Daytrip to Five Fortresses

Daytrip Duration: 7-8 hours
Sightseeing time: 3-4 hours
Driving time: 4-5 hours
Driving Distance: 240 km.
Included: Hands-Free Brochures, a good drivers with new Cars with AC, pick up and drop off at your location and Mineral water (0.5l. per person)
Not Included: Entrance tickets, meals, camel riding, Yurt Camp stay & etc

Start your journey with an easy pick-up from Urgench Airport, either train station, or your hotel in Khiva or Urgench. Wherever you are, we’ll come to you. Since the program lasts half a day, the best times to set off are usually after breakfast or following lunch, but the schedule is flexible.

The first destination is Dumon Kala, about an hour and a half from Khiva. This ancient site is divided into three areas: a square enclosure with corner towers on the west, a smaller citadel to the east, and a larger, irregular section in the north. The strongest remains can still be seen along the northern side, while traces of the eastern section are partly visible.

Close by stands Kizil Kala, a fortress that has lived through several lives. It was first built in the Late Antique period (1st–4th centuries CE) and rebuilt in the 12th–13th centuries. Historians still debate whether it served as housing for soldiers or as a fortified residence for local rulers.

Not far away is Toprak Kala, dating to the Kushan period (2nd–3rd centuries CE). This fortress was once a royal palace, later restored in the early 4th century and turned into an administrative center for the region.

A change of scenery comes with a stop at Akchakul Lake. Just 20 minutes from Toprak Kala, the lake offers a place to relax with local cafés, a minimarket, and rest facilities. Here you can try traditional food, drinks, or ice cream made with fresh milk. Swimming and sand baths are also possible in summer, making it a refreshing break before continuing deeper into history.

Next, we head to Kavat Kala, a site that has stood for over 2,400 years. Once the core of an advanced irrigation system, it supported a wide network of settlements, especially between the 11th and 13th centuries, when the region flourished.

The last and most dramatic stop is Ayaz Kala. Rising high above the desert at the edge of the Sultan-Uiz-dahg range, the fortress complex dominates the landscape. Built to guard against nomadic incursions, it remains one of Khorezm’s most iconic fortresses. A gravel track leads to a small camp of yurts overlooking a shallow desert lake, now a resting place for travelers. Most of what we see today was shaped during the Afrighid dynasty in the 7th–8th centuries CE.

The return trip takes about 90 minutes to Khiva or an hour to Urgench. We’ll finish the day by dropping you at your chosen location—airport, train station, or hotel—with no extra costs.