4.9
4.9
Choose your route
Samarkand → Asraf → Uhum → Nurata → Bukhara
Two nights in the mountains on your way to Bukhara.
- Pick-up:
- Your Samarkand hotel, morning
- Drop-off:
- Bukhara, afternoon of day 3
- Tour type:
- private only: your car, your driver, your party
- No payment now
- Free cancellation 24 h before
- We reply within 12 hours
A day on foot between two villages
Most travellers cross between Samarkand and Bukhara in one train ride. Here you spend two nights in the mountains instead. The middle day is the reason to come: about 12 km on a mountain path between Asraf and Uhum, past the Karul viewpoint, with a local mountain guide. Your driver brings the car round, and a new host family is waiting with dinner.
Both directions include Nurata. This direction visits it on day 3, on the way to Bukhara.
- Two host families
- A 12 km hike between two villages
- Nurata on the way
At a glance
- Start
- Your Samarkand hotel, morning
- Finish
- Bukhara, afternoon of day 3
- Duration
- 3 days / 2 nights
- Nights
- Asraf homestay · Uhum homestay
- Hike
- Day 2, Asraf → Uhum: about 12 km, 4–5 hours, easy to moderate, with a local mountain guide
- Luggage
- Goes between the villages by car
- Meals
- 2 breakfasts, 1 packed lunch, 2 dinners
- Season
- All year
Highlights
- Two nights with village families in Asraf and Uhum
- A full-day hike, about 12 km, from Asraf to Uhum with a local mountain guide
- The Karul viewpoint (about 1,650 m) and the old Deh fortress walls
- Nurata: the fortress ruins, the Chashma spring and mosque, a suzani workshop
- Cooking with your host family, whatever is on the menu that day
Day by day
Day 1 · Samarkand – Asraf village
Homestay- Pick-up at your Samarkand hotel; about 220 km, about 4 hours to Asraf over a mountain pass
- Viewpoint stop at the pass
- Arrival in Asraf village (about 1,200 m); welcome by your host family
- Home-cooked lunch
- Optional: bake bread in the clay tandoor with your host
- Evening cooking class: help the family prepare dinner, whatever is on the menu that day
- Dinner with the family; night on a topchan bed in the courtyard (weather permitting) or in a guest room
Day 2 · Hike Asraf – Uhum
Homestay- Breakfast
- Start of the hike with a local mountain guide: first about 3 km (1 hour) along the valley floor through the orchards, then about 4 km (1.5 hours) up through juniper
- Karul viewpoint (about 1,650 m): the Nuratau range, the Kyzylkum steppe and Aydarkul Lake
- Picnic lunch; about 2 km along the ridge past the walls of the old Deh fortress, then about 3 km down to Uhum
- Arrival in Uhum; your new host family welcomes you, and your luggage is already there
- Dinner with the family; night in the Uhum homestay
Day 3 · Uhum – Nurata – Bukhara
End of tour- Breakfast and goodbye to your host family
- Drive to Nurata
- Nurata: the ruins of Alexander the Great’s fortress, the Chashma sacred spring and the Chashma mosque
- A suzani embroidery workshop
- Drive on to Bukhara. Lunch is not included today: eat in Nurata or later in Bukhara
- Arrival in Bukhara. End of the tour
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Where you sleep
- Village homestays
- Family homes in Asraf and Uhum: on a traditional topchan bed in the courtyard when the weather allows, or in a guest room.
- Bathrooms
- Usually shared.
- Meals
- 2 breakfasts, 1 packed lunch, 2 dinners; vegetarian or vegan on request.
- Luggage
- It stays with the car; your driver brings it round to the next village.
Which Nuratau tour?
- 2 days / 1 nightVillages Homestay
- Nights: 1 village guesthouse
- Between Asraf and Uhum: On foot, 3–4 hours
- Rabat-i Malik and Gijduvan: Yes
- Season: All year
- 2 days / 1 nightHorse Riding
- Nights: 1 village homestay
- Between Asraf and Uhum: On horseback (horse included)
- Desert, camel ride and yurt: No (views of Aydarkul Lake from the ride)
- Nurata (Chashma spring): No (the drive passes near it)
- Season: Daily, all year
- 3 days / 2 nightsMountains Homestay
- Nights: 2 village homestays
- Between Asraf and Uhum: On foot, about 12 km, 4–5 hours
- Nurata (Chashma spring): Yes, both directions
- Season: All year
- 4 days / 3 nightsVillages & Desert Yurt
- Nights: 2 village homestays + 1 yurt camp
- Between Asraf and Uhum: On foot, with a local mountain guide
- Desert, camel ride and yurt: Yes, near Aydarkul Lake
- Nurata (Chashma spring): Samarkand → Bukhara only
- Rabat-i Malik and Gijduvan: Yes
- Season: March – November (yurt camp season)
What’s included and what to bring
- 2 nights in village homestays, sleeping on a traditional topchan
- Meals: 2 breakfasts, 1 packed lunch, 2 dinners (vegetarian or vegan on request)
- Private air-conditioned car, Samarkand pick-up to Bukhara drop-off
- Sealed mineral water on the hike, and snacks during the trek
- Entrance fees in Nurata (fortress, mosque, workshop)
- Luggage moved between the villages by car
- Local mountain guide for the day 2 trek
- Not included: Lunch on day 3 (free time in Nurata or Bukhara)
- Not included: Alcoholic drinks
- Not included: Personal shopping (suzani, souvenirs)
What to bring
- Walking shoes with a good grip for the hike
- A small daypack for the hike day; your main luggage goes by car
- A warm layer: mountain evenings are cooler than in the cities
- Hat, sunglasses and sun cream
Good to know
- Village life starts early and ends early; evenings are quiet and very dark.
- Dress modestly in the villages (shoulders and knees covered) and ask before photographing people.
Questions
- How hard is the hike?
- It is on day 2: about 12 km in 4–5 hours with a local mountain guide, rated easy to moderate. You carry only a daypack.
- What happens to our luggage?
- It stays with the car, and your driver brings it round to the next village.
- Where do we sleep?
- In village homes with local families: on a traditional topchan bed in the courtyard when the weather allows, or in a guest room. Bathrooms are usually shared.
- Is this a private tour?
- Yes. The car, the driver and the bookings are for you and your party only. There is no group option.
- How do I book and pay?
- Send a booking request on our website or write to us on WhatsApp. There is no payment when you book: we contact you to confirm the details. You can pay in cash or by bank transfer.
- Can we bring children?
- Yes. In the booking form, travellers aged 6 and older count as adults, and children under 6 are listed separately.
- Can I cancel or change the date?
- Yes. Cancellation is free up to 24 hours before the tour, and changing the date is free.
Reviews of this journey
Tramite questa agenzia ho prenotato un tour di un giorno a Shahrisabz e tre giorni sulle montagne di Nuratau (solo homestay). Entrambi i tour sono stati soddisfacenti e ben organizzati. In particolare l'esperienza in montagna è stata bellissima e autentica. Ottima l'ospitalità e il cibo.
Alessia Ducoli · 2026-10
Wonderfull 4 days/3 nights trip to Aydar lake lake and Nuratau montains. Travel Bliss organised it very quickly and followed perfectly our expectations. I highly recommend
Villa Uthurzeheta · 2026-10
Very good tour. Amazing food throughout the homestays and guesthouse and very beautiful to see the local villages and mountains. Host family's were welcoming and friendly. Was able to help prepare dinner and learn to make traditional bread. Trek through the mountains was great. My driver Hamza was excellent throughout and very cheerful.
Niraj patel · 2026-10
