Bukhara and Samarkand, told the way a local would tell them.
I'm Aziz — I've been walking these streets my whole life, and I'd rather show you the well my grandmother still fetches water from than recite a plaque.
About Silkvista
Silkvista Tours is mine, and I run it out of Bukhara. I plan the routes and I walk them with you myself — no subcontracted strangers, no memorized script.
I grew up in the city I'll be showing you, and that changes what a day looks like. I bend the route around what's actually happening: a workshop with its kiln open, the hour the light lands on the tilework, the teahouse still making plov the old way. You'll get the history, but you'll also get the things a guidebook can't tell you — what a fair price looks like, which shop isn't marking up for tourists, where to eat after we say goodbye.
I handle the parts that eat your holiday: transport between cities, tickets, and timing that keeps you a step ahead of the coach tours. Groups stay small, plans stay flexible, and every recommendation I give you is one I'd give a friend.
Based in Bukhara
Uzbek · Russian · English
Small groups & private tours
Tours
Walk with me
Carpets outside a working caravanserai, Bukhara
Bukhara Old Town Walking Tour with Workshops
Poi Kalyan, the Ark Fortress, Lyabi-Hauz, and the madrasahs in between — with a stop inside a working pottery or wood-carving studio so you see the old town's crafts still being made, not just displayed.
Bukhara at sunset
A Historical Walk Around Bukhara in a Group
The essential first look at Bukhara, built for first-timers. We walk the old town's landmarks together and I fill in the stories behind them — the easy way to get your bearings on day one.
The old town at dusk, Bukhara
A Historical Recap to the Old Town of Bukhara
Two and a half thousand years of the city, told on foot — the khans, the caravans and the madrasahs, and how they shaped the streets you're standing in.
Chor-Bakr necropolis, outside Bukhara
Private Countryside Tour to Chor-Bakr & the Palaces
Step outside the old town walls: the Chor-Bakr necropolis and Bukhara's palaces on the edge of the city, at a private pace with just your group.
Ayaz Kala desert fortress
Bukhara–Khiva Transfer via Desert Fortresses & the Lake
Turn the long drive across the Kyzylkum into part of the trip — with stops at the ancient desert fortresses and the lake along the way. Runs in both directions.
The Registan, Samarkand
Samarkand: Registan, Shah-i-Zinda & Gur-e-Amir
I also guide in Samarkand — the Registan at the right hour is unlike anywhere else in the country. Exact itinerary and booking link going up soon; message me directly in the meantime.
Poi Kalyan by day, Bukhara
Custom Day Trips & Private Tours
Have less time than usual, a specific interest, or a family group? I put together private itineraries around what you actually want to see — just tell me what you're after.
What makes a Silkvista tour different
Real stories, not scripts
No memorized plaques recited word for word — I tell you what I'd tell a friend, including the parts guidebooks leave out.
Local workshops included
We step inside working studios — potters, wood-carvers, embroiderers — so craft isn't something you see behind glass.
Honest food & shop tips
Where the plov is actually good, what a fair price looks like, which shop isn't marking up for tourists — the things locals know.
Gallery
The old town, up close
Through the doors of the Kalyan Mosque
Poi Kalyan by night
Kalyan Mosque dome
Kalyan Minaret and Mir-i-Arab
Old town rooftops at dusk
The Registan, Samarkand
Reviews
What travelers say
Contact
Let's plan your walk
For custom tours, dates, or questions about Samarkand, message me directly — it's usually the fastest way.