Hi there, on this article, I needed to inform you a bit extra about what to anticipate in Uzbekistan in winter and whether or not it’s value going to Uzbekistan in December, January or February. I may also share our expertise exploring Uzbekistan in December, simply after Christmas.
With out additional ado, let’s get began!
What’s one of the best time to journey to Uzbekistan?
Lots of people ask when is one of the best time to journey to Uzbekistan. Nicely, there isn’t a straightforward reply, because it actually is dependent upon what you’re on the lookout for. Uzbekistan has clearly outlined seasons: chilly winter, fantastic spring when every part is blooming, sweltering summer time and nice autumn. In Uzbekistan, summer time is usually highly regarded, with the temperatures reaching 36-55C (half of the times in July 2021 in Tashkent had been hotter than 41 levels). Winter is totally superb, it doesn’t normally get colder than -3C, and in Samarkand and Bukhara, winters are sometimes sunny and considerably heat (5-15C) through the day. Nevertheless, you possibly can anticipate subzero temperatures at evening (normally round -1- -3C).
In case you like actually scorching temperatures, you’ll get pleasure from Uzbekistan in summer time – it’s a really cheerful time of the 12 months, and the streets get bustling after sundown. Nevertheless, most individuals journey to Central Asia in late March- mid-April and from mid-September to mid-November, when the temperatures are nice. On this case, nevertheless, you will notice Uzbekistan most crowded, as practically everybody needs to journey there throughout these months.
Travelling to Uzbekistan in winter: is it very chilly?
As I discussed earlier than, winters in Uzbekistan aren’t very chilly. The temperatures hardly ever drop beneath zero through the day; nevertheless, they typically fall to -1 to -3 at evening. For instance, it doesn’t really feel as chilly as in St. Petersburg (Russia), because it’s not that windy in Uzbekistan.
It hardly ever snows in Uzbekistan, but it surely snows lots when it does! We had a really uncommon probability to see Tashkent lined by a thick blanket of snow, and it actually seemed magical! Folks say that snow in Tashkent is an rare occasion as of late, so I suppose that we had been very fortunate!
Beneath you possibly can see the common temperatures in Uzbekistan in December. This one is the climate in Tashkent in December:
This one is the climate in Samarkand in December based mostly on the averages for the final 14 years.
What to anticipate from Uzbekistan in winter? Issues to do in Uzbekistan in December.
Planning a visit to Uzbekistan
We’ve been planning to have an excellent Central Asia journey visiting Uzbekistan, Kazakstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan again in 2019, then postponed it for Spring 2020 (as you possibly can think about, it didn’t occur). We couldn’t go there in 2021 both, so we needed to break up this journey into journeys to separate nations. So after we determined to go to household in Russia in winter 2021, we additionally noticed a possibility to journey to Uzbekistan simply after Christmas! Travelling through the pandemic is basically tough as the foundations are altering on a regular basis. Though you could be all of a sudden banned from getting into a rustic, most airways don’t contemplate it sufficient to difficulty a refund on the flight you possibly can’t use. That’s why it’s difficult to plan journeys that require shifting from one nation to a different and mixing two or extra nations in a single journey!
Whereas it will have been very straightforward to go to Kazakhstan from Tashkent (it’s nearly on the border with Kazakhstan), entrance to Kazakhstan for foreigners was closely restricted. Whereas I might have the ability to enter there, Jose wouldn’t; therefore, we determined to skip it!
Uzbekistan in December: what to anticipate
At first, we had been a bit reluctant to go to Uzbekistan in December as I’ve heard that it wouldn’t be as cheerful as it’s sometimes and quite a lot of outside actions can be restricted. Nevertheless, we loved exploring Tashkent and Samarkand in December – it wasn’t too chilly (for my Russian requirements) and in Samarkand, it was truly fairly heat the final two days (so heat that we didn’t want our jackets).
Furthermore, winter was the proper time to discover Uzbekistan as there have been considerably fewer folks in comparison with the excessive season. We even managed to take pictures on the primary sq. of Samarkand with out crowds (and really just about with none folks), which was wonderful. That’s one thing we positively didn’t anticipate. There was one thing magical about exploring these lovely landmarks in Samarkand with out folks. In Tashkent, we additionally didn’t want any reservations for the preferred cafes and eating places.
The one draw back was looking for an excellent restaurant in Samarkand a couple of days earlier than the New 12 months. Despite the fact that Uzbekistan is a Muslim nation, New 12 months is an enormous vacation in Uzbekistan (because of the Soviet heritage), so quite a lot of locations had been totally booked for personal New 12 months events and company occasions.
Visiting Uzbekistan in winter: the abstract
Total, as I discussed earlier than, we actually loved visiting Uzbekistan in winter, and it turned out means higher than I assumed. Not solely did we see a really uncommon occasion in Tashkent (snowfall), we additionally had good, heat and sunny climate in Samarkand through the day, which was beautiful. In terms of packing for Tashkent and Samarkand in winter, I like to recommend bringing many layers. Don’t convey a jacket that’s too heat – you’ll undergo a bit in case it all of a sudden will get heat in Uzbekistan (that occurs). Be certain to convey a few T-shirts, cardigans, hoodies and a lightweight jacket – you possibly can at all times mix these layers to create an outfit that will be optimum in any climate.
I will likely be writing extra articles about Uzbekistan, so as soon as they’re prepared, I’ll go away the hyperlinks to them beneath.
Within the meantime, listed here are some articles you would possibly discover helpful:
Is Tashkent value visiting? Itinerary for two days in Tashkent, Uzbekistan
Essentially the most lovely metro stations in Tashkent, Uzbekistan
Finest issues to do in St. Petersburg, Russia
Moscow, Russia – the optimum itinerary for 2 days
Russia in 7 days: Moscow and St. Petersburg in a single journey