4.9
4.9
Choose your route
Samarkand → Asraf → Uhum → Aydarkul → Bukhara
Mountain villages first, then the desert, then Bukhara.
- Pick-up:
- Your hotel in Samarkand, morning
- Drop-off:
- Your hotel in Bukhara, day 4
- Tour type:
- private only: your car, your driver, your party
- No payment now
- Free cancellation 24 h before
- We reply within 12 hours
The long way between Samarkand and Bukhara
The train covers the distance in one morning. This route takes four days and gives you what the cities cannot: two evenings in village kitchens, cooking dinner with the families you stay with, a day on foot on a mountain path between Asraf and Uhum, and a night in the desert after a camel ride and the sunset. You arrive in the next city having seen how people live between the monuments.
This direction visits Nurata (the Chashma sacred spring) on day 4. The Bukhara → Samarkand direction does not stop in Nurata.
- Two host families
- A hike between two villages
- A night in a yurt
At a glance
- Start
- Your hotel in Samarkand, morning pick-up
- Finish
- Your hotel in Bukhara, day 4
- Duration
- 4 days / 3 nights
- Nights
- Asraf homestay · Uhum homestay · yurt camp
- On foot
- Day 2: Asraf → Uhum on a mountain path, with a local mountain guide
- Guide
- Driver only on the road; a local mountain guide for the hike
- Meals
- Full board, as per programme
- Season
- March – November (yurt camp season)
Highlights
- Cooking classes with host families in Asraf and Uhum
- Mountain hike from Asraf to Uhum with a local guide
- Chashma sacred spring in Nurata and lunch at Aydarkul Lake
- Camel ride, desert sunset and a campfire night in a yurt camp
- Rabat-i Malik caravanserai and a Gijduvan ceramics workshop
Day by day
Day 1 · Samarkand – Asraf village
Homestay- MorningPick-up at your Samarkand hotel; drive into the Nuratau mountains to Asraf village
- Lunch with your host family
- A walk around the village: gardens, orchards and daily life
- Evening cooking class: help the family prepare dinner, whatever is on the village menu that day
- Night in the Asraf homestay
Day 2 · On foot from Asraf to Uhum
Homestay- Breakfast with the family
- Hike from Asraf to Uhum along a mountain path with a local guide who shows the way
- Lunch in Uhum with your second host family, then free time in the village
- Evening cooking class: cook dinner together with the family
- Night in the Uhum homestay
Day 3 · Uhum – Aydarkul Lake – yurt camp
Yurt- Breakfast with the family
- Aydarkul Lake: lunch and free time by the water; swimming in the warm months
- Drive to the yurt camp (about 2 hours)
- A short camel ride and the sunset over the desert
- Dinner, then folk music by the campfire; night in a yurt
Day 4 · Yurt camp – Nurata – Rabat-i Malik – Gijduvan – Bukhara
End of tour- Breakfast at the camp
- Chashma Spring, Nurata
- Drive towards Bukhara with a photo stop in the desert
- The ruins of the Rabat-i Malik caravanserai
- A family ceramics workshop in Gijduvan
- Drop-off at your Bukhara hotel. End of the tour
Loading the map…
Where you sleep
- Village homestays
- Two nights in simple family houses in Asraf and Uhum, usually with shared bathrooms.
- Yurt camp
- One night in a yurt. The yurts have electric heating; bathrooms and showers are shared.
- Meals
- Full board, as per programme. In both villages you cook dinner with the family.
- Your party only
- A private tour: the car and the driver are for your party only.
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
- Transport Samarkand – Asraf – Uhum – Aydarkul – Bukhara
- 2 nights in village homestays, 1 night in a yurt camp
- Meals as per programme (full board)
- Camel ride at the yurt camp
- Cooking classes in Asraf and Uhum
- Driver throughout the tour
- Local mountain guide for the hike (speaks little English)
- Not included: Entrance fees
- Not included: Drinks other than tea and water
- Not included: Travel insurance
- Not included: Personal expenses
- Not included: Tips and gratuities
What to bring
- Good shoes for the mountain path
- Plenty of water for the hike
- Swimwear if you want to swim in Aydarkul Lake in the warm months
Good to know
- This is a driver-only tour: there is no guide travelling with you. A local mountain guide shows the way on the hike; he speaks little English.
- Dinner in the villages is cooked with the family: whatever is on the village menu that day.
Questions
- Where do we sleep?
- Two nights in simple family houses in the villages, usually with shared bathrooms, and one night in a yurt camp. The yurts have electric heating; bathrooms and showers are shared.
- How hard is the hike?
- A moderate hike on a mountain path. Wear good shoes, drink plenty of water and take breaks during the hike.
- Is there a guide with us?
- This is a driver-only tour: there is no guide travelling with you. A local mountain guide shows the way on the hike. He speaks little English.
- Is the programme the same in both directions?
- Almost. Both directions include the two villages, the hike from Asraf to Uhum, Aydarkul Lake, the yurt camp, Rabat-i Malik and Gijduvan. Only Samarkand → Bukhara stops in Nurata to see the Chashma sacred spring.
- 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.
