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Uzbekistan

From Wikitravel

Contents

• Regions
• Cities
• Other destinations
• Understand
• [+] Get in
  • By plane
  • By train
  • By car
  • By bus
  • By boat
• Talk
• Eat
• Drink
• Sleep
• Learn
• Stay Safe
• Stay healthy
• Respect
• Contact
• Get out

Uzbekistan [1] has borders with Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan. It is doubly landlocked, but includes the southern shoreline of the Aral Sea.

[edit] Regions

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

[edit] Cities

Tashkent (capital)
Samarkand
Bokhara or Buxoro
Namangan
Andijan
Ferghana
Khiva, site of the Itchan Kala

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

[edit] Other destinations

[edit] Understand

[edit] 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. 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.

[edit] By plane

Tashkent airport itself is reasonably modern and has various international carriers operating as well as the national Uzbekistan Airways [2]. 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.

[edit] 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.

[edit] 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.

[edit] 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.

[edit] 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.

[edit] Talk

The majority of citizens are ethnic Uzbeks and most speak Uzbek as their first language, although many also speak Russian. There are also significant numbers of ethnic Tajiks and Kazakhs in Uzbekistan, primarily speaking their native tongue as a first language. In Samarkand and Bukhara, for instance, one is just as likely to hear Tajik being spoken as Uzbek. Russian is widely spoken especially in the cities. In Tashkent the majority of the population speak Russian and one is just as likely to hear it being spoken on the street as Uzbek.

In the semi-autonomous region of Karalkalpakstan in western Uzbekistan, the ethnic Karalkalpaks speak their own language, which is related to Kazakh. Many Karalkalpaks also speak Russian.

[edit] Eat

Osh (Plov) is the national dish. It's made of rice, carrots, onions, and mutton, and yes, you will eat it if you go to Uzbekistan. Other foods include chuchvara- similar to ravioli and stuffed with mutton and onions, manti-lamb and onion filled which are dumplings, somsas, which are pastry pockets filled with beef or greens, and lagman-vegetable, lamb and pasta soup.

[edit] Drink

There are two national drinks of Uzbekistan: tea and vodka (learned from more than a century of Russian domination of the land). Tea is served virtually everywhere: home, office, cafes, etc. If tea is served in the traditional manner, the server will pour tea into a cup from the teapot and then pour the tea back into the teapot. This action is repeated three times. Especially if you are being served tea in an Uzbek home, the host will attempt at all times to make sure your cup is never empty. If the host fails to refill your cup, it probably means it is time for you to leave. A mind-numbing variety of brands of vodka are available almost everywhere. Although Uzbekistan is predominately Muslim, for the most part the Islam practiced there tends to be more cultural than religious. Vodka ranges from cheap to very cheap, although the quality is questionable. Russian vodka is available in a few shops.

Visitors should consider tap water to be unsafe to drink, with bottled water advisable.

[edit] Sleep

[edit] Learn

[edit] Stay Safe

For the most part, Uzbekistan is generally safe for visitors, perhaps the by-product of a police state. However, as this was written in the spring of 2006, there are many anecdotal (and a significant number of documented) reports of at least some increase in street crime, especially in the larger towns, particularly Tashkent. This includes an increase in violent crime. Information on crime is largely available only through word of mouth - both among locals and through the expat community - as the state-controlled press rarely, if ever, reports street crime. As economic conditions in Uzbekistan continue to deteriorate, street crime is increasing.

Normal precautions should be taken, as one would in virtually any country. Especially in the cities (few travelers will spend much time, such as overnighting, in the small villages), be careful after dark, avoid unlighted areas, and don't walk alone. Even during the day, refrain from openly showing significant amounts of cash. Men should keep wallets in a front pocket and women should keep purses in front of them with a strap around an arm. Avoid wearing flashy or generally valuable jewelry which can easily be snatched.

Aside from violent crime, scams are not unheard of. One of the most common (and one that is not limited to Uzbekistan) involves a stranger coming up to the victim and saying they have found cash lying on the street. They then try and enlist you in a complicated scheme that will result in you "splitting" the cash - of course only after you have put up some of your own. The entire scenario is ludicrous, but apparently enough greedy foreigners fall for it that it continues. If someone comes up to you with the "found cash" routine, tell them in no uncertain terms you are not interested (in whatever language you choose) and keep walking away.

Also beware of locals you don't know who offer to show you the "night life." This should be completely avoided as common sense would suggest. Some visitors, however, seem to leave their common sense at home.

While all of these precautions should be observed during travel virtually anywhere in the world, for some reason many tourists in Uzbekistan seem to lower their guard. They should not.

It is also possible that you will be asked by police (Militsiya) for documents. This doesn't happen often, but it does happen, and they have a legal right to do so. By law, while in Uzbekistan, you should carry your passport and visa with you. In practice, it is better to make a color scan of the first two pages of your passport and your Uzbek visa, before you arrive in Uzbekistan. Carry the scans with you when you're walking around, and keep the original documents in your hotel safe. The scanned documents will almost always suffice. If not, make it clear the Militsiya officer will have to come to your hotel to see the originals. Unless they have something out of the norm in mind (such as a bribe) they will almost always give you a big smile and tell you to go along. Always be polite with the Militsiya, but also be firm. While almost all of them take bribes, they mostly take them from locals. For the most part, they understand that going too far with a foreigner will only cause them problems, especially if the foreigner is neither being abusive nor quaking with fear.

One note about locals offering to show you around: It isn't uncommon for younger Uzbeks (usually male) who speak English to try and "meet" foreigners at local hotels and offer to serve as interpretors and guides. This is done in daylight and in the open, often in or near some of the smaller but better hotels. This can be rewarding for both the local and the visitor. The local is usually trying to improve their English (occasionally other languages, but usually English) and make a few dollars/euros. If you are approached by a clean-cut person offering such services, and you are interested, question them about their background, what they are proposing to do for you and how much they want to charge you (anywhere between $10-$25 a day is realistic depending on their services and how long they spend with you). Most of the legitimate offers will be from young people who have studied in the West on exchange programs and/or studied at the University of World Diplomacy and/or Languages in Tashkent. If everything seems to fit, their language skills are good and they seem eager and polite, but not pushy, you may want to consider this. They should offer to show you museums, historical sites, cafes, bazaars, cultural advice, generally how to get around, etc. They should ask you what you want to see and/or do. Often this works out well. However, for your and their protection, do not attempt to engage in political discussions of any type.

Again, if they are proposing "night life" (or related) services, do NOT take them up on their offers.

Due to sliding relationships between the USA and Uzbekistan over the past years the US State Department has strongly discouraged travel to Uzbekistan by American citizens.

[edit] Stay healthy

[edit] Respect

In Uzbekistan, and in Central Asia in general, elderly people are greatly respected. They are known by the name aksakal, which means 'white beard'. Always treat the elderly with great respect and defer to them in all situations.

[edit] Contact

[edit] Get out