• Pick-up at Urgench Airport and transfer to Khiva (30 min) • Check into a charming hotel – Anor Qal’a Hotel* • Evening walking tour through the UNESCO-listed Ichan Kala • Enjoy a rooftop welcome dinner under the stars with traditional Khorezmian dishes such as Shivit Oshi and Tukhum Barak

Itchan Kala

10:00 AM, Guided sightseeing of Khiva: • Kalta Minar Minaret • Muhammad Amin Khan Madrasah • Kunya Ark Citadel • Tash-Khauli Palace • Pakhlavan Mahmud Mausoleum • Juma Mosque • Islam Khoja Minaret Optional: Khorezm flatbread-making workshop (extra $15 per person) 3:00 PM, Free time. We recommend visiting: • Nurillaboy Palace, an elegant 19th-century residence featuring interactive exhibitions (entrance ~10 USD)

• Drive to the Uzbekistan–Turkmenistan border and cross via Shavat–Dashoguz checkpoint • Meet your Turkmen guide and driver, then drive to Kunya Urgench • Sightseeing in Kunya Urgench: – Portal of Caravansaray – Mamun Minaret – II Arslan Mausoleum – Sultan Tekesh Mausoleum – Academy of Khorezm – Kutlug Timur Minaret – Turabek Hanum Mausoleum – Nejemeddin Kubra and Sultan Ali Mausoleums • Lunch at a local café • Afternoon drive to Darvaza Gas Crater, known as “The Door to Hell” (70 m wide burning crater formed in 1971) • Watch the mesmerizing fire spectacle at sunset • BBQ dinner and overnight stay in tents near the crater

Parthian Fortresses of Nisa - UNESCO World Heritage Site

• Picnic-style breakfast at the camp • Drive to Gokdepe Horse Farm (310 km, 4–5 hrs) • Lunch in a cozy local café inside a traditional yurt • Visit the Gokdepe Fortress, scene of the 1880 battle against Russian forces led by General Skobelev • Explore the Gokdepe Mosque, notable for its turquoise domes and white marble architecture • Visit the Akhal-Teke Horse Farm, home to over 30 of Turkmenistan’s legendary Akhal-Teke horses – a unique 5,000-year-old breed admired by rulers such as Alexander the Great and Darius I • Drive to Ashgabat, check into the hotel • Overnight stay in Ashgabat

Ashgabat

• Breakfast at the hotel Explore the “Las Vegas of Central Asia” on a full-day city tour: – Presidential Palace – Ruhyyet Palace – Wedding Palace (Palace of Happiness) – Modern “Yyldyz” Hotel – Constitution Monument – Arch of Neutrality – Monument & Park of Independence – Ertugrul Gazi Mosque – Ashgabat 2017 Sports Complex – Square of Revival (Galkynysh) – the new business and cultural center • Enjoy a leisurely stroll along Inspiration Park (Ylham Park) • Overnight stay in Ashgabat

Mary

• Breakfast at the hotel • Drive to Mary (370 km, ~4 hrs) with a short stop at Abiverd to visit 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”, among the great Islamic capitals alongside Baghdad, Cairo, and Damascus • Learn about 11th–12th century Seljuk Merv, a thriving metropolis covering over 640 hectares and attracting scholars and merchants from across the Islamic world • Hear about its tragic fall in 1221, when Mongol forces destroyed the city and its monuments • Check into the hotel and rest • Overnight stay in Mary

Nodir Devon Begi Madrasasi

• Breakfast and check-out from the hotel • Drive to Turkmenabat, then continue to the Farap–Alat border via the bridge over the Amu Darya River • Pass customs and cross into Uzbekistan • Drive to Bukhara and check into Emerald Hotel* • Dinner with folklore show at Nodir Devonbegi Madrasah (7:00 PM) • Overnight stay in Bukhara

Bukhara

10:00 AM, Guided sightseeing tour of Bukhara: • Poi-Kalon Architectural Ensemble • Miri-Arab Madrasah • Ark Citadel • Ulugh Beg Madrasah • Abdulaziz Khan Madrasah • Lyabi-Hauz Ensemble • Trading Domes and Caravanserai • Crafts Center 8:30 PM, Free time. Recommended visits: • Samanid Mausoleum (9th century) • Shukhov Tower • Overnight stay in Bukhara

Gijduvan ceramics of The Narzullaevs

10:00 AM, Drive to the Summer Palace of the Emir of Bukhara 12:00 PM, Transfer to Gijduvan to visit a family of hereditary ceramic masters 1:00 PM, Workshop tour and introduction to traditional pottery-making 3:00 PM, Drive to Samarkand (~3 hrs) 6:00 PM, Arrival and check-in at Sharistan Art Hotel* Evening free time, recommended visit: • Registan Square illuminated at night

Samarkand

10:00 AM, Guided sightseeing by minivan: • Gur-Emir Mausoleum • Registan Square • Bibi-Khanym Mosque • Shakhi-Zinda Necropolis • Authentic Paper Mill (using 8th-century techniques) 4:00 PM, Free time. Recommended visit: • Siab Bazaar, for local crafts and dried fruits • Overnight stay in Samarkand

Samarkand

• Check-out from the hotel by 12:00 • Transfer to the airport, railway station, or another location in Samarkand