What to do in Uzbekistan beyond the 3 museum cities? (page 1 of 3)

Hi everyone, happy to be back on VF! I’ll be in Uzbekistan this coming April and will of course visit the three classics—Samarkand, Bukhara, and Khiva. However, I’d also love to get out of these cities to explore the Uzbek countryside and experience its nature. Mountains, steppes, etc. Ideally, with some great hikes passing through villages. Any spots you’d recommend? Thanks in advance

Hi,

A trip to the Aral Sea. Visit the desert castles.

Hi Franck, One of the Uzbek agencies I contacted for my trip offered me a day excursion to Ouzounsoy, a village near Samarkand (350 m elevation gain). If you're interested, I’ll send you their details in a PM. Catherine

Hi Catherine, Uzbekistan

Michel

Hi there! Of course, there are hiking opportunities through villages. I don’t have the names of the towns and villages memorized or my notes handy right now. But around Samarkand and in the Ferghana Valley, there are things to see and do. I can look into it if you'd like. If you love art, the astonishing Nukus Museum is a must-see. It’s worth visiting on the way to the Aral Sea, and you can also check out the desert castles along the way.

A local agency, Turquoise Travel, can put together some options for you. I can also share the manager’s contact details in a PM if you're interested.

Thanks for this feedback! I’m actually looking into these areas but want to do it independently (not through an agency). You never know—if you happen to find your notes, I’d love a copy! Thanks in advance

Thanks for your message, but I can’t find Ouzounsoy on Maps. I’d also like to be completely independent and not go through an agency.

Hi there, apparently it’s around Urgut, which you can find on maps. I can’t tell you more—I won’t be in Uzbekistan until spring. Catherine

Hi there,

I already mentioned the village name in Cyrillic above.

Michel

Awesome, thanks so much—I’ll look into this! !

Thanks Michel, I translated it via Uzunsoj! Yeah, I'm a Cyrillic expert 😎

I can confirm! We spent 3 days in Urgut, hiking in the surrounding mountains—it was stunning and only about 1.5 hours from Samarkand, if I remember correctly. It’s also *way* less touristy than the camps around Nurata and Aydar Kul.

Also worth seeing: the Nukus Art Museum, truly extraordinary—a magnificent collection in the middle of nowhere.

Happy travels

Good evening, I’m not specifically replying to Samfam’s message, but since there’s no way to post a "general" reply, I’m using what’s available to chime in...

The "three" tourist cities in Uzbekistan are must-sees, but the desert is bleak—flat, just piles of sand and scrub, basically the backshore of the Landes coast but on a much larger scale... The mountains are more of the same, nothing like the neighboring countries (Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan). They might feel exotic to folks from France’s flatlands, but for anyone used to the Alps, they’re pretty underwhelming.

So, what’s there to see that’s out of the ordinary in this country? Well, I’ve said it before... but clearly, the urban areas, farmland, and villages seem to hold a special appeal for some travelers and forum members... So skip the trip to what’s left of the Aral Sea, don’t bother exploring the desert castles’ ruins, and don’t try spending a night in a yurt camp at the foot of those same ruins... 😏

You're right, the western shores of the Aral Sea aren't worth the trip—really too ugly. Here's an example from late September 2024:

I won’t promote it too much, otherwise the Aral Plaza Hotel will expand onto the beach—those first shipping containers are already showing up. The new big issue in the Stans: shipping containers. If you want to book a stay to observe vehicle ruts on the beach , I think you can reach them by phone—just look at that antenna! A dock has been set up for a quick dip, so you can avoid a mud bath for your little feet.

See you soon.

I’m absolutely outraged! !

Hey! And how do you get there from Muynak? Does the airport even operate? (Uz Airways doesn’t show any flights from Urgench) Is it a road? A track? And most importantly (since I don’t really care about the yurt 😛), is it a good base for reaching the beautiful landscapes of the Ustyurt Plateau? Catherine

PS: Bibouns, if I’m bugging you by flooding your thread with personal questions, just say so and I’ll start a new one!

I can't give you a personal answer because we travel with our own off-road vehicle. However, we did see local agency 4x4 vehicles heading to those sites. You’ll find some additional views of the Aral Sea in our travel journal from our 2019 trip: https://www.lescs.fr/IMG/pdf/190707_ouzbekistan.pdf

Thanks.

You’ll find some additional views of the Aral Sea in this travel journal from our previous trip in 2019. https://www.lescs.fr/IMG/pdf/190707_ouzbekistan.pdf

We don’t know which border you crossed at the start of the trip—Kazakhstan or Turkmenistan... Anyway, I assume you haven’t seen landscapes like this: Otherwise, I imagine you would’ve photographed them. I know it’s “out there,” but the Ustyurt Plateau is so vast that I’m not sure exactly where—and more importantly, if it’s accessible from Uzbekistan. Catherine

I suggest checking out these two pages where you can download the 2019 and 2024 travel journals (at the bottom of the page). For 2024, the following episodes are still being written. Some of Perju’s suggestions are in these journals.

https://www.lescs.fr/Asie-Centrale-2019 https://www.lescs.fr/Asie-Centrale-2024

Happy reading and enjoy your armchair travels through the text and photos!