Take a tasty 10-day culinary tour of Uzbekistan this spring, and celebrate Navruz, the Uzbek New Year. Offered by Seattle-based MIR Corporation (specialists in tourism to Russia and surrounding countries and twice voted one of National Geographic Adventure’s Best Adventure Travel Companies on Earth), the tour takes in the three celebrated Silk Road oases of Bukhara, Khiva and Samarkand. A tour of Tashkent and its sites including the Square of Independence, Kukeldash Madrassah and the colorful Chorsu Bazaar follows arrival. While here browse the fabric market and enjoy a lunch of traditional Uzbek dishes in the company of Chef Bahriddin Chustiy.

After flying to Urgench (UGC), spend the next two days exploring the ancient city of Khiva and its Old Town, a UNESCO-listed area replete with minarets, cobblestone streets and the Kunya Ark, the original lodging address for long-ago khans. A drive across the red-sand Kyzyl Kum Desert includes a stop to admire the Amu Darya, one of the longest rivers in Central Asia. The journey continues to Gijduvan en route to Samarkand and the observatory at Ulug Bek; time at Siab Bazaar for a master class in cooking the popular dish known as plov; then on to Urgut and its renowned crafts market, with attendance at a buzkashi match — a Central Asian sport involving tests of strength and horsemanship. Prices begin at $3,995 for tours March 16–25, 2018.