Tour Overview
| Duration | 10 Days / 9 Nights |
|---|---|
| Destination | Turkmenistan + Uzbekistan — Ashgabat, Darvaza, Khiva, Bukhara, Samarkand |
| Price From | $2,895 per person (twin share) |
| Tour Style | Small Group Silk Road Combination — Two Countries, Two Worlds |
| Best Season | March — May, September — November |
| Data Source | Advantour / DarwazaTravel / AsiaOdysseyTravel 2026 verified combined pricing |
Itinerary Highlights
Day 1-3: Turkmenistan
Ashgabat (the marble city, Guinness World Record for marble density), Nisa (UNESCO Parthian ruins), and the Darvaza Gas Crater — camp at the “Door to Hell,” watching flames that have burned for 50+ years dance across a 70m crater in the Karakum Desert. The surreal contrast of Ashgabat’s empty marble boulevards and Darvaza’s primal fire.
Day 4-5: Khiva — The Living Museum
Cross the Turkmenistan-Uzbekistan border at Shavat/Dashoguz. Arrive Khiva — the best-preserved Silk Road city, a UNESCO World Heritage site. The entire old city (Ichan-Kala) is a museum: walk the city walls, climb the Islam Khoja Minaret (the tallest in Khiva at 57m), and watch sunset from the Kuhna Ark fortress. Khiva at dusk, with the muezzin’s call echoing through the mud-brick alleys, is as close as you can get to 14th-century Central Asia.
Day 6-7: Bukhara — The Holy City
Drive across the Kyzylkum Desert to Bukhara (7-8 hours, or optional train). Bukhara is the spiritual heart of Central Asia, with over 140 architectural monuments. The Kalon Minaret (47m, built 1127 — so beautiful that Genghis Khan, who destroyed everything else in the city, spared it), the Ark Fortress (the 5th-century royal city-within-a-city), and trading domes (taqi) that have operated as bazaars since the 16th century.
Day 8-9: Samarkand — The Crossroads of Culture
Train to Samarkand. The Registan — three madrasahs (Ulugh Beg, Sher-Dor, Tilya-Kori) with their soaring portals, turquoise domes, and intricate tile work — is one of the world’s most magnificent squares. The Gur-e-Amir Mausoleum (the fluted turquoise dome that inspired the Taj Mahal), the Shah-i-Zinda necropolis (a street of blue-tiled tombs), and the Bibi-Khanym Mosque. Samarkand was the capital of Tamerlane’s empire, and his ambition — to make it the greatest city on Earth — is still written in its monuments.
Day 10: Samarkand Departure
Transfer to Samarkand International Airport. Depart with the taste of Silk Road spices, the image of turquoise domes against blue sky, and the memory of fire in the desert.
Included
- 9 nights (hotels, desert camp, guesthouses)
- All breakfasts + 5 dinners
- English-speaking guide throughout
- All transfers (private vehicle + train)
- All entrance fees
- Turkmenistan LOI + Uzbekistan e-visa support
- Camping equipment for Darvaza
- Airport transfers
