One-day tours and excursions in the cities of Uzbekistan

Friends from Russia came to visit. They wanted to see the historic cities of Uzbekistan and our mountains. We were given the contact details of Evgeny's travel agency. We called, and told them what we wanted. They listened to us and put together several possible plans for our trip. We chose the most suitable option. In the end, our route started in Bukhara, what a magnificent city with its architecture. Then we headed to the Nuratau Mountains, stopping on the way in the town of Nurata, where we visited the sacred Chashma complex and walked around the remains of Alexander the Great's fortress. In the Nuratau Mountains we visited the wonderful villages of Sob, Sentob and Mazhrum. We spent the night in a guesthouse in the village of Hayat. What beautiful places, we didn't want to leave))) Then we went on to Samarkand. A beautiful city with lots of historic architecture. In the evening we looked in on the new part of Samarkand. It was beautiful too, but we still liked the old part, the mosques and minarets, better. And from Samarkand our friends flew home with a full load of positive emotions and extra kilograms gained from the delicious Uzbek cuisine)))

We hiked to Patandezbashi with Zhenya and two other friends of mine. Zhenya had a pile of funny stories from life and facts about the mountains, so we made it up not only successfully but also with a lot of fun. We'll definitely go with him again, more than once :)

Thank you to Evgeny Shabanov for two tours — of Tashkent and its surroundings. The day before, we headed out of the city: we visited the Amirsoy mountain resort, saw Charvak Reservoir, the village of Khodjikent with its 850-year-old plane trees, ancient petroglyphs, and the Institute of Solar Physics. We were overwhelmed with emotions — the cable car, the vast expanse of water, seeing walnuts growing for the first time (we even picked some to take home)! Exploring the Solar Institute, we felt like stalkers. Today's city tour turned our walk into a fairy tale! We walked all day, saw all the main sights of the city, monuments and squares, tried national dishes at a café, and even managed to buy tickets to a local theater! It was fascinating to learn about the country's history, customs and traditions, how people live today, and how the monuments on the very same pedestal changed over the years, and we saw lots of mosaics on buildings. We visited Chorsu Bazaar, discovered new products made there today and learned their story. We explored a mahalla and were even invited into a courtyard. The day flew by — we'll definitely come back to Uzbekistan to travel with Evgeny and his team to other cities and neighboring countries.

Thanks to the Xtrail guides for organizing and leading our trip to the ancient cities of Uzbekistan. We were all delighted with the tours of Samarkand, Bukhara, and Khiva. We highly recommend them!

We spent two days on tours with our guide Evgeny — and it was wonderful!

The first day — Tashkent.
The city made an incredible impression: modern, spacious, green and very atmospheric. The tour was perfectly balanced — Evgeny did not overload us with unnecessary information but managed to convey the essentials: the spirit of the city, its history, character and mood. We saw all the main sights, learned many interesting facts, had a delicious meal at the Plov Center and got useful tips on where else to go. Evgeny even suggested routes and ideas for our next days in Samarkand — special thanks for that!

The second day — the Chimgan mountains.
It had a completely different mood, and that was wonderful. The trip into nature gave us new emotions: mountains, fresh air, stunning scenery. We took the cable car up to the Amirsoy ski resort, enjoyed amazing views, and then went paragliding over the Charvak reservoir — an unforgettable feeling of freedom and beauty. On the way back, on Evgeny's recommendation, we stopped at a cozy café and tried incredibly delicious Uzbek dishes.

In short:
Huge thanks to Evgeny for his professionalism, attention, friendliness and two wonderful days in the city and in the mountains. The tours left only the warmest and brightest impressions. We definitely recommend him.

I’ve traveled with Zhenya Shabanov several times now: we hiked Patandezbashi, went to Turkmenistan together, and most recently did a seven-day trip through the Fann Mountains. He organizes every trip end to end, taking each participant’s interests into account. On our trek he lent everyone his own tents and sleeping bags and took care of the meals; when we went to Turkmenistan — that was back in 2024, when it had only just opened up to tourists — he told us all about his own experience there and put all our worries to rest. Plus, Zhenya is simply fun and interesting to be around — he’s incredibly well-read and always has an amusing story to share. I highly recommend Zhenya!

I'm already back, but I'm still a bit in the mountains)

The reality exceeded expectations. I'd heard about the Fann Mountains and the natural beauty, but it wasn't just the natural beauty—that was a whole other story altogether—it was how we experienced it together.

There were five of us, including a guide. A very warm atmosphere immediately developed in the group. Communication was easy and humorous, and every organizational detail was carefully thought out. At the guesthouses where we stayed, we were greeted with a very homely, attentive welcome. And the food, especially after the pass, seemed like a special bonus to the route – delicious and generous. A special thank you to Zhenya Shabanov, our guide and organizer, for all this.

And, of course, the nature. The lakes are simply unreal – a variety of shades and moods. And the mountains themselves are something special: majestic with snow-capped peaks or charming with green slopes and wildflowers. The pass was a bit difficult for me (it was my first ever, at 3,780 m), and in places I was literally wondering, "Why did I sign up for this?" 😅 And tents are not my favorite way to spend the night. But at the top or next to a stunning lake, you realize you wouldn't undo any of it.

This was one of those trips where I found it a little difficult, uncomfortable in places, but in the end I was left with a very strong feeling that I had lived through it, and it was beautiful.

Ich habe die zweitägige Tour zum Aralsee relativ spontan gebucht und bereits die Organisation im Vorfeld war völlig unkompliziert. Die Kommunikation war schnell und zuverlässig und auch die kurzfristige Buchung hat problemlos funktioniert.
Die Tour selbst hat meine Erwartungen absolut erfüllt. Die Landschaften sind beeindruckend und gerade die Geschichte des Aralsees und die Veränderungen dieser Region haben mich sehr berührt. Der Schiffsfriedhof in Moynaq, die Fahrt über den ehemaligen Meeresboden, das Ustjurt Plateau und schließlich der heutige Aralsee waren unglaublich spannend zu erleben. Besonders faszinierend fand ich auch die abgelegenen Orte unterwegs und die enorme Weite dieser Landschaft.
Ein großes Lob verdient mein Fahrer. Leider habe ich seinen Namen vergessen, aber er war wirklich großartig. Die Strecken sind lang und teilweise anspruchsvoll, trotzdem habe ich mich während der gesamten Tour sehr sicher und gut aufgehoben gefühlt. Er war unglaublich aufmerksam, freundlich und hilfsbereit.
Auch das Essen war wunderbar. Ich esse vegetarisch und darauf wurde überall ganz selbstverständlich Rücksicht genommen. Ich hatte während der gesamten Tour sehr gutes und reichliches Essen.
Besonders schön fand ich auch die Übernachtung im Jurten Camp am Aralsee. Das Camp ist sehr einfach, aber gerade das hat für mich perfekt zu diesem Erlebnis und zu dieser außergewöhnlichen Umgebung gepasst. Ich habe mich dort sehr wohlgefühlt.
Auch das Preis Leistungs Verhältnis fand ich für das, was in diesen zwei Tagen organisiert und geboten wurde, absolut angemessen.
Für mich war die Tour von Anfang bis Ende ein besonderes Erlebnis und definitiv eines der Highlights meiner Reise durch Usbekistan. Ich würde sie jederzeit weiterempfehlen.