Bukhara Biennial and the Arts of Uzbekistan, with Dr Fuchsia Hart
Immerse yourself in the arts of Uzbekistan with Dr Fuchsia Hart, the V&A’s curator of Iranian collections.
This expert-led journey to Uzbekistan is a rare opportunity to experience the internationally renowned Bukhara Biennial in the company of Dr Fuchsia Hart, the Sarikhani Curator for the Iranian Collection at London’s Victoria & Albert Museum.
The luxury small-group tour starts and finishes in Tashkent, Uzbekistan; beginning on Saturday 25th September, 2027, and ending on Tuesday 5th October, 2027.
This arts-focused 11-day journey will take you from the world-class museums of Tashkent to the iconic Silk Road sights of Samarkand, Bukhara and Khiva, Nukus’ incredible Savitsky museum and, of course, the art and installations of the 2027 Bukhara Biennial.
Highlights:
The rare chance to travel with Dr Fuchsia Hart, as well as a brilliant English-speaking Uzbek guide.
A number of private, exclusive meetings with world-class Uzbek artists, from suzani embroiderers and ceramicists to calligraphers and miniaturists.
The chance to meet artists exhibiting at the Bukhara Biennial.
An exclusive sunrise visit to Samarkand's Shakh-i-Zindar mausoleum complex, one of the most beautiful sights in the country.
Private performances of traditional music and dance in Bukhara and Khiva.
Travelling in a genuinely small-group of no more than 11 people - no big tour buses or guides with headsets and microphones!
No single supplement charges for the first 3 single travellers to book.
Whilst being led by an academic, this certainly won’t be a dry, boring trip. Fuchsia is young and dynamic, and the trip will be both hugely informative and great fun.
About Dr Fuchsia Hart
Fuchsia is a curator, writer and speaker with a focus on the arts of Islamic cultures. Her specialism is in the history and arts of Iran, and since 2022 she has been The Sarikhani Curator for the Iranian Collection at London’s Victoria and Albert Museum.
Fuchsia has written for numerous publications, including The Guardian and the Oxford Review of Books, and has lectured and taught at The Wallace Collection, the V&A, SOAS, and Sotheby’s, among others. Her work and studies have taken her to Beirut, Damascus, Amman, Uzbekistan and Tehran.
We're chuffed to bits to be working with Fuchsia. Not only is she a leading expert in Persian and Central Asian art, but she’s a fantastic guide, and is passionate about introducing new visitors to the region. In 2025, she led a number of private, specialised tours to Uzbekistan, focusing on the many diverse arts the country has to offer, including the inaugural Bukhara Biennial.
Please note - Fuchsia will guide you in Tashkent, Samarkand and Bukhara only. Our wonderful English-speaking local guide will guide you for the last few days of the trip, in Khiva and Nukus.
To find out more see https://fuchsiahart.com.
About the Bukhara Biennial
The first Bukhara Biennial, curated by Diana Campbell under the theme Recipes for Broken Hearts, took place in the autumn of 2025 and was a huge success, drawing 1.8 million visitors, and featuring work from top Uzbek and international artists.
The 2027 edition will be curated by LA-based Thai architect and designer Kulapat Yantrasast and will run from 3 September to 21 November 2027. “The 2025 edition was remarkable, reawakening Bukhara’s role as a true center of cultural exchange. My ambition for 2027 is to deepen that conversation—to treat infrastructure itself as culture, where caravanserais, madrasas, hammams, public squares, and garden become living rooms for ideas exchanged between artists, artisans, ecologists, and scholars,” said Yantrasast in a statement.
To find out more, see the Biennial website, here.
Interested? Email us for the full tour itinerary here.
Images from Dr Fuchsia Hart, Bukhara Biennial, Shaopeng.blog and Karen Huntt Mason Photography
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Places available
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The 2027 trip cost is £4,950 per person.
Please see below for what’s included. We offer the first 3 single bookings without single supplement charges or hidden costs. After this, any subsequent single bookings will incur a supplement of £520.
We do not book international flights but can connect you with a trusted flight booking agent who can help with this.
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INCLUDED
Expert Guiding by Dr Fuchsia Hart in Tashkent, Samarkand and Bukhara.
Accommodation in carefully chosen, stylish, high-quality hotels and guesthouses.
(Please note there are NO SINGLE SUPPLEMENT CHARGES FOR THE FIRST 3 SINGLE TRAVELLER BOOKINGS.)
Breakfasts, lunches and suppers as indicated on the itinerary.
A number of bespoke, one-off experiences.
All internal transport, including your flight from Nukus to Tashkent, airport transfers and tickets on high-speed trains.
Travel in a VIP a/c minibus
Local airport transfers.
A personalized travel app.
Friendly, personal advice and support from Silk Road Adventures throughout.
An £100 Nature Restoration Fee, which will go to a grass-roots conservation organisation in the countries we work in.
A year’s membership of the rewilding organisation Mossy Earth.
NOT INCLUDED
International Flights.
Guide and driver gratuities.
Personal spending money for alcohol or souvenirs.
Your personal travel insurance.
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Where will we be staying?
You’ll be staying in a mix of places – from four and five star hotels in Tashkent, to stylish, boutique hotels in Bukhara, Samarkand and beyond.
What size of group will it be?
Our group sizes are always small, allowing for an intimate experience of the cultures we meet along our path. On this trip we will have a maximum of 11 guests, plus the local guides and drivers. We usually find groups are made of like-minded people, both male and female, from a wide age range. Many of our guests become firm friends with us and each other, and travel together with us again, and again…
What will the weather be like?
It’ll likely be warm but not too hot in Uzbekistan by late September. But have no fear, we will supply you with a detailed packing list after you’ve signed up.
I’m a solo traveller – is this for me?
Yes. At least 30 percent of our guests are solo travellers.
Do you charge single supplements
On this trip, we don’t charge a single supplement for the first three single travellers to sign up. Thereafter the single traveller supplement is £520.
What kit do I need to bring?
We will provide you with an information pack after signing up to this trip, and this will detail any particular equipment we think either necessary or useful.
What vehicles will we be travelling in?
In Uzbekistan we will travel by foot, luxury a/c minibus and high-speed train.
How much are flights?
This is a moving feast! It depends on where you are travelling from and how you want to get there. From London, it’s from around £600 return to Tashkent.
Any internal flights are included in the tour price. Again, we’ll send you an information pack containing all the information you need when you book your place.
What will the food be like?
Food in Uzbekistan is very good – a hearty, healthy, tasty mix of fresh fruit and salads, meat, plov (the classic Central Asian rice and meat dish) and wonderful bread. If you’re a vegetarian (or even a vegan) you’ll find plenty to eat, we can assure you.
Will I have to share a room?
No. We will book single rooms if you are travelling solo.
How fit do I need to be?
Not very – however, there are some fairly long days walking in the cities, so you do need to be happy to be on your feet for two to three hours at a time. But this isn’t a boot camp, it’s your holiday, so if you’d prefer to repair to the hotel for a Negroni, then that’s up to you.
I can’t do your dates but love the sound of this trip – can you be flexible?
Yes. We offer set group dates for some of our trips, but we can organise and deliver bespoke expeditions to groups and individuals to suit your itinerary and budget. More information is available on our Tailor-Made tours page.
Is it a guaranteed departure?
The trip will be confirmed as soon as we have 6 bookings, so we will advise you when you can book your flights.
Why should I book with Silk Road Adventures?
We are a small company who pride ourselves on going a great deal of extra miles in order to put together creative, immersive itineraries which truly get under the skin of these wonderful countries. We don’t follow the crowds and we always strive to do things differently. We’re also a company that’s founded and run by people who have spent years living and working in this region, and who are passionate about sniffing out the best guides, hotels, restaurants and hidden valleys for you to experience.
We never want to be the biggest travel company, but we do want to be the best. We treat every guest as a friend and strive to give them the very best experience possible. As a result, a high percentage of our customers have booked to travel with us again, with some of them coming on a trip every year.
Your safety is vital: we also do annual expedition and remote medicine training.
Is this really for me?
We hope so, but…..please don’t sign up for this trip if:
You’re not comfortable walking on uneven ground, and / or are unable to walk comfortably around a city for a day.
You have extreme dietary requirements that will impact the rest of the group, or make it very difficult for our guides to cater to your needs. (Vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free are fine!)
You have a health condition that means your needs will unduly impact the rest of the group, or if there’s a high risk you’ll need medical attention during the trip.
However, if you love the arts, new places, friendly people, history and culture then yes, this is for you.
