The Silk Road for Solo Travellers

This Riviera Travel escorted tour traces the Silk Road’s key route across Uzbekistan over ten nights. Starting in Tashkent, the capital, you’ll navigate its Soviet-era squares and the lively Chorsu Bazaar, as well as the city’s ornate metro stations, which blur the line between transport and art gallery. From there, a short flight leads you to Urgench, gateway to the Khorezm desert and the Ayaz Qala Desert Fortress, the remains of once-formidable 12th-century castle walls.

The journey continues to Khiva’s walled city, where mudbrick walls rise some ten metres high and the narrow streets are free of cars. The route proceeds to Bukhara—once richer and larger—with its vast fortress and a minaret that, at 47 metres, dominates the skyline. Along the way, the tour includes time for wandering bazaars, visiting ancient palaces, and sampling local bread, warm and fresh.

The final stop is Samarkand, the crowning jewel of Central Asian Islamic architecture, crowned by Registan Square and the mausoleum of Tamerlane, covered in turquoise tiles. The trip concludes with a visit to a paper-making community outside Tashkent, before the overnight train ride back to the capital. This is a thoughtful itinerary for solo travellers ready to walk ancient trading routes at a measured pace.