Travel and transport agencies Khorezm Area

BesQala has been active since 2005 and is a specialist and leader in travel in the Aral Sea region. The agency has its own comfortable fleet of vehicles (Toyota Land Cruiser, Prado, Hilux), its fully autonomous yurt camp on the Aral coast, a guest house and a youth hostel in Noukous as well as a team of qualified and diligent drivers and guides. Ideal for those who wish to immerse themselves in Karakalpak culture, it organizes events and activities: cooking workshops, building a yurt, creations with felt, etc.

Bahodir, our "ace of the sands" for years, can lead you to the most remote or less known desert citadels. Besides the fact that he drives very well, punctuality and efficiency are two other of his qualities, which he has started to pass on to his son Bakhtior, an English speaker, and whom you can reach directly to organize the same kind of tours (✆ +998 93 527 26 49 or ✆ +998 95 602 12 41). Bahodir also knows Karakalpakstan very well and can lead you to Bala Tugai, Mizdakhan, or Moynaq with closed eyes.

Night trains run from Tashkent-Ourgentch and vice versa every night of the week. Departures from Tashkent at 8.15 p.m., arrival in Urshentch the next day at 2 p.m. In the opposite direction, departing from Urshentch at 3 pm, arriving in Tashkent the next morning at 8.10 am. The train stops at Bukhara and Samarkand. A comfortable but still a bit long way to cross the Kyzyl Kum desert. Plan for some supplies, but street vendors come by regularly.

Many minibuses or shared cabs to Bukhara. Shared cabs cost a minimum of US$30, but it is not surprising that on some days the fare is US$50, US$60 or US$70, since the occupancy rate and the tourist season affect the fare. The duration of the journey has been significantly reduced in recent years. The road to Noukous is very passable. It takes about 2.5 hours to get there. Numerous departures throughout the day.

Ourgentch airport welcomes the A 310 in direct flight from Paris during the tourist season (the Friday evening flight, which lands at Ourgentch on Saturday morning). Connections with all other airports in the country, but also with neighbouring countries as well as Russia and China. For tourists, the most interesting connections are those with Tashkent (up to three rotations a day). Count around 100 US$ for a trip to Tashkent and 65 US$ for Bukhara.

This local agency specializing in Karakalpakstan and the Aral Sea welcomes tourists and groups. Discover the Karakalpakstan region and its thousand-year-old history. On sea trips you can visit abandoned towns, see beautiful shipwrecks, green oases and the Aral Sea. The tours (2 to 7 days) are done in 4x4, accompanied by an experienced guide and driver with accommodation (yurt or tents). The agency has its own hotel in Noukous with good value for money: the Jipek Joli hotel.

The Bavianov family, based in Khiva, has 10 new and comfortable cars. All of them offer air conditioning. All the men in the family have been working as drivers in the area for years and their reputation has not diminished over time. Gulam is young, dynamic and speaks some English. Above all, he knows the region like the back of his hand and will not lose you on the sometimes complicated and somewhat hidden paths of the desert fortresses. Very recommendable if you are numerous or if you haven't found a driver available elsewhere.

Founded in 2004, Bek-Tour is the only major agency based in Khiva. This is the right place to discover Khiva and the Khorezm region in depth. Khiva is only about ten kilometres from the border with Turkmenistan and BT offers handsets that allow travellers to discover the splendours of Central Asia's most closed country, from the capital to the Karakum desert. Informative tours to the Aral Sea, design of tailor-made trips, cultural tours accompanied by French-speaking guides, ecotourism and active trips.

This local tour operator organizes discovery programs for Karakalpakstan and Khorezm. Great classics with Mizdakhan or Moynaq, but also possibility to reach the shores of the Aral Sea or off the beaten paths.

Fast trains now go to Khiva from Bukhara. They are not as fast as the Samarkand-Bukhara or Tashkent-Samarkand line, but still allow to go much faster than by car and to travel more comfortably than by plane. Trains are air-conditioned and take about 5 hours. Bukhara-Khiva connection on Monday, Thursday and Saturday (departure 2:10 pm, arrival 7:20 pm) and Khiva-Bukhara on Tuesday, Friday and Sunday (departure 8:23 am, arrival 1:35 pm). The price of the ticket is 9 US$ per person in economy class.

Two workstations with a correct flow permit to connect to the Internet (when there is no electricity cut…).

Communications abroad are mostly of astonishing quality. It should be said that the network in Moynaq is not crowded. The opening hours are quite uncertain…