Samarkand is the World Tourism Capital 2023, and with visa-free entry for UK and EU nationals and direct flights from London Heathrow to Tashkent, there has never been a better time to travel to Uzbekistan: Heart of the Silk Road. Off-the-beaten-track travel specialists Travel the Unknown has partnered with Bradt Travel Guides’ author and Uzbekistan’s official Tourism Ambassador Sophie Ibbotson to launch an exclusive new escorted tour, Secrets of the Silk Road, taking place from 29 April to 12 May, 2023.
“Writing Bradt Guides’ Uzbekistan gave me the opportunity to explore every corner of Uzbekistan and to form a deep and lasting relationship with the country and its people,” explains Sophie. “With this tour, Travel the Unknown gave me completely free rein to develop a new itinerary which goes far beyond the major tourist sites of Bukhara and Samarkand, enabling me to also introduce guests to remarkable archaeological sites in Termez, the fascinating folk traditions of Baysun, and fabulous Soviet-era structures such as Tashkent Metro and the Parkent Solar Furnace.”
Sophie will be leading just one tour to Uzbekistan in 2023, so if you want to travel with her, this is your chance. The itinerary she has curated is a perfect balance of culture and natural sites, with plenty of memorable experiences from a desert yurt stay at Aydarkul to an Uzbek wine tasting and vineyard tour.
If Central Asia is on your bucket list, this is an unbeatable way to see Uzbekistan.
CTA: Book Secrets of the Silk Road with Sophie Ibbotson before 14 days £2,795 pp. Full tour details are here.