Hi Jane,
I have attached some of the information that will be supplied in your final paperwork,
hope this helps,
have a great holiday,
Ben
Duty-free allowance
The following goods may be imported into Uzbekistan by visitors over 16 years without incurring customs duty:
• 1,000 cigarettes or 1kg of tobacco products.
• 1.5 litres of alcoholic beverages and 2 litres of wine.
• A reasonable quantity of perfume for personal use.
• Other goods for personal use up to a value of US$10,000.
If your journey involves a subsequent transit or onward flight and you intend to buy liquid duty free please speak to check-in staff to enquire if your baggage will be checked straight through to your final destination. If you cannot transfer your duty free into your baggage or check it in again, then it will be confiscated when going through security. It is worth knowing that duty free staff generally will not advise you of this
Your visa
Your tourist visa for Uzbekistan is in the form of a group visa. This document is held by the Just You Tour Guide throughout your stay.
Currency
The national currency of Uzbekistan is the Uzbek Sum. We recommend you take money in US Dollars (these must be clean notes) as these are widely accepted, your unable to change the Uzbek Sum back at end of your stay so change little by little as you go along.
Banks and the currency exchange bureau in major hotels will change money at the official rates. ATMs are mainly found in some of the larger hotels. Traveller’s cheques are not common and you may find them difficult to exchange.
Practical Information
A Russian phrasebook would be useful
A small torch would be useful as not all areas are well lit.
A Stamp costs 350 Uzbek Sum and takes 1 month to arrive
Camera permits are needed at almost all places
Dialling UK 8+10+44 £1/min
You’ll need local money for drinks and most small souvenirs
It would be useful to take antiseptic wipes/gel as in the desert particularly as toilets facilities are scarce and so is water.
Climate
Continental climate with cold winters and hot summers. The hottest month is July
The average daytime temperatures are shown below:
Month Uzbekistan
Jan 38°F (4°C)
Feb 38°F (4°C)
Mar 50°F (10°C)
April 70°F (20°C)
May 80°F (25°C)
June 88°F (29°C)
July 88°F (29°C)
Aug 86°F (28°C)
Sept 76°F (23°C)
Oct 68°F (19°C)
Nov 48°F (9°C)
Dec 38°F (4°C)
Food & Drink
Uzbek food is similar to that of the rest of Central Asia. During the summer and autumn, there is a wide variety of fruit: grapes, pomegranates, apricots and, honeydew and watermelons. In general, food shows a strong Russian influence. Beer, wine, vodka, brandy and are all widely available in restaurants. Tea is the staple drink of Central Asia, and chai-khanas (tea houses) can be found almost everywhere in Uzbekistan
Uzbek food is predominantly non-vegetarian. Soups and rice usually are cooked with hunks of meat but also with generous portions of vegetables. Plov or the Central Asian pilaf is rice cooked with meat and carrots. Noodles, meat and dough cooked items, soups called shorpa, shurpa or sorpo, different kinds of bread called lipioshka here, milk products, fish, salads and desserts are the other items eaten in Uzbekistan. Bread is never cut with a knife but broken or torn by hand.
The influence of Persian cuisine is easily distinguishable because of the subtle seasoning, vast use of vegetables and fancy sweets. The food here is mildly seasoned, though the gravies and chillies offered can be hot. The main spices used are black cumin, red and black pepper, barberries, coriander and sesame seeds. The herbs commonly used are fresh coriander, dill, parsley, celeriac and basil. Other seasonings include wine vinegar and fermented milk products.
In Uzbekistan steamed pumpkin is a delicacy. Moshkichiri and moshkurda are meat and bean gruels. Dimlama or bosma is meat and potatoes, onions and vegetables cooked slowly in their own juices. Sabzavotli dimlama is the vegetarian version. Hunan or honum is the noodle roll, usually with meat or potato filling. Uzbeks like stuffed cabbage and grape leaves (dulma), tomatoes, pepper and quinces. Specialities also include chickpea samsa (nahud sambusa) or porridge (nahud shavla), bean and milk soups among which oshi siyo halav is an unusual herb soup. Tuhum barak is an egg filled ravioli coated with sesame seed oil. Chakka or yakka is curd or suzma mixed with herbs and tasty with flat bread.
• Shampanski (sparkling wine).
• Kefir, is a thick drinking yoghurt, is often served with breakfast
Porterage
Porterage at the airport and at the hotels is included.
Credit Cards
It is recommended that you contact your bank prior to departing the UK to inform them that you may be using your credit or debit card whilst you are away. Sometimes your credit/debit card may be declined as you are using it in a different country and your bank has not been notified. This will enable you to use your card without any problems.
Tipping and Photography
Tipping is very much a part of life in Uzbekistan and it is a nice gesture to tip drivers and guides at the end of their tour if you have received good service, (perhaps about £1-2 per day, per person to the guide and less for others).
It is also necessary to tip any entertainers and locals you may photograph on tour, and in many historical sites there is often an official charge for cameras and particularly video cameras. In some temples and mosques, photography is not allowed.
Likewise, if you are pleased with the service provided by our Tour Manager it is a thoughtful gesture to reward them with a tip. This is however, entirely at your own discretion.
Dress code
Whenever tourists visit functioning monuments (e.g. Madrassahs), women should cover their shoulders though in other areas women are free to wear shorts, sleeveless tops and short dresses. You may be required to take your shoes off in some places, comfortable walking shoes arte essential.
Time Zones
Uzbekistan is 5 hours ahead Greenwich Mean Time (GMT)
Voltage
The standard voltage in Uzbekistan is 220 volts AC, 50Hz. Two-pin sockets and some three-pin sockets are in use. We recommend you take an international plug adapter
