Uzbekistan
Uzkbekistan has borders with Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan. It is doubly landlocked, but includes the southern shoreline of the Aral Sea.
Cities
Get in
Visas are required for everyone apart from CIS countries. The Uzbek government have made it more difficult to obtain visas recently, which could discourage the independent traveller. A 'Letter of Invitation' (LOI) is required for most people. The LOI can be obtained from travel companies when a hotel booking is made.
By plane
Tashkent airport is reasonably modern and has various international carriers operating as well as the national Uzbekistan Airways. Baggage claim and customs procedures can be time consuming - allow two hours.
By train
By car
There are road routes from surrounding countries but the borders may not be open and there have been security problems. There is a risk from land mines in some border areas.
By bus
By boat
Apart from the southern section of the inland Aral sea, Uzbekistan is land-locked. In fact, it's one of only two doubly landlocked countries in the world.
You can travel by private taxi, minibus, or normal bus. While there are official taxis, most cars will become taxis if you wave them down. Meters are rare, so negotiate the price beforehand.
Talk
Most citizens are ethnic Uzbeks, and speak Uzbek as their first language, although many also speak Russian, and certainly in the capital this is a good bet. In the capital, Tashkent, Russian is, by far, the predominant language. In some border regions Tajik or Kyrgyz are spoken.
Eat
Osh (Plov) is the national dish. It's made of rice, carrots, onions, and mutton, and yes, you will eat it if you go to Uzbekistan. Other foods include chuchvara (pelmeni), which is like ravioli stuffed with mutton and onions, manti, which are dumplings, somsas, which are pastry pockets filled with beef or greens, and soups.
Contact
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