Uzbekistan is a sunny country rich in natural resources. An amazingly nice, generous and hospitable people live in this wonderful country. Since ancient times, Uzbekistan has been the crossroads of caravan routes, the link between different countries and peoples, the meeting point of languages, cultures and civilizations. Here were the routes of the Great Silk Road, which linked India, China, Iran, Iraq, the Middle East and the Mediterranean.
General information about Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan is an Islamic state in Central Asia. Neighboring countries are Kazakhstan in the west and north, Kyrgyzstan in the east, Tajikistan and Afghanistan in the south, and Turkmenistan in the south. In the west the country borders on the western Aral Sea and the Sarykamyschsee. It was established as the Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic, part of the Soviet Union, in October 1924 and gained independence in 1991.
Geography
Uzbekistan has an area of 448,900 km² and is located in the middle of Central Asia. Besides Liechtenstein, it is the only landlocked country in the world that is itself only surrounded by landlocked countries. The country consists largely of steppes and deserts with densely populated river valleys and oases. In the east it borders on the mountainous regions of the Tianshan and Pamir. The two most important tributaries of the Aral Sea and the largest rivers in Central Asia flow through Uzbekistan. However, both rivers are only part of their course in Uzbekistan. Other important rivers are the Surxondaryo (Surchundarya), a right tributary of the Amudarja, the Qashqadaryo (Kashkadarya), which reaches the oasis of Qarshi (Karshi), and the Zarafshon (Zerafshan), which the oases of Samarqand (Samarkand) and Buxoro ( Bukhara) and finally ends in the desert southwest of Bukhara. The largest lakes in the country, which are only partially located in Uzbekistan, are next to the Western Aral Sea, the Aibugir Sea, the Sarykamyshsee (Sariqamish koʻli), the Aidarkul and the artificial Talimardshan reservoir.
Population
Uzbekistan has about 34 million inhabitants. The population of Uzbekistan consists of over 100 peoples, of which, according to official data, 71% Uzbeks, 5.1% Russians, 5% Tajiks, 4.1% Karakalpaks, 3.2% Kazakhs, 2.7% Tatars, 2.5 % Koreans. The smaller minorities include Turkmen, Uyghurs, Volga Germans, Armenians and Azerbaijanis.
Information about your trip
Best Time to Travel: The best time to travel to Central Asia is April-May and September-October. This time is known as the tourist season. This season is excellent for people looking to tour the main cities in the country. During this time, the active and adventure tours in the mountains, desert and mountain settlements can be carried out. Summer is pretty hot, but it's worth it for hiking and trekking tours in Tian-shan and Pamir Mountains and the high season in Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. You can also visit the countries during the interesting festivals and celebrations. The dates of the festivals are fixed, but still alternating. You should ask the tour operator on site about this.
Getting there: The best way to get to Central Asia is by flight. The capitals of the countries are served by many international and national airlines. The state airline Uzbekistan Airways offers regular direct flights from London, Frankfurt am Main, Munich, Paris, Milan, Roma, Istanbul, Beijing, New York, Seoul, Tel Aviv to Tashkent. The airline also offers additional flights to numerous destinations in the CIS countries and to the various cities of Uzbekistan. With Turkish Airline, Aeroflot and Air Astana you can fly to Central Asia with a stopover.
Entry: Every foreigner traveling to Uzbekistan must be registered in Uzbekistan within 72 hours of entering. Usually you do not pay to register at the hotel. At international airports you can choose between green and red customs corridors. You need to fill out the customs declaration only if you have the amount of cash more than 2000 USD (or equivalent). At the land border crossings you have to fill out two forms of the customs declaration.
Visa: The visa-free regime applies to citizens from Germany, Austria, France, Switzerland, Great Britain, Italy, Spain, Israel, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, South Korea, Singapore, Turkey and other 50 countries. Citizens of these countries can enter Uzbekistan for 30 days without a visa. Citizens of 76 countries can get the electronic entry visa. Citizens of other countries need a letter of invitation (LOI) from a tour operator in Uzbekistan that is registered with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Climate: The climate of Uzbekistan is part of the temperate zone. Depending on the region, there is a humid continental climate, a temperate steppe climate or a temperate desert climate. The summers are usually hot and cloudless, the winters changeable and cold. The temperatures fluctuate strongly both year and time of day.
Medical information: No vaccinations are required to travel to Uzbekistan. If you are bringing medication there are many restrictions and requirements here. Some medicines can only be brought with you if you have the prescription certified by your doctor.
Accommodation: Tourism is a well-developed economic sector. There are more than 250 hotels in Uzbekistan. Many modern hotels have been built in Tashkent, Samarkand, Bukhara, Khiva and other major cities in recent years. We only suggest verified hotels. We will propose you accommodation in cozy inns, yurts or small 2-4 star hotels in the tourist cities. Most of the hotel rooms are equipped with air conditioning, telephone, satellite TV, shower, bath, etc.
During the day hikes you will be accommodated in the simple family houses. Most of the rooms are furnished with beds. Otherwise you will get sleeping mats from the host so that you should sleep on the carpet. During the trek you will spend the night in modern, very comfortable sleeping tents on foam mattresses. You should bring your own sleeping bag for trekking.
Cash / credit cards / ATMs: US dollars, euros, UK pounds, Swiss francs and Japanese yen can be exchanged for Uzbek sums in all banks. The torn, pierced, shabby, crumpled and damaged banknotes are not accepted anywhere except the headquarters of the National Bank of Uzbekistan for a 10% fee. Credit cards are not accepted everywhere in Uzbekistan. Payments in shops, restaurants and local transport are made in local currency. Most hotels accept Visa Card and Mastercard. There are ATMs in the banks and in 4-5 * hotels in the cities. You can withdraw cash from your credit card only in dollars or local currency. In the cities you will find official exchange offices in many places where you can exchange money.
What to Visit: Central Asia is on the hub of the Silk Road. The huge trade route connected China, Central Asia and Europe for many centuries and created beautiful cities along the caravan routes. Today's countries know how to surprise and are very rich in culture, tradition and history, so you can visit the magnificent East Islamic architectural monuments in the cities, take part in cultural events and experience arts and crafts. These countries also have a unique nature with high mountains, endless deserts and steppes, fertile oases where you can go trekking and hiking, safari.
Travel character: The classic cultural and study tours are intended for all travelers who are interested in foreign culture, art, architecture and history. The other travel programs are aimed primarily at active, open-minded travel enthusiasts who expect interesting insights into other cultures and an experience that is as authentic as possible from their tour. We have compiled and tested all trips from our vast experience. We offer you the option of booking group tours advertised as individual tours. Just talk to us about it. We would be happy to prepare a tailor-made travel offer for you.
Individual tours: We offer tailor-made individual tours in Uzbekistan, as well as in neighboring countries, which are particularly popular and highly rated among our customers. These tours are private tours and their price and itinerary can be adapted to your wishes and interests. You view the tours offered and book a suitable tour or let us create a new tour according to your wishes.
Group Tours: Group tours in Uzbekistan or neighboring countries can help you see sights not to be missed, such as Tashkent, Samarkand, Bukhara, Khiva and other cities. With our group tours you have the best tourist offers in Uzbekistan in quality and price. You can join a tour in a group of people who have the same interests on a fixed date for the trip. There are fixed travel dates for every tour. If you have a suitable vacation date for the specified date, you can do the tour in a group or we can form a group on your desired travel date and travel offer.
Number of participants: The individual tours can be carried out from 2 people. You can determine the number of participants for these tours yourself, but depending on the trip it can be up to a maximum of 12-20 people