Across Uzbekistan — We Went Together

Bukhara

The First City

We began in Bukhara, walking through the old city, its courtyards and blue-tiled monuments. It was our first introduction to Uzbekistan and a very good way to start.

Family at a historic monument in Bukhara — Abdulaziz Khan Madrasah.

Kyzylkum Desert

A Night in a Yurt

From Bukhara, we drove into the Kyzylkum Desert and spent the night in a yurt. It became cold after sunset, but sharing one round room in the middle of the desert made it a night we remembered.

Children playing in sand dunes in the Kyzylkum Desert — Morning on the dunes.

Interior of the family yurt in the Kyzylkum Desert — Our yurt for the night.

Family sharing dinner at the yurt camp — Dinner at the yurt camp.

Hayat Village · Nuratau Mountains

A Mountain Village

After the desert, we spent a night with a local family in Hayat, one of the villages in the Nuratau Mountains. It was a simple stay, and the children loved having the chance to go horse riding before we continued east.

Sophie and George walking into Hayat Guesthouse in the Nuratau Mountains

On the way to Samarkand

Along the Way

Driving across Uzbekistan gave us a sense of how large and open the country is. The road took us past plains, desert and lakes, with long stretches where there seemed to be very little around us.

One of the meals we remembered most was a simple roadside lunch with fresh non, baked against the wall of a clay tandir oven.

Vanessa near a herd of wild horses on the open plains of Uzbekistan — Wild horses on the open plains.

A local roadside meal in Uzbekistan — Uzbek Somsa, so good.

Samarkand

The Blue-Tiled City

Samarkand is one of those places where the pictures fall very short of its beauty. Standing there, you sense its significance before you learn it.

Sophie and George playing at a local playground outside Samarkand — A local playground in front of our Airbnb.

Family in Samarkand at night — Samarkand after dark.

Amirsoy

Belly Skiing

Ski season had already ended, but the children found their own way down the slope: jumping and sliding on their bellies. Sophie called it “belly skiing” and said she had invented it.

Children waiting beside a fire — Waiting to roast marshmallows.

The journey home

We’ll Be Back

Uzbekistan was a very pleasant surprise. The friendliness of the people and landscape made us want to come back and explore more of the region.

Singapore · 24 March

Home

12 days · 11 nights · approximately 12,800 kilometres travelled