Uzbekistan & Turkmenistan Combo — 11 Days
Overview
Our best-selling combination: the great Silk Road cities of Uzbekistan and the little-visited wonders of Turkmenistan in one journey. Start in Tashkent, fly to the walled city of Khiva, cross into Turkmenistan for Kunya-Urgench and a night beside the burning Darvaza crater, then marble Ashgabat, the Akhal-Teke horses of Gokdepe and ancient Merv, before returning to Uzbekistan for Bukhara, the potters of Gijduvan and Samarkand.
A private tour on your own dates, with your own guide and car (a car or minivan depending on group size). The domestic flight, all entrance fees, your Turkmenistan e-visa and two special dinners — the BBQ at the crater and the folklore evening in a Bukhara madrasa — are included.
Highlights
Is this trip for you?
- Travellers who want two countries in eleven days without rushing
- First-time visitors who want the classic Silk Road cities plus Turkmenistan's highlights
- Anyone curious about the Darvaza crater and marble Ashgabat
- You need a hotel bed every night — Darvaza is a night in tents
- You dislike long road days — Days 3, 4, 6 and 7 each have 4–6 hours of driving
Our honest opinion
- The flight to Khiva saves a long desert drive at the start
- Two special dinners included: the BBQ at the crater and the folklore evening in Bukhara
- Two land borders (Shavat and Farap) with passport and customs checks
- Basic facilities at the Darvaza tent camp
Bring clean, recent US dollar notes for Turkmenistan — cards rarely work there.
The trip in numbers
Your route
Line style shows how you travel each leg: solid = train, dotted = car, dashed = flight.
Day by day
Pick-up at Tashkent International Airport and transfer to your hotel (any convenient flight can be chosen).
15:00 – Guided city tour of Tashkent by private car:
• Khast-Imam Complex and the Manuscripts Museum
• Chorsu Bazaar
• Independence Square
• Plov Center (local cuisine experience, at your own expense)
• Romanov Palace
• Amir Timur Square and Broadway
• Observation deck of Hotel Uzbekistan
07:00 – Transfer to the airport for the morning flight to Urgench (08:20), then the short drive to Khiva.
11:00 – Guided tour of Khiva's walled old town, a UNESCO World Heritage Site:
• Kalta Minor Minaret
• Muhammad Amin Khan Madrasah
• Kunya Ark Citadel
• Tash-Hauli Palace
• Pahlavan Mahmud Mausoleum
• Juma Mosque
• Islam Khoja Minaret
Optional: Khorezm flatbread-making workshop (extra $20 per person).
15:00 – Free time. We recommend the Nurullaboy Palace, an elegant 19th-century residence with interactive exhibitions (entrance about 10 USD).
Drive to the Uzbekistan–Turkmenistan border and cross at the Shavat–Dashoguz checkpoint. Meet your Turkmen guide and driver and continue to Kunya-Urgench, a UNESCO World Heritage Site:
• Portal of the Caravanserai
• Mamun Minaret
• Il-Arslan Mausoleum
• Sultan Tekesh Mausoleum
• Academy of Khorezm
• Kutlug Timur Minaret
• Turabek Khanum Mausoleum
• Najmeddin Kubra and Sultan Ali Mausoleums
Lunch at a local café (at your own expense).
Afternoon drive to the Darvaza gas crater, the "Door to Hell" — a 70-metre-wide burning crater formed in 1971. Watch the fire at sunset and after dark, followed by a BBQ dinner at the camp (included).
Overnight in tents near the crater.
Picnic-style breakfast at the camp (included). Drive to Gokdepe (310 km, 4–5 hours), with lunch in a cosy local café inside a traditional yurt (at your own expense).
• Gokdepe Fortress, scene of the 1880 battle against the Russian forces of General Skobelev
• Gokdepe Mosque with its turquoise domes and white-marble architecture
• An Akhal-Teke horse farm, home to more than 30 of Turkmenistan's legendary horses — a 5,000-year-old breed admired by Alexander the Great and Darius I
Continue to Ashgabat and check in at your hotel.
A full-day tour of the white-marble capital, the "Las Vegas of Central Asia":
• Presidential Palace and Ruhyyet Palace
• Wedding Palace (Palace of Happiness)
• The modern Yyldyz Hotel
• Constitution Monument and the Arch of Neutrality
• Independence Monument and park
• Ertugrul Gazi Mosque
• Ashgabat 2017 sports complex
• Galkynysh (Revival) Square, the new business and cultural centre
Finish with a leisurely stroll through Inspiration Park (Ylham Park).
Drive to Mary (370 km, about 4 hours) with a short stop at Abiverd to see the ruins of the Seyitjemaleddin Mosque.
Continue to Bayramali (30 km) and explore the State Historical Reserve "Ancient Merv". Once called the "Queen of the World", Merv ranked among the great Islamic capitals alongside Baghdad, Cairo and Damascus. In the 11th–12th centuries Seljuk Merv covered more than 640 hectares and drew scholars and merchants from across the Islamic world, until Mongol forces destroyed the city in 1221.
Check in at your hotel in Mary and rest.
After breakfast, drive to Turkmenabat and on to the Farap–Alat border over the bridge across the Amu Darya. After the formalities, cross into Uzbekistan and drive to Bukhara.
19:00 – Dinner with a folklore show at the Nodir Devonbegi Madrasah (included).
10:00 – Guided walking tour of Bukhara:
• Poi-Kalon architectural ensemble
• Mir-i-Arab Madrasah
• Ark Citadel
• Ulugh Beg Madrasah
• Abdulaziz Khan Madrasah
• Lyabi-Hauz ensemble
• Trading domes and caravanserais
• Crafts centre
Free time afterwards. Recommended visits: the Samanid Mausoleum (9th century) and the Shukhov Tower.
10:00 – Visit the Summer Palace of the Emir of Bukhara.
12:00 – Drive to Gijduvan to meet a family of hereditary ceramic masters.
13:00 – Workshop tour and an introduction to traditional pottery-making.
15:00 – Drive to Samarkand (about 3 hours).
18:00 – Arrival and hotel check-in.
Evening free; we recommend the Registan illuminated at night.
10:00 – Guided tour of Samarkand by minivan:
• Gur-e Amir Mausoleum
• Registan Square
• Bibi-Khanym Mosque
• Shah-i-Zinda necropolis
• Traditional paper mill using 8th-century techniques
16:00 – Free time. We recommend the Siab Bazaar for local crafts and dried fruit.
Morning drive to Tashkent by private car — a sedan or minivan depending on group size (about 4–4.5 hours). Free time in Tashkent; optional visits: Magic City park with its musical fountains, the Seoul Moon riverside promenade and the Roman Catholic Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Transfer to the airport for your evening flight home.
What’s included
What’s not included
Where you’ll stay
Or equivalent, depending on season.
Good to know
Uzbekistan: most nationalities enter visa-free for 30–90 days; if you need an e-visa, it takes 2–3 working days online and we guide you at booking. Turkmenistan: all visitors need a visa — we prepare your e-visa and the visa fee is included; at the border you pay about USD 40 per person in local fees. Your passport must be valid for at least 6 months after your trip.
Uzbekistan: the Uzbek som (UZS); Visa and Mastercard work in city hotels, restaurants and supermarkets. Turkmenistan: the Turkmen manat (TMT); foreign cards rarely work, so bring clean, recent US dollar notes to exchange.
April–May and September–October are warm and clear — ideal for the old cities and the desert. June–August is very hot, with Karakum afternoons above 40 °C.
Plug types C and F, 220 V — the same as most of Europe. Travellers from the UK, US and Asia need a standard Euro adapter.
Uzbekistan: everyday dress is relaxed; inside mosques and madrasas shoulders and knees should be covered. Turkmenistan: relaxed in Ashgabat; photographing government buildings is not allowed — your guide will tell you where.
Uzbekistan: hotel Wi-Fi works well and mobile data is cheap with a local SIM. Turkmenistan: internet is slow and many sites and apps are blocked; plan to be offline at Darvaza. Your coordinator stays reachable throughout.
Free cancellation 40 days or more before departure. 39–30 days: 30% of the price is kept; 29–15 days: 50%; 14 days or less or no-show: 100%. One free change of dates or hotel category 45+ days before departure.
Medical insurance for your days in Uzbekistan is included in the tour price. It does not cover Turkmenistan, cancellation or baggage, so we recommend your own travel insurance — we can suggest trusted providers.
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