14-Day Uzbekistan Crafts & Culture

Day 1 – Welcome to Uzbekistan!

Get ready for the adventure of a lifetime as you touch down in ‘Uz-mazing’ Uzbekistan! =Landing in a new country after a long journey can feel overwhelming, but not on our watch! One of our local team members will meet you at the airport and transfer you to the hotel for a stress-free arrival.

Rest up in your hotel before the trip’s 11am kick-off, when you’ll meet your tour leader and fellow Patchies.

Your first stop is Old Tashkent, where you’ll hop right into exploring the Hasta Imam Complex and wandering through the bustle of Chorsu Bazaar as locals go about their day.  The adventure becomes hands-on right away as you visit the Rahimov family for a pottery workshop. You’ll learn traditional techniques from these artisans, keeping their craft alive in every ball of clay. But let’s just say this isn’t your only art-related stop of the day…

In the evening, sink your teeth into Uzbek cuisine as you share a welcome dinner with your fellow Patchies.  

Accommodation: Mirzo Hotel (or similar), Tashkent
Included:  Lunch, Dinner

Day 2 – Samarkand

Today you’re swapping the road for the rails as you hop on a high-speed train to Samarkand, one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world.

You’ll get your first taste of the city’s long history at the Afrasiyab Museum where artefacts from ancient Samarkand and the knowledge shared by your guide bring the Silk Road to life. 

Next, visit the Gur-e-Amir, the striking mausoleum where Timur, the ruler who transformed Samarkand into the capital of his empire, is buried.

As the sun begins to dip, it’s time for Samarkand’s most famous sight. Registan Square is impressive at any hour, but seeing its blue-tiled madrasas glowing in the evening light is something else. Snap a picture or two: the all-natural light show is a pretty memorable way to end your first day in one of Central Asia’s most iconic cities.

Accommodation: Amira Boutique Hotel (or similar), Samarkand
Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 3 – Samarkand Stargazing

Samarkand rewards slower exploration and today you’re stepping into some of the places that reveal its many layers. 

Start at the Shahi Zinda necropolis, a labyrinthine avenue of mausoleums where towering portals, intricate mosaics and centuries of craftsmanship create one of the finest architectural ensembles in Central Asia. Every tiled facade, arched passageway and corner you turn draws your eye somewhere new.

Stepping from the past into the present, you’ll visit the studio of Lena Ladik, one of Samarkand’s best-known designers, to see how traditional Uzbek textiles and techniques are reimagined through contemporary fashion. 

In the evening, it’s time to look up at the stars at the Ulugh Beg Observatory. Here, one of the 15th century’s greatest astronomers mapped the stars with astonishing accuracy centuries before modern telescopes.

Accommodation: Amira Boutique Hotel (or similar), Samarkand
Included: Breakfast, Lunch

Day 4 – Mountains and Crafts

The morning takes you beyond the city and into the foothills of the Gissar Mountains. After breakfast, set off on a morning hike through rolling hills and quiet villages where the pace of life feels a world away from busy Samarkand.

Back in the city this afternoon, you’ll meet master block printing artist Vladimir for a hands-on workshop.  Using hand-carved wooden blocks and traditional techniques, you’ll learn how intricate patterns are transferred onto fabric and paper and create a print of your own to take home. Does it get better than that?

Accommodation: Amira Boutique Hotel (or similar), Samarkand
Included: Breakfast, Lunch

Day 5 – Bukhara

Today you say goodbye to Samarkand and hop on the high-speed train to Bukhara. Often considered Central Asia’s holiest city, Bukhara has welcomed traders, pilgrims and scholars for centuries – and now it welcomes you. Its historic centre is filled with mosques, madrasas and caravanserais waiting to show you its  importance along the Silk Road.

Drop off your bags, rest up and then head out on foot to get your bearings in the old town. Bukhara is made for wandering, with narrow lanes, hidden courtyards and sandstone buildings that seem to hide new surprises around every corner.

Accommodation: Komil Boutique Hotel (or similar), Bukhara
Included: Breakfast, Lunch

Day 6 – Bukhara Wandering

Peel back the centuries with a visit to the Ismail Somoni Mausoleum, the oldest monument in Central Asia, and get to know the members of the Samani family, who ruled over this area from 875 to 999 AD. 

Then at Bolo Hauz Mosque’s enclave of calm,  with its iconic pillars and the pond stretching out in front, you may be so inspired you’ll want to whip out your sketchbook and start drawing up your next masterpiece!

You’ve gotten up close and personal to so many art forms already, but you’re not stopping yet. Under the careful tutelage of a local embroidery master this afternoon, you’ll learn all about this ancient craft and pour your inspiration into your own embroidery piece. 

And you won’t have to search hard for inspiration – just think of all the out-of-this-world things you’ve seen and done in Uzbekistan so far! The rest of the evening is yours to unwind, marvel at your handcrafted creations and rest up for another day of adventure ahead.

Accommodation: Komil Boutique Hotel (or similar), Bukhara
Included: Breakfast, Lunch

Day 7 – Music, Dance and Memories

There’s even more of Bukhara to uncover today, beginning at the Poi Kalon Complex, the city’s architectural centrepiece. Surrounded by a towering minaret, grand mosque and centuries-old madrasa, it’s a place that has remained at the beating heart of Bukhara for generations.

Later, you’ll return to the home of master Abdurahmon, reflecting on and refining yesterday’s embroidery. It’s a rare chance to receive personal feedback from an experienced artisan before continuing your creative journey.

Armed with creative inspiration and fresh feedback of your own, you’ll then visit Bukhara’s centre of craftspeople, where traditional skills are still practised and passed on today. 

As the day winds down, you’ll be welcomed into a local Bukharian home for dinner, accompanied by a performance of traditional music and dance. We have a feeling you won’t be able to help but join in the dancing.

Accommodation: Komil Boutique Hotel (or similar), Bukhara
Included: Breakfast, Lunch

Day 8 – The Kyzykkum Crossing

Pack up some snacks and prepare – you’ve a long travel day ahead. With the sights you’re about to see on the road though, it’s far from a day lost in transit. 

Leaving Bukhara behind, you’ll cross the vast Kyzylkum Desert, the sixteenth-largest desert on Earth. As the kilometres roll by, watch the landscape shift between red sand, low scrub, distant dunes and wide-open skies. It’s your chance to appreciate the sheer scale of Central Asia and imagine what this journey might have looked like for Silk Road caravans travelling the same route centuries ago.

By late afternoon, you’ll arrive in Khiva and step straight into Ichan-Kala, the city’s carefully preserved walled inner town. This first walk is all about settling into its atmosphere, wandering past mud-brick walls, elegant minarets and alleyways before tomorrow’s deeper exploration of one of Uzbekistan’s most remarkable historic cities.

Accommodation: Asia Hotel (or similar), Khiva
Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 9 – Khiva

Good morning, Khiva! Today you’ll delve deeper into one of the most intact cities on the historic Silk Road. You’ll feel like you’ve stepped from a time machine as you check out the same sights and sounds that amazed travellers hundreds of years ago. Wandering the Khiva citadel feels like you’re in a living, breathing museum.

Your journey through Khiva will be accompanied by a local watercolour artist, who will teach you how to recreate these once-in-a-lifetime sights with watercolours. Not a painter? No worries! Painting is all about capturing the feeling you have, after all. If things go wrong you could always just call your piece abstract art!

By now you’ll be craving the aromatic whiffs of dinner you’ve gotten used to each night. Tonight though, we’ve got something extra planned to accompany your meal.

Accommodation: Asia Hotel (or similar), Khiva
Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 10 – Towards Nukus

Spend your final morning in Khiva seeing the city from a literally different perspective with a walk along the top of Ichan-Kala’s ancient walls.  From up here, the maze of domes, courtyards and minarets stretches out below and might make you wonder how you and your fellow Patchies actually fit into the ancient tapestry as you explored Khiva’s streets. 

Later, you’ll be welcomed into the homes of local women to learn regional cooking techniques and prepare a traditional dish together. It’s a relaxed, hands-on cooking adventure that lets you taste everyday life beyond the city’s historic monuments.

After lunch, you’re leaving Khiva behind and setting off on a drive towards Nukus, with a stop along the way to explore Chilpik Kala, a striking hilltop fortress overlooking the Amu Darya floodplain. 

Accommodation: Jipek Joly (or similar), Nukus
Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 11 – Chimbay

Today, you’re heading straight to Chimbay, an artistic hub for local crafts people who are happy to show off their skills!

Did you know that yurt-making is an art form here in Uzbekistan? Kick off your day with a visit to a traditional yurt factory to witness local workers making yurts with age-old techniques. Then, step inside a yurt to learn the customs and traditions of yurt etiquette. Yes, it’’s a thing!

Dress etiquette is also a thing in Uzbek culture, including the messages you can send through your clothing. Single ladies, your time is now – you’ll learn how to correctly wear a traditional hat called a tubeteika, so that people know you’re on the market!

Up-to-speed with Uzbek clothing traditions, you’ll visit the women of the Karalpak family, who have been making quilts for centuries, and now run a small school teaching girls needlework. Spend the afternoon with them, to learn about their traditional lives and crafting with them too! 

Accommodation: Jipek Joly (or similar), Nukus
Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 12 – Nukus

Once a Soviet city heavily guarded by the KGB, when Nukus finally opened to the world in the 1990s, art critics around the globe were astounded by the discovery. Inside Nukus’s Savitsky Museum was a secret collection of works by Central Asian and Russian avant-garde artists banned by Stalin in the 1930s. For decades, artist Igor Savitsky had collected and hidden their works for safekeeping.

This morning, you’ll be one of the privileged few to witness a curated collection – all under the care of an expert guide. You don’t need to be an art connoisseur to be awed by today’s visuals, and the stories of triumph and tragedy to Shakespearian proportions. 

Hop on board your afternoon flight back to Tashkent, the final destination of your adventure. 

In a real full circle moment, you’re headed back to where it all began, armed with much more knowledge, memories and crafty experiences of your own. 

Accommodation: Mirzo Hotel (or similar), Tashkent
Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 13 – Tashkent, Again

It’s hard to believe, but today is your final full day in Uzbekistan. You won’t have time to be sad just yet as it’s a busy day, making sure you make some last-minute memories in shiny Tashkent. 

You’ll start at the Museum of Applied Arts where beautiful crafted ceramics, textiles, woodcarvings and metalwork bring together many of the traditions you’ve encountered throughout your travels. Talk about a handy visual summary of your adventure! 

From there, you’ll now explore the contemporary side of the capital, including Independence Square, a symbol of Uzbekistan’s nationhood and a reminder of how much the country has changed in recent decades.

The afternoon is yours to spend however you like – and there’s plenty to choose from – before gathering with your fellow Patchies for one last dinner. After days of shared meals, train rides, conversations and discoveries, it’s time to raise a glass, swap contacts and favourite moments and celebrate the journey you took together.

Accommodation: Mirzo Hotel (or similar), Tashkent
Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 14 – Farewell Friends

You’re up bright and early this morning for your departure. Not a morning person? No worries. We’ve taken all the stress out of the journey so all you’ll need to do is show up in the hotel lobby.  

Flights out of Tashkent are limited and often leave in the wee hours of the morning, so be sure that you gave your new group of friends a hearty goodbye over dinner. Hug any last Patchies you see on your way out and then you’re off – until next time!

Included: Breakfast (for later departures)