Discover the Unexplored: 10 Breathtaking Sites in Uzbekistan

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Uzbekistan is a treasure chest that you can sort through endlessly. It is rich in both natural and man-made sights will surprise you with both historical buildings and cultural traditions. Of course, most of the tourists begin their acquaintance with Uzbekistan from Tashkent, Samarkand, and Bukhara, where the tourist infrastructure is especially well developed. However, there are hundreds of natural and architectural beauties in Uzbekistan that do not often get into tourist ratings, although they deserve no less attention. In today’s release, we decided to tell you about 10 mysterious and incredible places in Uzbekistan, visiting which you will be delighted. Get inspired and pack your bags!

1. Our list starts from the Urungach Jade Lakes, which are located 160 km from Tashkent, in the Ugam-Chatkal National Park. There are only 2 lakes – upper and lower. The upper lake was historically formed as a result of a rock collapse, which served as a natural dam. The lower lake is distinguished by ideal water purity due to the fact that water from the upper lake enters it underground, passing through a natural sand and gravel filter. They are named jade because of the color of the water in them: it is green, which is characteristic of jade.

A unique natural object – the jade lakes of Urungach – are planned to be included in the list of specially protected places and to give the lakes a special status as the Natural Museum of Uzbekistan. A trip to the lower and upper lakes of Urungach will give you swimming in crystal clear waters, a walk to the dam, acquaintance with the rocks that are mirrored in the jade waters of the upper lake.

2. Mountain range Khoja Gur Gur ota – which name means “Father of all caves”, is located not far from Boysun, in the Surkhandarya region. It is located at an altitude of 3720 meters above sea level. At the top, there is a beautiful view of a vertical wall up to 500 meters high, and on the other, of the endless expanses of Gissar with fossilized dinosaur footprints.

The Khoja Gur Gur Ota mountain range is a natural landmark. However, as a miracle of nature, it is known only recently. There are many myths and legends about this place. When the sky is clear and the sun illuminates the mountain range with bright rays falling on its slopes, the red color begins to shimmer in various shades. And in cloudy weather, in the same place, you can observe a completely different picture.

Visiting this place, everyone comes to indescribable delight, because they see the splendor and grandeur of nature in front of him. With bated breath, you can stand for a long time and look at the miracle created by Mother Nature.

3. Another amazing place in the Boysun settlement is the Omonkhona healing spring, which is located at an altitude of 1217 meters above sea level. For several centuries now, a blessed stream of healing water for health and well-being has not dried up here. The inhabitants of Boysun and numerous pilgrims with awe will receive this invaluable gift for their daily needs and for the healing of soul and body. It is truly amazing to see that the water gushing out of the ground in such an amount does not dry out or diminish. In terms of homoeopathic properties, it is excellent and has in the right amount everything you need to restore and maintain normal vital functions of the human body.

Experts say that the water of Omonkhona (of course, with complex treatment and under the supervision of doctors) helps with diseases such as chronic hepatitis and cholecystitis, inflammation of the gallbladder, gastritis, duodenitis, colitis, pancreatitis and diabetes mellitus.

According to legend, Alexander the Great during his military campaigns left several dying soldiers here. However, on the way back, he found them healed of their wounds and full of life. During the absence of the commander, the wounded soldiers drank water from the spring. The healing water of the spring healed them and thus they stayed alive and well.

Today the spring is a place of pilgrimage for local residents. For them, it is not only spring of mineral water (which is recognized throughout the world) but also a shrine. Therefore, to come here means to make a small pilgrimage.

4. One of the most beautiful places in Uzbekistan is the Paltau Valley, which is located 100 km from Tashkent, on the banks of the Chatkal River. Since ancient times, the mountains surrounding the Paltau Valley have been famous for an ore rich in iron content. The area is distinguished by a variety of mountainous landscapes. The first sightseeing object on the route is the Paltau waterfall, flowing down its waters from a height of 38 meters. The view of water flying from a height is mesmerizing. Here the air is unusually fresh thanks to the spray spreading from the waterfall, which allows tourists to relieve fatigue and get a boost of vivacity. The highest mark of the route is a birch grove, in the shady foliage of which it is good to enjoy food and rest.

5. One of the most amazing and outlandish places on the planet, full of mysteries and myths, is the Ustyurt plateau. Here everyone will find something for themselves: space landscapes, rich history, unusual and memorable fauna.

Located on the territory of the two countries of Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan, between the Mangyshlak Peninsula, the Amu Darya delta, the Kara-Bogaz-Gol Bay and the Aral Sea, the plateau carefully preserves the ruins and remains of the most ancient settlements of civilizations, so far unknown to modern scientists.

The chalk-limestone slopes of Ustyurt are a fascinating sight. It is not surprising that these places attract fans of photo and paleontological excursions. Here a person gets the feeling that he has fallen into a wonderful world of unreality. And it’s better to get here by jeeps – the places here are wild. Once here, you will get acquainted with the amazing nature of the Ustyurt plateau, see with your eyes unique landscapes, historical artefacts, fossils, feel like you are on another planet.

6. In the Surkhandarya region, in the Baysuntau mountain range, there is one of the most famous caves in the world – Teshik Tash, the name of which is translated as “Leaky Stone”. In fact, Teshik-Tash consists not of one, but of several caves, but the grotto in which the burial was discovered is popular among tourists. In this cave in 1938-39, the archaeologist Alexei Pavlovich Okladnikov made a sensational discovery of the site of the primitive Mousterian culture and a burial with the remains of the skeleton (skull and some bones) of a Neanderthal child of 8-9 years old. The burial was surrounded by the horns of mountain goats dug into the ground, which may indicate the existence of religious and ritual cults among the Neanderthals.

Although the cave is known for archaeological finds, now people come to Teshik-Tash, not for them. Locals and tourists from different countries visit the cave for the sake of the white stone with the hole, after which it is named. According to the stories, if you lead a child through a stone, he will be cured of any ailment. Of course, there are no scientifically proven facts of this, but people who come to Teshik-Tash cave believe and hope for a miraculous healing.

7. In the vicinity of Tashkent, on the Pskem ridge, there is one of the most beautiful mountain lakes – Badak. The lake is located on the opposite bank of the Pskem river which bears the same name as the village of Pskem. Badak or Baytak is a Turkic word that means wide. The lake is located at an altitude of 1700 m above sea level. It has an interesting feature of changing color depending on the time of day: in the early morning, it is green-blue, towards noon it acquires a bluish color, at sunset it becomes silvery. There is a magnificent untouched nature, but a very laborious climb – you need to overcome 10 km uphill towards the top of the dam.

Badak and its surroundings are a real paradise for extreme lovers: these places are constantly featured in all forums and discussions, unanimously recognized as one of the most picturesque in all of Uzbekistan.

8. On the southern slopes of the Karatau ridge, 40 km from the city of Navoi, there is a unique natural-historical and tourist site – Sarmysh Gorge. Here, on the black basalt rocks polished by the winds, about 4 thousand petroglyphs (rock paintings) were discovered. The number of drawings is so great that the landmark goes beyond the state and is considered a global property.

All rock paintings found in the Sarmysh gorge differ in their storylines, styles and techniques implementation. Some of the petroglyphs were painted with ocher, which was rubbed with fat. And some were written, possibly with metal tools, on a smooth shale rock surface.

The gorge has been submitted in the world register of anomalous zones. Actually, there is a completely scientific explanation for this as numerous deposits of rare ores, underground springs, challenging mountainous terrain and a very special microclimate. And yet the most attractive thing about this place is its virgin cleanliness and intactness, which appears before our eyes, almost the same as it was at the dawn of civilization.

9. Arashan Lakes – one of the amazing places in Uzbekistan, which are located on the high-mountainous Angren Plateau on the border of the Tashkent and Namangan regions of Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan.

23. The system of Arashan lakes includes four lakes: Khoja-Arashan, Upper Arashan, Small and Big. All of them are high-mountain moraine-type lakes and located at altitudes from 2774 to 3365 meters above sea level.

The lakes are famous for their crystal clear waters. There are also hot radon springs in which the temperature remains unchanged throughout the year. Near the lakes, there are special yurts for visitors, where you can spend the night in comfort and coziness. You can only get to these wonderful places in four-wheel-drive S.U.V.

Climbers and mountain tourists can climb Karakush Peak (3864 metres above sea level); skiers can ski here even in June. Rafting enthusiasts can raft down the Akhangaran River in May, and in winter extreme skiers can fly here by helicopter. This is an excellent place for lovers of natural reservoirs and outdoor activities.

10. At the end of our list of amazing places in Uzbekistan is Lake Aydarkul, which is located in the heart of the Kyzyl Kum desert. The shores of the lake stretch from the Nurata district of the Navoi region to the Farish and Mirzachul districts of the Jizzakh region.

For its beautiful water color and impressive size, the picturesque lake is often called “the turquoise sea in the sands”. Fishing in Aydarkul is very popular, as there are more than a dozen types of fish, and there are no undercurrents. Many birds that once inhabited the vicinity of the Aral Sea also migrated here: black storks, pink pelicans, ducks, and etc.

In addition to the wide variety of flora and fauna of the lake, Aydarkul is considered one of the best recreation areas. Many kilometers of beaches with amazingly soft and clean sand, pristine cleanliness of coastal thickets, as well as the peace and quiet of the coastal zone will leave a lot of positive impressions and unforgettable sensations.

Thank you very much for your attention.

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