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 10 12
UNESCO listings among them 4 3
Cost level Budget Budget
Busiest month in our write-ups May 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
- Bukhara old town
- Chimgan Mountains mountain
- Chorsu Bazaar market
- Khiva old town
- Moynaq and the Aral Shore monument
- Nurata and the Kyzylkum Yurt Camps viewpoint
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
- Aksu-Zhabagly national park
- Almaty old town
- Altyn-Emel National Park national park
- Astana tower
- Big Almaty Lake lake
- Charyn Canyon canyon
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.