Uzbekistan Travel Weather

The best time to visit Uzbekistan is between May and October; during the winter months the desert and the foothills of the mountains can be extremely cold.

In March and April (a little later in the mountains), meadows are covered with blooming flowers, rivers carry masses of meltwater, and the whole country is quickly coming back to life after the winter season. If you visit Uzbekistan in spring, you can see the celebration of the traditional Iranian New Year festival of Navruz (March 21). During this two-day festival, which is a national holiday, whole families celebrate by watching traditional sports including kopkari (horse racing) and kurash (wrestling), and have fun with music.

In summer it can be very hot in the plains, especially in July and August, but this is the best time to hike in the mountains, it is dry then and air clarity is best. It is also the time when Uzbekistan's biggest festivals take place, including the UNESCO-backed Festival of Traditional Culture and the Samarkand International Music Festival.

Apart from spring, autumn is the best time to visit. The end of September and beginning of October is the ideal time to visit the big three: Samarkand, Bukhara and Khiva, the temperatures are still pleasant and inviting, and there are no big crowds. In early November, you can have almost all of Khiva to yourself, although many restaurants and stores will already be closed.

During the winter months, few tourists come to Uzbekistan, and you can then negotiate favorable prices for hotels (many of which stand empty) and tours. This is also the time for skiing: the resorts of Chimgan and Beldersoy have excellent snow cover from January to March.