Uzbekistan small group tour with added comfort

Planet

We use public transport on many occasions in this trip, first to get about Tashkent and well as using trains over longer distances such as Tashkent to Samarkand and Bukhara to Khiva. This trip has a maximum group size of 12, and we never exceed this. Travelling in small groups means we have a lower environmental impact on the locations visited, using fewer resources and leaving less waste behind. We are able to use smaller buses, rather than the coaches used by larger touring groups. This trip has a large water keg on the bus, from which our travellers can fill their reusable water bottles and our tour leaders are proactive in encouraging our travellers to produce as little waste as possible while on the tour. Ensuring we eat at local restaurants and in local’s homes allows us to reduce food waste support locally grown produce. This tour includes our highest rated tour leaders, who not only have incredible knowledge of local culture and history but also the local fauna and flora, acting as advocates for our style of travel and the natural environment.
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People

This trip supports the local economy in many ways, by using a local tour leader throughout, as well as various local guides and restaurants. We include a visit Chorsu Bazzar, one of the largest and oldest markets in Central Asia. Wandering through this giant marketplace is a fantastic way to see locals going about their daily lives and our local tour leader is on hand to bridge any language gaps. Our travellers will often chat with many locals who are some of the friendliest people in the world and keen to get to know foreigners. The group will again get to meet locals and purchase goods from local artisans and traders in Samarkand; visiting a traditional paper-maker and one of the oldest and best wine-makers in the area. In the evening the group join a local family for a cooking demonstration on the traditional meal known as plov. The group will sit down together for dinner with the family and chat about daily life. In Shofirkon the group meet with a lovely local family and learn how to make suzani, a beautiful silk fabric, each with a different story. This evening, the group enjoy an Uzbek folklore and music performance at one of the city’s medressas before heading for dinner at a wonderful local restaurant. In Khiva, we include a cooking class and learn the secrets of Khorezmian cuisine, making traditional dishes like shivit oshi and tuhum-barak.