Travel to CIS countries

Travel to Uzbekistan    

Uzbekistan has borders with Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan. It is doubly landlocked, but includes the southern shoreline of the Aral Sea.

Regions

• Qaraqalpakistan, a semi-autonomous republic that is home to Nukus and what is left of the Aral Sea.

• Fergana Valley, a south east part of Uzbekistan. There are three regions in this part: Namangan (region), Andijan (region), Ferghana (region).

• Khorezm, north region of Uzbekistan. Capital - Urgench. Khiva is located in this region.

• Surkhandarya - south part of Uzbekistan. Capital Termiz.

 

• Qashkadarya - north of Surkhandarya. Capital - Shakhrizabz.

• Navoi - middle of Uzbekistam desert part. Capital - Zarafshan.

• Bukhara (region) - capital of region is Bokhara city.

• Samarkand (region) - capital is Samarkand city.

• Jizzah (region) - capital is Jizzah.

• Sirdarya - capital is Gulistan.

• Tashkent (region) - around capital city Tashkent.

 Cities

• Tashkent (capital)
• Samarkand
• Bukhara (Bukhora, Buxoro)
• Namangan
• Andijan
• Ferghana (Fergana, Fargona)
• Khiva, site of the Itchan Kala
• Termiz
• Nukus
• Moynoq

Several of these were once great trading cities on the Silk Road.

 Other destinations

Aral Sea

 Get in

Visas are required for everyone apart from CIS countries. A 'Letter of Invitation' (LOI) is no longer required by citizens of some western countries (but not British or Dutch citizens). The Uzbek government is making the visa process more difficult and do not seem to be welcoming people from non CIS countries. A LOI can be obtained from travel companies when a hotel booking is made. Talk to your local travel agent in your own country. The LOI will typically cost 30-40 USD for a short stay.

 By plane

Tashkent airport itself is reasonably modern and has various international carriers operating as well as the national Uzbekistan Airways Though the airport infrastructure is good, the staff is not. Expect pointless bureaucracy and an unhelpful attitude from most of them. Baggage claim and customs procedures can be time-consuming - allow two hours.

By train

Usable passenger services only exist to Kazakhstan and via Kazakhstan to Russia and Ukraine. This include the following trains:

• Tashkent - Moscow (3 times weekly)
• Tashkent - Ufa (3 times weekly)
• Tashkent - Celjabinsk (once weekly)
• Tashkent - Kharkov (once weekly)
• Tashkent - Saratov (every 4 days)
• Nukus - Tashkent - Almaty (once weekly)

There are also railway lines linking Uzbekistan to Turkmenistan and Tajikistan.

Domestic services: The main line Tashkent - Samarkand - Bukhara is served by two express trains named "Registon" and "Sharq": The "Registon" brings you from Tashkent in less than 4 hours to Samarkand and the "Sharq" makes the 600-km-journey Tashkent - Bukhara (with intermediate stop in Samarkand) in about 7,5 hours. A daily overnight train from Tashkent to Bukhara offers the possibility to travel during the night and win one day. Comfortable sleeping cars allow a good sleep. Overnight trains also run from Tashkent and Samarkand to Urgench (3 times weekly) and to Nukus - Kungrad (2 times weekly), so it's also possible to travel to Khiva (30 kilometers from Urgench, taxi/bus available) or to the Aral lake (Moynaq, 70 km from Kungrad) by train.

 By car

There are road routes from surrounding countries but the borders may not be open and there have been security problems. There is a risk from land mines in some border areas.

By bus

When land borders are open, buses run to all neigbouring countries. It should be noted, however, that in Uzbekistan bus travel is only for the truly adventurous and not for anyone in a hurry. Except for special tours, buses are old, decrepit, crowded, painfully slow and prone to frequent breakdowns. If you do travel any distance on a bus in Uzbekistan, take toilet paper with you and be careful what you eat at stops along the way.

 By boat

Apart from the southern section of the inland Aral sea, Uzbekistan is land-locked. In fact, it's one of only two doubly landlocked countries in the world.

You can travel by private taxi, minibus, or normal bus. While there are official taxis, most cars will become taxis if you wave them down. Meters are rare, so negotiate the price beforehand.