This two-day tour takes you from Bukhara to Samarkand through the Kyzylkum Desert. It is run with a driver. A driver does not give guided tours of the sites.
Day 1: Bukhara – Gijduvan – Rabat-i-Malik – Nurata – Aydarkul – Yurt Camp
Begin your journey from Bukhara and travel across the landscapes of the Kyzylkum Desert. Your first stop is Gijduvan, famous for its ceramic traditions. Visit a local pottery workshop and see the techniques and patterns passed down through generations.
Continue to the Rabat-i-Malik Caravanserai, an 11th-century Silk Road stop once used by merchants and caravans. In Nurata, visit the sacred Chashma Complex, with a natural spring, an old mosque and the ruins linked to Alexander the Great's fortress.
Later, head to Aydarkul Lake for lunch by the shore and time to relax.
Arrive at the yurt camp in the desert. In the late afternoon, ride a camel for 10 to 15 minutes across the dunes. In the evening, have dinner at the camp and listen to folk songs by a Kazakh akyn around the fire. Sleep in a yurt.
Day 2: Yurt Camp – Samarkand
After breakfast at the camp, travel to Samarkand. Your driver drops you at your hotel, train station or airport.
