Adventure Experts

Travel to Uzbekistan & Central Asia

Threads of Culture and History along the Silk Road

The threads of the Silk Route, winding from both the east and the west, are woven together here in Uzbekistan.

At the very center of Asia and the Silk Road, Uzbekistan is varied and rich geographically, culturally, and historically. A unique blend of Turkic, Persian, Chinese, Mongolian, Russian, and Arab influences has created a patchwork here that is as intricate as the ikat silk textiles for which the country is so well known.

While traveling through Uzbekistan one sees, tastes, feels, smells, and hears these varying influences in the culinary traditions, languages, handicrafts, music, and attire of the people encountered along the way.

Travelers can soak up the history in the urban oases of Samarkand, Bukhara, or Khiva. The villages of the Fergana Valley are rich in artisans practicing trades largely unchanged for centuries. And the mountains, rivers, and deserts throughout provide an immensely scenic backdrop to it all.

The Ultimate Silk Road Experience

photo: photographer

Transoxiana to the Five Stans

Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan make up the five nations at the heart of Central Asia – each unique, yet intertwined in myriad ways.

Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan showcase the nomadic heritage of the region’s steppes and mountains. Yurts, horses, poetry, eagles, and felts are cultural focuses in both nations. Boundless green landscapes are dotted with cities both Soviet and modern in feel.

Uzbekistan, at the center of the region, is particularly rich in architecture and the cultural legacy of its great Silk Road oasis cities.

Tajikistan is a Persian outpost in an otherwise predominantly Turkic-speaking region. The intensely rugged and visually spectacular Pamir Mountains are a highlight here.

And Turkmenistan is a unique and difficult-to-know land of carpets, dunes, and camels. Here the deserts run largely uninterrupted, punctuated only by a scattering of towns and villages and a marble capital watched over by a secretive and fiercely independent government.

Trips to Central Asia

Highlights of Uzbekistan

10 Days | Private Travel

At the heart of this tour are Uzbekistan’s three brilliant Silk Road oases: Khiva, Bukhara, and Samarkand. Each is a living city, but each is also a time capsule filled with gorgeous, historic mosques, madrassahs, and minarets.

Uzbekistan In Depth

15 Days | Small Group Travel

This trip takes you to world-class UNESCO sites and more, including an avant-garde art museum, Central Asia’s most fertile valley, and the Kyzyl Kum Desert, where an overnight in a yurt holds the promise of exceptional stargazing.

Undiscovered Central Asia

19 Days | Small Group Travel

Head off the tourist path to discover an ancient archaeological site, an Aral Sea ghost town, a mountain-dwelling tribe untouched by outside influence, a strikingly gorgeous limestone canyon, and a lively Caspian Sea port.

Highlights of Uzbekistan & Turkmenistan

13 Days | Private Travel

Experience the highlights of Central Asia both old and new on this tour of Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan. After visiting the bustling metropolis of Tashkent, the Uzbek capital, take a step back in time to the legendary Silk Road…

Uzbekistan’s Navruz Festival

10 Days | Small Group Travel

Tour Uzbekistan’s three brilliant Silk Road oases: Khiva, Bukhara, and Samarkand – each a living city, but also a time capsule filled with world-renowned, one-of-a-kind art and architecture.

Adventure on the Pamir Highway

15 Days | Small Group Travel

Explore on a road trip filled with personal connections and jaw-dropping vistas. Begin in Kyrgyzstan’s mountain villages, where you’ll share meals and take part in the daily practices of nomadic shepherds. Then cross into Tajikistan on the Pamir Highway, one of the world’s great mountain drives…

Central Asia's Five 'Stans

22 Days | Small Group Travel

Join a modern-day caravan on an epic journey to these exotic countries – Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan.

Uzbekistan’s Silk & Spice Festival

10 Days | Small Group Travel

Silk Road heritage runs deep in Uzbekistan. Explore it in depth on this once-a-year journey, timed to coincide with the country’s Silk & Spice Festival.

Bespoke Private Uzbekistan

Let us help make your dream trip a reality.

A custom itinerary means flexibility – flexibility to immerse yourself in your own exclusive experience, to craft an itinerary around your interests, and to travel when it’s right for you. Get started planning your next adventure in Uzbekistan!

Why Us?

With a permanent base on the ground in Uzbekistan, and a network of close contacts and partners throughout the region, Central Asian Expeditions is ideally situated to design and implement your vision.

30 years of experience, uniquely focused on this region, and a staff well versed in these cultures – academically, professionally, and personally – make us the best. We care, not just because this what we do, but because it is our passion.

Whether your interests are in horseback riding from yurt to yurt in Kyrgyzstan, diving deep into the arts and crafts of the Fergana Valley, photographing Soviet architecture in the region’s capitals, camping amidst the dunes of Turkmenistan’s Karakum Desert, remote roadtrips in the High Pamirs, or exploring the Silk Road oases of Uzbekistan, we have done it before and we would love to personalize an experience for you too.

Our portfolio of past work includes educational expeditions for museums and universities, photoshoots for magazines, epic motorcycle journeys across the steppes, short stopovers on the way from here to there, and carefully crafted explorations for couples, families and friends.

So, let us know what you have in mind, or simply reach out to toss around ideas and do some initial planning. There’s nothing we relish more than the opportunity to share what we know and to work with you to craft that perfect trip.

  Start planning the journey of a lifetime.