Uzbekistan Group Quest Tour

Get ready to explore capital city Tashkent on a game tour with your private local guide! Transfer to the designated starting point in Tashkent to discover your mission:

• Begin your Uzbekistan tour at Khazret-Imam Complex in the Old City. Explore the architectural complex including Barak-Khan Madrasah (16th century), Tillya-Sheykh Mosque, Mausoleum of Saint Kaffal Shashi (15th century) and the beautiful new Juma Mosque. After touring the site you need to find the person in charge and get permission to climb the 50-meter-high minaret. From the top you will take a photo for points.
• Continue your mission at Chorsu Bazaar, an authentic oriental market. Wander through the bazaar to enjoy the atmosphere of the Old Silk Road and see the large selection of traditional Uzbek ceramics, jewelry, handbags, garments and more. Take a photo of the bazaar’s largest dome.
• Ride the Tashkent Metro, an immaculate subway system with each station decorated in colored mosaics and ceramics to depict a specific theme. Find the beautiful Alisher Navoi Station and take a photo.
• Continue on to Amir Temur Square. See the massive statue of Tamerlane himself at the center and take a photo. Also visit Independence Square with its Mourning Mother Monument and Eternal Flame.
• Tour the Applied Arts Museum, an informative collection of Uzbekistan’s finest handicrafts housed in an ornately decorated villa. You need to answer 6 questions about Tashkent which your tour guide will give you.

In late afternoon transfer to the train station to take the Tashkent - Samarkand train (330 km, 2.5 hrs). Arrive to Samarkand, a city at the crossroads of the world’s cultures. Pick-up from Samarkand train station and transfer to the hotel for check-in.
Overnight in Samarkand.
Tour duration: 5-6 hours

After breakfast start your Samarkand quest tour. Led by an experienced local guide, you will discover this Silk Road Town as you follow clues along the way.

• The starting point of the tour is Gur Emir, the imposing burial site of Tamerlane and Mirzo Ulugbek. Take a photo of the golden domes inside the mausoleum.
• Transfer (or walk) 1200 meters to reach Registan Square, the commercial center of Samarkand for centuries and Samarkand’s most celebrated site. The square includes Ulugbek Madrasah (15th century), Sher-Dor Madrasah (17th century) and Tilla-Kori Madrasah (17th century). Stand in the center of the square to find a depiction of animals on one of the madrassahs. Take a photo and write the name of the animal that you found.
• Walk another 1 kilometer along a boulevard lined with workshops and souvenir stores to reach Bibi Khanum Mosque, built by Tamerlane for his favorite wife. Measure the size of the massive stone in the center of the courtyard and share your findings with your tour operator.
• Next to the mosque you will discover Siab Bazaar, a multi-level complex where you can shop for souvenirs and sample sweets, fruits and Samarkand’s famous bread. Bargain for a loaf of Samarkand bread and write down the final price.
• Continue to Shakhi-Zinda, a burial complex built between the 9th-14th centuries. Climb the blue-domed path and explore more than twenty small mausoleums that line the broad alleyway as your guide recounts its history. Count the stairs and write down the number.
• Your final stop of the day will be Ulugbek Observatory, where you can see the remains of a 14th-15th century sextant and tour Ulugbek Museum. You need to answer 5 questions about Samarkand which you will get from your tour guide.

Overnight in Samarkand.
Tour duration: 6-7 hours

Breakfast at the hotel. Today you have a free day to explore Samarkand on your own. Some optional activities include:

• Visit to the excavation site and museum of the ancient city Afrasiab;
• Tour of Khodja Daniyar Mausoleum, believed to be the tomb of the prophet Daniel whose remains were brought here by Tamerlane;
• Drive to Konigil Village to observe the traditional way of making Samarkand paper from mulberry leaves. You’ll also have the chance to buy these unique souvenirs;
• Tour of Samarkand Khovrenko Winery, which is over 150 years old and continues to produce a range of wines, brandy and vodka. The tour includes a wine museum and a special wine tasting room.

Overnight in Samarkand.

After breakfast at the hotel, continue your Uzbekistan private tour with a transfer to the railway station to take the morning train to Bukhara (280 km, 1.5hrs). Arrive in Bukhara and transfer to your hotel in the Old City, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
With your private local guide, enjoy a walking game tour of Bukhara’s Old City as you follow clues to discover some amazing places:

• Your active day in Bukhara begins at Lyabi House Ensemble, which includes the largest artificial reservoir of medieval Bukhara (14th-17th centuries) and some of the largest madrasahs in the city: Khanaka Madrasah, Kukeldash Madrasah and Nadir Divan Beghi Madrasah (all 16th century). Find the statue of Khodja Nasreddin and take a photo with him.
• Continue to Magoki-Attori Mosque, the oldest mosque in Bukhara (12th century);
• Pass through Ulugbek Madrasah (15th century) and Abdulazizkhan Madrasah (17th century), known for their impressive applied art. Take a photo of the beautiful entrance portal.
• Wander the Four Trade Domes (15th-16th centuries), which still house local handicrafts for sale;
• Next is Poi Kalyan Ensemble, consisting of Kalyan Minaret, Kalyan Mosque, Amir-Alimkhan Madrasah and Miri-Arab Madrasah. Take a photo of the famous minaret.
• Explore Ark Fortress (4th century), the ancient center of Bukharan statehood and currently home to a small museum. Dress up and take a photo in the Ark’s throne room.
• Your last point will be Bolo-Khauz Complex, consisting of an artfully decorated 18th century mosque, a minaret and reservoirs that once provided water for the entire city. Count the wooden columns.

Overnight in Bukhara.
Tour duration: 6 hours

Breakfast at the hotel, followed by a free morning to explore Bukhara on your own. (Hotel check-out is at noon).
Optional activities include:

• Bozori Kord Hammam (public bathhouse), which was built in the 14th century and has been in regular use ever since;
• Chashma Ayub (Saint Job’s Source, 14th century), once considered a sacred site where a prophet caused clear springs of healing water to burst forth from the earth;
• Samanids Mausoleum (9th-10th centuries), believed to be the most ancient brick building in Central Asia;
• Fayzulla Khodjaev House Museum, a house model representative of residential architecture in Bukhara;
• Chor Minor (18th century), whose four minarets are said to reflect the four major world religions of that period.

Transfer in the afternoon to the train station for the Bukhara-Tashkent train (580 km, 4hrs).
After arriving in Tashkent you will receive your certificate of participation and national souvenirs as a prize from your Uzbekistan travels. Transfer to a hotel or Tashkent International Airport. End of Uzbekistan Group Quest Tour.