We’re getting ready for New Year’s in Uzbekistan!

Navruz-The New Year is the most beautiful holiday in Central Asia, Iran, and Azerbaijan ... Most travelers come with their families and young children to enjoy this special spring festival and tour the destination. 

March 21st is the New Year on the ancient Persian calendar, a time for all-out fun and festivity with family parties, community celebrations and local and state sponsored events galore. For the children, it’s what they look forward to all year and I’m sharing some of our best memories of Navruz here.

Hashar is the community cleanup that ensures the neighborhoods are clean and decorated and new flowers planted. Zafar, our Instagram coordinator enjoyed the kite flying and singing competitions during Navruz but remembers the colorful decorations going up around the city most of all; the streets and buildings hung with bright colors and patterns. Our colleague Aziz always just couldn’t wait for the special desserts like nishalda and sumalak.

Homes are cleaned from top to bottom and last year’s worries go out with the broom. Everyone gets new clothes, too. You can imagine what an annual sewing schedule my mother had with 11 children! But each of us (all 7 girls and 4 boys) got new Uzbek  silk outfits every year, Just right for visiting grandparents and neighbors and attending concerts and local activities. My new dress was the highlight of the holiday and I always felt like a princess!

Mohigul, our an English speaking guide  remembers the special flowering branches that were used for decorating the home and that everything, from cleaning to decorating had to be in place before the rising of the morning star on Navruz.

What memories can we make for you? 

Last year my multilingual guides Ms. Dilfuza and Ms Mashura escorted our travelers and their families on tours and to the festivities around the ancient Silk Road cities of Uzbekistan during Navruz.  They visited local and community events and the grand, state-sponsored exhibits of music, dancing, and fabulous national Uzbek costumes! Our clients thoroughly enjoyed themselves! "Uzbekistan Navruz tour changed our lives...My children and I even performed at the stage and locals knew our American songs. We had the best seats for the show. It was extraordinary  experience that we will cherish forever. Your team has made our trip. Thank you!" 

During your Uzbekistan Navruz Tour our guides will take you to the best of the art shows where craftspeople, designers and artists come from  around the country  to show off their work. We'll attend sports competitions that showcase equestrian competitions and traditional kurash wrestling, and folk fairs that offer local handicrafts and tempting home made treats.  We know where to find what you need! Stop in to see Zulfiya  at her shop in Bukhara full of traditional embroideries, maybe take home something with a gorgeous pomegranate motif for a fruitful new year! Bukhara is full of workshops, galleries and markets where you’ll find not only Uzbek souvenirs, but Turkmen and Kyrgyz as well. In Samarkand the works of a traditional Uzbek miniaturist make perfect mementos and hand made mulberry paper Zarif Mukhtarov’s workshop is polished with a shell.

Everywhere tables are laden with all kinds of delicious specialities including sweet sumalak made with fresh wheat for guests and family on New Year’s Day. A wish made when tasting sumalak is sure to come true! Visits to local families in Tashkent, Samarkand or Bukhara will have you touring the local green bazaar for dinner ingredients and lending a hand with the plov and bread making! Top restaurants in Tashkent and Bukhara are our favourite venues for celebratory meals. Budriddin's top chef in Bukhara offers authenticity in an ancient caravansary and the Taskhent Pilaf House is a spectacular setting for a fabulous experience of this savory national dish.

Navruz, Nowruz or Nooruz... no matter how it's spelled, its celebrated throughout the countries of the Silk Road. As industry recognized travel specialists to Central Asia check out our insider tours to Iran, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan. Welcome to 2017 Navruz Tour, where can we take you this year?

Our 2017 New Year Tour to Uzbekistan still has space, so why not make this the year to join us for this fabulous tour?