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.
Without additional ado, let’s get began!
What’s the very best time to journey to Uzbekistan?
Lots of people ask when is the very best time to journey to Uzbekistan. Well, there is no such thing as a simple reply, because it actually depends upon what you’re searching for. Uzbekistan has clearly outlined seasons: chilly winter, great spring when the whole lot is blooming, sweltering summer time and nice autumn. In Uzbekistan, summer time is mostly very popular, with the temperatures reaching 36-55C (half of the times in July 2021 in Tashkent have been hotter than 41 levels). Winter is totally effective, it doesn’t normally get colder than -3C, and in Samarkand and Bukhara, winters are sometimes sunny and considerably heat (5-15C) throughout the day. However, you’ll be able to count on subzero temperatures at night time (normally round -1- -3C).
If you want actually scorching temperatures, you’ll take pleasure in Uzbekistan in summer time – it’s a really cheerful time of the 12 months, and the streets get bustling after sundown. However, most individuals journey to Central Asia in late March- mid-April and from mid-September to mid-November, when the temperatures are nice. In this case, nonetheless, you will notice 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 will not be very chilly. The temperatures hardly ever drop under zero throughout the day; nonetheless, they usually 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 quite a bit when it does! We had a really uncommon likelihood to see Tashkent lined by a thick blanket of snow, and it actually regarded magical! People say that snow in Tashkent is an rare occasion lately, so I suppose that we have been very fortunate!
Below you’ll be able to see the typical 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 count on from Uzbekistan in winter? Things to do in Uzbekistan in December.
Planning a visit to Uzbekistan
We’ve been planning to have a superb 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 break up this journey into journeys to separate international locations. So once we determined to go to household in Russia in winter 2021, we additionally noticed a chance to journey to Uzbekistan simply after Christmas! Travelling throughout the pandemic is absolutely troublesome as the principles are altering on a regular basis. Although you may be instantly banned from getting into a rustic, most airways don’t take into account 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 transferring from one nation to a different and mixing two or extra international locations in a single journey!
While it will have been very simple to go to Kazakhstan from Tashkent (it’s nearly on the border with Kazakhstan), entrance to Kazakhstan for foreigners was closely restricted. While I might be capable of enter there, Jose wouldn’t; therefore, we determined to skip it!
Uzbekistan in December: what to anticipate
At first, we have 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 a whole lot of out of doors actions could be restricted. However, 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).
Moreover, winter was the right time to discover Uzbekistan as there have been considerably fewer individuals in comparison with the excessive season. We even managed to take photographs on the primary sq. of Samarkand with out crowds (and truly just about with none individuals), which was superb. That’s one thing we undoubtedly didn’t count on. There was one thing magical about exploring these stunning landmarks in Samarkand with out individuals. In Tashkent, we additionally didn’t want any reservations for the preferred cafes and eating places.
The solely draw back was looking for a superb restaurant in Samarkand a couple of days earlier than the New Year. Even although Uzbekistan is a Muslim nation, New Year is an enormous vacation in Uzbekistan (because of the Soviet heritage), so a whole lot of locations have been totally booked for personal New Year events and company occasions.
Visiting Uzbekistan in winter: the abstract
Overall, as I discussed earlier than, we actually loved visiting Uzbekistan in winter, and it turned out manner 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 throughout the day, which was beautiful. When it involves packing for Tashkent and Samarkand in winter, I like to recommend bringing many layers. Don’t carry a jacket that’s too heat – you’ll endure a bit in case it instantly will get heat in Uzbekistan (that occurs). Make certain to carry a few T-shirts, cardigans, hoodies and a lightweight jacket – you’ll be able to all the time mix these layers to create an outfit that will be optimum in any climate.
I can be writing extra articles about Uzbekistan, so as soon as they’re prepared, I’ll go away the hyperlinks to them under.
In the meantime, listed below are some articles you may discover helpful:
Is Tashkent value visiting? Itinerary for two days in Tashkent, Uzbekistan
The most stunning metro stations in Tashkent, Uzbekistan
Best 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