Day 1: Tashkent
Day 2: Margilan
Day 3: Rishtan
Day 4: Tashkent
Day 5: Khiva
Day 6: Khiva
Day 7: Bukhara
Day 8: Bukhara
Day 9: Darband
Day 10: Samarkand
Day 11: Samarkand
Day 12: Tashkent
Day 13: Tour ends

Website, Images and text © Steve Davey/stevedavey.com 1990 - 2022

Land arrangements are sub-contracted to Intrepid Travel, who have many years experience in running small group adventures.

Bookings are made through the Intrepid Tailor Made Dept. in London not the Intrepid website or Stores. Contact Steve Davey for information

impressions of jordan

impressions of uzbekistan

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Join us for this unique travel photography tour to Uzbekistan in Central Asia, with land arrangements and ATOL bonding by Intrepid Travel, and led by professional photographer, Steve Davey.

Uzbekistan occupies a place at the centre of history - lying on the ancient Silk Route, occupied by Ghengis Khan and home to the Mughals who invaded and ruled Northern India for Centuries. Occupied by Imperial Russia in the 19th Century, it became a part of the Soviet Union after the Bolshevik Revolution, only shaking off the hammer and sickle in 1991.

From ancient mosques, tombs and madrassas through to brutalist Soviet architecture, this wealth of history can be seen in the architecture, culture and even the faces of the country. Even the names of the great cities of Uzbekistan are evocative: Samarkand, Bukhara and Khiva conjure up images of traders, camel trains on the Silk Road and absolute rulers amidst the heyday of Islamic architecture and learning. Building on our itinerary from a few years ago, we also spend time out of the major cities and explore some of the rural areas - including parts of the Fergana Valley and also the remote mountain village of Darband.

The trip will include extensive photography tuition from professional travel photographer, Steve Davey, countless photo opportunities and the company of fellow photography enthusiasts.

Our trip starts in Tashkent, the vibrant capital of Uzbekistan. We will have plenty of time to look around and start to get a feel for the culture and architecture of this fascinating Central Asian country.

We leave the capital heading over a high mountain pass to the Fergana Valley, following the route of the fabled Silk Road. Margilan is an ancient city - reputed to have been founded by Alexander the Great. The area is famous for its fruits and we will visit local markets, as well as crafts factories and all of the sites in this region which has strong links to neighbouring Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. We will even see how the local Duppi hat is made!

We also visit the cities of Kokand and Rishtan where we visit a local Kyrgyz family.

Although I have visited Uzbekistan a number of times, and even led a tour here a few years ago, the Fergana Valley is a completely new area for me. This is why I don’t have any photographs of this region, and I am really excited to be heading there on this trip. The village of Darband and also the Kyzylkum Desert are also new areas to me.

Returning to Tashkent on an atmospheric local train we spend the night before catching a local flight to Urgench in the morning. This is just a short drive from the city of Khiva.

Ringed by massive brick walls, the city of Khiva feels like a film set - but it is real, and a number of locals live within its walls. We are staying in a hotel just outside the walls with a fantastic view of the main gate.

After some time photographing this city, we will drive through the Kyzylkum Desert, visiting the ancient palace city of Toprak Kala and the ruined fort of Ayaz Kala. A long drive sees us end up in the city Bukhara.

Once the seat of a number of great civilisations and also a place of Islamic learning for hundreds of years, Bukhara is protected by the vast Ark Fortress and also the site of the Kalayan Minaret - a soaring structure that was once used for the execution of criminals. The old town of Bukhara is largely unspoiled with a number of shady ponds helping to provide respite from the heat of Summer.

From Bukhara we head up into the mountains for a night in the remote village of Darband to see the rural life of the predominantly Tajik people in the area. Ringed by great mountain walls, gorges and canyons, this is a particularly dramatic part of the country.

Our final stop is the city of Samarkand - one of the great iconic travellers destinations on the former hippie trail of the Sixties. The Mughals who ended up invading Northern India hailed from this city, and spread its culture and architecture far and wide.

After exploring the city we will catch a modern fast train back to the capital city, where we enjoy one more night and a farewell meal before the trip ends and it is time to head for home.

Covid19 will of course change the way that we travel and has changed the way that we organise our trips. One of the main things is that on all of my trips Covid Vaccinations are now compulsory. This is to protect the other people on the trip, as well as the people that we encounter on our travels. Quite simply, I do not want to be responsible for future infections in the region. Obviously, if you have a medically certified exemption, then this policy won't apply to you - although it remains to be seen whether local restrictions might still apply. You can see more about this Covid19 policy here.

Covid has also prompted our variable price policy, as it allows us to still run our trips without making a crushing loss - even if a number of people pull out at the last minute. This variable prices are shown in the trip information box and the implications of the policy policy can be seen here .

We, and Intrepid Travel, are in the process of working out revised booking conditions for future private trips. These will have different cancellation and confirmation terms to past trips and also to the scheduled trips offered by Intrepid Travel. Any bookings will be pending until the new booking conditions are established and will be subject to these conditions. A summary of what will be covered in these conditions can be seen on the booking conditions link on the booking page .

Highlights of this trip

• Walled city of Khiva

• Historic Fergana Valley

• Ayaz Kala desert ruins

• Village of Darband

• Foreboding Bukhara

• Registan of Samarkand

• Photography tuition

tour summary

tour itinerary

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Land arrangements for this tour

The land arrangements for this tour are sub-contracted to Intrepid Travel who will use their extensive knowledge from over twenty years in the travel industry to make sure that you have the best travel experience, and to work in a way which will be the most beneficial for the countries we travel in.

Our arrangements are now handled by the Intrepid Travel UK Private Groups office, which opens up a range of payment options and also means that your trip can now be protected by the UK travel industry protection. It also means that we can draw on the experience and contacts of other companies in the Intrepid Group. Intrepid in the UK can accept payments by bank transfer, cheque, debit card as well as Visa and Mastercard credit cards.

Intrepid are also able to book flights for you, which will mean that your entire trip can be covered by their full ATOL protection (for any flight/trip combination that starts and finishes in the UK). The flight price that they quote you will include their booking fee. More details on their industry protection by clicking here and scrolling to clause 27. As you are booking with the UK office, your booking will be covered by the UK booking conditions.

Intrepid Travel were formed over twenty years ago in Australia, and have been running excellent small group adventures ever since.

Intrepid's Core Purpose - Intrepid's core purpose is to enrich peoples lives by creating unique, interactive travel experiences. They provide fun, affordable and sustainable travel adventures that are beneficial to local communities.

Home From Home - Where you stay is all part of your Intrepid experience. Whether it's a centrally-located city hotel, or a homestay in a tribal village, staying close to a region's people and culture is the guiding principle. Our choices are based on friendliness as well as facilities, character as much as convenience.

Small Groups - Travelling in a small group makes it more like travelling with friends than on an organised tour. It means you get to experience more of the local culture, and we don't dominate; we can actually get to know people and do the things they do.

Experienced leaders - Intrepid have some of the best leaders in the business: well trained locals who act as ambassadors between you and the place you are travelling in. This means that you can get the most from the country and the people you meet.

Please remember though, these tours are based on an Intrepid trip, but are a completely separate product. They don't appear on the Intrepid website, and you should address any questions through Steve on this link and bookings here .

intrepid's responsible travel policy

Intrepid Travel has a comprehensive and well developed Responsible Travel policy, which is one of the main reasons that they were selected to provide the land arrangements for this trip. This doesn't just benefit the locals in the countries they travel to: by sourcing local guides and staying in locally owned properties, our tours manage to get closer to our destination, which helps to give you a more connected and empathetic experience on your holiday.

With the Better Travel Photography tours we wholeheartedly support all of the Intrepid Travel initiatives towards responsible travel. The main features of this policy are as follows:

• We favour grass roots travel using local public transport where possible – which minimises demand for special tourist vehicles and fuel. If we do need to use private transport we ensure that we use local operators and drivers giving employment to locals.

• We choose small-scale locally owned accommodation and homestays where available and local restaurants and markets for dining, retaining revenue in local communities.

• Our group leaders facilitate communication of our values to travellers and local communities, educating them in sustainable tourism practices.

• We employ local guides to aid travellers' understanding of local culture and etiquette.

• Our small groups allow travellers to experience cultures first hand, offering greater opportunity for cross- cultural understanding.

• We are committed to putting back into the communities and regions we visit by supporting development and conservation projects in these areas. We achieve this through supporting The Intrepid Foundation and our travellers are invited to contribute. We also visit a local community project on our trip and encourage our travellers to support local business when buying souvenirs and other items.

At the welcome group meeting, our passengers receive the standard Intrepid Travel introduction, which includes all aspects of the Intrepid Travel Responsible Travel policy. This includes initiatives for minimising the environmental and cultural effect of their trip. These policies are also incorporated into our trip notes, and guests are expected to conform to them when they are travelling.

In addition to conforming to, and endorsing the Intrepid Travel policies, we have our own initiatives, primarily concerning the impact of travel photography and also concerning the environmental impact of our business.

the intrepid foundation

The Intrepid Foundation is a not-for-profit fund that has distributed over AU$3 million to more than 70 non-government organisations since 2002, contributing to health care, education, human rights, child welfare, sustainable development and environmental and wildlife protection.

Contributing to one of the many projects supported by The Intrepid Foundation is your chance to give back to the places you've travelled to and help improve lives around the world. There are two ways you can help:

The Intrepid Community Project Fund supports around 40 grassroots non-government organisations doing great work in Intrepid Travel's operating destinations. Many of these organisations and their projects can be visited during your Intrepid trip.

The Intrepid Perpetual Fund supports a range of Intrepid's 'partner' non-government organisations, such as Amnesty International, Medicins Sans Frontieres and the World Society for the Protection of Animals. All donations made to this fund are equally divided each year, with half retained to conserve and grow capital for funding projects into the future and half distributed to our current partner non-government organisations.

And the best bit? Intrepid Travel matches all donations to the foundation dollar for dollar - up to AU$5,000 per donor and a total of AU$400,000 for all donors in each financial year. We also guarantee that 100% of your donation will reach your nominated project, because Intrepid Travel covers all administration costs.

See more about the Intrepid Foundation on this link .

What is covered on this trip?

As well as enjoying the monuments, landscapes and people of Uzbekistan, you will learn a massive amount about photography and many of the techniques used by a professional travel photographer.

Our tours generally cover a wide range of technical and practical techniques for improving your travel photography. This is done with a combination of practical group and individual demonstrations, illustrated talks on aspects of travel photography and group reviews and discussions.

I have recently completely revitalised our teaching schedules on our trips: we will be setting a lot more projects for people to work towards, and also holding more image reviews.

I tailor the subjects covered on the tours depending on the level of knowledge of people on the tour, individual requirements and the nature of the itinerary. Always very approachable, we are always willing to give individual help, look at pictures or enter into a spirited discussion about just about everything.

I will also give a short daily briefing as to the sort of things that you might expect to see each day, and the sort of equipment and techniques that you might need the following day.

There are a number of specific skills that we will be covering on this trip, including:

• I will show you simple ways to improve the focus and sharpness of your pictures.

• I will teach a number of techniques to achieve great portraits of the people we meet on our travels

• I will show you how to see pictures and prepare your camera ready to take them

• I will help you to learn to see pictures

• I will show you a number of ways to improve your exposures!

• I will show you how to use composition to tell a story in your pictures.

• I will show you how to use a polarising filter to get more vibrant shots.

• I will teach you some techniques for better night photography

• I will explain the importance of understanding ISO, shutter speed and depth of field.

• I will show you how to use panning for exciting action shots

• I will show you how to shoot and process panoramic pictures

• I will teach you how to plan pictures using a range of apps

• I will teach you the rules of composition (and when to break them)

• I will teach you some simple post-production techniques to give your pictures more punch and impact.

• I will teach you how to back up pictures and clean your camera.

Our schedule is flexible, and will be responsive to the needs and interests of the group. If there is anything else that you would like covered on the trip, then please ask at any time. I am always happy to include anything in the trip tuition.

Who is this tour suited to?

Our photo tours cater for a wide spectrum of people at a range of different levels. Steve's skill in explaining things, patience and tireless energy mean that he is able to pitch talks and individual tuition so that they are relevant for a range of different abilities.

These tours are primarily aimed at people who have at least a basic knowledge of their cameras and are keen to develop their skills further.

The people who get the most from a trip like this are those who are aware of the areas that they want to develop. It might sound obvious, but if you know your own shortcomings then you are better able to tackle them!

If you have a greater knowledge, then Steve will be able to fill in a lot of the theories behind things that you might have already thought that you knew, which will help make decisions more instinctive and more confident. He will also be able to help you to take your photography forward to the next stage and can teach you a number of advanced techniques and theories.

If you are an absolute beginner, then these tours will still teach you a vast amount about photography. A large part of photography is artistic and not technical. Selecting viewpoints and angles, composition and especially approaching people to take their picture are as vital as apertures and shutter speeds. Allied to this Steve will explain all of the technical aspects that you need to know as they relate to you and your camera.

You will get more out of these tours if you have a basic familiarity with your camera. If it is new, and out of the box then you might spend a great deal of time thumbing through the manual, and not learning about photography. I should also point out that whilst I has a lot of experience with different cameras, he doesn't know everything about all of them! If you are not familiar with your camera, then you should definitely bring the manual with you! Between us, we should then be able to sort out most things!

Finally, it is important to remember that whilst photography does need patience and sometimes you need to wait for a picture; this is a group tour. There will be a lot of time for you to go off on your own, but there will also be times where we have to meet at a certain time, or during a journey need to maintain our pace. If the group dynamic is not really for you and you have the opinion that everyone else can just wait for you if you are taking a picture, wandering off or shopping then these (or any group tours) probably aren't for you!

Similarly, if you are the sort of person who gets offended or irritated by other people easily, and just "have to speak your mind" about it, no matter who you offend, then maybe any group trip is not for you. These trips work better if everyone is prepared to work together as a team, and help each other. We will all have a better time, and come away with better pictures and better memories.

Travel in Uzbekistan
This trip will require a good level of fitness. We have included a number of walks to help us explore more, and sometimes the ground could be a little rough, and the conditions could be hot and dusty.

For more information, please contact us and we will help you to assess if this adventurous trip is for you.

Non-photographing partners
Steve is often asked about non-photographing partners coming on our trips, and he always say that they are more than welcome - as long as they are not photographer-phobic! Steve believes that travel photography is a great way to engage with a place and the people who live there. Because we are photographers we will see more sunrises, talk to more locals, try more foods and visit more markets than ordinary trips. This means that non-photographers can engage with us - and some even go away with a new interest in photography. We are also about having a good time too - Steve is mindful that this is a holiday as well as a photography tour - so we aim to have lively meals, a lot of laughs and the odd drink or two. As someone recently stated abut our tours:

"Your love of photography and travel is infectious and I can honestly say I have never laughed or learnt so much on a holiday before!"

If Steve had to have a mission statement for these tours, then this is it!