Nuratau Mountains Horse Riding: 2 Days, 1 Night in Hayat Village

The villages of the Nuratau Mountains still keep horses for the work the slopes demand, and riding one up the valley from Hayat is the best way to see the range: higher and further than you would walk in an afternoon, at the pace the mountains were made for. No riding experience is needed; the horses are calm, the paths are broad, and the guide walks or rides beside beginners.

The trip is a short one, built to fit between Samarkand and Bukhara or as a weekend from Tashkent: arrive for lunch, ride in the afternoon, sleep in the village, leave after breakfast.

The ride

Two to three hours after lunch, with a local guide who knows every horse by name. Up through the orchards and out onto the open slopes, where the Severtzov argali, a wild mountain sheep found almost nowhere else, graze in the evening; on to a hilltop with the whole range in view and the villages strung along the valley below. Back to the guesthouse for dinner.

The guesthouse

A family home in Hayat with guest rooms, beds or kurpacha mattresses, a shared bathroom with hot water and a courtyard under the walnut trees. Lunch, dinner and breakfast are cooked by the family from what the garden gives. Your hosts speak Tajik, Uzbek and Russian; the guide has basic English.

Good to know

• Getting there: transport is not in the price, so the trip fits any route. Add a private car when you book: from Samarkand (3–4 hours, a scenic drive) $85 by sedan for up to 3 or $199 by SUV for up to 6, one way; from Bukhara (4–5 hours) $105 or $239; from Jizzakh railway station (2 hours; the Afrosiyob train stops there) $39 by sedan. Combine them: arrive from Samarkand, leave for Bukhara. Other pickups: message us on WhatsApp.
• Guide: the local mountain guide who walks or rides with you speaks basic English. If you want a professional English- or Russian-speaking guide with you for the whole stay, add one when you book: $150 per group on the two-day tours, $300 on the three-day.
• Riding: suitable from about age 10 with an adult. Long trousers and closed shoes. The village has no riding helmets, so bring your own if you ride with one. Riders over about 100 kg should tell us in advance so the right horse is ready.
• When: open all year. March to June and September to November are best; July and August are hot in the valley, so the ride starts later in the afternoon.
• Longer: the three-day version adds a second ride and an afternoon cooking plov with the family. Prefer to walk? See the two-day hiking tour.

Travelling alone, or want to combine this with the Silk Road cities? Message us on WhatsApp.