Our tour to Uzbekistan - Between arches and art is live! + 100 countries on a Kenyan passport
Published about 9 hours ago • 7 min read
Hi Reader,
I hope you're having a great day.
I'm writing this week with great news: Our trip to Uzbekistan is now live and available for booking here.
Uzbekistan has been enjoying a golden period of tourism in the last 5 years and this has made the country famous among travelers far and wide.
History and architecture is what appeals to most and the first image you will see of the country, and with good reason, because it is aesthetically one of the most beautiful places there is.
But we believe what stays with you after a trip are the connections we make and the people we meet, so we have sprinkled the wonderful sightseeing with the women who are preserving age old traditions, bringing them up to the 21st century and living them everyday. Because it wouldn't be a Solo Female Travelers tour if it didn't revolve around women.
PS: We have also made this trip by application only. The trip is open to all ages and backgrounds, but we know it is not for everyone. By making it by application only we do our best to bring a group of likeminded women who share our passion for supporting women, and who come to have a good time. Tourism is still in its early stages in Uzbekistan and we curated a trip that does not impose the needs of guests over the local culture. Ultimately, we want everyone to have the trip of a lifetime and expectations are the recipe for a happy traveler. In exchange, we and our friends and local collaborators will do our best to make this a heartful trip.
Have a look at the main highlights of the trip below or read the detailed itinerary here.
On this week's email:
Our Uzbekistan trip is live! See the details below.
On this week's podcast episode I talk to Maria Kamau, a Kenyan travel coach and traveler who has been to 100 countries, no easy feat for a passport that gives access to only 71 destinations visa free. Maria and I talk about the challenges that a weak passport brings and how she has overcome them with determination and perseverance. Her fun accounts of surviving some of the most complex and surreal visa applications will remind you of the privilege of a strong passport, or inspire you if yours is less so.
Our 2027 Uzbekistan, Arches and Arts trip is live
Our trip to Uzbekistan is curated around history, architecture, heritage and art, and will show you the country through the eyes and hands of artisans, artists, fashion designers and business owners that are passionate about their crafts.
We will spend time in Uzbek homes and with female rights and culture activists and complement the Silk Road history with the 21st Uzbek women's aspirations.
Important: Our application is not about age or background but about travel style and expectations with regards to this trip, so even if you have traveled with us before, we still ask that you fill in an application.
The details
Our trip with be hosted by Umeda, who works as a guide and part time conservationist participating in the preservation of Uzbekistan's historical sites.
Dates: 16 to 24 October, 2027
Duration: 9 days / 8 nights
Where we will stay:
We have chosen great hotels in each city prioritising location and comfort over luxury. We will be staying at 4* and 5* hotels that are within walking distance of the old city centers of each city so that you can enjoy the free time on your own and safely and conveniently return to the hotel at any time on foot without having to navigate or haggle with taxi drivers.
The best parts
This trip is everything we stand for:
Supporting and spotlighting women who are making a difference for their communities, keeping traditions alive and repurposing Uzbek's art and fashion into 21st century living heritage.
Complementing ancient Silk Road history and architecture with dynamic people, traditions and modernity.
Meaningful two-way connections, not just for the traveler to take, take, take
Free time to absorb it all on your own terms because the cities we will visit require some time to be still and in silence
Here are my favorite parts:
⛰️ The architecture, it will leave you speechless
Everyone comes to Uzbekistan for the Silk Road architecture.
The majolica tiles in all shades of blue and turquoise, the bright blue domes topping mosques and mausoleums, the sleek minarets towering high above the city, the heavy wooden carved doors opening into a world of handicraft work, or the door frames and gates with the most incredible work human hands have ever done.
It is hard to find an ancient city that is as magnificent as Khiva, but then you visit Bukhara and you are left without words and by the time you reach Samarkand you think nothing can impress you anymore but the grandiosity of Registan Square and the detail of Shah-i-zinda manage to create a sense of awe you no longer thought was possible.
Few places in the world can illustrate humanity's ability to create beauty.
🇰🇬 The women preserving and sharing lost Uzbek traditions
Many Uzbek expressions of identity were banned or restricted during Soviet times, from wine making to clothing, religion, and the diversity that made the Soviet republic unique.
Several women are working hard to bring back those traditions, unlock them from trunks and passed down dowries and give them a modern take for the 21st century women to celebrate.
We will meet the fashion designers who are giving new life to old traditions so they aren't forgotten.
🐎 The genuine hospitality
Uzbek people today are as warm and welcoming as they were famous for during the times of the Silk Road.
We will take you to the workshops, stores and homes of women who are excited to share their world with us.
Opening their lives to strangers with a hot cup of tea or a sweet lemonade, mats always ready, tea pots always on the stove, Uzbek women know how to make you feel welcome, starting with the traditional greeting that brings the hand to the heart in a sign of true hospitality.
The buzzing bazaars
These are the places where day to day life happens, where groceries are bought, where fresh bread is baked, where traders bring their best goods, where traditions and differences are celebrated.
We'll see fresh samsa and dough bake into golden goodness in the tandoor ovens, piles of pomegranates stacked like a game of Tetris, aromatic tea smelling like Uzbekistan on a cup and all sorts of pickles, cheese and vegetables showcasing what makes local cuisine distinctive.
Silk Raod cities are compact and packed with historical monuments, buildings, fortifications, madrasahs (Koranic schools), mosques, minarets, and local homes.
The best part of it all was exploring slowly, looking a all angles and taking in the view from the many perspectives. Every time I turned around, I felt like I was seeing a new building or a new perspective on it.
It was a metaphor for life, because there is always a different way to see the world, to see a problem.
♨️ The kaleidoscope of colors
To say that Uzbekistan is a colorful place would be an understatement, it is an explosion of color, a rainbow of textiles, carpets, apparel, accessories, jewelry, jackets, scarves, pottery and so much more against the beige mud brick walls and facades and the 50 shades of blue of the tile work.
Embroidery and carpets in bright reds and pottery in all colors are a good starting point, but the star of the collection are the traditional abr fabric that legend has it was inspired by a heavenly rainbow reflected in a pond’s mirror that a weaver brought back to his workshop and impressed upon silk threads.
The word abr means cloud in Persian and this weaving technique that is so representative of Uzbekistan is now being incorporated back into modern Uzbek designs and fashion.
🧣 The craft passed down for generations
Some traditions can only be learned at home, from your mum, and this is the case for many of the Uzbek crafts.
We will hear about them from the women who are caring for the arts and crafts that were learned at home and are now also taught at art schools.
From suzani embroidery to silk carpet weaving, from cooking in a coal tandoor oven to collecting vintage fabrics to give them a new life.
The meals from a rooftop above ancient city walls, the home cooked lunch in a family home and the private sunset rooftop dinner especially curated for us.
Among the mass tourism and the factory-made souvenirs, we have also dreamed of special moments just for us. Experiences never done before, conceived in a moment of imagination and a sprinkle of magic. The ones that will stay with you.
Ready to book the trip you'll talk about for years to come?
And if you have any questions, feel free to reply to this email and let us know.
Episode #32: Are strong passports a privilege? Visiting 100 countries on a Kenyan passport
Travel is a privilege; Every aspect of it involves financial resources, education and languages, freedom of choice and of being able to take off and so much more.
Despite what social media or digital publications have you believe, fewer than 20% of the world's population takes an annual international trip.
There is so much fortune, hard work and privilege required to travel, it is sometimes easy to forget just how much of it depends on where you were born and what passport you hold.
This week's episode is a fantastic reminder of the doors that open when you have a strong passport compared to having a passport that provides visa free access to fewer countries.
Maria Kamau, or MKay, is a Kenyan traveler and travel coach that has visited 100 countries despite her passport only provides visa free access to 71.
Her optimism, perseverance and learnings from so many visa processes are a reminder for those with a stronger passport of how much privilege this provides and for those like Maria who need visas often, an inspiration to not give up and keep at it.
Maria also shares some tips, strategies and approaches that have helped her plan trips and open doors.
Check out all the details of the podcast here, listen to the episode and start following us [Solo Female Travelers Podcast] on your favorite podcast platform so you don't miss an episode:
