The trip to Uzbekistan usually starts with a question ‘how to get there?’ Uzbekistan is located in the very center of Central Asia, surrounded by Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan and Tajikistan. Moreover, it is a double landlocked country, the only one but Liechtenstein in the whole world, which means that there is no sea, no ports, and to reach the nearest sea port you need to cross borders of at least one more country.

Trains arrive in Uzbekistan, though their quality remains quite low. The busiest rail routes run through Kazakhstan to Russia and mainly serve local people who are not too demanding for the quality of service as they prefer cheaper options. Also, it takes about three days to ride from Moscow, so using trains in the warm season can be quite an ordeal as the trains have no air conditioners.

The only feasible option, therefore, is to come to Uzbekistan by plane. There are now many international airlines who operate flights to the country, such as Turkish Airlines, AirBaltic, Russian Aeroflot, Czech Airlines, Koreana, Asiana Airlines etc. The national air carrier, Uzbekistan Airways or ‘Uzbek Khavo Yullari’ is the sole national air company in the country.

Uzbekistan Airways was founded after independence in 1991 and gained a reputation of a reliable and quality carrier with a good safety record. The airways operate a fleet of Russian-made and modern western aircraft. The western planes are mainly used for international routes. The company operate flights to major world destinations including Europe, Northern America, and Asia.

You can purchase a ticket to Uzbekistan from a variety of air companies, but inside the country for domestic routes there is only one: the Uzbekistan Airways. Because of that, they offer significant discounts when you purchase an international flight plus a local flight. For example, many travel itineraries are designed based on a circular route: Tashkent-Samarkand-Bukhara-Khiva and then back to Tashkent. The ending part of such a tour would usually include a flight from Tashkent to Urgench (Khiva), which you can purchase along with the international tickets.

This obstacle often makes people unhappy as they fail to book Uzbek Airways through their travel agent. Fortunately, there is a solution to this problem: you need to find a local agent in Uzbekistan who would purchase tickets for you locally and then send it to you by regular mail if you prefer hard copy tickets, or just by email. Luckily, the Airways have recently introduced e-tickets and now the ticket can be sent to you by email as a scan.

Thousands of ancient scholars called Bukhara home. Abu Ali ibn Sino (Avicenna), Imam al Bukhari, Abdulkholik Gijduvani, Bahouddin Nakshband and other scholars made great contributions to world civilization. Every year, people from all over the world come to make a pilgrimage at the burial places of the 7 pirs (holy men). Hence, Bukhara is referred to as Bukhoroi Sharif – Holy Bukhara. In May the annual Silk and Spice Festival is held here. Craftsmen and tourists by the thousands come to this festival from all over the world to display their wares and celebrate the event. The parade participants in traditional dress walk from the Ark citadel – the winter palace of the emirs (built in the 1st century, where great scholars and poets also lived), to the Lyabi Hauz ensemble, along the Shahristan (old part of the city) and through the traditional trade domes. There are three trade domes in Bukhara: one originally for money changers, another for books and fur-caps, and jewellery in the last. The festival not only showcases artisans, but there are concert performances, displays, shish kabab and pilaf sellers, singers, dancers – a true holiday atmosphere.

Nowadays, Bukhara is one of the centres of science, craftsmanship, spirituality and tourism in the Republic of Uzbekistan. Traditional fine arts are important in Bukhara: wood carving, jewellery making, copper chasing and elaborate embroidery. The most skilled artisans draw visitors and students from around the world. They visit the brothers Alisher and Abdulla Narzullayevs in Gijduvan to learn the peculiarities of pottery. They come to Shafirkan to study the secrets of sewing beautiful suzane or to Bakhshullo Jumayev for wonderful creations of gold embroidery. The blacksmith Shokir Kamolov always takes awards at International fairs. The Magoki Attori mosque is situated between the trade domes. In ancient times idols and spices were sold here. Now it is a carpet museum. Magok means “on a pit”, and one can see the ground level of old Bukhara under the stairs in the mosque.

Hospitality reigns supreme here and meals are no exception. Open-air restaurants or chaikhanas (tea houses) are popular with both locals and tourists. Set around a 17th-century reservoir Lyabi-Hauz offers lunch under the mulberry trees. Here is an opportunity to taste hearty Uzbek dishes such as plov – pilau rice, shashlik – sizzling brochettes of meat and lagman, a noodle-based meat and vegetable stew. National folklore and Fashion shows are held in the evening during dinner in the Devonbegi madrassa nearby. On your way to this madrassa you will pass a monument to the Uzbek national hero Nasriddin Afandi -the Uzbek Robin Hood.

The roads leading to Bukhara from both Khiva and Shahrisabz pass through the Kyzil Kum (red sand) desert. Here is an opportunity to experience life in the desert, to ride on camels, stay in yurts and listen to the songs of national performers. 40 kms from the city is the “Jeyran” (Middle Asian gazelle) Nature reserve. Here are found jeyrans, onagers, Przhevalsk horses, bustards and cheetas, and a number of endangered plants. The small lakes of the reserve are rich in fish and wild birds.