Jules Verne’s small group escorted tours offer authentic travel with a twist for people who love to see and explore the world. Each of their guided tours are packed with special touches and little extras, providing the chance to gain a different and deeper understanding of each destination. On top of this, expert guides will show you the true character of their country and go above and beyond, whether the chosen destination is closer to home or far-flung.

Jules Verne offer two journeys in Uzbekistan, revealing its ancient roots, architectural icons, ethnic and cultural fusions, and everyday life. A seven-day tour of the country’s highlights is focused on three major cities, and maximises your time in them by taking the high-speed train from east to west. Ten days of touring combine air, road, and rail travel, allowing additional destinations and intriguing interludes.

Each begins in the contemporary capital, Tashkent, encapsulating the character of the whole country with urban parks, a revered religious complex, a smart Downtown, and a combination of farmers’ market and modern commercial centre.

Both spend time in Bukhara, a medieval masterpiece and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Complete with caravanserai courtyards, the Ark Fortress bastions, onion domes, labyrinthine lanes, and the mulberry-tree shaded Lyabi-Khauz pond, it tells the tale of its two millennia of religion, academia, and art.

An the two tours conclude in Tamerlane’s capital, Samarkand. An oasis at the crossroads of trade routes, the striking city reflects adopted exotic styles of art and architecture and lives up to its legends of romance with exquisite mosaics, majestic monuments, and stalls of silks and spices.

The longer tour takes ‘the golden road’ to Samarkand for unforgettable experiences, visiting Khiva’s ‘old town’, where hundreds of houses huddle within the fortress walls; stepping off the treadmill of modern life to cross the timeless landscape of the Kyzylkum Desert; and touring to the palaces of Tamerlane’s birthplaces, Shakhrisabz.

Other destinations:

• Africa
• The Far East
• South East Asia
• Indian Subcontinent
• Middle East
• Europe
• The Americas

*subject to availability at time of booking