Top-10 Mistakes Tourists Make in Uzbekistan
Text by Kamila Ikramova
Edited by Laziza Isfakhanova
Travelling is one of the most desirable experiences for most people. Long before setting off, people build up various expectations and hopes for their best holiday ever. And once they come back to their routine and recall the time in another country, they start thinking of what could have been done differently. This article reveals Top 10 mistakes which both tourists and travelers make while travelling around Uzbekistan. The following information is based on visitors’ experience and my professional observations as a local guide.
1. POOR PLANNING
It is not a secret that a good trip is a result of a good organization. However, a well-thought plan includes not only packing appropriate clothes into the suitcases and booking hotels and travel tickets in advance, but also informing and preparing oneself for exploration.
To my surprise, I have met lots of travelers who, for example, did not have an idea of places they would definitely love to visit or who were trying to re-organize their route and duration of stay at the last moments.
Some people believe that no expectation equals to zero disappointment, but not everyone can be opened to something uncommon and come out of their comfort zone. For many foreigners, Uzbekistan seems to be a completely different world, with its own unique culture and a mix of lifestyles. One should be ready to refuse common things, such as favourite type of food or touch-free payments. It is also crucial to get aware of basic norms of social behaviour or learning some phrases in Uzbek in order to be able to show respect.
Collecting information about Uzbekistan may at least reassure a tourist and save plenty of time during the trip.
2. CASH OR CARDS?
One more frequent mistake which not everyone even notices while travelling is relying on credit cards and refusing cash. Uzbekistan is a quickly-developing country, however, cash is still widely-used, and the cards are excepted not everywhere, despite how touristic a place might be.
The ATM machines can stand empty as well as some technical error may occur while paying by card. Exchanging money at weekends can become a trouble too because many branches of banks are closed on Saturdays and Sundays.
Hint: When purchasing souvenirs, we advise to pay in dollars or euros to save enough money of local currency for meals. Many suppose that paying for souvenirs in local currency makes difference in prices, but it actually does not.
3. REFUSING GUIDE’S SERVICES
One of the biggest delusions is the confidence that all necessary information can be easily found on the internet or that excursions cost a fortune. Unfortunately, there is little relevant information about the country’s specifics on the internet, especially in other languages rather than English or Russian.
Moreover, even historical facts found on the web-pages of local tour agencies are often given with mistakes and vagueness. In order to dive into the atmosphere of colours of Central Asia and let your trip be not only entertaining, but also informative, it is worth hiring a qualified guide as minimum for 2 days in 2 different cities.
First of all, you will receive the answers for most of your questions, clarifying for yourselves what Uzbekistan is like.
Secondly, a guide is not only an alive source of factual information and dates, they will tell you some secrets of monuments or explain how people live in a modern society, the information, which you will never find in the books or the internet.
Overall, this professional will provide you with helpful information and life-hacks, which will allow you to continue traveling on your own with more understanding and sensibility.
4. INCORRECT CHOICE OF A GUIDE
If you have decided to use guide’s services, it is better to book an excursion in advance, especially if you plan visiting Uzbekistan in the period of high touristic season, and if you are looking for someone speaking a rare language.
Although, thanks to the internet, nowadays there are various options to find a guide, some tourists tend to make a decision on spot. Those tourists often fall for offers from people standing near the airports, railway stations, hotels and monuments. The problem is that in most cases they hire a person who works illegally and does not have any educational background in this sphere.
The services provided by these false guides cost a bit less than by a professional guide, but a day spent with them can leave confusion and wrong impression.
Hint: If you want to avoid such an unpleasant situation, ask the guides about their license and work experience.
5. USE OF PUBLIC TRANSPORT
City public transport is usually a crowded and very uncomfortable mean of transportation.
Fortunately, the fares for a personal transfer with a driver, a car rent or taxi services are pretty affordable. Nevertheless, do not skip an opportunity to see and use Tashkent underground, one of the world’s most beautiful metros.
For trains, we recommend to buy tickets before the start of the trip, otherwise, you will have to travel by cars or old and uncomfortable trains, which will take longer than travelling by Afrosiyob, high speed train.
6. UNHEALTHY EATING HABITS
Uzbek cuisine and food in general differ a lot from what a tourist may be used to eating. No one remains indifferent to national dishes, but there are 5 products which you should keep away from in order not to let food poisoning ruin your holiday.
Make sure to drink bottled mineral water.
Do not mix several types of food together, for example, fat dishes with dairy products and melons.
Be careful with both melons and watermelons in May (these fruits are full of pesticides) and September (they may be overripe).
If you are used to seafood, do not eat fish from lakes or rivers because it may have negative effect on your stomach.
Be careful with street food, for instance fried Russian pies, hot dogs and ice-cream from the cart.
7. AVOIDING THE COMMUNICATION WITH LOCALS
The Uzbeks are known as one of the most hospitable nations, and their friendliness and curiosity frequently encourage them to approach foreigners for a small talk.
Use this chance to get recommendations, ask about their life, teach your language and you will feel warmth of their hearts and sincere willingness to help. It is normal if they ask you some personal questions after 10-minute conversation or invite you for tea or dinner at their place.
And if you occasionally receive an invitation for Uzbek wedding, you can consider yourself as the luckiest explorer.
8. POSTPONED SHOPPING
How often does shopping become a concluding point of traveling?
For some reason, people usually tend to put off shopping and on the last day they realize they have not bought presents for friends and anything memorable for themselves. Undoubtedly, oriental bazaars and touristic shops are full of the mass market goods, therefore you may try to look for a similar souvenir in different places for a better price.
However, each city is famous for its specific wares, for example Samarkand - for paper, jewelry, wine and national clothes, Bukhara - for spices and handicrafts, Khiva - for woolen clothes.
So if you find a marvelous handmade product, do not hesitate and buy it if you like. Most likely, you will not find this thing with the same pattern and quality in the next city.
9. SKIPPING NATURAL PLACES
Geographical position of Uzbekistan offers a good opportunity to enjoy picturesque landscapes, which vary from hot sandy desserts to hidden waterfalls in the mountains.
Take a break from bustling touristic cities and history, go hiking in the mountains, have a swim in a turquoise lake or ride a horse across the green fields. All these activities along with the natural beauty of the country will let everyone forget about daily problems.
Hint: For adrenaline junkies and risk takers, we suggest paragliding, snowboarding, skiing, bungee-jumping and parachuting.
10. BASELESS STEREOTYPES
In contrast to unprepared visitors, there are people who draw quick conclusions basing on doubtful resources or stereotyped opinions. As a result, they expect Uzbekistan to have similar politics and regime as in its neighbouring countries.
Many of them get surprised after finding out that it is allowed to drink and produce alcohol and eat pork in Uzbekistan.
This misunderstanding occurs due to prejudice and confusion that this is a territory of Islamic state, but Uzbekistan has always been a multicultural, secular country just with high percentage of population practicing Islam.
A great number of foreigners confess that they had a different opinion about Uzbekistan before visiting it. Eventually, they realized how mistaken they had been and admitted that it contributed significantly to their good impression of the country in general.
In conclusion, I would like to remind of the main ingredients for an awesome journey: be open for new experiences, show your genuine interest fearlessly and simply enjoy.
Traveling to such a special destination such as Uzbekistan requires awareness of various aspects.
We hope that this article will help you avoid feelings of disappointment and regret as well as make your stay in Uzbekistan unforgettable and amazing.
