Hiking Tour from Samarkand city with yurt camp stay Uzbekistan
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Hiking Tour from Samarkand city with yurt camp stay Uzbekistan
Hiking Tour from Samarkand city with yurt camp stay Uzbekistan, thoughtfully designed to combine cultural heritage, desert landscapes, and authentic village life. During this journey, travelers will visit the historic city of Nurata, including the sacred Chashma Spring and the ancient Alexander’s Fort, reflecting the region’s rich history. The experience continues with an overnight stay in a traditional yurt camp in the Kyzyl Kum Desert, where guests can enjoy the serene beauty of the desert landscape. The following day, travelers proceed to a mountain village in the Nuratau Mountains for a homestay with a local family, offering genuine insight into rural traditions and hospitality, along with a short scenic hike through the picturesque mountain surroundings.
Day 1: Meet your driver with the sign of your name in the hotel lobby and start the tour to Yurt Camp (Please contact us to let us know the exact pickup location for the tour) Drive to Nurata.
Route: Samarkand-Nurata-Lake Aydarkul-Yurt Camp
Nurata—this city is surrounded by the Nurata Mountains. Nurata (“Nur means Light or Holy and Ata means Father”), this ancient town held a strategic position on the frontier between the cultivated lands and the steppe. Population of the town is 32,000 people and renowned for marble and astrakhan for production, Nurata has retained some of the holy sites that attracted pilgrims from all over Central Asia.
Visiting sights in Nurata:
Chashma Spring—this Spring linked to Hazrati Ali (son-in-law of the Prophet Muhammad). The centre of the complex is a pool where the faithful come to collect water as a good luck and health to relatives and friends. Regardless of the time of the year, the mineral-laden spring water is said to remain at consistent 19°C. The population of Marinka fish in the pool is thriving as it is considered as a holy spot and hence no-one is allowed to catch them.
Alexander’s Fort—it is strategically located on the top of the hill to the south of the town, and Uzbek sources suggest that Alexander instructed one of his generals to build an impenetrable fortress here while he continued his conquest of Bactria and Sogdiana. When Alexander returned, his troops could neither break down the gates nor scale the walls, such was the strength of the construction.
Drive to Lake Aydarkul (60 km)
Lake Aydarkul was created in 1969, when catastrophic springfloods made people drain excess water from the Syrdarya River into the Arnasay depression. Since then Aydarkul has been steadily growing in size. Nowadays lake covers an area of 4,000 square kilometers.
After visiting Lake Aydarkul drive to yurt camp. Upon arrival, travelers check in to yurt. Travelers sleep in the bed it might be a bit hard and there is an electricity inside of the yurt. Activities to do in yurt camp: camel riding, watching the birds and after dinner live music by Kazakh musician around the campfire.
Overnight in a yurt.
Overnight in Yurt Camp (shared bathroom facilities)
Day 2: After camp-style breakfast, drive to guest house in Nurata Mountain
Transfer to a guesthouse in the Nurata Mountains for a homestay experience with a local family. Guests will be accommodated in a private room, with toilet and shower facilities located in a separate building.
After check-in, travelers will enjoy lunch followed by a short rest. In the afternoon, the local host will guide the guests on a hiking excursion through nearby villages and the surrounding mountainous area.
In the evening, dinner will be served at the guesthouse, featuring traditional dishes prepared by the host family.
Day 3: After breakfast, transfer to Bukhara
After breakfast, check out from the guesthouse and transfer to Bukhara.
Please note that the Nuratau Mountain hiking tour with Samaria Travel can be arranged either from Samarkand to Bukhara or from Bukhara to Samarkand, depending on your travel itinerary. We are pleased to offer flexible arrangements and can customize the program in accordance with your destination, schedule, and personal preferences to ensure a comfortable and seamless journey.
Kindly provide the number of travelers and the preferred travel dates so that we may proceed with the necessary arrangements and prepare the appropriate program and quotation. Additionally, as dinner is included in this trip, we would appreciate it if you could inform us whether you consume meat or prefer a vegetarian option, so that we can make suitable meal arrangements.
