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Itineraries · Eco-travel

Eco-trip: Nurata, Aydarkul and a yurt camp in 3 days

A night in a desert yurt, the quiet shores of Lake Aydarkul, village hospitality in the Nuratau Mountains and ancient rock art.

3 daysNavoiyApril, May, September, October

Best time to go

Eco-trip: Nurata, Aydarkul and a yurt camp in 3 days
Photo: Benjamin Goetzinger · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

3 days

Day by day

  1. Day 1

    Navoiy

    From Samarkand to Nurata: the Chashma complex around a spring full of sacred fish, and the ruins of Nur fortress, said by legend to have been founded by Alexander the Great.

    Chashma Complex, NurotaPilgrimage site · Navoiy

    Navoiy

    Evening at a yurt camp in the Kyzylkum: a camel ride, dinner by the fire, songs from a bakhshi folk singer and a sky full of stars.

  2. Day 2

    Navoiy

    Morning on the shore of Aydarkul, a desert lake born in 1969 when Syr Darya floodwaters were diverted into the Arnasay depression; swimming and birdwatching in season.

    Aydarkul Lake and yurt campsNature · Navoiy

    Navoiy

    In the afternoon, the village of Sentob in the Nuratau Mountains: a night in a family guesthouse and walks through orchards and along mountain streams.

    Nuratau Mountains and Sentob villageNature · Navoiy

  3. Day 3

    Navoiy

    Sarmishsay gorge, with some 10,000 petroglyphs — the largest rock-art site in Uzbekistan. Then on to Navoi and by train to Bukhara, Samarkand or Tashkent.

    Sarmishsay PetroglyphsArchaeology · Navoiy

About the route

This route opens up the desert and mountains between Samarkand and Bukhara: the Kyzylkum, the Aydar–Arnasay lake system and the Nuratau Range. The Nuratau Mountains are home to the rare Severtsov's argali, and the lake attracts large numbers of waterbirds.

Staying in village guesthouses and yurt camps puts money straight into local families' hands — sustainable tourism at its simplest.

Logistics and conditions

Travel from Samarkand by car with driver; some roads are gravel. Yurt camps are basic, with shared showers and toilets, and nights are cool.

Bring drinking water, sun protection, warm layers and a torch, plus cash.

When to go

April–May, when the desert blooms, and September–October. Summer days are scorching, though that is when lake swimming is best. Camps usually close in winter — book ahead.

Eco-trip: Nurata, Aydarkul and a yurt camp in 3 days

Sights along the way

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