Mountains then desert — two village homestays and a 12 km walk in the Nuratau range, a night in a yurt beside Aydarkul lake, and the holy spring at Nurata on the way into Bukhara.
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 | $660 / person |
| 2 travelers | $435 / person |
| 3 travelers | $360 / person |
| 4 travelers | $395 / person |
| 5 travelers | $365 / person |
| 6 travelers | $290 / person |
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Four days between Samarkand and Bukhara that take in two completely different landscapes.
The first half is the Nuratau mountains: a night in Hayat, a 12 km walk over the ridge to Asraf via Ukhum with a mountain guide, and a second night with a different family.
Then the land opens out. Day three crosses into the Kyzylkum for an afternoon at Aydarkul lake and a night in a desert yurt camp — camel ride at sunset, dinner round the fire. Day four stops at Nurata for the Chashma spring and the ruins of the Nur fortress, attributed to Alexander the Great in the 4th century BC, before Bukhara.
Pickup with luggage and the drive north into the Nuratau foothills.
Arrive in Hayat and settle in with your host family.
Lunch with the family.
An easy walk around Hayat — orchards, channels and the ridge you cross tomorrow.
Join the family in the kitchen if you want to, or sit out the afternoon.
Dinner with your hosts.
Breakfast before the walk.
About 12 km across high pastures and ridges, through the village of Ukhum and down into Asraf, with a local mountain guide. Rock carvings appear on the hillsides along the way.
Arrive in Asraf and meet your second host family.
Lunch on arrival.
A gentle walk around the village with your host.
Dinner with the family.
Breakfast before leaving the mountains.
Out of the hills and north into the desert.
A vast lake in the middle of the Kyzylkum, formed in 1969. Swim in the warm months, walk the shoreline, and eat a picnic lunch by the water.
Settle into a traditional felt yurt at the desert camp.
A short Bactrian camel ride across the dunes as the sun drops — first-time riders welcome.
Dinner cooked by the camp hosts.
Traditional music round the campfire, and a remarkably dark sky afterwards.
Breakfast at the camp.
South-west across the desert towards Nurata.
The Chashma holy spring with its sacred carp and old mosque, a suzani embroidery workshop, and the hilltop ruins of the Nur fortress — attributed to Alexander the Great in the 4th century BC.
Across the steppe to Bukhara.
Drop-off at your Bukhara hotel, early afternoon.
Questions about this itinerary? We reply within 24 hours, and there is no payment to enquire.
The same mountains and hike, without the desert yurt night.
Just the desert half — Aydarkul and a yurt night between the two cities.