Uzbekistan or Kazakhstan?
The practical differences, drawn from our own write-ups rather than from a brochure. We are not going to tell you which is better - they are different trips. What follows is what actually changes between them.
Places written up here 40 67
UNESCO listings among them 11 12
Cost level Budget Budget
Busiest month in our write-ups April September
Currency Som (UZS) Tenge (KZT)
Plugs and voltage C, F - 220 V C, F - 220 V
Everyday languages Uzbek Kazakh, Russian
Driving side right hand side right hand side
Region Central Asia Central Asia
Capital Tashkent Nur-Sultan
Uzbekistan
Hospitality is a duty and a pleasure; expect tea, bread and friendly questions from strangers.
What we have written up
- Andijan city
- Ayaz-Kala desert fortress
- Bahauddin Naqshband Complex shrine complex
- Boysun district
- Bukhara old town
- Chilpik Dakhma tower of silence
Worth knowing before you go
- Cards work in city hotels and bigger restaurants, but bazaars and taxis want cash som
- Fast Afrosiyob trains link Tashkent, Samarkand and Bukhara - book seats a few days ahead
- Plov is a lunch dish - the famous plov centres often sell out by early afternoon
Kazakhstan
Steppe hospitality is serious business; guests are honoured, elders are deferred to, and the tea never stops.
What we have written up
- Aisha-Bibi Mausoleum mausoleum
- Akmeshit Cave cave
- Aksu-Zhabagly national park
- Aktau city
- Akyrtas archaeological site
- Almaty city
Worth knowing before you go
- Kaspi QR payments run daily life in cities, but bazaars still prefer cash
- Haggling is expected at bazaars like Almaty's Green Bazaar, never in shops
- Beshbarmak, the national dish, is eaten with the hands - the name means five fingers
Counts describe this site, not the countries: "places written up here" means how many pages we have finished, and it keeps growing. Currency, plugs and languages are practical facts and change rarely; check anything visa-related with the relevant official source before you book.