Uzbekistan Travel Packing List

Uzbekistan travel packing list

Uzbekistan is very hot in the summer and temperatures can get to 40°C with practically no rain. Here is a short packing list for Uzbekistan that you can download and get ready for your new adventures!

Travel documents

• The most important things to check before your trip to Uzbekistan are your travel documents. Just make sure that your passport does not expire soon and that you have your visa for the right period of time.
• Take your insurance and medical prescription from your doctor if you need to take medicine with you.
• Make photocopies of important documents like passports, visas, tickets, and insurance. Keep them separately from the original documents.
• An even better solution is to have digital copies of your important documents on your phone, Dropbox or/and in your email box.
• Keep important contact numbers with you. For example, you might need an emergency number of your insurance, close relatives or friends and contacts of your bank to block your cards in case of loss or theft.

Cash and payment cards

• Uzbekistan is a cash-based economy. Take enough cash for your trip and possibly an emergency fund of about US $500, but make sure to hide it separately from your main funds.
• USD is the best choice of currency for taking cash to Uzbekistan, however, in large cities, you can exchange Euros, Pounds, Swiss Francs, Roubles, and Yuans.  At some souvenir shops, you can pay in USD.
• To keep all your money safe, we recommend using a money belt during the whole journey.

First aid kit

• Before packing for your trip and even before booking your trip, make sure to consult with your doctor.
• Pack a full personal medical kit after consulting with your doctor. Check out our tips for packing a first aid kit and for keeping healthy in Central Asia
• Make sure to take some medicine against a headache, stomach-ache, diarrhea, fever & flu

Electronic devices and ENTERTAINMENT ON THE WAY

• Uzbekistan is very photogenic so take your camera, enough memory cards, as well as batteries and chargers.
• Charger plugs are the same as in the EU. In many hotel rooms, there might only be one or two sockets, so taking an outlet with several sockets can be very useful, especially if you’re sharing the room.
• Take some interesting books for trains and leisure times
• Prepare good music, movies, and audiobooks to listen to.
• Do not forget good earplugs.
• Take a notebook to write down your travel memories along the way.
• You might want to take some light travel games if you are traveling with friends or a group.

Souvenir from your homeland

If you would like to bring something from your homeland to give people that you meet on the road – bring postcards or picture books. It can be a nice way to share your story, to show pictures of where you come from and give a little souvenir.

Daypack or light backpack

Daypacks and light backpacks are perfect for day trips and city tours to carry around your hand sanitizer, sunscreen, and water on hot days.

Hand sanitizer

Hand sanitizer can have a significant effect on your health in Central Asia. Always wash your hands and use hand sanitizer after using the toilet, touching pets and before eating. Hand sanitizer containing 70% alcohol kills about 90% of the germs and helps to prevent diarrhea.

Hats, sunscreen, and good sunglasses

Uzbek cities get very hot in the summer, so be aware of heat stroke. Take headwear and sunglasses with the best UV protection.  Also, pack sunscreen with at least 30 SPF as well as a lip balm with SPF protection. Summers in Central Asia are very dry and using creams and balms are recommended.

Laundry during the trip

Before packing clothes think of the length of your trip and if you will need to do laundry during the trip:

• International hotels generally offer laundry service, however, it can end up being expensive since it costs around 1-3 USD per item.
• Local small hotels offer cheap laundry in comparison to the big hotels.
• Every few days there will be cost-effective possibility to wash your clothes if you like, your guide will advise you.
• In desert cities like Khiva, Bukhara you will see a sign not to wash your clothes in the bathroom to save water. Instead they offer cheap laundry service.
• A sewing kit might also be handy for repairing well-loved clothes.
• We suggest you bring a suitcase with wheels. There is always transport arranged to each place of accommodation. However, in the accommodations, at the airport and train stations it will be convenient to roll your bag rather than carry it. You can bring one large piece of luggage (max. 20 KG), and one carry-on luggage piece per person.

Clothing

• Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan’s climate requires light and easy clothing so pack enough t-shirts, shirts, comfortable light pants, and shorts.
• Pack swimwear as you will encounter some hotels with pools and swimmable lakes
• Try to pack in packing cubes, they are awesome to keep your luggage organized

Shoes

• Flip flops or other rubber shoes are perfect for hot weather, swimming, and showering in hostels or guesthouses.
• Light trainer shoes or flats are generally good for walking in cities and for going out to eat

Rules for visiting religious places

In mosques and mausoleums, women and men are expected to cover their heads, shoulders and legs. However, in Uzbekistan, many of the places that you will visit are not strict about the clothing. You will see many tourists and locals wearing regular western clothes and not wearing any headwear or bare shoulders. It is respectful to cover your head, shoulders and legs, but not required.

Extra packing tips for ladies

• Take a scarf to cover your shoulders or head when entering religious places, you can also use them as a blanket during long rides and flights. However, Uzbekistan is full of beautiful scarves so you might want to buy one there, especially a silk one as a souvenir from the Silk Road!
• Pack enough of your cosmetic products and hygiene articles. Tampons can be hard to get an item in rural areas.
• You also might want to consider packing a long skirt, as it will cover your legs from the sun, be perfect for visiting religious architectural monuments, and will feel airy in hot summer days in Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan.
• Pack one dress or a short skirt for cities and nights out.

In Uzbekistan, you will see local elder generation women dressed in traditional clothes and the younger generation in more western-style clothing. As a tourist, you can wear everywhere the regular clothes that you feel most comfortable, not being obliged to follow the local dress style.

Let us know if you have any further questions or if you would like to add some items to the list. Just drop a line in our live chat or send us an email