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Aydarkul Lake and Desert Yurt Camp: 2 Days from Samarkand to Bukhara

Where do you start?

Start in Samarkand, finish in BukharaStart in Bukhara, finish in Samarkand
2 daysPrivate tour

A night in a yurt camp in the Kyzylkum desert on the way between Samarkand and Bukhara: a swim in Aydarkul Lake, dinner and a traditional music and dance show, then the holy spring of Nurata and the Silk Road caravanserai of Rabati Malik. Private car, either direction.

Aydarkul Lake and Desert Yurt Camp: 2 Days from Samarkand to Bukhara — 1 / 8
Photo: Benjamin Goetzinger, CC BY-SA 4.0
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Photo: Галиев Ярослав, CC BY-SA 4.0
Aydarkul Lake and Desert Yurt Camp: 2 Days from Samarkand to Bukhara — 3 / 8
Photo: Arina Pan, CC BY-SA 4.0
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Photo: David Holt, CC BY-SA 2.0
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Photo: Man77, CC BY-SA 3.0
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Photo: Kagansky, CC BY-SA 4.0
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Photo: Bgag, CC0

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About this trip

The road between Samarkand and Bukhara takes a few hours by train. This trip turns it into two days and a night in the desert. You stay in a yurt camp in the Kyzylkum, a short walk from Aydarkul, a long lake in the middle of the sand where you can swim from late spring to early autumn. In the evening the camp serves dinner and puts on a show of traditional music and dance. On the way you visit Nurata, with its holy spring full of fish, and Rabati Malik, the ruins of a royal caravanserai on the Silk Road.

The trip runs in both directions: choose your start under the title. A private car with a driver takes you the whole way, and lunch, dinner and breakfast at the camp are included.

The route at a glance

DayFrom SamarkandFrom Bukhara
1Samarkand – Aydarkul yurt campBukhara – Rabati Malik – Nurata – Aydarkul yurt camp
2Nurata – Rabati Malik – BukharaAydarkul – Samarkand

Good to know

  • When: April to October. The lake is warm enough to swim from about June to September.
  • Car: one sedan takes up to 3 travellers with medium-size luggage; 4 travellers go in two sedans. For more people, or an SUV, message us.
  • Guide: the price is for the car and driver. A professional English-speaking guide can come with you at extra cost: message us before you book.
  • The yurts are simple and shared, with beds, blankets and shared washrooms at the camp.
  • Drive times: Samarkand to Aydarkul is about 3.5–4 hours.

Day by day

  • Day 1

    Samarkand – Aydarkul Lake

    Pick-up at your hotel in Samarkand at 08:30 for the drive north into the Kyzylkum desert, about 3.5–4 hours. You reach the yurt camp around 12:30, check in and have lunch. In the afternoon, swim in Aydarkul Lake or relax on the shore. Dinner at the camp, then a performance of traditional music and dance. Night in a yurt.

  • Day 2

    Nurata and Rabati Malik, on to Bukhara

    Breakfast at 08:00 and departure at 09:00. In Nurata you visit the Chashma complex, a holy spring full of fish beside an old mosque, below the ruins of a fortress said to have been founded by Alexander the Great. On the way to Bukhara you stop at Rabati Malik, the ruins of an 11th-century royal caravanserai on the Silk Road. Arrival at your hotel in Bukhara in the afternoon.

What's included

  • Private car with driver for the whole route (one sedan for up to 3 travellers with medium-size luggage; two sedans for 4)
  • 1 night in a traditional yurt
  • 3 meals: lunch, dinner and breakfast
  • The evening show of traditional music and dance

Not included

  • A professional guide (available at extra cost: message us)
  • A camel ride (an option when you book)
  • Hotels in Samarkand and Bukhara
  • Drinks, tips, travel insurance and personal expenses

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