The Aral Sea and the Oasis of Ancient Cities — a Jeep Expedition — 11 Days

When the asphalt runs out and all that’s left under the wheels is the Ustyurt Plateau — an alien landscape of chalk cliffs and salt lakes — this is where the trip really begins. This isn’t a photo stop at the “ship graveyard” from a bus window; it’s a genuine 4x4 expedition with a night in a yurt camp right on the shore of a sea many people assume vanished for good.

Route

Tashkent → Samarkand → Gijduvan → Bukhara → Khiva → Nukus → the Ustyurt Plateau → Lake Sudochye → the Aral Sea → Muynak → Nukus → Khiva → Urgench.

Why this tour

• Our only route that reaches the Aral by 4x4, not tour bus — a genuine crossing of the Ustyurt Plateau.
• A night in a yurt camp right on the seashore, under desert stars, with no city lights for hundreds of kilometers.
• Lake Sudochye, with its flamingos and pelicans — an unexpected pocket of life in what looks like dead land.
• Classic Samarkand, Bukhara and Khiva at the start of the route, so the expedition doesn’t come at the expense of the Silk Road cities.

Day by day

1. Arrival in Tashkent, check-in, free evening.
2. Tashkent: the Khast-Imam complex, Chorsu Bazaar. Drive to Samarkand.
3. Samarkand: Registan Square, the Gur-Emir mausoleum, the Bibi-Khanym mosque, the Shah-i-Zinda ensemble.
4. Drive to Gijduvan — a masterclass with the ceramicists. On to Bukhara in the evening.
5. Bukhara: the Samanid mausoleum, the Ark fortress, the Poi-Kalyan ensemble, Lyab-i Hauz.
6. Drive to Khiva across the Kyzylkum desert.
7. Khiva: Ichan-Kala, the Kunya-Ark fortress, the Tash-Khauli palace.
8. Drive to Nukus, switch to 4x4 vehicles. The Ustyurt Plateau, Lake Sudochye with its flamingos and pelicans, reaching the Aral Sea, a night in a yurt camp on the shore.
9. Drive across the former seabed to Muynak — the “ship graveyard” sitting in sand where waves once broke. Return to Nukus.
10. Nukus: the Savitsky Museum, the world’s largest collection of Soviet-banned avant-garde art. Drive to Khiva.
11. Transfer to Urgench airport, departure.

Included (placeholder — confirm before publishing)

• Comfortable air-conditioned transport plus 4x4 vehicles for the jeep section
• Guide throughout the route
• Breakfasts, several lunches and dinner at the yurt camp
• Yurt accommodation on the Aral Sea shore

Not included

• International flights, insurance
• Meals not listed in the itinerary

Confirmed hotel categories, guaranteed departure dates and the final price are arranged with your travel consultant at booking.