A blur of blue tiles, crumbling desert castles, caravanserais, and woven silks, this is Uzbekistan. Sat at the crux of the Silk Road, Uzbekistan has seen many an invader pass through over the years, though no other Uzbek ruler is more well-known than Amir Timur who effectively began and ruled over the Timurid Empire, the dynasty which greatly shaped Uzbekistan’s history and even present.

Make your way across the Silk Road cities of Samarkand, Bukhara, and Khiva, all of which are arguably home to the finest architecture of Central Asia, the culturally and historically fascinating Fergana Valley, on to explore the ancient qalas that guarded the legendary route through the Kyzylkum Desert, to the desiccated disaster of the Aral Sea. Uzbekistan even offers some more nature-based excursions as well with trekking in the Nuratau Mountains or the areas surrounding Boysun.