Destinations in Uzbekistan
Where to go in Uzbekistan: the Silk Road cities of Samarkand, Bukhara and Khiva, the capital Tashkent, the crafts of the Fergana Valley, the mountains and the desert — with places to visit, tours, hotels and the best time to go.
Tashkent
Uzbekistan’s capital and the main gateway to the country: most international flights land here.
Samarkand
The crossroads of cultures: Registan Square, Gur-e-Amir, Shah-i-Zinda and Bibi-Khanym in a UNESCO-listed city more than 2,700 years old, with the craft villages and vineyards of the Zarafshan valley around it.
Bukhara
A living museum of the Silk Road: the UNESCO-listed old town with the Ark, the Kalon Minaret and Lyabi-Hauz, its trading domes and madrasahs, and the Naqshband shrine just outside the city.
Khiva & Khorezm
The land of ancient Khorezm on the lower Amu Darya. Its jewel is Khiva, whose walled inner town, Itchan Kala, is a UNESCO World Heritage site full of minarets, madrasahs and palaces.
Shakhrisabz & Kashkadarya
Amir Timur’s homeland: Shakhrisabz with the ruins of the Ak-Saray palace (a UNESCO site), the Hisor mountains with their nature reserve and waterfalls, and the old trading town of Karshi.
Chimgan & Tashkent Region
The mountains on the capital’s doorstep: Chimgan, Beldersay and Amirsoy for skiing and hiking, the turquoise Charvak reservoir and the Ugam-Chatkal National Park, part of the UNESCO Western Tien-Shan site.
Fergana & Margilan
The heart of the Fergana Valley and of Uzbek crafts: Margilan silk and ikat, Rishtan ceramics, the Khudayar Khan palace in Kokand and the mountains around Chimyon.
Nukus & Karakalpakstan
The autonomous republic in the far west: the Savitsky art museum in Nukus, the desert fortresses of ancient Khorezm, the Ustyurt plateau and the ship graveyard of Moynaq on the old Aral Sea shore.
Termez & Surkhandarya
Uzbekistan’s warm far south on the Amu Darya: the Buddhist monasteries of ancient Termez, the shrines of al-Hakim al-Tirmidhi and Sultan Saodat, and the folk culture of Baysun.
Navoi & Nurata
A vast region that is mostly Kyzylkum desert: yurt camps by Aydarkul lake, the sacred spring of Nurata, desert camel rides and the ancient town of Karmana.
Jizzakh & Zaamin
Steppe and mountains between Tashkent and Samarkand: the juniper forests of Zaamin National Park, the Arnasay lakes and the gateway to the Kyzylkum desert.
Andijan
The most densely populated corner of the Fergana Valley and the birthplace of Babur, founder of the Mughal Empire. Known for its bazaars, orchards, silk and warm hospitality.
Namangan
The northern Fergana Valley, known for its gardens and spring flower festival, the Mullah Kyrgyz madrasah and the mountains and gorges of the Chatkal range.
Syrdarya Region
A green farming region along the Syr Darya river between Tashkent and Jizzakh: cotton fields, riverside tugai woods and quiet country towns.