One of only two doubly landlocked countries in the world, Uzbekistan is quite remote and off the beaten track for western travellers. Since early 2019 it has been visa free for many travellers with European, American, or Canadian passports so it is as easy to visit as nearby Kyrgyzstan or Kazakhstan. Even though it might conjure up ideas of a backwards Soviet republic, Uzbekistan is well worth the trip. It features an efficient and cheap national train system, as well as a multitude of classic silk road sights. The tourist industry is growing rapidly, so make sure to visit while there is still some “undiscovered” charm.
Getting there
If you are visiting Osh in southern Kyrgyzstan, it is a cheap and easy trip to Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan. The total trip will take about a day. Once you are in the city of Andijan, Uzbekistan, about an hour from the border, you have the choice to take either a marshrutka or train to Tashkent. Marshrutkas are much less comfortable than the train, but they offer the flexibility of leaving when full. I opted to take the train.
Getting to the Border from Osh
Several marshrutkas that carry passengers to the border travel along Lenin Avenue and Kurmanjan-Datka, the main streets in Osh. You can use the 2GIS app to find the right one from where you are staying. The border post, or a point nearby (for example, Таможня Достук marshrutka stop) can be used as a destination point in the app. The journey takes about 15 minutes and costs 10 SOM. The Kyrgyz side of the border features many money changing booths, so take advantage and change your money to Uzbek Soms. I learned the hard way that there are not any money changing facilities on the Uzbek side.
Crossing the Border
The border is fairly straightforward. There is an area for foot traffic, and you might get waved into the building for women and children, or maybe not. Either way, join the crush of bodies and shuffle forward. If it is not too busy, exiting Kyrgyzstan will take about half an hour. There is a chance a few of the border guards will shake your hand or ask you where you are from.
A more organized procedure takes place on the Uzbek side, with an actual line and several booths inside their immigration building. This is followed by a bag x-ray scan. While a few people with larger luggage were asked to open their bags, generally the guards seemed more interested in asking where I was from and where I was going. Once again everyone was very friendly, not at all what I was expecting having read the countless tales of corruption a bureaucracy online. It seems that Uzbekistan is open for tourists.
Onwards from the Uzbek Border
Having finished the entry formalities, it is a few hundred metres to a parking area on the right side, where there are countless taxis and minibuses waiting. You could probably take a shared taxi from here to any of the towns in the Ferranga Valley, or even to Tashkent. If you walk about 20 metres into the parking lot there is a small bus that looks like a city bus taking people to Andijan, the first major town in Uzbekistan. The sign in the front of the bus is written in Cyrillic but you can also confirm the destination with the driver verbally.
This bus will cost about 40 Kyrgyz Som, or the equivalent in Uzbek money (at time of writing, about 5400 Uzbek Som). It will drop you off in a main square in town where taxis and minibuses congregate. It is just a 15 minute walk from there to the train station. If you want to take a small break after the adventure of the border, there are many inexpensive cafes in Andijan near the bus drop off point.
Train from Andijan
There is no getting around the fact that marshrutkas in Central Asia can be crowded and quite uncomfortable. Luckily it is quite easy to get the train from Andijan to Tashkent. There is a train early in the morning and another train at 4 PM. If you are crossing the border in the morning, the 4PM train leaves plenty of time to grab something to eat and relax before the train. Plan on doing this in an actual cafe nearby, as the “cafe” in the train station is not much more than a canteen selling a few snacks.
Tickets can easily be purchased the day of. Approaching the station you will see two large blue and white buildings, the smaller building on the left with the sign “Kassalari” is where you can buy tickets. The station is the “Vokzal” on the right, and you must have a ticket to enter this building.
There are “normal” and “VIP” tickets available for 80,000 and 116,000 Uzbek Som respectively for the 4PM train to Tashkent. Functional English is spoken. If you have your itinerary set for your further travels into Uzbekistan, it is possible to purchase other tickets here as well. You can generally purchase tickets from anywhere to anywhere else in Uzbekistan from any station.
Journey to Tashkent
Train 59 departs Andijan at 16:00 and arrives in Tashkent at 21:30. The journey is comfortable, passing through gradually rising hills and mountains. It is not very fast, but light snacks and refreshments are available for sale on board. When you arrive in Tashkent, many taxis are available a short walk from the station. Taking the path under the station square will also lead you to the Metro, a cheap and convenient way to travel to most destinations. Tokens are 1200 Uzbek Som and the Metro is open until midnight. The Metro is also a great attraction in its own right, and is one of the more unique attractions in Tashkent, so it is certainly worth exploring further the next day.
