Guided Tour to Ancient Fortresses with a Local
Description
This tour is led by a local expert who is both your driver and English-speaking guide, making the trip smooth and personal. This creates a seamless and personal journey from start to finish. Throughout the tour, we go beyond history: we talk about UZBEK CULTURE, TRADITIONS, EVERY DAY LIFE, and PERSONAL STORIES that bring the region to life. If you enjoy conversation, this tour offers rich and engaging discussions—customized to your interests. The ancient fortresses we visit are located around 100 km away, making this a full-day trip of around 7 hours. But with an experienced local who truly loves sharing the history and spirit of Khorezm, the time flies by. I will show you the best views and help you find great photo stops to make your trip unforgettable If you’re looking for a friendly, knowledgeable, and fully immersive experience, this is the tour for you.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Ayaz Kala is very old place with two big fortresses in the Khorezm region. On this tour, you will visit these ancient fortresses, built over 2000 years ago. The main fortress is on top of a hill, where you can see beautiful views of the desert and the land around. You will walk through old the walls, see the ruins of buildings, and learn how this place was important in history. You will do on the tour: Walk around the ancient fortresses and look at the big walls. Learn about the history. Enjoy amazing views of the desert and the land. Take pictures of the beautiful place and hear interesting stories from a local guide. This is a peacful and special place, perfect for exploring and learning about the past.
Toprak Kala is an ancient city and fortress in the Khorezm region. It was built many centuries ago and was once an important place for the Khorezmshahs. On this tour, you will explore the remains of the fortress, which includes large walls and old buildings. You will get to walk around the ruins, imagine what life was like here long ago, and enjoy the quiet beauty of the area. What you will do on the tour: Walk through the ancient walls of the fortress. See the old ruins and learn about the history of Toprak Kala. Hear about how it was once a city in the Khorezm Kingdom. Take pictures of the beautiful, peaceful surroundings. This site offers a glimpse into the past and a chance to enjoy the peaceful desert landscape.
Kyzyl Kala is an ancient fortress located in the Khorezm region, built to protect the area from invaders. It’s famous for its large walls and towers, which still stand strong after many centuries. On this tour, you will explore the remains of the fortress, walk along its high walls, and see how people lived and defended themselves in the past. What you will do on the tour: Walk around the walls and towers of the fortress. Learn about the history of Kyzyl Kala and its role in protecting Khorezm. Take in the beautiful views of the surrounding land. Hear interesting stories from a local guide about the fortress and the people who lived there. Kyzyl Kala is a peaceful place to explore and learn about the ancient history of Khorezm.
For lunch, we make a short stop on the way back, after the tour is finished. During this break, guests have the chance to try delicious traditional food — somsa — freshly prepared by local street cooks. This stop is optional and depends on the guests’ preferences.
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
My car is white sedan chevrolet lacetti gentra, 90 156 NAA
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Not recommended for pregnant travelers
- Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
- The tour lasts about 7 hours in total (driving hours included)
- Wearing sneakers is recommended
Reviews(48)
Nice way to see a little more of the area than just the city of Khiva. Enthusiastic guide who knew a lot about the forts but also has a lot of knowledge about Uzbekistan.
Our tour guide quite professionally led us to visit the remains of the castles in these deserts, each corner under his explanation has been vivid. The timing was reasonable, listening to the explanation and the time for free photography was just as good as allocated, thanking him for taking good care of our five-year-old boy, watching the desert with him.
Fantastic. Shurap arrived on time and we drove safely to the first castle. I will not go into details. But Shurap presented in a calm, very clear and non-confusing manner. He is great guy. Very nice, very polite, and very knowledgeable but never overloaded us with information. He also recommended intercity travel options, a great evening restaurant, and we stopped a great cafe in Urgench on the return. What a great, relaxed, interesting day out in the desert.
The guide was very friendly and knowledgeable, as well as a safe driver. He was also very easy to talk to during our drive to and from the fortresses.
People who love ancient ruins can be taken to places that are very exciting. The ruins are of course stunning, but more importantly, you get a 360-degree view of the landscape, which will be no different from what it was more than 2,000 years ago. The time you get the illusion of seeing the same scenery as people back then is priceless. I also liked the fact that it was similar to the Masada Fortress in Israel, which is close to the times. Finally, our guide Sukhhrab was kind and very kind. I was really thrilled that they delivered my belongings to the hotel. I recommend it.
We spend a great day visiting the forteresses with Sukhrab, We learned a lot about the forteresses and also about the Uzbek culture and the story of khoersm and Khiva It was a great experience and we really recommend it
Alles super. Sukhrab was a weii informed and perfect guest. Take plenty of water, Sunscreen and a hat with you.
Sukhrab was a phenomenal guide! He was extremely knowledgeable and patient with all my questions. The tour was very well-paced, and I really enjoyed getting to chat with Sukhrab during the longer drives from Khiva to the fortresses and back.
We had a great time with Sukhrab who was responsive on WhatsApp in advance and arrived at our hotel on time. His car was clean and comfortable with good AC. Great English, easy to understand and he was happy to chat about all things Uzbekistan in addition to the fortresses. We highly recommend this!
Sukhrab was very knowledgeable on country region and history. Very pleasant trip with good vehicle and great driver. Even though very bad weather I enjoyed the sites a lot Thanks Sukhrab!
