Itinerary

Day 1

Arrival to Tashkent.
You will be cordially met at the airport and picked-up till the cozy room of the hotel. Today you will see the most modern city – the capital of Uzbekistan. Tashkent, located at the borders of agricultural oasis and boundless Eurasian steppes is the city with more than two thousand years of history. Tashkent attracts with his unique special feature. Probably you will ask which exactly feature was mentioned? The case is that this amazing city combines inside that seems to be dissonant thing as antiquity and modernity. You will see here many new, elevated buildings, becoming green parks, big squares with many plants and flowers, roads full of cars with always in hurry drivers! In general you will see many things telling about fast-developing city, swift moving straight on. Interesting case, at the same time you can meet ancient building which are very good combined with modernity and even give a special color!
For example, there is one district, calling The Old City – “Chor-Su”. And in reality you will see there the ancient madrasah, mosques and huge the real Oriental bazaar. Chor-Su Bazaar is very many-coloured! There are pottery, carpets, arts and crafts, food products, fruits, vegetables, “lepyoshka” (oriental flat cake), and oriental spicery! If you have a wish to buy something - you could easily go to Chor-su!
It is possible to dress yourself from clew to earing and be full to the scuppers at this bazaar! ?
There are absolutely all things! You will have very tasty dinner after excursions- because the tour still is gastronomic. The odorous shourpa (national soup) with many spicy salads will be laid for your table!
As a rule shourpa is made of lamb, but could be prepared of game. Moreover, shourpa could be made of fish, in that case it is calling “asy-sorpa” Many different vegetables, verdure and spicery is putting to the shourpa. You wil have juicy watermelon or cantaloupe for the finish. It is said that you won't find the same sweet and odorous melon as in Uzbekistan! Believe that it is true!
After the dinner our experienced guide will meet you for the most interesting placed of Tashkent and tell you many important things. You can spend the evening in the restaurant with national show-program. Beautiful oriental girls will dance with oriental motives and all thing around are exotic, coloured and in the oriental way!
As in the real fairy-tale! You can try that famous dish-pilaw, which is second course made of rice.
According to traditions it is prepared with adding lamb or beef, sometimes pork or hen. Pilaw also has it's special
Flavour, saturated with spicery and haze, because it is usually made in fire. It is said that real pilaw could be prepared only by man. And usually pilaw is dressed with kazy, khasyp, somsa, meat rolls, aychik-chuk (national salad), lepyoshka etc. After tasty supper you will have a rest in hotel.

Day 2

Tashkent - Samarkand transfer.
After breakfast in hotel you will have transfer to Samarkand. After the road we will have a rest and than we will walk at this beautiful city.
It is worth to cross oceans and seas to see this wonderful city! It's greatness great and attractive!
There are not so many cities in the world with age of more than 25 centuries, attracting with beauty, unique aspect, attracting as Samarkand! Not without a reason the poets and historians of the past called this city as “precious jam of the oriental Muslim world”, “Eden of the Ancient Orient”, “the beauty of the midday countries”, “Rome of the orient”… Samarkand is bearer of the greatest historical and cultural traditions of Uzbek people.
With improved mood after excursion we will go to the Uzbek (oriental) tearoom for having lunch! And what we will have for the lunch? Oriental meat dumplings! Dumplings are traditional dish of the Central Asian nations! it"s finger-licking good! Dumplings are prepared on the water vapor from the minced meat with onion and spicery and turned up thin rolled dough. Dumplings could be prepared with potatoes, pumpkin as filling. This sounds in a strange way, but dumplings can supplement with Korean salads! Uzbekistan is multinational country and that's why different cuisine had interlaced. Carrot salad, spicy Korean cabbage salad, Korean salad from special noodles, sea girdle, marinated mushrooms and many others Korean dishes will be suitable for the Uzbek dishes. After lunch, according to the Uzbek traditions – we will drink a tea! Usually local people drink here green and black tea depending on the region and season. In summer people preferring green, because it stills thirst and in winter – black tea, which warm and relax in winter frosty days! Satisfied and happy we will continue excursions, Samarkand is the part of the world history and we certainly should deep down to feel breathe of the history! And exactly at this time we catch the dinner! Let's go to the village out of city and try “barra”- the dish made of two-week lamb, prepared in oriental oven. Astrakhan caps are made of his skin. Or let's try shashlik (shish kebab) – the favorite dish of the many nations and it is very simple to prepare it from meat or fish. Threaded pieces of meat is getting on skewer and fry in live coals or grill with using of barbecue.
Many different fresh vegetables, salted foods, sauces, verdure are serving up. Shashlik is eating hot or cold and it is good snack for the red or white vine. Besides, Uzbek vines are very sweet. Dinner will seems you tastier with accompany of the oriental music. Day is finished, but tomorrow we will have not the less interesting day! Night in hotel.

Day 3

Samarkand.
Our sightseeing of Samarkand is continuing! Today you will have excursions along world-famous monuments. Certainly we will visit the famous Registan square. Some time ago this square was the most full of people in whole city.
It ‘s possible to meet many tourists couldn't say any word because of sizes and refinement of that three madrasah, surrounded the square-Ulugbek's madrasah (15 c.), Sher-Dor (17 c.) and Tillya-Kori (17 c.). And Shakhi-Zinda complex, Gur-Emir mausoleum (15 c.), ancient settlement of Afrosiab, Saint Daniil grave, Bibi-khanum , suffered from the wars and earthquake and many other monuments keeping the breathe of ages inside! It will be great to eat after long excursion ?
There are so many dishes which you can choose for a lunch!
Let's try a lagman. Lagman is widespread Central Asian dish. It has Uzbek, Tajik and Dungan kinds.
The special thrill of it is noodles, made by the special way – from dragged dough. Some people say that Lagman is a soup, others- that it is second course, because some time it is cooking very dense. Lagman consist of two parts and each one is prepared separately and than joint together in one dish before serving it up! The first part is noodles, second – vadja, giving to the lagman. The basic taste and odor. Vadja is like sauce of meat, verdure and vegetables. You will like it!
Try lepyoshka (oriental flat cake) because it is a proud of Samarkand! The real Samarkand lepyoshka is preparing in national stove (tandyr). They are dense and are kept during all time and attract everyone to try them! If you are in Samarkand during the season of weddings and usually it is autumn time, when fruits and vegetables are ripen and you will be certainly invited. People here are very hospitable and you will have unique opportunity to try many dishes: noodles, meat dumplings- chuchvara, kazan-kabob, beshbarmak, traditional pilaw, dumlyama and many other things! There is a lot of sweetness! Oh, my god!
Pakhlava, rakhat-lukum, meaty dried apricots, raisins, candied nuts. The table is full of fruits: soft pears crackle apples, ebony, pomegranate, juicy peach, watermelon, melon. You won't know where to look first! Certainly, we can continue this list without end but it's better to come first and than try it by yourself!?

Day 4

Samarkand - Bukhara transfer.
Today we are going to Bukhara. Oh, Bukhara! You are the Jam of the Central Asia! We will have in hotel and than we will start to learn this really oriental city! Blessed Bukhara is the city of poetry and fairy-tail! Legends are flying here under the zigzags of the streets; there is something genius and each stone is covered with dust of eternity.
Bukhara won the fame as museum city; its romantic aspect is attracting as magnet the tourist from all around the world!
You will feel here the Orient in full! In each place you will meet a trader offering to buy different craftworks made with great talent: astrakhan caps, syuzane with embroidery, national shirt, embroidered skullcap, dagger, jewelry! Probably, those skills for trade were went to him hereditably from his ancestors, who went with trade caravans along the Great Silk Road!
After fascinating excursions we will go to the popular cafe of Bukhara with name “Lyabi Khauz”. You will be treated here with big salver full of salads. For example, the salad made of aubergines with sweet pepper, soy sauce with spicery. Or salad made of apples and pumpkin, dressed with lemon juice: is it little bit strange, isn't it?
For the second course we can ask nakhutshourboubo – meat soup with peas and vegetables prepared clay cassolette, it is very aromatic made like in home, with love! We advice you to try zharovi goushty - roast meat made of potato with meat. In case you prefer something made of vegetables, you can ask for noodle soup with winy sauce. It is soup with vegetables and thinly sliced noodles. But the special thing in this soup is winy sauce and leafs of mint, which give the soup especial piquant taste.
Today continue our excursion! Today we will visit Samanid's mausoleum and Ark Fortress, built in Middle Ages. Ark is majestic fortress and citadel, which stand many sieges. Exactly here were located mosques and family palaces of the emir of Bukhara. After that we will go to the national cafe to try something tasty. Yes, now is the good time for the dinner. Bukhara is well-know with pilaw and somsa. Being in that amazing city don't refuse of Bukharan somsa. You won't be sorry for it! Somsa is three-cornered pie made of pastry in layers. There is different somsa : made with filling of lamb, veal, cheese and verdure, pumpkin, potato, with adding the onion and the spicery as pepper, sesame etc. It is tasty and nourishing, you"ll lick your fingers!
And what about dessert? Certainly! For example, you can try khalvetor- Uzbek national dessert, fried with circassian walnut and honey! Or chack-chack! It is Uzbek national dessert , made of pieces of pastry with raisin, walnut and honey! Bon appetit! The day is coming to the end and we should have a rest! Night in hotel.

Day 5

Bukhara.
Today we will continue our excursion in Bukhara and new dishes tasting. After breakfast the guide will meet us in hotel and we will go for a walk.
We will go to Chashma Ayub Mazar (XIV-XIX c) burial vault. The monuments come one after another and next we will see Poi Kalyan (XII-XVI cc) complex, which include famous Kalyan minaret (with height of 49 meters), built in 1127 and remained whole after many wars and invasions by a miracle! At one time it was look-out station and than the place of public execution. Many legends are jointed with this majestic construction! You will find out many of them from our guide. Than we will see Ulugbek's madrassah. Ulugbek was grandson of the Temur extraordinary commander and also mathematician and astronomer. And this madrassah was built in 1417 by his order. Than we will see Lyabi Hauze (XVI-XVII c) complex, included Kukeldash (1568 year) and Nodir Divan Begi (1622 year) madrasah.
Excursion is good but our tour is gastronomic, that's why we should snack with something tasty! Let's try the real home cuisine! In the oriental trestle bed in green yard we will have delicious lunch! We can try tasty – chuchvara - meat dumplings, which sometimes are calling as varak-chuchvara.
It seems as dumpling like a ordinary dumplings, but they have special saturated broth with spicery and could be served up as second course of meat. In that case some sauce of tomatoes, verdure, garlic dressed with kefir (oriental “syuzma” ) will be offered to you for seasoning. What a perfect combination! Would you like to try mastava with pumpkin? Mastava is prepared of fried meat with rice as the basic component!
The rice is put for 25-30 minutes before readiness, firstly sorting it out and washing. Some people add there caraway and pumpkin! How many delicious things could be prepared of aubergines! Aubergines stuffed by juicy lamb, onion and tomatoes. Round rissoles of aubergines! Pieces of aubergines are fried in oil and than tomatoes; verdure and garlic are rolled up aubergines. This is a good snack! Good home wine: fortified or dry. You can also try quince dessert. Quince is prepared for dessert, peeling it's skin and center and , filled with fried almonds, raisin and honey.
Evening we can go to the extraordinary restaurant, located inside the yard of madrasah, the real madrasah!
In general, Bukhara has many interesting things inside: you are coming in the madrasah and can see there some shop or cafe, other words, Asia is place of trade! There is show-program here evening: instrumental music, girls dancing with accompany of the oriental motives. You can try here different national dishes and dishes of the Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and European cuisine! What a fascinating day we had! Let's have a rest in cozy room of our hotel, because tomorrow we are going to the magic Khiva.

Day 6

Bukhara - Khiva.
Our trip in Bukhara is finished and we are going to Khiva! The road we have will be very interesting, because we will see the famous desert of Central Asia – Kyzyl-Kum desert! You will see red hot sands, where went many ancient caravans! Khiva is the real Oriental city, whose air steel keeps the spirit of the Middle Ages! There are no high modern buildings, wide highways and it seems that time here has stopped just to keep all that ancient beauty which you can see at this amazing earth! After rest in hotel we will go for a walk along night Khiva! Nighttime Khiva is the eighth wonder of the world! It is seems that you are in fairy-tale going along streets of the city, where minarets are rising and the sky is studded with big stars! There is some peace and quiet! There is some mystery in the air and it is attracting to be solved!
And here is cooking very tasty! Have you ever tried naryn? Naryn is secondary course of meal, made of special oiled noodles with pieces of horse meat sausage – kazy and spicery. They cook also widespread dish, which is onion soup – piyeva. You can also try roast meat with quince, made of veal. Verdure and caraway are obligatory to be adding to this dish. Good combination for this dish could be famous central asian salad – achchik-chuchuk: ripe tomatoes together with thin sliced as rings, dressed with spicery – it sounds appetitive! You will also have halavah (paste of nuts, sugar and oil) or dry melon – oriental delicacy sweets! Night in hotel.

Day 7

Khiva.
After breakfast you will be met with guide in the holl of the hotel to meet you with the ancient city! Oh, Khiva! You are realized fairy-tale!You will see many historical monuments and anicent clay houses! What a surprise - all places of interest are located so compactly not in the big territory, surrounded by the city walls! This is the most ancient part of the Khiva - Ichan-Cala (XVIIIC - internal part of Khiva). Exactly here are situated the basic monuments of our attention: Kyunya - Ark fortress (XVII C), Pakhlavan Makhmud Complex (XIV-XIX CC), which has the biggest dome in Khiva, obtected with blue glazed tile with glitter overgilded top. This masoleum was built in honor of the Pakhlavan Makhmud- the famous Khiva's poet and person well-known by his herculean strength! Muslim ministry included him to the list of Saints after his death! Islam Khodja madrassah and minaret (1908) - amazing building, skilfully decorated with colorful mosaic. This minared is called as the main symbol of Khiva and his diminished shape go back to the early architectural models (XIV CC). The brick masonry at the minaret is interlaced with stripes of the glazed pattern. The minaret has a height of 56,6 metres and base diameter of 9,5 metres.The Palace of Tash Khauli Alakuli-Khan (XVIII – XIX CC).Djuma mosque (X-XVIII CC).Mukhammadaminkhan minaret and madrassah (1831-1855). Facade of the minaret is decorated with ornament of the glazed brick. At this moment here located a hotel, tourist agency, exchange office, office on air tickets selling, cafe. Also you can go to Akish-Bobo fortress, where a magnificent view of the whole city is opens up!
Concerning cuisine! Each city of Uzbekistan is keeping it's own secrets of preparing different dishes, that' why even dishes with the same name are very exotic. For, example stuffed cabbage roll. There are many way to cook it! Let's have grape leaf roll stuffed with young lamb, rice and oriental spicery. Another typical dish of Khorezm is tukhum-barak- dumpling stuffed with boiled eggs with fried onion. The main component in each table is bread. Uzbekistan bread is lepyoshka (“obi-non”, oriental flat cake). Different lepyoshkas of different area of Uzbekistan have their own taste and appearance! Lepyoshka in Tashkent is puffy and fancy, in Samarkand – dense, but soft, in Khiva – thin and milk. There are different opinions: Samarkand people tell that their lepyoshka is the tastiest, but Khiva people, that the most delicious are their. Every man to his own taste. That's why it is better to try it yourself!
Tea ceremony is very widespread in Uzbekistan. Uzbek people always drink tea: for breakfast, lunch and dinner!
Green tea is using more than black and no one meeting could go without it. Tea is serving in drinking bowl (as used in Central Asia) together with fruits and baked goods, for example pastry straws, lepyoshkas, thick pancake with butter or kaymok( boiled cream), dry fruits or honey. Night in hotel.

Day 8

Khiva - Urgench - Tashkent.
Today we say goodbye to the magic Khiva and come back to Tashkent. We will have free day in Tashkent, so we can go for a walk to the Japanese garden, located in centre of Tashkent.
Also we advice you to visit bazaar. You can but different souvenirs there for your family and friends! As it is well know for us now, Uzbekistan is a country of many different cuisines like Uzbek, Chinese, Korean, Kyrgyz, Uigurian and others- each cuisine is seems as it native!

Day 9

Tashkent/ departure.
Our gastronomic tour finished. During this trip we found out all exotism and variety of the Uzbek national cuisine, keeping traditions and customs of the many different cultures! We tried not to miss anything important! Certainly, having more time we could find much more amazing things, though the most important things you have seen! But our hospitality Uzbekistan earth will be looking forward for your repeated visit! Welcome!

Extra Information

Inclusions -

The cost of Urgench - Tashkent domestic air flight;

Extras -

The cost does not include:

International Air Fare;
Early check-in and late check out of hotel;
Insurance.
Recommended hotels for tour:

City 2-3* Hotels 4-5* Hotels
Tashkent "Raduss Jss" 2-3*+ "Tashkent Palace" 4*
Bukhara "Sasha & Son" 2-3*+ "Bukhara Palace" 4*
Samarkand "Kamila" 2-3*+ "Afrosiab Palace" 4*
Khiva "Asia Khiva" 2-3*+ "Khorezm Palace" 4*