 Facts for travellers |
Visas: Every visitor that comes to Uzbekistan needs a visa, and in order to receive it a tourist needs an invitation from an Uzbek citizen, firm or organisation approved by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, or from an accredited Uzbek travel agent.
Health: Risks are hepatitis A & E and diphteria. The most important thing is not to drink the water even if the locals say that it is OK.
Current situation: especially if planning to take off to the mountains, check the current political stability in the neighbouring countries.
| WHEN TO GO |
Spring (April to June) and autumn (September through October) are the most pleasant times to travel. The weather is mild and in April the desert blooms. In autumn it is the harvest time, and the markets are full of fresh fruit. If you are interested in going to the mountains, summer ( July and August) is a better time to visit because in the other months, there might be snow in the passes.
| GETTING THERE |
More regular flights serve Tashkent than any other Central Asian city, and the airport is about 6 km (4mi) south of the city centre. Taxi from the airport to the centre should not cost more than a dollar. Trains run from Moscow via Samara, across Kazakstan to Tashkent, or via Urgench, Charjou, Bukhara and Samarkand to Tashkent. It takes about 56 hours to get from Moscow to Tashkent.
| USEFUL ADDRESSES FOR VISITORS |
 Tashkent
Postcode 700000
Airport
9, Rustavell Street
Tel: 33 29 4, 56 07 14
Fax: 56 06 12
Railway Station "Janubiy"
Umarov Street
Tel: 50 86 93
Railway Station "Shimoliy"
7, Privokzalniy Street
Tel: 99 72 00, 99 72 15
Booking Office: 063
Taxi call: 062 |
| MONEY AND COSTS |
The local currency is the soum, which in March 2001 had a value of 700 soums against 1 usd (commercial rate). Use local bazaars to buy things! Here are some examples of potential money spendings.
Relative Costs:
· budget meal: $ 1-3 (up to 2100 soums)
· moderate restaurants: $3-10 (up to 7000 soums)
· top-end restaurant meal: $10-30 (up to 21000 soums)
· budget accommodation e.g. B&B, which are usually cozy: $10-35 (usually to be paid exclusively in dollars according to the law)
· moderate hotel: $20-50 (usually to be paid exclusively in dollars according to the law)
· top-end hotels: $100 onwards (usually to be paid exclusively in dollars according to the law)
· domestic flight tickets: return $100 (to be paid in dollars according to the law)
· a fairly short taxi ride within the Tashkent city: $1 onwards (700 soums onwards)
Tipping is not common in Uzbekistan and runs contrary to Islamic ideals of hospitality. Bribery, on the on the other hand, is very popular. Bargaining is expected in the markets, the asking price for food will be pretty close to the selling price but for handicrafts expect a more substantial reduction.
| RECOMMENDED READING |
· Trekking in Russia and Central Asia, by Frith Maier, a guide to the area's wild places.
· On the Other Side: A Journey Through Soviet Central Asia is Geoffrey Moorhouse's account of his journey to Samarkand on the eve of independence.
· Mission to Tashkent by FM Bailey, which is a boy account of being a British spy in Central Asia in 1917.
· Islam or Nationalism, by Ahmed Rashid about the recent political history.
· Realms of the Russian Bear, by John Sparks, which describes the fauna and flora of the region.
· Samarkand, by Amin Malouf, which is the life of the Persian poet and mathematician Omar Khayyam.
· The Great Game by Peter Hopkirk
· Silk Route by Rail, by Douglas Streatfield-James on Moscow-Beijing railway.
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