Catch an early flight to Urgench, then drive 35 kilometers across the desert to Khiva—a walled city that looks like it sprouted straight from the Arabian Nights. Check into your hotel and immediately start exploring Ichan-Kala, the inner city that's essentially a living museum.

Step through the Ota-Darvaza gate and prepare to time travel. Marvel at the unfinished Kalta-Minor Minaret with its dazzling blue tiles, explore the Kunya-Ark fortress where khans once ruled, and duck into the atmospheric Juma Mosque with its forest of carved wooden columns.

Wander through Tosh-Hovli Palace to see where the khan's harem once resided. Later, visit the tomb of Pakhlavan Makhmud, Khiva's beloved poet-warrior-wrestler, its interior covered in stunning blue majolica.

Cap the day with a hands-on cooking class learning to make shivit oshi—the vibrant green noodles that are Khorezm's signature dish. Roll up your sleeves and learn from a local master.

Meals included: Breakfast, lunch and dinner at local restaurants

Overnight at Zarafshon Boutique Hotel or similar

Today's the big desert push—285 miles or 460 kilometers through the Kizil-Kum (Red Sand) Desert. This isn't just a transfer; it's part of the adventure. Watch the landscape shift from oasis to endless sand, with the occasional shepherd and his flock breaking the horizon.

Stop at the legendary Amu Darya River for photos and to stretch your legs. This is the ancient Oxus, one of Central Asia's great waterways that merchants crossed for millennia along the Silk Road.

Roll into Bukhara by late afternoon, check into your hotel, and take an evening stroll around Labi Hauz—the old pool surrounded by mulberry trees and teahouses.

Meals included: Breakfast, lunch and dinner at local spots

Overnight at Mercure Hotel or similar

Spend the day getting wonderfully lost in Bukhara's maze of mud-brick alleys. Start at the Samanids' Mausoleum, Central Asia's oldest Islamic building, then visit the Ark Fortress where emirs ruled for a thousand years.

Stand beneath the towering Kalyan Minaret—the "Tower of Death" where criminals were once thrown to their doom. Duck through the covered bazaars (trading domes) where merchants still haggle over silk, spices, and silver jewelry just like they did centuries ago.

End at Labi Hauz Complex as evening descends. After dinner, settle in for a traditional folk show featuring dancers, musicians, and acrobats performing in an ancient madrasah courtyard—magic under the stars.

Meals included: Breakfast, lunch and dinner (dinner with folk show at Nadir Devonbegi Madrasah)

Your Bukhara deep dive continues this morning. Visit a family workshop where artisans craft traditional puppets by hand, then watch miniature painters create intricate masterpieces with brushes of a single hair.

See the quirky Chor Minor with its four minarets, explore the Emir's summer palace at Sitorai Mokhi-Khosa (part Russian dacha, part Eastern fantasy), and make a pilgrimage to the Bakhouddin Naqshbandi complex—Central Asia's most important Sufi shrine.

Mid-afternoon, board the sleek Afrosiyob high-speed train for the journey to Samarkand. Watch the desert blur past at 250 km/h—a twenty-first-century ride through a timeless landscape.

Meals included: Breakfast, lunch and dinner at local restaurants

Overnight at Mövenpick Samarkand or similar

Today you'll understand why Samarkand captivated Alexander the Great, Genghis Khan, and Tamerlane. Start at Registan Square—three madrasahs covered in turquoise tiles that seem to glow from within. This might be the most beautiful square on earth.

Walk the Street of Tombs at Shakhi-Zinda, climbing past mausoleums adorned with some of the finest tilework in the Islamic world. Visit Ulugbek's medieval observatory where this Renaissance man calculated the positions of over a thousand stars—without a telescope.

Explore the ruins of Bibi-Khanum Mosque, once the largest in Central Asia, and dive into the aromatic chaos of Siyab Bazaar. End at Gur-e-Amir, Tamerlane's surprisingly modest tomb beneath a fluted turquoise dome.

Meals included: Breakfast, lunch and dinner at local restaurants

Your last morning in Samarkand reveals quieter treasures.

Visit the Rukhabad Mausoleum and Khazrat Khizr Mosque perched on a hill, then descend to the surprising Saint Daniel's Mausoleum—evidence of Samarkand's multicultural past.

Then head to Konigil village to see how silk paper (which does not contain silk but refers to its texture) is made using ancient techniques—the same paper Marco Polo marveled at.

Board the evening Afrosiyob train back to Tashkent, watching the sun set over the Silk Road one last time.

Meals included: Breakfast, lunch and dinner at local restaurants

Overnight in Tashkent (Ichan Qala Premium or similar)

After breakfast, your driver takes you to the airport for your onward journey.

Leave with "silk" paper, ceramic plates, and memories of a country where hospitality is sacred and history lives in every stone.

Meal included: Breakfast