Desert Yurt Camp tour - 2 days (shared)
Bukhara, Uzbekistan
- 2 days (approx.)
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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Overview
Venture deep into the Uzbek desert on this history-packed, off-the-beaten-track overnight tour. Eat lunch with a local family in ancient Nurata, where you’ll also explore the city’s monuments, founded by Alexander the Great. Sleep in a desert camp, where you’ll listen to folk music and stories around the fire, and hop a camel for a ride to a nearby village.
- An overnight desert tour from Bukhara or Samarkand
- Get a peek at different bird species on the shores of Aydarkul, an artificial salt lake
- Enjoy tasty, all-inclusive meals, plus round-trip vehicle transfers
- Listen to traditional music and visit thousands-year-old ancient monuments
What's Included
- Dinner
- Breakfast
- Lunch
- Overnight stay in the Yurt camp (1 night)
- Camel riding around the Yurt camp (20 minutes)
- Car with driver (sedan car for up to 3 people)
- Registration
- Traditional music performance by local bard around the fire
- Coffee and/or Tea
- Optional camel riding to Lake Aydarkul (20$ per camel)
- Guide service
- Camera fee of 15 000 som if you take photos inside the complex
Meeting and Pickup
Meeting point
- Khodja Nasreddin statueQCFC+5CW, Bukhara, Bukhara Region, Uzbekistan
The meeting point for this tour in Bukhara is at the statue of Khoja Naseriddin near Lyabi Haus Pool. Please look for our driver holding a sign with your tour name. The tour starts at 9 AM however, please arrive at the meeting point 20 minutes prior departure.
End point
- Hilton Garden Inn SamarkandДаҳбед йўли 2, 140130, Samarqand, Samarqand viloyati, Uzbekistan
The tour ends with a drop-off at the parking lot of Gur Emir Mausoleum in Samarkand.
Start time.9:00 am
Itinerary
Day 1
Bukhara – Nurata city - Yurt Camp
1 Stop
Navoiy Province (Pass By)
Accommodation: Overnight stay in Yurt Camp
Meals: Lunch, Dinner
Day 2
Yurt Camp-Samarkand
1 Stop
Navoiy Province (Pass By)
Accommodation: Not included
Meals: Breakfast
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Not wheelchair accessible
- This tour can be done both from Samarkand and Bukhara. You will be picked up at 9:00 from your hotel for the tour, when booking the tour please inform us about the name of your hotel where we can pick you up.
- Not recommended for travelers with back problems
- No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
- Most travelers can participate
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 12 travelers
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Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Reviews
4.3
based on 16 reviews
We're really grateful for the trip to our guide Ikrom, he was the best man to show you the best sites of Uzbekistan
Everyone's hospitality makes you feel at home
The night in a yurta is comfortable, not too hot. There is wifi and electricity
No one will rush you at any point of the way, the main goal is to make you happy
Thanks to everyone of the trip hosts
The experience fell far short of my expectations.
Our first destination was the ruins of Alexander the Great’s fortress. However, the area had not been preserved, and there was little left to see. We then proceeded to the second destination, Lake Aydarkul. It’s a huge lake in a remote area. By the shore there was only a restaurant (there was even no paved road to access to the restaurant) , but it was located a bit far from the lake. We had lunch there, and the only option for lunch was fish. Salad was delicious, but beverages were not included. We took a few photos by the lake and then continued headed to the yurt camp.
The yurt camp was truly disappointing. We were assigned a yurt for two, maximum capacity was 4. There was no air conditioning, no windows, and no independent bathroom inside. The floor was just covered with carpet. Lighting was insufficient. The campsite only provided public toilets (a total of four cubicles for both men and women in the camp site) and two public shower cubicles. I don’t think that’s sufficient for a campsite that can accommodate up to 100 people. Luckily, we visited in April, so air conditioning wasn’t really necessary. However, I didn’t see anyone taking a shower.
The only place we had no complaints about was the dining area, which was nicely furnished, comfortable, well-lit, and air-conditioned.
Another big complaint was the odor inside the yurt, which truly disappointed us. The campfire party was simple and lasted only 30 minutes. We declined the camel ride because was were invited even it was raining. Even though the weather cleared up the next day, there was no compensation for the camel ride, so we didn’t see the dunes.
Overall the experience was disappointing as I think it was not what we should received after we paid the price for not cheap. The experience was totally not comparable to the similar one we had in the Sahara last year.
This tour is not recommended!
Vikram was an awesome driver and guide! We truly enjoyed this tour as the highlight of our trip. The star and moon gazing was quite an experience with little to none, light pollution. Everything was really just great! Food was really good! Camp fire, music, singing, camels… loved it! 🥰
We had a great time with our guide Ikrom. Tour started in Bukhara, then visited Nurata with her fortress after a stop at an ancient sardoba. Delicious lunch in a cozy garden and after we reached our yurta camp in the desert, very nice and comfortable. Camel ride before a stunning sunset on the dune right behind our yurta and then a good dinner. Before going to bed a folkloristic entertainment around the fire with live kazak music.
Next morning after breakfast we visited a desert village near the camp and then some relax and swimming in the huge Ayadarkul lake, where we also had lunch with fresh fish from the lake. After that we headed to Samarkand to end our trip.
Fantastic tour in lonely places far from the crowds, and Ikrom has been an awesome guide and driver to spend some time talking with.
Worst experience EVER!! It has been a terrible experience this tour . The guide did not speak English at all, it was imposible to communicate with him. Then the music show , please you need to be serious, it was a guy that didn’t even want to wear the traditional clothes. You mention it was a show around the fire ? What fire ?? There was no fire!!! This is a nightmare and I paid 250 euros!!!
Response from Host, Oct 2022
Dear Client,
Thanks for getting back to us with the details of your trip. We appreciate your feedback, the opinion of our clients is very important to us.
We are sorry that the trip did not meet your expectations. However, using this chance we would like to draw your attention to the below details:
Firstly, this trip does not include English speaking guide service. The tour webpage clearly indicates that the guide service is excluded. For this trip, we only provide a car with driver and entrance tickets to the local sights. Please understand that you did not pay for the guide service. Please make sure to read the itinerary, inclusions, and exclusions information carefully prior to booking any tour in the future.
Secondly, we don’t agree with your complaints about the musician not wearing traditional costumes. We did not promise that musicians will be performing in traditional costumes, it is not even mentioned in the itinerary. Please understand, the role of the musician is to perform, we can’t make him demonstrate traditional costumes as we did not agree about it.
Thirdly, it is true that there was no campfire. We could not organize it due to the wind. Therefore, the performance took place inside the building. The surrounding area of the camp is covered with dense vegetation which is very dry at this time of the year (August). Making the campfire during such wind might pose a great risk to the vegetation and fauna of the area.
Once again, I kindly list the services that were included in the fee of 250 EUROs you paid us:
1. Private car with a driver to transfer you from Bukhara to Nurata, from Nurata to the Yurt camp, from the yurt camp to lake Aydarkul and then on the next day to Samarkand. We provided one car with a driver just for you (no other clients). The petrol fees and taxes are also included.
2. Lunches- 2, dinner -1, Breakfast-1
3. Overnight stay in a private yurt. We provided one large yurt just for you, you did not share it with others.
4. Camel riding around the yurt camp (20 minutes).
5. Entrance tickets in Nurata city.
We also pay taxes, our driver's meals, and overnight stay in the yurt camp from the payment you made us.
I understand that during travel and when you are on the go, sometimes it is possible that important details of the trip (itinerary) you book are missed. Although we firmly believe that we provided all services indicated in the itinerary, we still can offer you one day free of charge guide service for your excursions in Tashkent, Samarkand, or Bukhara just to make sure that you leave for Mexico with nice memories about our wonderful country.
Thanks,
2 perfect days spent with our tour guide in the desert. We totally recommend this experience. People are great and food was delicious.
The yurt camp experience itself is nice, but it's overpriced for what it offers. The part about lunch on the lake was no big deal.
Although the guide was indicated in English, our driver did not speak a word of English and could not explain anything we saw on the way, such as stopping at the ruins of Alexander the Great.
The free camel ride was quicker than the description of the activities suggested.
Good dinner.
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It was a great guide. The scorching heat of mid-May and the long drive, albeit on a paved road, made the tour fun, thanks to a friendly guide. The guides also told me about history and culture wherever I went in plain English, which gave me a great understanding of Uzbekistan. Thank you for your professional service and hospitality. Thank you for driving the long distance. I fell in love with Uzbekistan. I think I will come to Uzbekistan again.
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From $206.00
per personup to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
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