To those unaware of how easy it is to transit from Kazakhstan to Uzbekistan by land, it may look like a daunting task at first. Fear not, as I will now go over how to do this trip, and in both directions no less!
It is significantly cheaper to fly to Shymkent rather than Tashkent if you are residing in Kazakhstan, so that may be a reason to do a trip like this. Moreover, there is some interesting things to see around Shymkent and Turkistan, which may be another reason to consider crossing the border from the opposite direction. No matter your own reason, here is what you have to do for a hassle-free transit, complete with some extra tips and tricks at the end!
Shymkent to Tashkent
- Take a taxi to Kolos bus station where you will be hassled by a ludicrous number of taxi drivers who wish to take you to the border. You can simply say “Uzbekistan,” or “Tashkent” and they will know where you need to go. Just pick the driver you trust the most, but all should be fine. Depending on the mood of the driver, quality of the car, and with number of people in the car, the price will range from 1500 to 3000 KZT. You may need to wait in the car for a while until it is all filled, which took almost an hour in my case, so do be prepared for that.
- You should arrive at the border in 60 to 90 minutes, once again depending on your driver. Naturally, there will be a lot of hustling and bustling here as well. You will be harassed by beggars and money exchangers, as well as a whole array of individuals who may ask you to bring a package or two to the other side of the border. Do not do that. There may be a reason why they are not doing it themselves after all… I suggest you change some of your money here. You can use KZT or USD and get some UZS. Rates are not the best, but they are also not ripping you off completely. I would suggest at least 150.000 UZS in your pocket, and you will find out why quite soon.
- Go through the border, this part is a non-brainer. Do not take photos of anything, it would not be worth the hassle as there is not much to see anyways. Border guards on both sides of the checkpoint seemed friendly and worked fast. It took me just 15 minutes to clear all checkpoints and the only thing I was asked was how much money I was leaving with from Kazakhstan. Just in case, have your travel documents ready on one hand.
- Once you are in Uzbekistan, do not stop to talk to anyone. Go ahead and walk around 200 meters. You will skip a few SIM card sellers and money exchangers, these are not what you need. You will come across a small shopping mall of sorts, with a few restaurants and an actual UCell branch. Prices there will be much better, and the deals too. I paid 70000 UZS to get 35GB of data and free access to certain websites. In hindsight, this was an overkill. I used maybe 5GB of that in almost two weeks, since like I said, stuff like WhatsApp etc. are free to use regardless of your data situation. You may just go for the cheapest option; I know I would next time.
- Once that is settled, you will need to update your Yandex Taxi app with your new Uzbek number. It takes just a few minutes. Once that is done, you can use it to call a cab to wherever you are going in Tashkent. Prices will range from 50000 to 80000 UZS, depending on your destination and the time of the day. I got lucky with a Turkish speaking taxi driver who actually got me to my train station for less cash than what Yandex demanded, but that happens rarely so keep that in mind.
Well, now you are in Uzbekistan, congratulations. The whole ordeal can take as little as two hours if you do not wait at the Kolos station for too long and it is pretty seamless.
Tashkent to Shymkent
- For all intents and purposes, the journey on the opposite direction is the same, but on the opposite direction… Just order a Yandex taxi to wherever you are staying in Tashkent and ride it all the way to the border. I ended up paying 60000 UZS for my ride.
- There will be some opportunities to exchange money at the border, but I would wait until Kazakhstan to do so. Just go through the border as usual, following the tips given above. As an extra, do note that you may be asked for registration slips documenting your stays in Uzbekistan as you are leaving the country. I was not asked that, and apparently not many travellers are asked for it these days. Nevertheless, do not lose the slips given to you by your hotels and apartment owners as they may come in handy at this point of your travels. If not, they will just be a souvenir to remember your fond times in Uzbekistan.
- Once you are on the other side, go to the right side of the main road and exchange some of your UZS or USD to KZT. There should be a SIM card dealer here as well, though I did not see it myself first hand. Fear not, as with some KZT on your side (I recommend around 10000 to be on the safe side), you are more than ready to make your way to Shymkent.
- For some weird reason, taking a car back to Shymkent cost 4000 instead of the 2000 KZT I paid before. I am pretty sure if I just walked more, just a few hundred meters, I could negotiate a better price with the random cars waiting around the main road. Of course, being quite tired at the moment, I did not really mind the price hike. Besides, this car was much better and faster, so I suppose it was not all in vain.
- You will be dropped off near Kolos station once again, though some riders seem to negotiate for a different drop off point in town. Regardless, you can find a lot of SIM card dealers around town now, just ask anyone for a Tele2 or perhaps Beeline store location. Simply saying these words should get some friendly locals to help you out.
Congratulations, now you are in Kazakhstan! Just stick to what I write here for both ways, and you really should be fine. I have not seen any issues on both sides of the border for anyone, so really, just take it easy and enjoy the ride.
Travel Essentials for Uzbekistan
There are a few more things to note about mobility within Uzbekistan, which should make your travels around the country much easier. First of all, it is necessary to download Yandex Taxi to your mobile device and then connect it with an Uzbek phone number once you cross the border. Taxi in Uzbekistan is cheap, like, ridiculously cheap. I took a cab 15 times in Uzbekistan, four of that took more than 30 minutes, and yet I ended up paying a total of just under 30 USD. Yeah, it is really, really cheap. There are instances where people will take you on inter-city routes for cheaper than bus or train rides. I am not even sure how this is feasible, but it is somehow the case… It goes without saying that stuff like public buses and metro are really not needed in Uzbekistan, at least for us travellers, as walking and taxis can get the job done for a miniscule sum.
Another thing to keep in mind when travelling across Uzbekistan is its useful train network, which connects almost all the important nodes in the country. You are better of using Afrosiyob, the high-speed train that is used on select routes, most notably from Tashkent to Bukhara, passing through Samarkand. This route alone allowed me to make some of the best itineraries one can have in Uzbekistan, and it was extremely hassle-free. You can use this website to order your tickets in advance as they do run out quite quickly. Tickets usually go on sale a month in advance, sometimes even more, so do check your routes regularly. Since fares are relatively cheap, I suggest you buy a second perhaps even a first-class ticket, as those are far more comfortable than the third-class experience.
Let us end this article with a short note on Uzbek currency, the UZS. If you want to make the best of your time in Uzbekistan, you will need some cash. Although the country is trying to become more credit-card friendly in the recent years, there is some way to go in that regard for sure. I have had it being declined in numerous places, and even most hotels seem to want you to pay in cash. Also, you are often charged an extra a percentage or two of the total when you pay with card, add the premium your bank back home charges you for making purchases abroad and yeah, you will see why cash is king here. You can get UZS in a few ways. You can either exchange some at the border for a not-so-great rate, get some UZS at banks for an alright rate, or use some ATM machines around the more touristic parts of towns that can exchange your foreign currency into UZS at a not so favorable rate. I actually mostly opted for the last option, mostly because exchanging just a few hundreds of dollars over a few weeks and losing maybe 4-5 USD is alright for the convenience it provides. Moreover, for the best rates, you can simply ask your hotel’s registration desk if they provide any such services. In my case, I was offered to exchange all my cash in every hotel/apartment I stayed in the country, so it seems to be quite normal over there. I cannot guarantee the legality of this procedure though, so do keep that in mind, there is a reason why I did not do it myself after all… But then again, perhaps I think too much.