10 Things You Need to Know Before Travelling to Uzbekistan

A relatively new country to explore as opposed to the ones we had so far travelled, there are few things you should avoid when travelling in Uzbekistan. We came across the first one as soon as we landed. If you ask me, there are things you need to know before travelling to Uzbekistan.

This is so effing imp and no one talks about it! When you are purchasing dollars (this currency being universally accepted is the one bought by most people, the same is applicable to GBP and EURs too) please ensure that none of them have any ink stains or marks or even stramps on them (which treasury or banks use while counting). The exchange counters in Uzbekistan DO NOT ACCEPT THOSE NOTES. Thankfully our dealer was aware of this nuance, so he checked and verified the higher denominations before handing over. BUT ensure not just higher denominations but lower once should also have no ink marks or spots on them. Covering it in the third point what happened when we went to exchange smaller denominations.

A hot topic but worth giving a read. Because of its low value and a country rarely visited by Indians, none of the currency exchange in India sells SOM (Uzbekistan Som). They also suggest you carry USD (which is always a good thing since better rates are offered by the countries). Usually airports are not places advisable to exchange currency because of their higher commission and spot rates (very technical). Fortunately, at Tashkent International Airport the rates offered were good (although not as great as the banks, the commission charged against the USD is minimal – between INR 135 to INR 200 for $100).

Hands down it will be National Bank of Uzbekistan or NBU (as displayed everywhere).

There are a lot of options to exchange currency.

1. At the airport
2. At money exchange kiosks
3. At banks
4. There are also touts who roam with bundles of SOM. Not something I would recommend but exploring on a Sunday, without a dime, these touts are your only option. I was paranoid to the point of checking every emblem and design on every note after I cashed my dollars. But any other day walk yourself to NBU.

Drawing attention to Point 1, that I decided to explain later, NBU charges a commission of 5% to exchange dollars in case of stained notes (notably ink or spots). We tried exchanging $20 but decided against it when the commission was mentioned.

Bottom line is, check every currency when purchasing.

I won’t lie that the way the touts hound you, it gets overwhelming. Sometimes they push you to the point that you are forced to avail their services. DON’T. Resist them. What they charge is actually three or four times their actual price! Initially we ignored all those who crossed our path, but one guy latched on. Finaly when he quoted his price it was SOM 200,000 (INR 1,500 approx.) for a mere 5kms! While Yandex charged us SOM 50,000 (INR 373 approx.).

P.S. – Note that if there are more than two pieces of luggage, they might charge extra SOM 10,000/ bag or SOM 20,000 or sometimes let it slide – depends on the driver. Better to avoid asking or if they aren’t charging you, they might!

Horse, mutton and beef dominate the diet of Central Asia. That makes it compulsory to check food items before consuming. I for one never desire to try exotic meats hence stick to chicken, vehemently reconfirming before eating. Unfortunately, my spouse who loves a good haleem ended up having it, only to realize later that it had horse meat. It goes without saying, he wasn’t happy.

Although it isn’t vegetarian or vegan friendly, fear not my dear ghaass-phuss eating public (pun intended, I love my veggies!), all hopes aren’t lost. There are quite a few items that you can consume as a non-meateater.

Google Translate doesn’t help much in Uzbekistan. For one it doesn’t have audio output for Uzbek language. Google Translate doesn’t really structure what you want to convey but kinda throws the gist of it. It is always better to learn a little bit of the language if you can.

P.S. – People are often under the notion that Uzbekistan largely speaks Russian since it was a part of the Soviet but it’s not the case. We found quite a lot of people in Bukhara speaking Russian but in Tashkent (or Toshkent) and Samarkand majority spoke Uzbek.

I can’t stop gushing over it! Be it Tashkent, Samarkand or Bukhara, besides Yandex, one can avail the state-run buses and minibuses in all the cities. In terms of public transport, Tashkent tops them all with its extensive network of metro and Samarkand offers a quiet tram ride (keep an eye out, they don’t cover all corners of Samarkand)!

P.S. – Bus fare costs SOM 1,700 (INR 13 approx.)* anywhere you head in Samarkand and SOM 2,000 (INR 15 approx.) anywhere you travel in Bukhara

The metro fare in Tashkent is flat SOM 1750 (INR 13 approx.)* and needs to be paid at the entry. Once paid you can travel across all the metro lines in that amount as long as you don’t exit the station! I was blown away by this!

The validity of some attraction tickets are two days (including the day you purchase it). Registan Square allows you to re-enter after exiting the compound but within the same day. It is advisable to ask the validity while purchasing the ticket.

If you want to travel the most efficient and budgeted option, then ditch the flights and opt to travel visa Uzbek trains, especially Afrosiyob Railways – the high-speed rail service of Uzbekistan. The primary route connects to these major cities – Tashkent with Samarkand, Bukhara, Karshi/ Qarshi/Khiva, and Shahrisabz. Air-conditioned, spacious seats, designate space for luggage, on-time arrival and departure, smart attendants that extend your assistance, we reached Bukhara from Samarkand under 2 hours. You can either book tickets through Uzbek Railway website or download their app or book from the railway counter (which isn’t suggestable). Booking Afrosiyob tickets can get tricky which is why, it’s imperative to know the nuances of booking them to avoid the quandary.

While Chorsu Bozor (or Charsu Bazaar) in Tashkent and Siyob Bazaar (or Siab Bazaar) in Samarkand is known as the biggest and the best markets in Uzbekistan, the Central Market in Bukhara, also known as Buxoro Markaziy Bozori is the most underrated of all. Dry fruit prices are way cheaper than Chorsu despite that market being at the helm of all blog posts!

An underrated country overshadowed by the popularity of its neighbours, Uzbekistan doesn’t overdo, it’s subtle. Soviet aura lingers lightly despite years of detachment from the greater landmass. What attracted me to Uzbekistan was the cultural note I was going to witness first hand. Quite different from the Southeast Asian countries we travelled in terms of the overall feel, Uzbekistan isn’t for everyone – it’s an acquired taste. Many may find it banal, but to those dreamy eyed students (like me) hooked on to every page of history, it’s walking through historic lanes that eventually shaped India’s unique demography and cuisine. But before you plan your travel to this overload of history, mystery, art and architecture, you must know these 10 things before travelling to Uzbekistan that no one tells your about!