solo female traveller in Usbekistan

Do not assume getting a visa will be easy! See my experiences (a few messages below) in London. Berlin may be different, of course. The information on the embassy website in London is quite different from what they tell you when you queue up at the door.

Apply for your visa about 3 weeks before travel if you are going there in person. If doing it by post I would start now.

Good luck!

I'm a solo female traveler, currently headed toward Uzbekistan (though I still have a couple of other countries to go through first). I'm not particularly worried (though I also don't like the thought of carrying lots of cash -- and given the lack of ATMs, I don't think I'll have any other choice).

I recently got a 30-day Uzbek visa pretty effortlessly in Berlin (a little over 3 months before the requested visa start date). I applied in person (since I lived there at the time), and picked it up 2 weeks later.

I'm female and didn't experience any kind of harassment whilst travelling around Uzbekistan. I did the Tashkent-Samarkand-Bukhara-Khiva-back to Tashkent circuit and thoroughly enjoyed the trip. I found the Uzbek people so welcoming and inquisitive about foreigners, I received a lot of invitations into peoples' homes (which I may not have received if I had been travelling in a group or with male company).

I carried all my money with me, as had been advised in advance NOT to rely on ATMs and didn't want to count on being able to find ATMs in rural areas away from the touristy centres. I felt nervous about carrying so much money but I split it up and hid it in difference places, for example some in my boots, some in different pockets and some in a money belt hidden under my clothes.

I used an agency to apply for the Uzbek visa, I think it took around 8 weeks to obtain the LOI and visa.

Somebody told me that I can even get the Uzbek visa at their consulate in Frankfurt without problems. I will try that. Thanks for your reply and best wishes

Hello nomad0421, Thanks for your message. Could I maybe trouble you further with some information about the guest houses or hostels you stayed in during your trip. And maybe any other information which you might deem important to me ? Thanks a million !!!! I would be happy to give you information about the places I have been to in the last 5 years (Syria, Turkey, Oman, Sri Lanka, India, Burma, Cambodia) if you should be interested. Kind regards

Hello taprobane, wow you have been to some amazing places! I don't have any immediate plans to visit any of the plans you mention but will be sure to come back to you for advice if I ever do need advice on planning any such trips. So many thanks for your kind offer! :-)

My recommendations of places to stay in Uzbekistan would be as follows:

In Tashkent I would recommend the Hotel Elite, the address is: Usuf Khos Khodjib Street 75/10, Tashkent 700063. I spent 2 nights there and was really pleased with the standard/quality of my room and efficient service of the staff. The breakfasts were also excellent, lots of choice was available. The hotel is in a convenient and leafy area near the Park Bobur and not far from the airport.

Emir Hotel (Samarkand). It's address is: 142, Ok Saroy Street, Samarkand. It's a small private family-run hotel, situated in the ancient Makhalla, close to Gur Emir, the world-famous family mausoleum of the Timurids. Nearby are the Rukhabad Mausoleum and Ak-Saray Palace and the other historical sites. The rooms are not large, but comfortable. The family who run the hotel invited me to eat with them in the evenings at no extra cost.

Hotel Islamek (Khiva): It's address is: 60, Toshpulatov Street, Khiva. It's located in the center of the the old city, right near the ancient wall and very close to historical architectural monuments like the caravansaray, Tash-Hauli Palce, Amir Tora Madrassah, Tranb, and the bustling market. The owner helps to arrange excursions, particularly to the Aral Sea and his son speaks excellent English. They allowed me to sit on the roof top to enjoy the views and take photos. Very friendly place and good quality rooms. The only part that I wasn't impressed with was the breakfast, the only edible part of the breakfast for me was the bread :-/ Otherwise though it was a good choice of hotel.

Other important information: It's not necessary to learn any of the Uzbek national language because almost everyone speaks at least some Russian. So a grasp of basic Russian will help you immensely, especially if travelling away from the main tourist centres. In the event that you don't know any Russian, the Uzbek language is very similar to Turkish so if you can speak and understand some Turkish then you should be able to communicate (at least on a basic level) with the Uzbeks.

To get the best value for money it's best to change your currency ONLY on the black market. You will get many more som for your dollars this way. Black market money changers can be found hanging around the main entrances to most markets. I got all my dollars changed by black market people at the main entrance to the Chorsu Bazaar in Tashkent. I felt kind nervous the first time I did it but there's nothing to worry about, the changers are trustworthy and pleasant to deal with. Just try to be discreet when counting your money though.

When travelling anywhere in Uzbekistan by taxi it's very important to agree the price with the driver BEFORE getting in the taxi because it's not uncommon for travellers' taxi fares to suddenly double when they reach their destination. This happened to me when I took a taxi from Samarkand train station to a local hotel. Those kind of drivers are dishonest and pick foreigners as "easy prey". I didn't have much choice but to pay the doubled fare because my luggage was in the boot of the car and the driver was aggressive and threatened to keep it unless I paid! So, on all subsequent taxi journeys I kept my luggage WITH me instead of in the boot...That way you can make a clean and easy getaway if the driver turns nasty or tries to double the fare when you arrive at your destination. If that happens don't stay to argue with them - just pay the AGREED fare that he originally quoted, grab your bags and run. That's what I did to avoid being ripped off again after the Samarkand incident. The driver would be extremely unlikely to leave his engine running and chase you through narrow streets on foot...it's not worth his trouble.

Uzbekistan is quite a poor country but despite this the people are amongst the most generous and hospitable I have ever met. During my trip I was regularly invited into peoples' homes for tea and meals. If you receive such invitations don't go expecting it to be a quick bite...The hosts go to a lot of trouble and it is deemed a huge honour to feed foreign guests. I found lamb and mutton the most common meats, although chicken is widely served too. If invited to somebody's home it's polite to take a little something for the hostess (such as flowers or chocolates) or maybe sweets or toys for the children. Souvenirs from your home country like postcards, keyrings etc will go down well!

These are the main things, if I think of any other tips I'll let you know. Hope this information helps you and hope you have a great time in Uzbekistan! Kind regards :-)