Beyond the Silk Road

During your time here, you’ll follow in the footsteps of Alexander the Great and Genghis Khan and experience a country whose geographical position has resulted in a culture that combines Asia, the Middle East, Europe and Russia in one heady mix.

This mythical land is one of ancient storytelling and legends that have inspired explorers for centuries. Although rightly renowned for its incredible cities, there is so much more to Uzbekistan than its impressive Silk Road heritage. Venture beyond the usual tourist route and you’ll uncover an incredible array of towering mountains, shimmering lakes and starkly beautiful desert landscapes.

The cycling here is as varied as it is spectacular, and starts after a day in the capital, Tashkent. Our initial days are spent enjoying the rich wine growing area of Parkent before heading to mountains and the spectacular scenery of Beldersay and the mesmerising Charvac Lake. It’s here we stay for two nights, with our lakeside loop a simply stunning day on the bike.

Zaamin National Park is next, with rides that will challenge and delight in equal measure. It’s here we reach a lofty height of 2,480 metres and can enjoy an amazing descent to the lush orchards in the valley below. Without doubt, a Skedaddle classic in the making!

Samarkand’s sublime sites, with their beautiful mosaics and minarets, break up our biking journey, with highlights including the Registan, a huge plaza bordered by three ornate, majolica-covered madrassas, and the smaller, subtler Shah-i-Zinda.

Back on the bikes the scenery changes once more and becomes more desert-like. After pedalling from the petroglyphs at Sarmysh, we check out Alexander the Great’s citadel at Nurata. Our wheels stop turning the next day when we reach Aydarkul Lake, and we focus our attention on the cultural delights of the region, spending the night in yurt accommodation. We’ll round the evening off with traditional music by the campfire.

The trip concludes in photogenic Bukhara, where we stay for two evenings. A prominent stop on the Silk Road trade route between the East and the West, its well-preserved centre is stunning, with all the major sights within walking distance. It’s the perfect place to end our travels and a great spot to pick up those last-minute souvenirs.

Highlights

• Wandering around beautiful Bukhara and its bazaars
• Exploring Zaamin National Park’s soaring peaks and lush pastures
• Marvelling at Samarkand’s Mosques and Minarets
• Riding the legendary Lake Chavac Loop
• Spending the night in a traditional yurt, enjoying campfires and unforgettable sunsets
• Pedalling through Sarmysh and its ancient petroglyphs

For every booking on this holiday, we donate to World Bicycle Relief, a charity that empowers people and communities through life-changing bicycles. We're aiming to raise enough funds to donate a Buffalo Bicycle for every long-haul trip that we run. You can increase this by donating when you book - help us double the number of bikes provided!

The terrain varies from well-surfaced asphalt roads to unsurfaced roads and can alter greatly in a very short space of time. Most days will involve some challenging ups and downs, which may be on asphalt as well as unsurfaced roads. Whilst the climbs can be relatively long, the gradients are not usually severe, and should be comfortable for regular cyclists.