4.9
4.9
Choose your route
Bukhara → Nurata → Uhum → Asraf → Samarkand
Nurata on the way in, two nights in the mountains, Samarkand at midday on day 3.
- Pick-up:
- Your Bukhara hotel, morning
- Drop-off:
- Samarkand, midday on 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.
This direction visits Nurata on day 1, on the way into the mountains, and has a short last day.
- Two host families
- A 12 km hike between two villages
- Nurata on the way
At a glance
- Start
- Your Bukhara hotel, morning
- Finish
- Samarkand, midday on day 3
- Duration
- 3 days / 2 nights
- Nights
- Uhum homestay · Asraf homestay
- Hike
- Day 2, Uhum → Asraf: about 12 km, 4–5 hours, with a local mountain guide
- Luggage
- Goes between the villages by car
- Meals
- 2 breakfasts, 1 packed lunch, 2 dinners
- Season
- All year
Highlights
- Nurata on the way in: the Chashma spring, the fortress ruins, the mosque and a suzani workshop
- Two nights with village families in Uhum and Asraf
- A full-day hike, about 12 km, from Uhum to Asraf with a local mountain guide
- Views of the Kyzylkum steppe from Karul and the ruins of the Deh fortress
- Your driver brings the car round: no luggage on the hike
Day by day
Day 1 · Bukhara – Nurata – Uhum village
Homestay- Pick-up at your Bukhara hotel; about 130 km, about 2.5 hours to Nurata
- Nurata: the Chashma sacred spring, the ruins of Alexander the Great’s fortress, the mosque and a suzani embroidery workshop (about 1.5 hours)
- Lunch in Nurata (not included)
- Drive into the mountains to Uhum village (about 50 km, about 1 hour)
- Evening cooking class and dinner with your host family; night in the Uhum homestay
Day 2 · Hike Uhum – Asraf
Homestay- Breakfast
- Hike from Uhum to Asraf with a local mountain guide: about 12 km, 4–5 hours, with views of the Kyzylkum steppe from Karul and the ruins of the old Deh fortress on the way
- Arrival in Asraf; your driver has driven round with the car and meets you there
- Evening cooking class and dinner with the family; night in the Asraf homestay
Day 3 · Asraf – Samarkand
End of tour- Breakfast and goodbye to your host family
- Drive to Samarkand over the mountain pass (about 220 km, about 4 hours)
- Arrival in Samarkand: your hotel, the train station or the airport. 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)
- Cooking classes with both host families
- Private car with A/C, Bukhara to Samarkand
- Mineral water and snacks on the hike
- Entrance fees in Nurata
- Luggage moved between the villages by car
- Mountain guide who shows the way (no English)
- Not included: Lunch in Nurata on day 1
- 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
