Uzbekistan is the Central Asian vacation spot that you simply’ve been dreaming about. Magnificent blue-domed mosques, towering minarets, atmospheric Silk Street cities and historic bazaars are coupled with the area’s greatest lodging, best transportation and nice worth for cash. It’s essentially the most visited of the Central Asian republics and with good motive.

A decade in the past, Uzbekistan had a repute for tough journey. The nation was tormented by complicated visa guidelines, corruption and bureaucratic hassles, however all this has modified dramatically lately and it’s now a surprisingly simple place to discover.

If you’re in any respect tempted to discover the glories of Uzbekistan’s iconic Silk Street cities, then all of the planning ideas you want are right here. I have been visiting because the mid-Nineties as a Lonely Planet author for the area and have handled just about each journey problem you possibly can think about!

1. Uzbekistan might be uncomfortably sizzling in summer season

Time your journey to coincide with the most effective climate. Land-locked Uzbekistan has an excessive continental local weather, which implies chilly winters and sizzling, dry summers. It’s potential to go to Uzbekistan year-round however essentially the most snug months weather-wise are from March to Might, and September to November.

July and August’s summer season warmth usually carry punishing temperatures of over 40C (104F), although you could have to go to presently in case you are heading onward to the mountains of neighboring Kyrgyzstan or Tajikistan.

2. Most nationalities get a visa-free one-month keep

Getting a visa for Uzbekistan is straightforward nowadays. Over 60 nationalities now qualify for visa-free journey for as much as a month, together with the UK, most EU nations, New Zealand, Australia, South Korea and Israel. Different nations (together with the USA and India) are required to apply for an e-visa online, however that is a straightforward course of that solely takes a few days. Gone are the times of sophisticated visa invites and journeys to obscure embassies – hurray!

3. Guide high-speed prepare tickets prematurely

Essentially the most snug technique to journey the fashionable Silk Street between Tashkent, Samarkand, Bukhara and the Fergana Valley, is on Uzbekistan’s fashionable high-speed Afrosiyob prepare service. It takes simply over two hours to journey from Tashkent to Samarkand, and the identical once more to achieve Bukhara from Samarkand. For longer distances, Russian-style sleeper trains are an atmospheric technique to journey in a single day between Tashkent and the remoter cities of Nukus, Khiva or Termiz.

Nonetheless, seats do promote out on well-liked routes, particularly for high-speed vacationer companies, so ebook tickets per week or extra prematurely. Strive on-line through the Uzbekistan Railway e-ticket portal, use the Uzrailway cellphone app, or ebook via an area journey company (for a markup).

4. Guide B&Bs effectively forward of your arrival within the excessive season

The normal cities of Samarkand, Khiva and Bukhara all provide a superb collection of trendy, snug, family-run B&Bs, that are simply essentially the most fascinating locations to remain. One of the best ones replenish shortly in late spring and summer season, so remember to ebook just a few weeks prematurely. Contact homeowners straight, or see what comes up on Booking.com.

5. Pre-book an airport pickup when flying into Tashkent Airport

Many worldwide flights to Tashkent arrive into Uzbekistan’s sprawling capital at the hours of darkness. For those who don’t fancy negotiating with a scrum of keen taxi drivers, whereas nonetheless bleary-eyed after a seven-hour flight, it is perhaps value reserving an airport pickup via your lodging.

For those who’d want to take a taxi, bear in mind that overcharging by taxi drivers is just not unusual in Uzbekistan – all the time attempt to get a tough thought of the right fare beforehand. The best technique to organize a taxi experience in Tashkent is through the ride-sharing app Yandex Go, although you’ll want an area sim card to make use of it.

6. Journey is less complicated should you communicate just a few phrases of Uzbek or Russian

English is just not extensively spoken in Uzbekistan exterior of vacationer resorts, so it helps to study some phrases of Uzbek (a Turkic language just like outdated Turkish), or Russian, which stays a lingua franca amongst older folks proper throughout the previous Soviet Union. Avenue indicators are principally in Uzbek Latin script, although you might also see some Russian-style Cyrillic script; it’s helpful to study each so you possibly can at the very least learn indicators for place names and bus locations.

Understanding numbers in Uzbek or Russian will are available in significantly useful when negotiating with shared taxi drivers. Google Translate might help, however solely you probably have smartphone information – to reduce roaming prices, vacationer sim playing cards legitimate for a month can be found from a number of native firms, notably Beeline and Ucell.

7. Be prepared for the native forms

Uzbekistan could be very tourist-friendly nowadays, however there are just a few bits of lingering bureaucratic crimson tape which can be value realizing about. When coming into the nation, you can’t herald any codeine-based drugs (resembling painkillers) and you could must declare how a lot overseas money you might be carrying. In actuality, you might be unlikely to be quizzed at customs should you arrive by air into Tashkent, however you is perhaps when coming into through land crossings.

You may additionally discover that your resort or B&B offers you a small paper registration slip whenever you examine in. Previously you needed to present these for each evening of your journey when leaving the nation; nowadays, the outdated paper system has been outmoded by a web-based system and slips are hardly ever checked, however it is best to nonetheless hold these when given them, simply in case.

You should definitely carry your passport (or on the very least a photocopy) with you whenever you go sightseeing in Uzbekistan. Police have the appropriate to examine your passport on demand, and also you’ll seemingly want to indicate it at checkpoints on any long-distance journey. Hold a photocopy handy to keep away from having to dig via your cash belt in public.

8. Don’t hassle with the black market when altering cash

Altering cash is comparatively easy in Uzbekistan nowadays. You’ll get the identical charge at banks and ATMs as you do from shady bazaar cash changers, so there’s little motive to vary cash via unofficial channels.

Credit score and debit playing cards (particularly Visa) are accepted by most lodging and upmarket memento stalls. ATMs in main cities settle for overseas playing cards, however fill up on Uzbek som (the native foreign money) in case you are headed into the countryside.

Uzbek payments now are available in denominations as much as 100,000 som, so that you received’t have to hold across the brick-sized wads of money that have been the norm just some years in the past. It’s all the time a good suggestion to have a stash of small denomination payments in Euros or US {dollars} for an emergency or a border crossing.

9. Brush up in your chaikhana etiquette

Chai (tea) is Central Asia’s social lubricant, so it helps to know the native tea etiquette. Seem like an knowledgeable within the native chaikhana (teahouse) by pouring the primary two bowls of tea again into the pot earlier than consuming, to assist it brew. Select from Russian-style kara (black) or Asian-style kok (inexperienced) chai.

10. Physique Language

Uzbeks are large hand-shakers, so remember to shake the fingers of any males you come into contact with, particularly elders (referred to as aksakal in Central Asia). One other significantly swish gesture utilized by Uzbeks and Tajiks is to position your hand in your coronary heart when assembly somebody. When assembly girls, a slight bow is the norm, instead of a handshake.

On the finish of a meal, Uzbeks and Tajiks usually place their fingers in entrance of their face in a cupped prayer gesture and run them flippantly over their face to provide thanks for the meal. Following go well with will earn you respect for understanding and following Uzbek customs.

11. Haggle, however don’t push issues too far

Haggling over issues like the value of taxis and shopping for produce at markets is frequent in Uzbekistan, however costs are usually not vastly overinflated, so solely count on a modest low cost. Aggressive haggling is just not appreciated – hold issues light-hearted and pleasant. You may additionally be capable of cut price for a reduction on lodging costs exterior the excessive season.

12. Bazaars are your good friend should you’re vegetarian

Meals in Uzbekistan is sort of meat-heavy, centered on the 4 staples of shashlik (lamb kebabs), plov (pilau rice), shurpa (stew) and laghman (noodles) – all generally that includes extra fats than guests could also be used to. However there are nearly all the time some vegetarian choices, together with loads of Russian-influenced salads, so don’t be afraid to ask for a meat-free meal.

For meals on the hoof, Uzbekistan’s bazaars are good locations to fill up on dried fruits and nuts, contemporary fruit (Uzbek melons and peaches are legendary), spicy Korean salads, jars of mountain honey and freshly cooked non (naan) bread.

13. Uzbekistan is usually secure

Uzbekistan is usually a really secure nation for vacationers. Regardless of sharing a border with Afghanistan, there’s little spiritual extremism and crime towards foreigners is uncommon. As in large cities wherever, be careful for pickpockets on crowded metropolis buses and bazaars in hubs resembling Tashkent; vacationer police frequent the extra well-liked vacationer sights.

14. Girls vacationers face few issues

Uzbekistan is a Muslim nation, however persons are very relaxed. There aren’t many issues to fret about relating to clothes, and girls vacationers could have few issues touring solo right here. Brief skirts, tank tops and yoga pants are greatest prevented, and you could wish to cowl your legs and arms when visiting the conservative Fergana Valley. Convey a headband to cowl your hair when coming into energetic mosques.

15. Well being Points

The commonest complaints amongst guests are warmth exhaustion in summer season and the occasional dodgy tummy after consuming an excessive amount of oily plov or shashlik. Wash your fingers, keep away from the faucet water, and wash all fruit and salads earlier than consuming and you need to be high-quality.

16. Get extra from the sights

We now have a few bonus ideas. You should definitely return to the exteriors of the primary architectural sights in Samarkand at evening, as most are spectacularly lit up. Additionally, when planning your itinerary, keep away from visiting Tashkent on a Monday, when many of the museums are closed.