Uzbekistan has been featured on many recent lists as an up and coming travel destination. Visa procedures for many western passports have been loosened, and Uzbekistan is now visa free for most. This means a quick trip to Uzbekistan from a nearby central asian country can be easily arranged, costing nothing more than the expenses of getting there. For example, Tashkent is quite accessible from Osh, Kyrgyzstan.
Uzbekistan still has some post-Soviet bureaucratic cobwebs to brush off, but it is a much more inviting and comfortable destination than is portrayed in blog posts and articles from a few years ago. Most people are very friendly and curious towards foreigners, especially if you come from somewhere not in the former USSR. There are enough historical Silk Road sites, ancient mosques, and beautiful scenic spots for more than one trip, not to mention that Uzbekistan is also very easy on the wallet. Here are a few up to date tips from my trip in 2019 to give you an idea of some of the challenges you can expect and how things have improved.
Getting Money
Older guides will mention needing to declare foreign currency at the border, this is no longer done. Many of the capital controls that existed in previous years have been eased, which means you are free to change money at banks, and with a little hunting you will be able to find an ATM that will accept your card. ATMs seem to take Visa, MasterCard, and UnionPay, but some will only take local cards, or one international type. If you are in doubt, ask a trusted local and they can point you in the right direction depending on your card type.
Exchanging USD is fairly straightforward, although most banks do not advertise this service by means of any sign outside. Go inside the bank, and ask to change money. You will be pointed to a counter, where a printed sheet of paper will display the rate for 1 and 100 dollars. Note that only new bills with no tears or marks will be accepted. It is suggested to only change some money at a time, as it can be difficult to change Uzbek Som back to USD.
Gigantic wads of cash are still somewhat common, although the introduction of the 50 thousand and 100 thousand Som bills have improved the situation. It is still possible for an ATM to give you a large pile of small bills. A binder clip can be a helpful tool to keep a pile of cash together.
Getting Around
Anybody familiar with the Chinese train system will find some similarities with the way Uzbekistan’s railway stations are organized. Tickets can be booked from their english website, although I only used the site to get an idea of what trains were available. Unfortunately city names need to be typed in the Cyrillic alphabet, but a little copy paste usually does the trick.
Tickets from any city to any other city can be purchased from any railway station. This is very convenient if you want to purchase many tickets at once. The Tashkent railway station has a nice system with numbers and many windows, no huge lines or pushing. Most ticket agents will speak at least enough English, with pen, paper, and calculator to get things done. The day trains feature “ordinary” and “VIP” seats, and ordinary seats are plenty comfortable. The night trains have the typical Russian classes of sleeper train: seats, dorm-sleeper/platskartny, 4-bed second class compartment/kupé, and 2-bed first class/spalny.
Other than trains, like most Central Asian countries, Uzbekistan has plenty of Marshrutkas, as well as busses, and informal taxis. The train is the most comfortable of these options.
Tourist Registration in Uzbekistan
A holdover from Soviet times, Uzbekistan still requires tourists to register where they are staying, at least on paper. Your hotel will take care of this service for you, as will most guesthouses and hostels if you ask. They will give you a small printed slip with your date of arrival and departure. Even exiting at a lesser used border post I was not asked for these papers. I personally received and kept the registration papers, but I leave it to everyone to decide how “by the book” they want to be about these types of things.
Corruption
Many guidebooks warn about corrupt police officers and officials looking to shake down tourists for large denomination bills. In my experience, the border guards and other officials I encountered seemed to be much more interested in asking me where I was from and wanting to know (in a very friendly way) the details of my travels. In addition, if you do not speak Russian, you are likely much more trouble than you are worth. It seemed to me that an effort was being made to be friendly and helpful towards tourists. I hope that my personal experiences are a reflection of a wider trend (at least as far as tourists are concerned). Do not let stories of corruption and bribery prevent you from visiting such an exciting and hardly explored destination!
