Complete Guide to Uzbekistan

Uzbekistan is crossed along the ancient Silk Road, between four caravan cities that have preserved their architectural coherence: Khiva behind its Itchan Kala ramparts, Bukhara and its 140 listed monuments, Samarkand and its Registan square, Shakhrisabz, the birthplace of Timur. Our team based in Tashkent organizes circuits that connect these stops by fast Afrosiyob train (2h20 between Tashkent and Samarkand) or by road, passing through less frequently visited stages.

Beyond the cities, the country lends itself to contrasting experiences. The Kyzylkum desert covers nearly half the territory and can be discovered from the yurts of Yangikazgan or the shores of the Aral Sea, whose disappearance remains a textbook ecological case study. In the southeast, the Fergana Valley concentrates living craftsmanship: silk in Margilan, ceramics in Rishtan, knives in Chust. In the west, the Ustyurt Plateau offers mineral landscapes seldom visited, accessible from Nukus and its Savitsky Museum, the world's second collection of Russian avant-garde.

The country is best explored comfortably from April to June and September to October, avoiding the summer heat that exceeds 40°C in the desert. Plan 10 to 12 days for the four main cities, 15 days to add Fergana or the Aral, and three weeks to combine both ends of the country.