Start with a convenient pickup from your hotel, the airport, or the train station in Samarkand, and drive about 40 minutes to an equestrian village in the Ohalik Mountains.
On arrival, meet your horse and join a safety briefing with a professional instructor in the arena. No riding experience is needed — the instructor will match you with a horse that suits your level.
Then set off on a 2.5-hour ride through rolling hills, alpine meadows and quiet valleys, passing unusual rock formations and wide panoramic viewpoints. Along the way, your guide will share stories about local plants and wildlife, and about the traditional life of the mountain villages and the nomadic heritage of the region.
Choose the morning departure for fresh mountain air and soft light, or the afternoon departure, timed so you can watch the sunset over the mountains from the saddle.
Stop for photos at the most scenic spots, and if you like, feed the horses at the end of the ride. Afterwards, you'll be driven back to your hotel in Samarkand.
This tour is a great way to see the wilder, natural side of Uzbekistan, just a short drive from the Silk Road city.