Hello,
I'll be in Uzbekistan later this year and I want to include a short visit to the Fergana Valley. I would leave early in the morning for Fergana city, visit Fergana city in the afternoon, visit Margilon the next day and come back to Tashkent in the evening. (2 whole days)
In my LP guide it is said that we can reach Fergana city in approximately four hours by shared taxi.
Could anyone confirm this ?
Thanks.
F.
Hi,
Four hours seems slightly optimistic, I would think 5-6 is more likely, but 4 is certainly the right ballpark. The shared taxi depot in Tashkent where you go to get shared taxis to the Fergana Valley is the WORST such place I have ever been in my life - the only thing I can compare it to is Lagos. There is an unbelievable amount of hassle at the depot, especially when you stand out as a foreign tourist. It took me well over an hour to even begin looking for shared taxis here, because for 45 minutes I quite literally had over 20 men following me around, taking every step with me and screaming at me 20 different things. In the end, I organized a seat in an efficient taxi at a very reasonable price (I was going to Kokand, incidentally), but it took a lot of time and patience to get it done. Be prepared for some hassle and time-wasting at the depot!
If you only have 2 days to visit the Fergana valley, I think you're picking the wrong places to visit. Fergana City is a new (19th century Russian era) town, with little of interest in it. Margilon has an interesting silk factory and a nice bi-weekly market, but as a whole, I don't think it's the most interesting town in the region. I'd recommend Kokand (there's are some nice pre-Russian ruins in town, and the town has a very calm, traditional atmosphere) and/or Andijan (very little of architectual interest, sadly, but a nice atmosphere in town and a fantastic Sunday market - if you're planning on one of your two days being a Sunday, I'd definitely reccommend Andijan).
Just my thoughts.
Giora
Also took me around 5 hours last year... I think I left within 5 minutes of arriving there, the taxi driver who took me there knew where to go and I then negotiated a nice price... I think the place wasnt as bad as described above...
I do agree that Fergana City might not be the best place to go... Andijan is more interesting indeed.
In Margilan I stayed in the house of a silk master, which was very interesting, there were a lot of craftsmen in the area which they introduced me too (meaning a lot of tea, haha)
Enjoy!