All Samarkand Tours & Excursions in 2026

This tour is perfectly coordinated. A driver picked me up at my Uzbekistan hotel, dropped me at the border, I walked through checkpoints a reasonable distance. On the Tadjikistan side my driver guide was waiting. It was a little bit rainy, I asked him to just do 3 lakes comfortably. I am 76 and not a hiker. Farhod proved to be a very skilled driver on the rocky winding mountain road. He was also a receptive cameraman and picked some great locations for breathtaking photos. Our conversation throughout the day was extremely informative. The restroom stop at the third lake impecably clean. I enjoyed driving through villages and seeing locals living the everyday life. The scenery was breathtaking. We stopped for lunch at a traditional restaurant. The food was memorable! Goodbye Tadjikistan hello Uzbekistan! After crossing the friendly border again, my Uzbekistan driver holding my photo on his phone welcomed me to the comfortable car. Excellent driver, I just closed my eyes and rested. I arrived safely at my hotel with unforgettable memories on my mind.

Super in depth! I loved this tour with our guide Samandar! His explanations were super in depth! Although it only visits 5 locations Samandar gives thorough explanations of the historical significance and context for each building! Overall I would highly recommend this tour as an introduction into Samarkand!

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!