All Samarkand Tours & Excursions in 2026

Expect the unexpected.. always. I’d read reviews of bad experiences at border crossing, and thought it might take a long time.. it didn’t.. it took maybe half an hour from saying goodbye to our Uzbek driver to meeting our tour guide and driver in Tajikistan. It’s actually very simple.. driver takes your photo and forwards to next driver who is there to greet you. We got our Uzbek driver’s WhatsApp in case there was any problem on our return (but everything went exactly to plan). I’d never walked across a border and for me it was a fun adventure.. lots of people watching and thanking of border security (we showed our passports at least three times each way). Eraj was our guide, he grew up in a village in the mountains and has a deep love of his country - and he’s plenty to compare it to as he’s lived in several countries and speaks 6 languages! He was funny and wanted us to have the best day. He took us to his favorite waterfall for our picnic lunch. Although the itinerary wasn’t exactly as described (we didn’t go to Sarazm) but it didn’t matter at all as we drove through (and stopped frequently) to visit villages set in spectacular mountain terrain. Abduvosid is an excellent driver, a beloved local, based on all the waves and greeting he received! He was so gracious. He helped us purchase our picnic lunch in Panjakent (no need to bring lunch - you can get cash from ATM and buy a picnic lunch en route). Abduvosid drove carefully and courteously. Both Abduvosid and Eraj made every effort to ensure we enjoyed our day out in Tajikistan. The lakes and mountains and rugged road provided the best backdrop. I highly recommend this excursion.

I had a fantastic experience on this tour, and a huge part of that was thanks to my guide, Farrux. He was incredibly kind, patient, knowledgeable, and accommodating throughout the entire trip. He took the time to explain everything clearly, answered all of my questions, and made sure I was comfortable and enjoying the experience at every stage. What I especially appreciated was how flexible and attentive he was. I never felt rushed, and he was always happy to adjust things based on what I needed or was most interested in. He genuinely went out of his way to make the experience smooth, enjoyable, and memorable. Farrux was also very informative without making the tour feel like a lecture. He gave plenty of interesting context and helped me understand the places I was visiting much better. Overall, an excellent experience and a wonderful guide. I felt very well taken care of from beginning to end. Highly recommend the tour, and especially Farrux!

I had a great experience with Usman. Incredibly kind and hospitable, and very flexible in letting you take the day at your own pace, lets you know also about other places to check out, very knowledgeable and gives great background on the history at each site and Uzbek culture broadly, made the whole experience so enjoyable. Highly recommend

The tour was very worth it. It started off with a little teeny misunderstanding where the driver hadn’t contacted me before the pickup so I texted the company asking to confirm. Literally 2 minutes later the driver was in front of me and I texted the company “I found him, never mind!” Hopefully this means the company doesn’t get upset with him because he was an outstanding guy. Maybe it would help to supply him with the tourist’s number so he can text them when he arrives. His name was Sunnat and he is still learning English, so most of our conversation was done via Google Translate. He piped up with facts here and there and really made the two hour journey easy. Also, for the first time in my life I found myself falling asleep in a stranger’s car. That’s how safe and comfortable he made it feel. Also “through mountain pass” sounds so much more scarier than it is. The roads are so safe and wide that you hardly realise you’re high up until your ears pop. Firuza is fantastic. She meets you right at the entrance and is sweet, kind, polite and full of information. She’s a teacher at her own centre so she’s a very capable entrepreneur. She took me through the complex at my own pace and kept us in shaded areas where she could. When I couldn’t walk anymore in the August heat she was kind enough to rent one of the motor carts (which she paid for!) With Firuza were two of her students (16 year olds) who were there to learn about their own history and practice their English. I wish these girls the best because they were super awesome and sweet. They’re definitely going to go far. They also took pics of me/us and we swapped instas so that they could send them to me. Main stops other than the ancient landmarks were a souvenir shop where Firuza negotiated a good price for me and an artist’s shop. The artist was an inspiring passionate dude who genuinely had magnificent works. There was no expectations to buy anything, just to have conversation with him and admire his works. His painting and architecture works gave me perspective of Uzbekistan’s past and present. We ended our tour at an ice cream shop with the coldest ice cream and Fanta ever (the sun was killing me) and again, Firuza refused to let me pay. I said my goodbyes and joined Sunnat in his air conditioned car for the ride back to my hotel. I’m also glad the tour was so early because as we were leaving loads more tourists and locals were entering, so I really appreciated the opportunity the admire the area and take pics without crowds. Highly recommend going to Shakhrisabz and highly recommend going with Firuza.

A wonderful lasting impression of Tajikistan by a wonderful guide, Dodo and driver, Fairou. They both made me feel comfortable and welcome in their country. Fairou is a very safe driver in Tajikistan and Dodo is wonderful, professional, and courteous tour guide. I had the best time and saw the spectacular and beautiful 7 lakes of Tajikistan! Thanks Dodo from Nastasya!