A Backpacker’s Guide to Uzbekistan

Uzbekistan is a fantastic country to travel to and getting around is easier than you think. Despite many people’s fear of countries ending in “Stan”, Uzbekistan is far from a dangerous place and you’ll quickly realize that upon arrival. This historically rich nation, which sits along the ancient Silk Road, is a hidden gem and one country that deserves a lot more tourism that it receives. Here is backpacker’s guide to Uzbekistan.

Visa Process: 

As of 2018, citizens of Israel, Indonesia, the Republic of Korea, Malaysia, Singapore, Turkey and Japan can visit Uzbekistan without visas for the period of 30 days. Everyone else will need to apply for a visa.

A ‘Letter of Invitation’ (LOI) is no longer required by citizens of Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Latvia, Malaysia, Spain, Switzerland, United Kingdom, and United States as of 2018.

I got my visa in Shanghai at the Uzbek consulate and needed the following:

A completed application (can be found online)

2 passport photos

Physical Passport

1280 RMB fee for Americans

Always double-check the Uzbek embassy website for the latest updates!

Note* You must register each night in Uzbekistan; your hotel should do this for you and provide you with the paper. Don’t lose these or you could face problems later! 

Money & Costs:

U.S dollars are your best bet, followed by the Euro and British pound. Your money goes a long way here, be prepared to hold massive sums of money! $1=7800 (as of 2018). You can find ATMs in all major cities/tourist destinations, but it’s probably better to bring all the cash you need beforehand.

Assuming you paid for your hotel, you probably only need 160,000 soms or $20 USD a day if you’re frugal. In much of Uzbekistan you don’t need transportation. In Bukhara alone, I never used a single taxi outside of getting to and from the train station.

 

Transportation: 

Trains to major cities like Tashkent, Bukhara, Samarkand, etc cost under $20 per ride. From Tashkent to Samarkand I paid around 80,000 soms ($10) one way. The price varies by train of course, but overall, it’s pretty cheap to get around. Taxis in Uzbekistan are a bit tricky as there is no meter. Most taxis are local people. A ride within the city should cost no more than 50,000 ($5), but perhaps a bit more going to and from the station/airport.

Important Note*

My friend and I debated buying our train tickets before our trip to Uzbekistan, but I insisted we wait, as I didn’t want to pay double the cost online.

There are actually very few trains in Uzbekistan and seats fill up fast, especially with the new modern fast trains. Luckily, my friend and I were able to buy seats the day before on much of our trip, but our luck ran out on our way back to Tashkent. We tried to buy our ticket from Bukhara to Tashkent two days before, but learned the hard way. Since our flight was leaving Tashkent at 10 PM, we needed to be at the airport by 8pm and in the city ideally before that, but most of the trains available arrived after 8:30.

This left us with one option. We departed Bukhara for Samarkand at 5:00AM on the fast train, then took the slow train from Samarkand to Tashkent at 8:20 on an old slow train, which took a little over four hours. The train was way over its prime and the cloth covering the seats/bed wasn’t exactly clean.

Waking up at 4:20AM to catch a 5:00AM train in Bukhara is definitely not the way we wanted to spend our last full day in Uzbekistan. Unless you want to wake up super early and ride an old train, I suggest you get your tickets as early as possible.

Food:

Uzbek food is similar to the cuisine in other Central Asian countries and China’s Xinjiang region. There is a heavy emphasis on meat, bread, tea, fresh tomatoes, onions, and cucumbers. Vegetarians will be ok here given the options.

Meals for two average between 30,000-50,000 soms, which is less than $7 US total! Very cheap to eat in Uzbekistan. I had to double-check the bill a few times to make sure it was accurate!

Accommodation:

Hotels outside Tashkent are quite nice. My friend and I paid 368,000 soms ($46) a night, including the $2 per night city fee for our hotel. $23 per person doesn’t sound too cheap if you’re used to shared hostels in Southeast Asia for $8 a night, but for a clean, spacious room you can actually walk barefoot around, $46 a night for two is a steal.

Best Time to Visit:

I went in October, which was perfect! Warm during the day, cool during the night. In Bukhara however, it was a bit chilly, but I like wearing outerwear, so it was good for me. September-early November is cool temperature wise and the low season in terms of tourism.

April & May are also great times to visit. You’ll want to avoid June-August due to the extreme heat.

November to March is cold but offers bright skies, just make sure you avoid the snow since the main reason you’re probably coming to Uzbekistan is to see the historical structures.

Communication: 

Most people do NOT speak English. You will run into a few English speakers near tourist areas, especially among the youth. They will be glad to strike up a conversation with you. To be on the safe side, bring a Russian or Uzbek dictionary or have the offline Google translate app ready.

Areas of Interest: 

Tashkent: the capital city and likely your point of entry. Check out the bazaar.

Three historical cities: Samarkand, Bukhara, and Khiva. Khiva is a bit far and many travelers either say it’s nothing special or a gem. I’ll leave that up to you to decide. Samarkand and Bukhara are a must see for sure! Samarkand only requires a day to be honest. Bukhara, perhaps 2 or 3 max.

Lake Charvak/Chimgan Mountains: A day trip from Tashkent. Probably the only place outside the 3 historical cities where you can see nature and wild animals. I’d consider this “off the beaten path” as most tourists will likely not visit here.

 

Need help with anything else? Drop a comment below:)