here. Just silence, sun, and space to reflect. On the road back, the landscape opens up and so does the conversation. Return to Samarkand. Overnight in Samarkand.
Day 6: Samarkand, Uzbekistan to Bukhara, Uzbekistan
We board the train west and go to where caravan trails once met under starlight. Upon arrival: - Visit the Summer Palace of the Last Emir — a curious blend of European tastes and Central Asian restraint - Stroll through the gardens and tiled reception halls - Enjoy a local folklore performance and dinner at old madras Bukhara holds its history not in glass cases but in rhythm, in gestures, in long shadows on sunlit brick. Free evening. Overnight in Bukhara.
Day 7: Bukhara, Uzbekistan
We spend the day walking Bukhara’s Old City, one of the best-preserved on the Silk Road. - Learn to cook plov — Uzbekistan’s national dish — then taste it as locals do - Try your hand at miniature painting, a delicate art form taught with patience and humor - Poi Kalyan Complex — a majestic minaret that once guided travelers and warned invaders - The Ark Citadel — fortress and royal court for centuries - Chashma Ayub Spring — said to heal more than thirst - Covered Trading Domes — still used today for textiles, spices, and stories This is a day to let the city reveal itself not all at once, but one texture at a time. Free evening. Overnight in Bukhara.
Day 8: Bukhara, Uzbekistan to Khiva, Uzbekistan
Today’s journey takes us across the desert, the same emptiness that once challenged caravans, now crossed by train. We arrive in Khiva, a city that seems paused in time. - Learn to make Shivit Oshi, a dill-green noodle dish found only here - Share the meal in a small courtyard with the family who made it possible Food is never just food here it’s memory, and tradition. Free evening. Overnight in Khiva.
Day 9: Khiva, Uzbekistan
Itchan Kala, the old walled city of Khiva, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the most atmospheric places in all of Central Asia and it’s also lived in. We explore: - Kunya Ark — the old khan’s citadel, with panoramic views over the minarets - Tash Khauli Palace — tiled courtyards built for royal gatherings - Juma Mosque — a forest of carved wooden columns, silent and sacred - Kalta-Minor Minaret — short, wide, and completely covered in blue tiles, a masterpiece left unfinished, yet iconic There will be time to wander at your own pace through narrow streets, hidden archways, and small workshops tucked into the ancient walls. Free evening. Overnight in Khiva.
Day 10: Khiva, Uzbekistan to Xorazm Region, Uzbekistan
This morning we leave the city walls behind and travel deep into the desert to places where the Silk Road once breathed, but now the wind does the talking. We explore: - Toprak-Kala, the ancient Khorezm capital, where clay walls still hold the memory of a vanished court - Ayaz-Kala, perched alone on a desert ridge, surrounded by nothing but time - Kyzyl-Kala, raw and windswept, standing as it was left There are no fences, no souvenir shops, only sand, sky, and silence. Our visit here supports local drivers and guides who know these places by story, not script. It’s a day to walk gently, ask questions, and listen not just to guides, but to the land itself. Return to Khiva. Free evening. Overnight.
Day 11: Khiva, Uzbekistan to Nukus, Uzbekistan
We leave the cities of legend behind and head north, into a region few travelers reach — Karakalpakstan, where the Silk Road ends and a new story begins. Along the way: - The Tower of Silence - a Zoroastrian burial site where bodies were once given to the sky, not the earth - Savitsky Museum a quiet revelation: this remote gallery holds one of the world’s best collections of Soviet avant-garde art, saved from censorship This part of Uzbekistan is less polished but more raw, honest, and unforgettable. Free evening. Overnight in Nukus.
Day 12: Nukus, Uzbekistan to Moynaq, Uzbekistan
This day carries weight. We travel to Muynak, a town that once had a sea, a fishing fleet, and a future. Today, it stands beside rusted ships resting on desert sand. From there, we cross what used to be ocean, now a dry seabed and reach the edge of what remains of the Aral Sea. We stay in a traditional yurt camp and share a simple dinner under open sky. If season and weather allow you may step into the water, where once waves carried cargo. This is not a tragedy-tour. It’s a conversation about choices, resilience, and what remains when nature and people are pushed too far. Overnight in yurt camp.
Day 13: Moynaq, Uzbekistan to Nukus, Uzbekistan
Our return to Nukus is not rushed. We pass places few people have ever heard of but where stories linger. Urga — a ghost village that once served as a Russian customs post on the edge of the desert Mizdakhan — a sacred necropolis layered with Islamic and pre-Islamic traditions, still visited by pilgrims A Soviet gas town, frozen in time, where daily life continues amid relics of the past These are not tourist sites. They are places of silence, slow change, and unexpected beauty. Overnight in Nukus.
Day 14: Nukus, Uzbekistan
Your journey ends far from where it began, geographically and inwardly. This wasn’t just a tour. It was a route through culture, craft, memory, and the fragile balance between people and place. We hope you return home not only with photos, but with questions that stay with you. Transfer to the airport.
What's included
Hotel breakfasts 2 Dinners - with a folklore show in an ancient madrasah and dinner on the 9th day 5 Lunches, after a master class of mantov, pilaf and shivit oshi, on the 9th and 10th day A master class on cooking mantas in Samarkand Pilaf and painting master class in Bukhara Master class on making Shivit Oshi in Khiva Train tickets for Tashkent - Samarkand – Bukhara by high-speed train Afrosiab (economy class) * Bukhara – Khiva train tickets (compartment) Accommodation in a standard double room (double occupancy) Transfers according to the program Guided tours Entrance tickets to sightseeing sites Transportation according to the program
International flight Dinners (except those indicated) Lunches (except those indicated) Medical insurance Entrance fee with photo and video cameras Accompanying guide Alcoholic and non - alcoholic beverages
What to know
This tour can be customized. Please get in touch with me.
Route & locations
Tashkent, Uzbekistan