Uzbekistan - Hiking and cultural highlights at the Heart of the Great Silk Road

Uzbekistan will capture your breath with its main attractions, the icons of the Silk Road in Samarkand, Bukhara and Khiva: mosques, minarets, mausoleum and madrassah, but also the colourful bazaars will fascinate you.  Besides the ancient monuments, you will discover masters of crafts like pottery and the intricate needlework of suzanis, beautifully embroidered decorative tribal textiles. Deserts, camels, spices, caravans, marketplaces, traders and more are waiting for you in Uzbekistan. Uzbekistan is a rich, warm and dynamic country, conjuring up images of the magic of the silk road and one-thousand and one nights. Bukhara, Samarkand and Khiva have once been centers of the Great Silk Road and you will find its well-preserved reminders everywhere.

About Uzbekistan:

Geography & Landscape

Uzbekistan is a landlocked country in Central Asia, which in turn is surrounded by landlocked states exclusively. Its neighbouring states are Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan and Turkmenistan.
Uzbekistan covers an area of 447,000 km² and is dominated by the two large Central Asian deserts, Kyzyl Kum ("Red Desert") and Kara Kum ("Black Desert"). Due to intensive irrigation, large areas of land were made fertile in Soviet times. Today, Uzbekistan is still well-known for its large cotton plantations. But lush fields full of vegetables and fruit trees characterise the landscape just as much - these fields have supplanted former desert areas.
Uzbekistan‘s intensive agriculture based on artificial irrigation is only possible thanks to the large Central Asian rivers Amu Darja ("Oxus") and Syr Darjy ("Jaxarxes") as well as a host of smaller rivers such as the Serafshan. They all drain the remote mountain ranges of the Tien-Shan in Kyrgyzstan and the High Pamir in Tajikistan.
However, the intensive agriculture takes its toll: In the past 40 years, almost the entire tributary system of the Aral Sea (Am Darja and Syr Darja) was diverted for agricultural purposes and the lake, which has meanwhile divided into 2 small lakes, lost about 85% of its original surface area of once 66,000 km².
The fertile Ferghana Valley as well as the western foothills of the Tian Shan Mountains, comprising the famous Chimgan Massif, are located in the east of the country. Uzbekistan‘s highest peak is Hazrat Sulton (4643 m). It is part of the Hissar Mountains on the border to Tajikistan. Smaller mountains can be found in the interior, such as the interesting Nurata Mountains.
Uzbekistan is an important nation along the historic Silk Road and has always been a multi- ethnic state. At present, the population of Uzbekistan is made up of approx. 32 million inhabitants and consists of 70 % of Uzbeks and the main minorities of Russians, Kirghiz, Tajiks, Karakalpaks, Kazakhs and other minorities which were settled there – some of them during Soviet times.

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Climate & best travel weather

Uzbekistan’s climate is best described as continental. Depending on where you are, you will find hot desert climates, moderate steppe climate or continental humid climate. The winters bring changeable weather and are very cold, the summers are very hot and dry. In the mountain regions, however, a little more precipitation can be expected in summer. In summer, temperatures can climb to 40°C and more, in the desert even to 45°C and more. Above 2000 m, the average temperature in summer is a pleasant 20°C. In winter, the temperatures in the mountains are frosty and average – 6°C.

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Health & Vaccinations

Vaccinations are not required for entry into Uzbekistan.
As with most long-distance trips, vaccinations against tetanus, diphtheria, typhoid fever, polio and hepatitis A and B are recommended. There is a very low malaria risk in the border regions. Malaria can best be countered with mosquito repellent and bringing malaria prophylaxis along. Officially, Uzbekistan is malaria-free.
Your first-aid kit should contain diarrhoea treatment, antibiotics, insect repellent, sunscreen and dressing materials.
Please note that medical care in Uzbekistan does not meet western standards and please take this into account when taking out insurance cover for your trip.
Please consult your doctor in any case.

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Drinking water

Drink only boiled/filtered/disinfected water (or mineral water). Never drink water from the tap without first disinfecting (e.g. Micropur) or filtering (e.g. Katadyn) it. Brushing teeth with untreated water is usually not a problem. If you should decide to buy mineral water, make sure that the cap is intact.
On the trekking tour, we recommend treating the water with a disinfectant or filtering it. Boiled water (tea, soups) is usually fine.
In order to counteract the increasing plastic problem, we ask our customers to refrain from buying mineral water in plastic bottles and instead to disinfect or filter regular brook or well water... Thank you for your contribution!

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Language

The main and at the same time official language in Uzbekistan is Uzbek, which belongs to the Turkic language family. Both the Latin and Cyrillic alphabet are used side by side. Russian and English are wide-spread second languages.

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Time difference

The time difference between Uzbekistan time and CET is + 3h.

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Currency & Money

The official currency in Uzbekistan is the sum (UZS), the current exchange rate being EUR 1,- = approx. UZS 10.500,- resp. CHF 1,- = approx. UZS 9820 (as of February 2020). Since credit cards or traveller’s cheques are only rarely accepted and withdrawing money from ATMs using Maestro or ATM cards takes a long time and is difficult, we recommend carrying your spending money in cash. Both euro and US dollars are equally accepted, sometimes even as cash payment instead of the Uzbek som (e.g. when buying souvenirs on the roadside).
Money can be exchanged at the official rate published by the government in every hotel. Your local guide can also help. Since the Uzbek som is issued in relatively small denominations only - the biggest denomination being UZS 50.000,- (as of 2019) – we recommend exchanging smaller amounts at regular intervals.
Euro or US dollar notes should be as new as possible, without any tears, folds or markings. US dollar notes should not be issued earlier than 2007.

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Tipping

Our local staff are paid fair wages typical for the country. However, the teams are always happy to get additional recognition of their performance, which is usually reflected in tips. It is best to pool the tips for the staff and distribute the money at the end of the trekking tour. Gratuity should ideally be paid in local currency but can also be paid in US dollars or euros (please give only notes, no coins).

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Visa and immigration to Uzbekistan

EU passport holders do not currently need a visa for Uzbekistan for stays of up to 30 days. The same applies for citizens of the UK, Switzerland, Iceland and Norway. Please contact the relevant embassy or consulate for other nationalities. For more information please visit https://mfa.uz/en/consular/visa/.

Your passport needs to be valid for another 6 months at the end of your stay and should have at least 2 blank pages for each country you visit. It should be in good condition (to tears or marks).  

Visa requirements and charges can change without notice. It is your responsibility to make sure you have the correct travel documents and visas for your holiday. Please check the relevant embassy or consulate or Department for Immigration of your destination country. (Information as of February 2020)

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