From Samarkand to Bukhara through the Mountain Village and the Kyzylkum Desert

This interesting trip is designed for lovers of ethnography, natural history, and adventure. This short tour is packed with numerous events, meetings, discoveries, and impressions. In just 3 days, you will visit the exotic mountain village of Sentob, where locals live according to millennia-old traditions, the cult complex "Nur" – a place of pilgrimage for Muslims, the ruins of an ancient fortress built by the warriors of Alexander the Great, swim in the vast lake Aydarkul, surrounded by sand on all sides, get acquainted with the flora and fauna of the desert, ride Bactrian camels, spend the night in a real nomadic yurt, listen to songs by a local akyn around a campfire, and see incredibly close and bright constellations. On your way to Bukhara, you will visit the workshop of the Narzullaev family of potters in Gijduvan.

The tour can also be done in reverse – from Bukhara to Samarkand.

Tour program

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Samarkand – Hayat – Majrum – Sentob (300 km, 6–8 hours with stops, walks, and lunch)

9:00 AM. Departure from Samarkand (transport will pick you up at your hotel) to the mountain village of Sentob (250 km, approx. 4.5 hours). Lunch at a family guesthouse. Walk around the village and visit the enclosure with rare Kyzylkum sheep (Ovis severtzovi). After lunch, transfer to the village of Majrum, followed by a short hike to a giant ancient eastern biota tree (Platycladus orientalis). This sacred tree, part of the cypress family, is over 20 meters tall with a trunk circumference of 24 meters (including side branches). Nearby are the ruins of an old mosque. After the walk, return to the vehicle and transfer to Sentob village. Accommodation and dinner at a family guesthouse (basic conditions: 2–3 beds per room, shared toilet and shower).

Sentob (excursion) – Yurt Camp Safari/Aydar (100 km, 2 hours)

9:00 AM. After breakfast—2-hour walk in the vicinity of the village, getting acquainted with the local way of life, visiting the original ruins of an old settlement, petroglyphs, and walking along the mountain river. Transfer to the Yurt Camp Safari Aydar (100 km, 2 hours). Upon arrival at the camp—lunch. After lunch, relax at Lake Aydarkul with its sandy beach. A short camel ride on Bactrian camels around the camp area. Familiarization with the flora and fauna of the desert. Watching the sunset from a sandy dune. Dinner, campfire. Folklore performance by a local Kazakh akyn on the dombra. Overnight stay in 4-person yurts. Toilet and shower outside the yurt, 20-30 meters away.

Yurt Camp – Nurata - Gijduvan - Bukhara (250 km, 5 hours)

8:00 AM breakfast. 9:00 AM. Departure to Bukhara. On the way, stops in Nurata to visit the pilgrimage site “Nur” and then to a family workshop of the Narzullaev ceramics dynasty (presentation of ceramic production technology and the opportunity to purchase their original products). If desired, lunch can be arranged at a roadside café or tea with sweets at the ceramics workshop. Upon arrival in Bukhara, accommodation at your hotel.

For complete satisfaction on Day 3, on the way from Nurata to Bukhara, it is possible to visit the Sarmish Petroglyphs Park for an additional fee of $10/person. Duration of the visit is 2-3 hours.