Uzbekistan Silk Road vacation

Planet

CARBON REDUCTION

Across this tour, we have made efforts to reduce carbon intensive transport methods where feasible. We utilise a single vehicle for the group on all driving portions instead of costlier multiple vehicles, and try to choose vehicle models with better fuel economy which is more possible by limiting group numbers to a maximum of 12. Additionally, we supplement driving portions with the high-speed train network that Uzbekistan offers where possible. On this itinerary, this is currently used for travel from Tashkent to Karshi, but as the route from Bukhara to Khiva is due to open to the public soon, we plan to utilise this when available on future trips.

In terms of flights, we always recommend the direct international flight from London for UK clients as the best flight for the tour, reducing the cost of CO2 from multiple flights with a layover. Domestically, even though the trip covers more regions of Uzbekistan than the classic routes, we have specifically designed the route so that only one domestic flight is used.

Finally, vegetatian and vegan diets can always be catered for. Like most of the Central Asian countries, their cuisine is quite meat heavy and thus plant-based food can be repetitive at times, however so long as we have advance notice, we will ensure that plant-based diets can be catered for and not excluded from traveling with us.


ENVIRONMENT & WILDLIFE

The primary area of focus on environment and wildlife on this tour revolve around the Nuratau-Kyzylkum Biosphere Reserve. On Day 8 of the tour, the group heads into the Nuratau Mountains and stays in an eco guesthouse in Hayot Village which is in the heart of the reserve and anchor for community and nature-based tourism. The nature reserve was established in the 1970s to protect the evertsev sheep, the Argail, whose numbers had become endangered. The reserve is now an important ecology for the recovery of this wild sheep. By consolidating tourist links and supporting the village on most of our Uzbek tours including this one, we're able to continually support the conservation efforts in the area. In addition, the trip includes an optional visit to the Jeyran Eco Centre which is a nature reserve set-up 40km outside of Bukhara which is supporting the endangered species of goitered gazelles (jeyrans).

On a broader level, we work to minimise the plastic pollution from single-use water bottles that group travel can easily incur. In our partnership with Water 2 Go, we provide water filtration bottles to all UK-based clients who only need to pay £6 for postage to receive a bottle as part of their booking. We also only provide these to clients who opt-in and request one during the booking process, which limits the environmental costs of postage and duplicated waste from sending bottles to those who do not want or will not use one.

People

LOCAL ECONOMY

People are at the very heart of tourism, and we make every effort to support the incredible people and economies who host our travelers. We utilise local guides and drivers for all of our groups as the standard and do not employ foreign guides. On some specialist trips, there may be a supplemental tour leader bringing an additional context to the trip, however they always work in tandem with our fantastic local teams and do not replace the work opportunities for anyone local.

On this trip specifically, there are quite a few opportunities which we have sought out and are worth detailing. In terms of accommodation, we do not use any international chain hotels, and seek out properties that are directly tied to the local communities. While the specific hotels on each departure can vary, we do our best to always include Komil B&B in Bukhara and the local guesthouse in Hayot Village. Komil B&B is a fantastic boutique and locally owned property within a 19th century house that highlights the best of the Silk Road and its hospitality. In the mountains, the guesthouse we use is a small family-run business which, while on the simpler side, offers a genuinely connected experience with the local village.

Separate to guides and accommodation, this tour includes some fantastic local craft and cultural heritage experiences. In Baysun, an area recognised by UNESCO for its Intangible Cultural Heritage, we focus on the incredible Museum of National Applied Art and Crafts Centre alongside the town's historic center in support of their continued preservation of tradition. In Samarkand, time is dedicated to understanding the arts of weaving and carpet-making, and in the village of Gijduvan you'll visit the Narzullaev family’s workshop and museum of ceramics which supports long-held practices. The incredible crafts and culture of the Silk Road are a significant part of Uzbekistan's history, and we want to highlight these areas alongside Uzbekistan's famous architecture as they are inherently intertwined with local people, and they are who have the ability to make a tour special.


EMPLOYMENT, INCLUSIVITY, & DIVERSITY

All of our guides, drivers, and handlers are people from Uzbekistan, and many of them are working in and around their local communities. We also ensure that all are paid fairly and seek to employ female guides for our groups as well. Within our team here in the UK, we are a small but diverse team who support a diverse and equal-opportunity environment.