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 will even share our expertise exploring Uzbekistan in December, simply after Christmas.
With out additional ado, let’s get began!
What’s the most effective time to journey to Uzbekistan?
Lots of people ask when is the most effective time to journey to Uzbekistan. Effectively, there is no such thing as a simple 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 thing is blooming, sweltering summer season and nice autumn. In Uzbekistan, summer season is mostly very popular, with the temperatures reaching 36-55C (half of the times in July 2021 in Tashkent had been hotter than 41 levels). Winter is totally high-quality, it doesn’t often get colder than -3C, and in Samarkand and Bukhara, winters are sometimes sunny and considerably heat (5-15C) through the day. Nevertheless, you’ll be able to count on subzero temperatures at night time (often round -1- -3C).
When you like actually sizzling temperatures, you’ll get pleasure from Uzbekistan in summer season – 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, nonetheless, you will note Uzbekistan most crowded, as practically everybody desires 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 under zero through the day; nonetheless, they typically fall to -1 to -3 at night time. 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, nevertheless it snows loads when it does! We had a really uncommon probability to see Tashkent lined by a thick blanket of snow, and it actually seemed magical! Individuals say that snow in Tashkent is an rare occasion lately, so I assume that we had been very fortunate!
Under you’ll be able to 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 primarily based 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 a very good Central Asia journey visiting Uzbekistan, Kazakstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan again in 2019, then postponed it for Spring 2020 (as you’ll be able to think about, it didn’t occur). We couldn’t go there in 2021 both, so we needed to cut up this journey into journeys to separate international locations. So after we determined to go to household in Russia in winter 2021, we additionally noticed a chance to journey to Uzbekistan simply after Christmas! Travelling through the pandemic is actually tough as the foundations are altering on a regular basis. Though you may be immediately banned from coming into a rustic, most airways don’t contemplate it sufficient to subject a refund on the flight you’ll be able to’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 international locations in a single journey!
Whereas it could have been very simple to go to Kazakhstan from Tashkent (it’s virtually 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 usually and lots of outside actions could 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 right 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 principle sq. of Samarkand with out crowds (and truly just about with none folks), which was wonderful. That’s one thing we positively didn’t count on. There was one thing magical about exploring these stunning landmarks in Samarkand with out folks. In Tashkent, we additionally didn’t want any reservations for the most well-liked cafes and eating places.
The one draw back was looking for a very good restaurant in Samarkand just a few 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 (as a result of Soviet heritage), so lots 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 method 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 pretty. Relating to packing for Tashkent and Samarkand in winter, I like to recommend bringing many layers. Don’t deliver a jacket that’s too heat – you’ll endure a bit in case it immediately will get heat in Uzbekistan (that occurs). Be sure that to deliver a few T-shirts, cardigans, hoodies and a light-weight jacket – you’ll be able to all the time 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 depart the hyperlinks to them under.
Within the meantime, listed here are some articles you would possibly discover helpful:
Is Tashkent value visiting? Itinerary for two days in Tashkent, Uzbekistan
Probably the most stunning 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