Uzbekistan is a landlocked country with many tourist attractions within it, which was untouched from decades and now opened up for the tourist to visit the beautiful cities of the country. However, you will need to follow Uzbekistan Travel Advice before planning your Uzbekistan Tour.
First of all, let’s know How Safe Is Uzbekistan?
Uzbekistan was listed 20 among the safest countries, as it has one of the lowest crime rates, so do not worry about your safety, including women.
The people in Uzbekistan are super hospitable and love to receive foreigners in their culture.
Uzbekistan has active tourist police who are tourist friendly to man hotspot around the country. You can travel both in big cities and rural areas without any fear and be safe.
The main operation of tourist police department is to monitor the tourism safety in the country, inform guests about potential threats in real time, and help tourists in protecting their rights and interests.
However, it is advisable to keep your wallet in your front pocket or carry a money belt. It’s good to travel with a slash resistant and lockable anti theft bag. We recommend getting good travel insurance and follow Uzbekistan Travel Advisory.
Uzbekistan is a country which records more sunny temperature and has continental climatic conditions.
The north part of the country is cold and the south is warm. The humidity level is low in the country. The temperature in the time of December averages between -8 degree Celsius in the north and 0 degree Celsius in the south. However, during the summer climate the temperature can go upto 35 degree Celsius. Uzbekistan was affected by Global warming and the Aral Sea was dried recently. This was reason for snow cold winters to turn mild.
Eastern cities:
In the Eastern cities, the average temperature ranges from 2.5degree Celsius in January to 27.5 degree Celsius in July.
Southern Cities:
The southern part of the country has flat area. The climatic condition is slightly milder in winter and hotter in summer. The rainfall is very less in southern cities. The average temperature ranges from 3.5 degree Celsius in January to 29 degree Celsius in July. It may also go about 38 degrees Celsius.
North-western and central:
These parts of the country have dessert and semi-dessert area. The climatic conditions are very cold winters and average below freezing and hot summers. The temperature is -30 degree Celsius during winter and 50 degree Celsius during summer.
The best time to travel Uzbekistan is between spring and autumn; this will help you to avoid the climate extremes in the country as per Uzbekistan Travel Tips.
Travel Insurance For Uzbekistan:
Uzbekistan is a historic place with beautiful architectural sites. The country attracts many tourists with its Aral Sea, eco-tour opportunities and Nuratau Mountains. Uzbekistan is a police governed state, yet the hospitality of the Uzbek people is commendable.
However, your safety is important while you are in a foreign country. The journey may have any unexpected threats or hazardous. Hence, you will require a travel insurance while in any foreign country not only Uzbekistan.
The main reasons to buy Travel insurance is:
Medical Expenses are covered
Medical evacuation
Support for loss of baggage and passport
Cashless treatment during medical emergency
Accidental disbursement
Legal liabilities are covered
Trip delays are also covered
The travel insurances are planned in specific way to address the convenience of every individual as per Uzbekistan Travel Advice & Safety.
No vaccinations are required prior to entering Uzbekistan. If you need to bring medicine, you must review the requirements and restrictions for importing pharmaceuticals for personal use, and learn the customs requirements concerning your specific medications.
Doctors recommend all travellers are current with immunisations against hepatitis A, typhoid and tetanus, and some travellers should consider hepatitis B and rabies as per Uzbekistan Health Tips.
Uzbekistan requires HIV testing for foreigners staying more than three months. Foreign tests are accepted under certain conditions, but make sure you check with the Uzbekistan embassy before travelling.
Uzbekistan also has many medications prohibited or limited. Generally, the restricted medications consist of sedative, tranquilizing, and pain relieving drugs. If you intend to bring medications to Uzbekistan which is limited circulation in Uzbekistan, you must declare them on arrival and departure from Uzbekistan in customs declaration from and bring the doctor prescription in your native language.
Not declaring the medications containing narcotic and psychotropic substances or absence of doctor’s prescription may be subject to criminal charges.
Uzbekistan is a beautiful country with its mind-blowing culture and heritage. It is an untouched place for generations but now people are very much eager to visit Uzbekistan for its beautiful landscapes, monuments and mausoleums.
Uzbekistan is a place where you can complete a comfortable and satisfactory trip within affordable budget. The currency of Uzbekistan is SOM and $1 USD equals 9519.55 Uzbek SOM as of now.
Firstly, you will need to decide how many days are you travelling for and stay in Uzbekistan.
Next, decide your itinerary. Choose your starting point and ending point.
Prepare a budget for planned days, let us say your budget is $500.00.
Choose your Uzbekistan accommodation according to your budget; it can be a comfortable 4 star hotel or Budget 3 star hotel.
The Uzbekistan transportation can be shared taxi, buses, trains or pre booked cabs according to your budget again.
You will also need to spend of food and drinks. However, Uzbekistan food is not that costly as you can have a stomach full at the amount of $150.00 for 2 weeks.
There are few other expenses which occur for visiting mosques, shrines, metro tickets, subways etc…
Make sure to spend more carefully on transportation costs. You can take taxi to save time and if you have patience to wait and want to save money, then you can wait for a bus.
If you are a backpacker, you can stay in hostels and sleep in dorms. But, if you are travelling with family or as a couple, then you will definitely need a star hotel or resorts to stay in.
Uzbekistan is good for roaming around. You can visit mosques, shrines, monuments.
Uzbek is also offers a variety of local cuisines which you must and should taste. The best of food you shouldn’t miss is Uzbek Plov, which cost between 4,500 SOMs to 9,000 SOMs, which is $2.25 to $4.50, but it will be worth it!
Entering to Uzbekistan is easy as long as your papers are in order. Uzbek Visas are relatively easy to obtain and most of the nationalists no longer require a letter of invitation.
As per the new Uzbekistan Visa policy, many nationalities get free access to Uzbekistan without a Visa, this attracts many new travellers and makes country an attractive destination.
You can also easily apply for E-Visa online and make sure to follow these details before you book.
Passport – Every applicant needs to have passport and should have validity of at least 6 months from the date of arrival to Uzbekistan.
Digital Scan of your passport
Digital Passport photo
Email address
Visa Extensions:
Extensions are not given to tourist visa holders. However, you can visit nearby Kazakhstan or Kyrgyzstan to buy a new visa. Business visas are easier to extend as per Uzbekistan Travel Guide.
The country and People:
Uzbekistan is located between 2 rivers which it is called as heart of Central Asia. It has more than thousands of years history hidden within it. It is also called the mother of civilization. Uzbek was once the part of Persian Empire; it was conquered by Alexander the Great in fourth century. Later the Arab forces completely dominated the area and converted the Turkic tribes into Islam. The Ghejnis Khan and Mongols took over the region from Turks.
According to archaeologist, Uzbekistan is one of the most ancient places of Human habitation. With the development of humanity images, the rock painting began to appear. During the same time, they started domestication of Animals, religious ideas, weapons and many more… these were embedded by the Uzbek ancestors on the rock.
Since gaining independence, Uzbekistan took a course to build the democratic state with market economy. The republic had the opportunity to independently conduct the foreign economic activity.
Now, Uzbekistan is a member of Organisation for Economic Cooperation.
Uzbek Culture and Tradition:
The culture of Uzbekistan is vibrant and unique. The customs and traditions of the Uzbek people have been forming for centuries. The ancient Persians, Greeks, Arabs, Chinese, Russians and Nomadic Turkic tribes have all contributed to Uzbek culture.
Over centuries the traditions and customs of uzbek people remained almost unchanged despite the desire of many invaders to impose alien culture on.
The traditions reflecting the multinational nature of Uzbekistan is omnipresent in its music, dance, painting, applied arts, language, cuisine, and clothing. Each region of Uzbekistan has its own unique shades as well, which are most clearly manifested in national dress and local dialects.
The festivals of Uzbekistan give whole palette of the culture in a single place. The festivals attract creative souls from all the regions of the country and here you can see Uzbek dances, music, applied arts etc...
Art: The art in Uzbek reflects the distinctive history of the country on canvases of its masters. The wall paintings are the best example of Pre-Mongol art in the region.
Literature: The literature of Uzbekistan originates from oral traditions and folklore-legends, epics and fairy tales. In the middle ages poets and writers whose names are known to every inhabitant of the country appeared in Uzbekistan. The literary heritage of Uzbekistan from that era is full of poetry and most works explore the themes of love, happiness, and wisdom.
Music and Dance: The music of Uzbekistan has close relation to folklore and Uzbek poetry, is a unique manifestation of the ancient culture of the Uzbek people. Shashmak, a special genre of music in Uzbekistan was included by UNESCO in the list of masterpieces of oral and intangible cultural heritage of mankind. Uzbek dances are the personification of the beauty of the Uzbek people and culture in Uzbekistan.
Uzbekistan Food:
Uzbekistan Food and Culinary of Uzbekistan is honoured by people all over the world because of its different savoury and taste cuisine in central Asia. The Uzbek foods are most of the time heavy and fatty, still healthy.
Most of the Uzbekistan foods have an old history and process of preparing the food is accompanied with various rituals. The National Uzbekistan food is completely separate from the Culture of Uzbek food.
Uzbekistan has the fertile valleys where they raised vegetables, fruits and cereals; they also bred cattle for meat which can be seen in most of Uzbek dishes.
Uzbekistan food has taken some culinary traditions of Turkic, Kazakh, Uigur, Tajik, Tatar, Mongolian and other neighbouring nations, settled on the territory of central Asia.
The main dishes taken from other nations include; roast Kebab, Bogursak, Matni, Lagman and many more. However, most of the other countries serve Uzbek food such as; Plov, Dimlama, Buglama, Shurpa, Mastava and many other cuisines in their table.
Uzbekistan Drink:
The national drink of Uzbekistan is Tea, especially Green Tea. Due the Russian domination over centuries, Vodka is also popular here.
Tea is normally served normally everywhere including; home, office, cafes, tiny stores too. The Uzbeks prefer to drink black tea in winter and green tea in summer.
The main thing to notice while drinking in Uzbekistan is; the host will always attempt not to fill your cup, if the cup is filled, it may mean that you need to leave soon.
While serving, the left hand is considered impure. Make sure to take and give the tea in right hand only.
We at Euoroasia travels make sure you get and see the best of Uzbekistan Travel Advice and consider your safety as our first priority. Plan your next tour with us to experience and enjoy the best of Uzbekistan.
Start planning your tailor-made holiday by contacting one of our Uzbekistan specialists.
Start planning your tailor-made tour to Uzbekistan with one of our hand-picked local Travel Expert .
There is nothing as per law in Uzbek that a woman must wear, so you can bring your clothes that you love to wear. However, the country has its own culture and we believe you won’t like to offend it. So, we recommend packing some light shirts, t-shirts, jeans and long-sleeved dresses covering knees. You need to wear a scarf or something that covers your head while entering a mosque. You can pack some swim-dress to wear near your pool at your hotel.
Well, it’s really up to you. Bring as much as you want to spend in Uzbekistan. The country is not much expensive but most for paying most of the things you will need cash. Cards are not much accepted here. You can exchange your money at the airport or in any hotel or banks of Uzbekistan (both in private & govt. bank). Keep in mind that you need to pay tips in restaurants and to porters (not mandatory, but expected as it’s almost a custom to tip).
No, drinking tap water isn’t considered safe in Uzbekistan. We highly recommend using bottled water while you are in Uzbekistan. Also, make sure to eat clean and well-cooked food. If you are visiting Uzbek inn hot time make sure to keep big water bottles as you will feel thirsty due to the hot climate especially in the day time.
Well, the answer is No. Uzbekistan is not only a magical country with a rich history and spectacular natural beauty but also a very friendly country to visit. If you are afraid of if it is safe, then let us tell you even the country is safe for solo woman travelers. Uzbek people are warm and friendly. They will easily welcome you as their guest. Choose a reliable tour operator and explore the best of the country without any fear.
Of course, you can avail alcohol in Uzbekistan. It is kind of part of their life. Alcohol is taken by many Uzbek people especially, the Russians. Soviet people introduced Vodka and other alcoholic drinks that are now a part of their life. However, some very strict Muslims don’t prefer drinking. However, it is allowed and legal in the country.
Uzbekistan is famous for its ancient cities like Samarkand, Bukhara, Khiva, Shakhrisabz, Termez, and Tashkent that are explained in many historical stories. These places have some stunning old Islamic architecture buildings that make it famous. As well, the natural beauty, mountains, and rich history of the country usually fascinate its travelers.
Uzbek people eat many types of food in their daily life. The dishes of Uzbekistan are delicious. Mostly they eat and drink soups, meat dishes, floury dishes, bread, milk, and oriental sweets. They share their culinary style mostly with Turkic people. Mostly they have a whole meal in one pot. You can try some local cuisine during your visit to Uzbekistan like; Plov, Shashlik, Lagman Soup, Shurpa, Dimlama, Chuchvara, Samsa, and more.
While visiting to Uzbek you are recommended to have the following vaccination-
Hepatitis A
Hepatitis B
Typhoid
Rabies
Meningitis
Polio
Measles
Mumps
Rubella
The country is best to visit at any time except the summer season (July & August). During these 2 months, the country is at its highest temperature that goes up to 40-degree Celsius. However, spring and autumn are a great time to visit Uzbek i.e. from April to May and September to early November. During this period the country remains dry with a clear sky and cool temp.
The tropical climate of the country is great for malaria mosquitoes; hence once malaria was the worst health threat in Uzbekistan. To protect people from falling ill in malaria the govt. of Uzbek has taken various steps and in 2010 the country became malaria-free. Now it has won the WHO certificate as a malaria-free country. Hence, you can stay stress-free about malaria.
In July 2018, Uzbekistan started an E-visa facility and there are 76 nationalists can apply for a visa online. You can go to the official E-visa site, and apply for your e-visa by filling a form online. The total cost is 20USD. It takes 2 to 3 working days for processing your visa and then you can get a confirmation in your mail. The payment you can do only in the working hours. If you are not from a country where you can go for e-visa, then you can go with the traditional way. You can book it from the embassy.
There are 21 countries that enjoy visa free entry to Uzbekistan. Here is the cost for Uzbekistan-
Cost for 30-days single-entry or multiple-entry visa- US$60 to US$100 for most nationalities
Cost for 30-days single-entry or multiple-entry visa - $160 for US nationalities
Additional entry cost- $10Per entry