Mention the country Uzbekistan and more often than not, one gets a mixed reaction. What is there to see? Why go there? Where is that? These were the most common responses I received when people heard that I was going to Uzbekistan. Ask me my opinions on Uzbekistan 5 years ago and I would probably ask the first two questions as well.
As one of the -Stans (i.e. Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, etc), people normally associate it with vast cotton fields, cold, impersonal Soviet architecture and perhaps tall, blonde receptionists all seemingly named Svetlana. In more recent times, Borat came into the picture to portray what is a backward and inaccurate depiction of the -Stans (notably Kazakhstan). Nevertheless, it did put this rarely explored region in the limelight.
What separates Uzbekistan from the other -Stans however, is that Soviet-era drawn boundaries (which are still in effect today) gifted this country with at least three legendary cities. Cities like Samarkand, Bukhara and Khiva all evoke thoughts of epic imperial conquests, romantic escapades and most importantly – the silk road. As the link between China and Europe, these cities were important urban centers in their own right a few centuries ago, and traces of this can still be found today.
Getting There
Uzbekistan is not as remote as I thought. There are regular flights between its capital, Tashkent, and some major East/Southeast Asian cities like Beijing, Tokyo, Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur. In our case, we flew via Kuala Lumpur where there are convenient connections to Manila and Singapore. It was a 7-hour flight via Uzbekistan Airways in an Airbus A310 (yes, an A310 and not an A320). The flight was not so memorable – the space was a bit cramped and we only had 1 meal service despite the long flight duration. However, I was treated with some clear views of Afghanistan’s snow-capped mountains from the plane. It’s probably the closest I’ll ever get to that war-torn country.
Visa Matters
Uzbekistan requires a visa for all nationalities except for former Soviet countries. Before the visa can be issued, a letter of invitation (LOI) needs to be presented, however. Travel agents based in Uzbekistan can issue this for a small fee. With the letter of invitation, visitors can then apply at the nearest Uzbekistan embassy or in the case where there is no embassy, the visa can be acquired at the airport in Tashkent.
In our case, we were 10 in a group and got a group visa. This meant that a single visa costing $160 was issued for the 10 of us, and was stamped on to the invitation letter instead of the passport upon arrival at the airport in Tashkent. This was more cost effective, our visa fee per person came in at just $16. Sweet.
Arriving in Uzbekistan
As the capital of Uzbekistan, those arriving by air most probably have little choice but to arrive via Tashkent Airport. Soviet countries are notorious for bureacracy – and although Georgia shattered that perception for me, the arrival procedure in Uzbekistan had a bit more red tape.
First, visitors had to fill out a long customs declaration form where everything from cash (down to the last cent) had to be declared as well as cameras, cellphones, jewelry and other valuables. Then, this will have to be presented and declared at the customs booth at the airport, causing the queue to be unnecessarily long.
In Tashkent
For someone who had just been mildly traumatized by the bureaucratic arrival procedures at the airport, I found Tashkent to be a surprisingly pleasant city with wide avenues, lots of open and green spaces as well as notable European-looking buildings. Although it’s an old city, many of the buildings in Tashkent were built during the Soviet era due to a massive earthquake in the 1960’s. This makes Tashkent a showpiece of the cold, impersonal architecture which the Soviet Union is known for. It is definitely much more Soviet looking than Tbilisi or even Moscow which nowadays pattern themselves after Europe.
Most people make Tashkent a quick pitstop on the way to the three great silk road cities but there are a few notable sights. This is a quick rundown:
statue of Tamerlane in amir timur square
The Amir Timur Square marks the center of town. Many of the major government buildings are nearby as well as some of the city’s poshest hotels.
tashkent’s main shopping drag… they call this street as broadway
There is also a shopping street filled with some well-known international brands. I was surprised to see even Chinese-brand Li Ning having a store there!
the amir timur museum in tashkent
Navoi Theater, just a few blocks from Amir Timur Square, offers some of the cheapest opera tickets. For $5 or less, one can watch a show. Doesn’t matter if the language can’t be understood. It’s a real bargain!
can’t get any more local than this!
steaming in the cauldrons… i wonder if that’s what I had for dinner
For local eats, one can have a first glimpse of local Uzbek food at a restaurant called National Food, located just off the old city area. They have the ubiquitous shashlyk (kebab), laghman (local noodles) and plov (pilaf rice and meat). For those adventurous enough, you can try their horse meat. I had a sample of it and it tasted like beef jerky, but with a much stronger smell.
I will be blogging about the highlight of my Uzbekistan trip next – the 3 great silk road cities. Watch out for it!
My Tips for Traveling to Uzbekistan
- Plan early. For Uzbekistan, you don’t just to the nearest Uzbek embassy and apply for a visa – a letter of invitation is necessary before they even look at your application. In Singapore, there is an Uzbek Embassy but there is none in Manila. For those living in the Philippines, your best bet is to get the visa at the airport. A letter of invitation is still necessary in this case and this needs to be presented at the visa section upon arriving at the airport in Uzbekistan, presumably in Tashkent (the largest city)
- Count your money to the last cent and declare it at customs upon arrival. In Uzbekistan this is necessary. You cannot leave Uzbekistan with more money than you brought in, otherwise the difference could be confiscated.
- A little Russian will come in handy. Although Uzbek is now the official language, Russian is still spoken by almost all. Very few people can speak English in Uzbekistan and this can be a real struggle. At least know the Russian words for some basic food items, ordering meals, getting accommodations, etc
- The best time to visit Uzbekistan is from September to October. This is autumn season and you’ll find an abundance of local fruits and vegetables. Uzbekistan is known for its melons / watermelons which ripen at around this time. The next best time to visit is from April to June. Avoid visiting during July and August unless you do not mind the sweltering heat.
- In Uzbekistan, you will need to register yourself when you move from city to city. This is done at the hotels / guesthouses where the staff does the registration on your behalf. Each hotel will issue a slip which you will need to keep for the duration of the trip.
- Avoid changing money at the official rate. The black market rate offers 30 – 40% better exchange rate and it is easy to find money changers hanging around bazaars or the major tourist sights.
- Do carry a bag with you instead of a wallet – you will need it as the largest banknote denomination is just 1000 Som, which is equivalent to USD 0.36 at current black market exchange rates. You’ll need to carry a wad of these bills to pay for meals, hotels and admission fees.
National Food
Milliy Taomlar
Gafur Gulom
Tashkent, Uzbekistan
This was such an interesting post. I love that first photo of the hotel too – reminds me of a Gursky pic.
There’s nothing like Soviet-era architecture!
At the international terminal, arrivals are on the ground floor, departures on the first. Second and third floor offices include various airlines (potential tickets—see list below), and a branch of Uzbek immigration (potential visa extensions). The international airport tax of USS10 is pre-paid in your ticket, but a recent ‘security tax’ of US$3 has to paid at check-in.
ok.found it..good info
Sad to say I’m the only Filipino here in Uzbekistan…. I’m married with my Uzbek wife….
Hi may i ask how did u get the letter of invitation? What did u do to have it? Since we dont have Uzbekistan emabassy in manila, Does this means that when I arrive to the airport il just need to find a travel company issuing that letter and just pay before going to the immigration counter just to have it ? So when i reach to the immigration counter inside il just present it and pay the visa fee Then they will directly issue the visa? Please correct me if im wrong im planning to visit this year,. It would be a big help.
Hi Sheena. No, you need to contact an Uzbekistan-based travel agent before you depart for Uzbekistan otherwise if you have nothing arranged they won’t let you in!
Hi! I’m really interested in visiting Uzbekistan. Saw in your post that there were 10 in your group when you applied for a visa. Are these 10 persons really your companions or did the agency just group random travelers into a group so you could get the group visa? Thanks! 🙂
Hi Sofia! Yes, this was a family trip so we were all together. To get a group visa, all members of the group need to arrive and depart together.
Thanks for replying 🙂 And one more question, how much is the average cost per person of your trip there? Did I understand correctly that you stayed there for 5 days?
I don’t remember the exact cost but the ground expenses (i.e. hotels, food, local transpo) is cheap. The main expense really is the airfare getting there. I stayed for a week.
thanks! 🙂
hi! i’m a Singaporean female and am considering to travel to Uzbekistan with another female friend for around 7-10 days – would you deem it safe enough for 2 girls to travel? Would also appreciate if you could advise the entire cost and airlines/useful info for this trip! thank you!
Hi Vick! Yes, Uzbekistan is safe for 2 girls to travel. As for the costs, it really depends on your travel style but I would say that aside from airfare, Uzbekistan is a very cheap place to travel around, at par or slightly cheaper than Thailand.
thanks for replying! how many days would you recommend?
Hi , I am from Philippine but working here in Moscow . I wanted to come to uzbikistan to meet my boyfriend in uzbikistan. We already 4 years relationship when he was here in Moscow . He ask me to follow him there in uzbikistan because he cannot come back here anymore in Russia some problem under his documents.He is in Samarkand uzbikistan I need some advise if I can go there. What can I do ? I love him very much and he also love me. Please help as soon as possible I want know how to go there. Thank you
Hi Bino, I’m planning a trip to Uzbek in May. And yes, I will need to apply the visa first. Do you know any contact of a Uzbekistan-based travel agent that you can recommend?
Hi there. I used visit-Uzbekistan.com!
I’ll try it out. Many thanks! 🙂
The bureaucratic malaise of information needed for visa application & the added difficulty of submitting to an embassy in a foreign country to where I live is almost enough to put me off going through the ordeal – but the outcome seems to warrant the effort! I want to travel with a couple of friends on an ad hoc agenda but the need to get a LoI and supply specific accommodation details, mean that independent travel modes and non-predetermined routes are not permitted. Is this so? If not – how do I secure the visa without going through a travel agency/tour group and pre-booking accommodation?