Into the Kyzylkum to the mud-brick ruins of ancient Khorezm — Toprak Qala, Ayaz Qala and Kyzyl Qala — some of the largest pre-Islamic ruins in Central Asia, a thousand years older than the Silk Road cities.
Estimated price — availability and the final quote are confirmed by our team. No payment is taken on this page.
Private tour — price per person depends on group size:
| 1 traveler | $120 / person |
| 2 travelers | $80 / person |
| 3 travelers | $70 / person |
| 4 travelers | $60 / person |
★ 4.8 on Google (14 reviews) Local operator in Samarkand We reply within 24 hours
A full day out of Khiva into the Kyzylkum desert, to the haunting mud-brick ruins of the kingdom of Khorezm — a civilisation that flourished here from around the 4th century BC to the 8th century AD, long before Islam reached Central Asia.
You visit three kala (fortresses): the vast Toprak Qala with its palace and walled city; Ayaz Qala, dramatic on its desert ridge; and the compact, well-preserved Kyzyl Qala.
These are among the largest pre-Islamic ruins in Central Asia. The scale is hard to believe until you stand inside walls that have weathered fifteen centuries of desert summers and still tower above you — less restored, less crowded and far more atmospheric than the Silk Road monuments most travellers see.
Pickup from your hotel and the drive north-east into the Kyzylkum desert.
The largest of the Khorezm fortresses — a walled city of roughly 1st–2nd century AD covering some 30 hectares, once the administrative centre of the kingdom, with the ruins of a three-towered royal palace still standing.
A complex of fortresses on and below a desert ridge, the oldest dating to the 4th century BC, with a sweeping panorama over the Kyzylkum and a yurt camp at its foot.
Optional lunch at the yurt camp below Ayaz Qala — local plov, lagman and salads.
A compact square fortress of about the 1st–4th century AD with a tower rising some 15 metres from the desert — intense, well-preserved red-clay walls, and usually the quietest of the three.
Return through the desert, arriving in Khiva in the late afternoon.
Questions about this itinerary? We reply within 24 hours, and there is no payment to enquire.
Another side of the Kyzylkum — a night in a desert yurt camp between Samarkand and Bukhara.
