By Joan Torres 39 Comments Last updated on August 27, 2024
Once a hermetic country with very strict visa policies for foreigners, Uzbekistan has opened its borders to show the world the majesty of what used to be the core and center of the ancient Silk Road, a country filled with impressive shrines, mosques and perfectly shaped old cities.
Uzbekistan is, by far, the most tourist-friendly country in Central Asia and an unmissable destination for sightseeing city lovers.
However, this ex-Soviet Republic has many bureaucratic and cultural peculiarities, which you are highly recommended to know well in advance.
In this Uzbekistan travel guide, we will go through all of them, so here is a list of useful tips for traveling to Uzbekistan.
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In 2019, requirements for traveling to Uzbekistan were eased, when they finally offered a 30-day free visa on arrival for most nationalities.
This VOA is valid in both airports and land borders and it applies to all Western nationalities, EXCEPT for the USA. Here you can see the updated list.
Those nationalities which can’t get a VOA – and that includes nationals from the USA and India – can apply for an e-visa.
It’s a very easy process which only costs 20USD, takes 2-3 working days and this is the official website.
By default, you will get a 30-day visa, but it is also possible to apply for a multiple-entry visa. Unlike some years ago, the entry date is not fixed but you can enter any day you like within a 90-day period.
Apparently, the system has issues with some email domains, the photo format and, basically, it has quite a few bugs. Nowadays, however, most travelers do apply successfully, and all common issues and tips are well-explained here.
In the unlikely case the e-visa doesn’t work for you, you will have to go to the embassy, so I recommend starting to apply well-in-advance.
Typically, it would be a 1-week process in which you would need a passport copy, 2 passport photos, your hotel reservation, and your visa application form (printed and filled out).
By the way, one relevant difference vs the e-visa is that, with an embassy visa, the entry and exit dates are fixed, so you need to state the specific days you will be traveling in Uzbekistan and you can’t modify them. This means that you can’t enter before the entry date or leave after the exit date you specified.
For more information and details, read this post: Getting a visa for Uzbekistan
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Here you have the most typical options, but if you want to get deeper, I recommend you check this list, containing the 28 best books on the Silk Road and the Stans, with specific books on Uzbekistan
The most complete guide to Uzbekistan. I am a heavy consumer of Bradt Guides, as they give more local insights and personal experience than any other book.
If you are traveling to other countries in Central Asia, you may want to buy the generic guide in order to save some money. It contains a full chapter dedicated to Uzbekistan.
If you want to know about all the human rights abuse during the regime from the previous president, this is the best book.
Uzbekistan is synonymous with the Silk Road, a country which is home to the three most important Silk Road cities, Samarkand, Bukhara, and Khiva. Timeless mosques and historical buildings define a characteristic skyline in every city, Uzbekistan has been the main stopover for countless civilizations traveling east and west, while exchanging goods, ideas, and knowledge. Traveling in Uzbekistan and strolling downs its bazaars and old cities is like going back to the past.
From the imposing Registan to the cute, old city of Khiva, Uzbekistan is the perfect destination for travelers interested in stunning Islamic architecture.
Who would guess that the streets of the ancient Silk Road cities of Uzbekistan were filled with plenty of touristic shops, selling things from typical souvenirs to traditional local handicrafts, something unseen in Central Asia.
While the most common tourist in Kyrgyzstan is a young backpacker, the main tourist in Uzbekistan is a 50-80-year old person who travels in a tour group. Actually, during high season, there are tens of groups all over the cities.
In places like Tashkent, Moynaq and the Aral Sea and the Fergana Valley, we barely saw any tourist and the local interactions were much more rewarding.
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With Holafly, you can get a SIM Card for a wide range of destinations, including Uzbekistan.
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Internet is not as good as in Kyrgyzstan or Kazakhstan but it’s definitely better than Tajikistan. Most hotels will have decent Wi-Fi and 3G works perfectly well throughout the country.
Get Beeline, with which, for a couple of USD, you will get plenty of data and calls. It is very easy to buy a SIM Card and all you need is your passport.
You should always use a VPN when you travel, especially when you connect to public Wi-Fi networks.
Your connection will be much safer.
Moreover, you will be able to access content which is typically censored in Uzbekistan.
I recommend ExpressVPN – Extremely easy to use, fast and cheap.
If you want to learn more about VPN, check: Why you need a VPN for traveling.
In Uzbekistan, they use the Uzbek SUM (UZS). The currency value is extremely low and approximately:
1 USD = 12,673 UZS
Some years ago, ATMs in Uzbekistan didn’t accept foreign cards but that has drastically changed now. There are loads of ATMs that you can use absolutely everywhere, even in markets.
Bear in mind, however, that with an international card, in some ATMs you can only withdraw USD, which you need to exchange at the bank. This way, they can charge you commission twice and by the way, when you withdraw, the commission is 1%. In practice nevertheless, this is not being the case anymore and today, more and more ATMs do give Uzbek SUM.
By the way, bring a spare backpack for the cash
Sometimes, whatever quantity you change, they will give you all the money in 1,000UZS notes, meaning that you will be carrying 3 kilograms of cash. It’s very inconvenient.
You can change money in most banks – Some years ago, the official bank rate was almost 100% lower than on the black market, so nobody wanted to exchange money in banks. This changed and, finally, the official rate has gone up to its actual value.
This means that you can now exchange money in banks, which can easily be found all over the cities. The best part is that some banks give you bigger notes, so there is no need to carry ten packs of cash.
You can still get money in the black market – However, I don’t recommend it, as they are the ones who always give you smaller notes and, when you count them, you always notice that there are one or two notes missing.
Traveling in Uzbekistan is not as cheap as in Kyrgyzstan or Tajikistan but, still, it’s very affordable. Typically:
Most restaurants charge for service, which ranges from 10 to 20%, depending on the restaurant.
Uzbekistan has the most expensive flights in all Central Asia and the reason is that the airport taxes are extremely high. Apparently, along with a more liberal visa regime, the Government is planning to reverse it in order to encourage more tourism.
If you are on a budget and have enough time, you could fly to Almaty, Bishkek or Dushanbe and then enter Uzbekistan overland. From Europe, flights there are surprisingly cheap, especially to Bishkek.
If you are traveling in Iran, there are very cheap flights from Tehran to Aktau, a city in western Kazakhstan, very close to the Uzbek border.
If you are traveling in Azerbaijan, you can even take a ferry to Aktau or fly there, which is much quicker and even cheaper.
Personally, I started with a 2-month itinerary in Kyrgyzstan, traveled in Tajikistan through the Pamir Highway and the Wakhan Valley, and entered Uzbekistan through the Fergana Valley.
Uzbekistan shares a border with:
All borders are easy to cross, as long as you have a valid visa, especially for Turkmenistan and Afghanistan.
Most borders are open to overland travelers – As long as you have the visa, you can enter or exit Uzbekistan from any country, but just bear in mind that some borders are only open to nationals, while others may close temporarily.
However, all countries will have, at least, one or two entry points always open. For the latest updated information on border policy, check the Caravanistan website.
They will go through all your stuff – Especially laptops, phones, and cameras.
With the exponential tourism increase, the guards don’t really go through your stuff anymore.
Don’t bring any sensitive material – By sensitive I mean porn or any politically sensitive photos, including Governmental buildings or military stuff. If you happen to have some, upload them to the cloud or hide them very well in your computer.
However, at some border crossings, it’s not as bad as people say – I heard horror stories about Uzbek customs but, when I crossed from Tajikistan to the Fergana Valley, they just checked the photos of my DSLR camera and it seemed they were more looking at my pictures for fun than looking for sensitive photos, as the official was smiling and calling some of his colleagues to check them out.
They are also looking for drugs – And especially anything containing codeine. They will definitely, go through all your meds and, apparently, even if you have prescription pills containing codeine, they won’t allow you to enter with them and you may get in real trouble.
You will have to declare all your money, both entering and exiting – When you enter, you need to fill in a form, stating how much are you traveling with. You are supposed to keep this form because, when you leave, they will compare it with how much money you have left.
If you happen to have the same amount of money or more, they will assume that you worked there, so you might get into some problems. However, this rule may not apply in some borders because I left through Kazakhstan.
1 – Uzbekistan is an ex-Soviet Republic – Which got its independence in 1991, after the USSR dissolution.
2 – Most people are Uzbeks – But, as in the whole Central Asia, you also find plenty of people from their neighboring countries, including Russians, Kyrgyz, Kazakhs, and Tajiks. People in Uzbekistan are so ethnically mixed but, whereas Kyrgyz and Kazakh people have stronger Mongolian features, and Tajiks and Turkmens more of a Persian look, I would say that Uzbeks are something in between.
3 – The official language is Uzbek – Which is a Turkic language, but most people also speak Russian as a second language.
4 – Learn some Russian – They use the Cyrillic alphabet and practically nobody speaks English, except in the touristic parts. Some basic words to get around will prove immensely useful.
5 – They are Sunni Muslims but not really – Officially, most people are Sunni Muslims, the Russian population (10%) being Christian Orthodox. However, like all ex-Soviet countries, religion is not a big deal and most people don’t really follow Islam. If I had to compare it to the rest of Central Asia, I would say that religion in Uzbekistan is practiced more than in Kyrgyzstan or Kazakhstan but less than in Tajikistan.
6 – No real dress code for women – Many Uzbek women are veiled but it’s mostly for cultural reasons, rather than religious. Except in some parts of the Fergana Valley, women can go as they please, within certain common-sense limitations, of course.
7 – Is Islam partially forbidden? – The Fergana Valley in Uzbekistan is home to the most radical Islamic group in Central Asia, an organization which even operated in Afghanistan under the Taliban. The Uzbek Government has tried hard to eradicate this group and, from what I heard, it has put some limitations on the way people practice Islam. For example, during prayer time, you will never hear the mosque’s speakers. I was told that this is one of several governmental measures.
8 – It’s a dictatorship – The first President of Uzbekistan ruled from its independence, in 1991, to 2016, when he died. He ruled under an authoritarian regime and didn’t forge many good international relationships. The new President is trying to change this though, the growth of tourism being one of the many new policies.
9 – But people don’t really care about politics – Uzbeks told me that the only thing they care about is inflation and nobody is interested in politics. There is no freedom of speech and you can’t say anything bad about the president or any governmental organization. They are OK with it so, according to them, a revolution will not happen any time soon.
10 – The cotton crisis – Uzbekistan’s main economical pillar is the cotton industry and you will see plenty of cotton fields all over the country. Being so dependant on cotton has led to several crises and problems, the most dramatic one being the destruction of the Aral Sea in Uzbekistan. In Nukus, I met the European Union delegate in Uzbekistan, who told me that, with the new President, they are strongly trying to diversify the economy.
Plov, plov, plov – Welcome to the world capital of plov, a Central Asian dish consisting of fried rice in lamb fat, meat and different vegetables. There are many kinds of plov and it varies by region. Uzbek people find it a real delicacy and they love it so much that, in the capital Tashkent, they even have a Central Asian Plov Center, a massive building serving only plov. After more than 5 months in Central Asia, I really hated plov.
But typical Central Asian food is also available – Laghman (noodles soup), manti (dumplings), shashlik (kebab) are popular dishes which you can eat when traveling in Kyrgyzstan or Tajikistan.
More good restaurant options than in neighboring countries – Since it’s more touristic, you also find a wider range of options, especially serving international cuisine. For me, that was really an edge, especially after traveling in Central Asia for such a long time.
Alcohol is widely available – Vodka, beer and everything you want!
And local wine, as well! – Uzbekistan is the largest wine producer in Central Asia and its wine is not that bad, actually!
If you are a vegetarian, you are fucked – Well, not fucked but local cuisine mostly consists of meat and sometimes it’s even hard to find chicken. However, like I said, in the touristic places there are several options and, on most menus there are vegetarian options made ad-hoc for tourists. Additionally, your best bet will be the local markets, where you can find all sorts of vegetables, as well as Korean salads.
Loads of fruit! – Most of the fruit is grown in the Fergana Valley, it’s absolutely delicious and there is a lot of variety. When I was there in October, it was grapes and melons season!
There is a wide range of budget hostels and guest houses in most cities in Uzbekistan. Most of them are very good value and the perfect place to meet other travelers alike.
There are also endless mid-range and luxury options in all main cities in Uzbekistan.
You always pay a 2USD registration fee – At any hotel, you always pay an extra 2USD per night you stay. This is a bit annoying for budget backpackers, as 2USD can sometimes be almost 30% of a dorm-bed price.
All hotels will give you a registration payslip that proves that you stayed there. You are likely to be asked for all your payslips when leaving the country. Basically, they are extremely paranoid and need proof of your actual itinerary, which you will show once, when you are leaving the country. Typically, they just require a payslip for every other day or two days. This means that, if you are camping or stay at people’s places, you would need to stay in a hotel every two days, at least.
However, you can find many profiles with reviews, so locals don’t really care about it.
Trains are the way to travel in Uzbekistan. Most cities are connected by train, they run very regularly and are very comfortable.
Some tips:
It’s recommended to book your train tickets in advance – Especially for long-distance trains. You can book them at the train station itself and always remember to bring your passport.
There are different kinds of train – There is a regular, modern train and the high-speed one. They are built by a Spanish company, so they have many similarities to the AVE and other Spanish trains. Furthermore, there is the Russian train, which is the classic old one from the Soviet Union times.
You must try the Soviet train at least once – Traveling long distance on a Russian train is an experience by itself. I took it from Samarkand, all the way west to Kazakhstan, on a 32-hour journey. You are most likely to be the only foreigner on board and everybody is super friendly with you.
Also common and really cheap. Between cities, it’s common to travel in shared taxis, which cost even less than a train.
Only in Tashkent, there is metro and it was inspired by the one in Moscow or Saint Petersburg and it’s a delightful masterpiece. For more information, read: Places to visit in Tashkent.
📢 In my Travel Resources Page you can find the list of all the sites and services I use to book hotels, tours, travel insurance and more.
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39 comments
Excelente información, gracias por compartirla.Aunque mi viaje no sea centrado en trekking la información me ha servido muchísimo, sobre todo en cuanto a cruce de fronteras, distancias y donde vale la pena quedarse. Muchos saludos y buenos viajes!
Un saludo Álvaro, disfruta Uzbekistán!
An excellent, detailed post. Thanks. I’d just like to contrast your vegetarianism comment with my own experience, though, and put others at ease: I was there in 2016 and ate some of the best food I’ve had internationally (the carrot and beetroot side dishes in Bukhara were to die for!) never once needing to resort to markets or special requests from a chef for a meal. We mostly ate in budget restaurants.
Kyrgyzstan, however, was a different beast altogether in that regard.
Thanks for the clarification! Good to know that, as a vegetarian, Uzbekistan is an easier choice. And yes, Kyrgyzstan is for sure more difficult. I remember meeting other travelers who, in the mountains of Kyrgyzstan, they were forced to eat meat (or food cooked with meat) because that was the only available choice besides bread & jam!
Very well written and very informative! For sure I’ll read more of your various articles on Uzbekistan.
I’ll travel to Uzbekistan in 3 days and am already quite excited. You asked for feedback on the e-visa application: It took me HOURS to apply! You have to upload your photo and a photo of the data page in your passport. It took me hours to upload these 2 photos. I managed to get my photo uploaded after numerous tries but didn’t know why. The passport photo was rejected again and again and…. What finally did the trick: I changed the ending of the file from …PNG to …png.
After that I got the email with the confirmation and payment link within minutes. You have to pay with a credit card and they only accept a Visa Card which I don’t have. I asked around and found a friend with a Visa Card. It is no problem to pay with the Card of someone else. Nevertheless payment didn’t work, as I found out probably because it was after working hours in Uzbekistan. I tried again the next morning, was able to complete payment at first try and got the confirmation via email within minutes.
I recieved the Visa the next day, quite speedy.
Hey, thank you so much for the visa feedback! Sounds like a nightmare 😀 !
It was! Thanks to advice I found on different websites I managed, without internet research it would have been impossible for me.
I entered the country yesterday. Apparently it is no longer required to declare foreign currency (as long as you travel with less than 2000$, I think, or the equivalent).
Superb, excellent, detailed and tempted post. Really felt like to travel. Regards
thank you
Hi, thanks for the wealth of tips here. I’d like to know what is involved when “they go through all your stuff” especially things like digital equipment. Do they take out batteries, turn it on, dismantle?
They just may check your photos, nothing more.
Hey, where are the better rates in black market or banks?
And is it not good for solo back packers?
I don’t want this trip to end up being alone all the time or surrounded by people from group tours!
And when is the high season in Uzbekistan? Is August a good time to visit?
Hey, your answers:
– The rate is pretty much the same but it will all depend on which bank / person. You will see when you are there
– I saw some backpackers
– You can go in August, but it will be very hot. Other seasons are better
Great guide inspiring me in every travel manners to Uzbekistan.
Hey Joan, thanks for putting this guide and the update regarding ATMs.
I am planning to visit Uzbekistan in September, but I am afraid that the country is becoming very touristic nowadays, so not sure if I would choose Uzbekistan over other Central Asian destinations. I don’t really like crowded places filled with souvenirs shops and with the tourism booming, it seems that Uzbekistan is moving in this same direction.
Thank you and keep up the great work 🙂
Hey man, whereas it is true that some parts of Uzbekistan are literally becoming mass tourism destinations, the fact is that 99% of tourists will only visit Samarkand, Bukhara and Khiva, which are just 3 cities in a massive country. The rest of Uzbekistan is pretty unspoiled, especially Karakalpakstan and Fergana regions, as well as other areas which I didn’t visit. Even Tashkent seems pretty local, so I recommend you spend a few days in each of those 3 cities and then go discover the rest of the country.
I am a native citizen of Uzbekistan. Was just curious to read about my own country from perpectives of foreign tourist. Marcus, If you happen to visit in Tashkent, you may let me know, I can show some interesting places over here and give you more detailed guide for your further travel. And I will do it with no other intention than as a friendly host. +99899 3686220 you can find me by whatsApp and Telegram.
Bobur, am visiting your country soon, this very 2021…. And indeed, I wish we could link up….
my email is: naaopoku@gmail.com
my number: 00233 209096062
Hi,
I am planning to travel in May. Is it a good time to come to Uzbekistan?
Can you please confirm your number as I could not find it in Telegram.
Hope to speak.
Thanks,
Sona
Hi there, thanks for info,
We are traveling tomorrow to Tashkent, me and my husband Kazakhstan citizens, but our two daughters has American citizens, so in website says children under 16 yrs old don’t need a visa, so I hope it’s still works and there is no required visa!
I am just curious where you got your statistic about Uzbekistan being one of the top 20 safest countries in the world because I can’t seem to find that specific information. I am trying to convince somebody to go, so a resource and reference on that number would be helpful to me. Thank you.
Hey Danielle, I think I saw it in the Bradt Guide of Uzbekistan 🙂
Your tips are all so helpful and I love your blog!
I’m going to Uzbekistan in September. As much as I am excited about it, I’m also concerned about diseases and stuff. Did you get vaccination before you went?
Hi Jade, basically, I am vaccinated of absolutely everything, so I didn’t get any particular vaccine for Uzbekistan but in any case, I don’t really recall anyone getting a special vaccine for Central Asia
Gracias por tus consejos generales pero creo que te equivocas sobre los temas de visado. Según información recopilada en 5 Páginas web, la lista de países a los que tú dices que dan visa on arrival Son las lista de países que no necesitan ningún visado, Son países “visa exemption” en los cuales está Argentina, Brasil y Chile y luego tú dices que los viajeros de paises latinoamericanos “deben” sacar Su visado en una embajada. Es bastante confuso y contradictorio. Te sugiero que reveas la información publicada.
Hola Alberto,
Brasil no es un país hispano-hablante y por ésto jamás lo incluyo en mis artículos en español. Los países de habla hispana que tienen visado gratis son Chile, Argentina y España, tal y como dice en el artículo.
Por otro lado, yo no sé dónde has leído donde digo que los latinoamericanos tengan que sacarlo en la embajada. Lo que digo es: ”lo más seguro es que NO tengas que ir por este proceso, pero si el sistema de visado electrónico no te funciona, tendrás que ir a la embajada” – El resto de países hispano-hablantes tienen que conseguir el visado vía internet, pero el sistema alguna vez de cada muchas suele fallar, por lo que en este caso, pues deberían de hacerlo vía embajada.
Bien. Lo entendi muy bien al leerlo en primera instante. Gracias hermano. Creo q’ Alberto de leerlo todo de nuevo.
Un abrazo desde Ghana. Africa.
Hello. An interesting article you wrote. As a person who was born and raised in Uzbekistan, I really recommend you to visit as well more not-touristic places. For example, there are streets on Darkhan (Hamid Olimjon subway station) where you can find beautiful spots that were not touched by modern architecture and are still in the old style. So, try to find places that are not so popular among tourists. Because you will see the real country/city if, of course, that’s what you want. Because I personally am more into naturalness. September is the perfect time period to visit it here because the weather’s nice, not so hot and not so cold yet as well as Spring is a perfect time. Also, you’ll get into a season of fruits, vegetables that are so delicious. Welcome!
Hi everyone, I would like to share a piece of information which would be, I guess, interesting and beneficial for travellers wishing and planning to visit Uzbekistan. The issue I want to bring up is the problem with buying train tickets online. Because when foreigners want to buy tickets at a place they, more often than not, are sold out. Foreigners usually have trouble buying tickets online if they attempt to do this with their Visa cards due to some technical imperfections on the website . Therefore, I want to give a solution by offering the assistance of local people who will make a purchase instead of travellers. Unlike travel agencies, they do not charge much. The fee varies from 5 to 10 dollars per person, no matter how many tickets the one is going to buy. Isn’t it a solution? The only thing needed is a copy of the passport. The same can be done with airplane tickets. There is no place for hesitation about their reliability as such kind of services can be found on respectable travelling and guiding platforms. I dont know whether I can refer to any of them here. But if you need I can write more.. Any questions are welcome.
Great suggestions herein. Please put your email so that, one can reach you via inbox with some more questions
Hi!
I was wondering how airtight the comments about Uzbekistan officials not being stringent on enforcing quarantine is. I have some big travel plans that require my transit through the country next month from the UK, and I just want to check to see how solid the idea that the quarantine rule isn’t enforced before I actually book my flights, as if I’m forced to quarantine I will be wasting thousands of £s.
Hi Owen,
So far, there are no travel reports from travelers who were forced into quarantine. Nevertheless, you should know that in these countries, anything can happen
Great postings.
However I have been trying to get e visa fo Uzbekistan for past one week, without success,
even after getting the validation link the payment gateway did not accept my Visa debit card, it is really frustrating.
Has anyone faced this problem?
Pandu India
HI,
This a great blog. I am also going to visit Uzbekistan in june. I just wanted to ask that will it be okay if i dont stay in hotel and stay at friend’s apartment. I am pretty nervous about it.
i am planning to go for nine days. if you could help me with the answer that would be great.
Uzbekistan is getting more and more touristic every day, so you should be fine 🙂
Hey,
We (me and my wife and small child) are landing in Bukhara and ending in Tashkent. We have 11 days (including travel to and from UK).
We really want to visit Khiva, but we arrive in Bukhara at 12pm midday after a long overnight flight, so it would be very difficult to jump straight on a train to Khiva from Bukhara after landing.
Alteratively, we could spend two days in Bukhara on landing, then go to Khiva for a couple of days, but it would then be a very long train back to Samarkand, which would be our next stop.
Do you have any advice for us? Thanks!
Hello, it seems you don’t have any other alternative… Trains are pretty good in Uzbekistan so taking a longer one won’t be much of an issue.
I take prescribed drugs as to will be 70 and take Tramadol regularly. Alright it’s not codeine but close enough. I would not travel without it, and I noticed how Muslim countries are obsessed with drugs, even though it’s a packaged med made by drug companies. If bringing in Tramadol is an issue, even with a letter from a doctor, should I skip any plans to go there? Thanks! I don’t want issues with the immigration police or have it confiscated!
Hi Michel, this is a very hard question to answer, and I am afraid I can’t give you an accurate answer…