Uzbekistan
About this ebook
A perfect spring or autumn destination, Uzbekistan is unexpectedly packed with diverse experiences, from the Silk Road cities of Bukhara and Khiva to glorious Islamic architecture. Explore the Kyzylkum Desert by camel, ski amid the western Tian Shan mountains, overnight by the Aral Sea to search for the bizarre saiga antelope, visit 50 ancient Khorezm fortresses in Karakalpakstan, or gawp at Registan’s unmissable sound and light show. Stroll through Bukhara’s old town then take tea at chaikhana teahouse or shop in the Chorsu bazaar, trade’s beating heart in Tashkent. Or marvel at medieval tiled tombs in Shah-I Zinda and the magnificent 19th-century palace of Kokand ruler Khudayar Khan.
It has never been easier to explore this fascinating country. Over the past decade,
Uzbekistan’s new reformist government has been strengthening its tourism offer, including improving infrastructure and reducing bureaucracy, culminating in it hosting a World Tourist Organisation conference in 2023 and initiating a new $300 million tourism strategy for 2030. Complemented by the author’s 2023 Bradt guide to Karakalpakstan, this new edition reflects post-COVID 19 investments in tourism infrastructure, and provides more detailed economic and political insights. Entirely new elements include Amirsoy resort, Zarafshan nature reserve, Lower Amudarya Biosphere Reserve and Shirin ecovillage, while there is expanded coverage of Tashkent hotels, museums and shopping; Navoi tour operators; and new hotels in Khiva.
Whether you’re interested in culture, trekking, historical sites, archaeology and architecture, seeing endless deserts or majestic mountainscapes, or fascinated by the Golden Road to Samarkand and Silk Road cities, Bradt’s Uzbekistan is your ideal travel companion.
About the author
Sophie Ibbotson (maximumexposure.co) read Oriental Studies at Clare College, Cambridge, and has a particular interest in Central Asia and Afghanistan, where she has worked since 2008 when her auto-rickshaw got snowed in en route from India to London. Overwintering unexpectedly, she fell in love with the region and became excited by the opportunities it offered. She has travelled extensively in Uzbekistan and is the country’s Tourism Ambassador to the UK. An experienced travel writer, Ibbotson has authored or co-authored six Bradt guides, including three others to Central Asia (Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Karakalpakstan), and has written for The Financial Times, The Economist and The Telegraph. Ibbotson is the founder of Maximum Exposure Ltd (which provides tourism and culture consultancy, and PR services), the co-founder and managing editor of Panorama: The Journal of Intelligent Travel, a consultant for the World Bank, and a council member of the Royal Society for Asian Affairs.
