Silk and Wine Routes

15/04/2024

For those in London, there is a nice Uzbek Festival 8/9 June 2024 near Tower Bridge. I will be with a group in Kyrgyzstan otherwise would have loved to attend.

11/04/2024

The only thing so far that I have found not to like in Tbilisi are the prices at the airport. Our 20 minute taxi journey to the airport cost £7.19 but two coffees in the departures area cost £11.54. Nearly twice as much as London Heathrow. It was a mistake to skip the excellent hotel breakfast.

10/04/2024

What a city. What a balcony. Enjoyed our wine on our fab balcony in Tbilisi, Georgia last night. If you know where to go, this city is amazing.

10/04/2024

Beautiful trip from Kutaisi to Tbilisi. My Georgia/Armenia group trip for September 2024 is fully booked but DM me for future trips to this amazing country.

06/04/2024

After catching the midnight plane to Georgia (yes - really) from Istanbul, we got stuck into some serious wine, beer and food tasting.

24/03/2024

The mild climate and winds from the nearby Black Sea are behind the birth of famous Georgian wine. But did you know that the winemaking tradition as such is said to have originated here? The tradition of winemaking in Georgia is more than 8,000 years old .Recent archaeological findings have confirmed that the wine pottery does indeed date back to the 6th millennium BC. The ancient wine-making tradition known as Kvevri (the name of the earthenware vessels) is part of the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage.

I shall be doing a lot of Georgian wine and food tasting next week in preparation for my (fully booked) group tour in September. More small group tours to come in 2015

21/03/2024

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/article/things-to-do-khiva-uzbekistan-tourist-capital-islamic-world-2024

If you visit the Silk Road cities, Khiva is essential. I always feel bad for the tourists I meet who only do Tashkent-Samarkand-Bukhara. Two places have become available for a ten day Silk Road tour on either October 7 or October 22, 2023. Both groups will have a maximum of twelve people. DM me for details.

There’s never been a better time to plan a visit to the compelling Uzbek city’s many attractions, from UNESCO-listed architecture to diverse cultural events.

13/03/2024

https://www.ft.com/content/c46b2a1e-7d3c-4931-b1eb-cef3a9bd0eb1

Returning to the country of his birth, writer Leo Vardiashvili relishes being surrounded by history, humour and hospitality

07/03/2024

https://galloparoundtheglobe.com/10-things-to-see-and-do-in-sighnaghi-kakheti-georgia/
I am so looking forward to visiting beautiful Sighnaghi in April. I will be testing out places to take future groups.

The prettiest town in Kakheti can be found just two hours from Tbilisi. Here are 10 wonderful things to do in Sighnaghi, Georgia.

27/02/2024

Shopping in Uzbekistan is great but should be done in the bazaars and local shops rather than the expensive duty free at the airport. However, I always buy these biscuits in a traditional Uzbek hat- shaped box to get rid of small change before leaving. Good gift and quite yummy.

27/02/2024

This amazing photo is of an eagle hunter in Mongolia. We are going to see eagle hunting (using Eagles to hunt with) in Kygyzstan which should be similar. Tour is full but may do another in 2025. Will post more about it in June.

17/02/2024

https://www.euronews.com/travel/2023/09/13/uzbekistan-the-silk-road-and-beyond

So looking forward to returning here in October. I have been visiting since 1993 and the more I go, the more I love it. Never gets dull or boring. How could somewhere so amazing?

Over the course of 1,500 years, the network of trade routes known as the Silk Road brought together people and cultures from across Asia, shaping the course of history.

16/02/2024

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/travel/holiday-types/tours/best-places-may
Samarkand and Tbilisi both make The Times list of places to visit in May. Personally, I found Samarkand far too hot in May and the colours and wine harvest in the autumn make this my favourite time for Georgia. September/October are my favourite months for both places.

Spring has sprung and May is the perfect time to take a break. From UK-based fun to exploring Caribbean islands, these are the best places to visit.

11/02/2024

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JPQNm2d3QIQ
I have often seen film crews making movies in Khiva and Bukhara and it isn't hard to see why. These cities are the perfect filmsets. Come and see them with me with a small group this October (2 places available). DM for details.

SUBSCRIBE! ► https://bit.ly/3pPvE3zJoin Our Community! ► Patreon:https://bit.ly/3nl9rsIAladdin meets Parkour! Filmed in the country of Uzbekistan, in 8K.We h...

09/02/2024

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pFADsRSDm1A
This video shows most of the highlights of the tours that I am doing in October 2024. But, it is so much more spectacular when you see it in person. Two places available on each of my small group tours (12 max) 7-16 October and 22-31 October. US$1900 per person, double occupancy. Contact me for full details.

Uzbekistan is a bright country of the East with a rich historical past. It is just impossible to count all the mosques, madrasas, mausoleums and minarets of ...

02/02/2024

https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20240110-central-asias-glittering-new-silk-road-jewel
I avoid "The Eternal City" sanitised version of Samarkand when it is so easy and rewarding to visit the real thing.

Samarkand was a major Silk Road trading hub for more than 2,500 years. Now, the Uzbek city has a major new tourism complex, which it hopes will reflect its former glories.

30/01/2024

Nice to see that some of last year's group took the brilliant shopping opportunities to get some gorgeous Uzbek Christmas decorations and Uzbek vodka.

29/01/2024

https://www.insidehook.com/travel/uzbekistan-silk-road-country/amp
If the stunning Silk Road is on your 2024 Travel List, contact me as I have very limited availability for small group tours starting on 7 October and on 22 October.

Uzbekistan was once the heart of the ancient trading route

29/01/2024

https://www.amazon.co.uk/shop/uzambassador
For those of you joining me this year in Uzbekistan, I am posting Sophie Abbotson's book recommendations. Sophie is the Uzbekistan Tourism Ambassador for the UK. There are two groups this year 7-16 October and 22-31 October and two spaces are still available on either date.

Shop for recommended products from on www.amazon.co.uk. Learn more about 's favourite products.

24/01/2024

Good morning, Cairo. Breakfast on my balcony is the perfect start.

19/01/2024

My Uzbek hat is keeping me warm during these cold, bright London days.

18/01/2024

https://x.com/DalrympleWill/status/1747839329928614203?s=2
For history fans this podcast features many of Uzbekistan's National Heroes.

Double bill on Timur & the Timurid Renaissance- the extraordinary story of how the extreme violence of Timur's conquests gave way, two generations later, to the rise of "the Oriental Medici," Shah Rukh & Ulugh Beg, some of the greatest and most refined patrons of painting, architecture, science, mathematics and astronomy in the history of civilisation.

Out now on

:
https://linktr.ee/empirepoduk

27/12/2023

Uzbekistan's wonderful bread. Watching them make it at Chorsu Bazaar in Tashkent is incredible and then eating it immediately is wonderful.

The Central Asian state is home to diverse interpretations of the staple but what unites them is a sense of the bread's importance

23/12/2023

A Christmas song from the Registan in Samarkand