Nurata & Lake Aydarkul

Overview

North of the road between Samarkand and Bukhara, the farmland gives way to the Nuratau mountains and, beyond them, the sands of the Kyzylkum. This is the most accessible slice of desert and mountain country in Uzbekistan: an old pilgrimage town with a holy spring, a large lake that appeared in the desert only half a century ago, yurt camps where you sleep under an enormous sky, and Tajik-speaking villages hidden in walnut groves on the mountain slopes. Most of it lies in Navoi region, with the eastern villages and part of the lake shore in Jizzakh region. ## What is here - Nurata: a small town around the Chashma spring, its sacred fish and old mosques, overlooked by the ruins of a fortress attributed to Alexander the Great - Lake Aydarkul: a brackish lake formed after 1969 in the Arnasay depression, with beaches, birdlife and long sunsets - The Kyzylkum yurt camps between Nurata and the lake, with camel rides and evenings by the fire - The Nuratau mountains: the villages of Sentob, Asraf and Uhum, homestays and walking trails in a protected landscape - Sarmishsay gorge: thousands of rock carvings from the Bronze Age onwards, north-east of Navoi - Rabat-i Malik: the portal of an 11th-century royal caravanserai on the highway between Navoi and Bukhara ## How it fits into a trip The region is a natural break between Samarkand and Bukhara. The classic version takes one night: leave Samarkand in the morning, reach the yurt camp by mid-afternoon for a camel ride and sunset at the lake, sleep in a yurt, then drive via Nurata to Bukhara the next day. With two or three nights you can add a homestay in the mountains and a day of walking, or a detour to the petroglyphs of Sarmishsay. Roads are paved to Nurata and the camps, with the last stretches to the lake and some villages on gravel; travel is by private car with a driver, as public transport is sparse. ## Practicalities No special permits are needed; the usual Uzbekistan entry rules apply, and many nationalities can visit visa-free for up to 30 days, but check current requirements before you travel. Yurt camps are simple but comfortable: shared bathrooms, hot showers in the better camps, and blankets for the cold nights. Most camps operate from about March or April to late October or November. Mobile coverage is patchy around the lake and in the villages, ATMs exist only in Nurata and Navoi, and cash in sum is needed for small purchases and tips. ## Etiquette Nurata is a place of pilgrimage: dress modestly at the spring complex, do not feed the fish anything but what is sold for the purpose, and ask before photographing worshippers. In the villages, homestay hosts welcome guests into their family life; a small gift from home and an interest in the garden and the bread oven go a long way.