Caravanistan

Hi everyone,

Do you have any recommendations for nature day trips from Tashkent, Samarkand or Buhara? Canyons, mountains, lakes, etc.


I have visited before in Almaty and there was lots of affordable day trip options (Chary Canyon, lakes etc.) for less than 50$ (that also local people use). I am little surprised that affordable day trips options (that I have found) are quite limited in Uzbekistan. I understand that tourism maybe isn't that big in Uzbekistan outside cities but still.

Just a couple of weeks ago, we did a daytrip from Samarkand to Seven Lakes in Tajikistan. It was a bit on the pricey side, $330 USD for two people, but the area was beautiful. It was a full day that included an English-speaking guide, a driver, a 4×4 vehicle, lunch, and stops at a couple of historical sites in Penjakent.

I personally don’t think the options from Tashkent are as good as Almaty, but there are a few options I can think of:

1. Parkent - see the Heliocomplex and then continue to Sulok Village for lunch and the nature park with a waterfall (around 2km each way). The drive is quite nice with a number of vineyards in the area.

2. Yangiabad - the drive from Tashkent is a little boring but it is interesting from Yangiabad up to the Bungee Jumping site. You could also stop off to see the Soviet city of Yangiabad and the abandoned building, Ferris Wheel and mosaics in Angren.

You can go to the Fann mountains in Tajikistan but it's not really worth it for a day trip. You should go for several days. Especially for hiking/trekking.

You could theoretically visit Zaamin NP on the Tajikh border as a day trip from Samarkand, although better to spend at least 1 night there. We visited from Jizzakh, which has regular trains from Samarkand. A taxi from Jizzakh Station to the Sanatorium area cost 200,000 Som. It's a beautiful area of mountains and Juniper forests, with some nice walking.

From Tashkent it's feasible to visit the ski resorts of Chimgan and Beldeseroy, in the hills a couple of hours away by taxi. They are pretty busy but again there's nice scenery and nature walks.