By a Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers dated March 10, “On certain issues of tourism development in the Republic of Uzbekistan”, a list of facilities and territories prohibited for tourists to visit was approved.
The same resolution also established that to enter (pass), stay temporarily in, and move around facilities and areas where a special access regime is in force, tourists must obtain a permit from the territorial units of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Such special territories include cultural heritage sites and protected natural areas located within the border zone.
As explained on the website of the National Company “UzbekTourism”, the new procedure will allow tourism operators, when arranging trips to the relevant sites and after fulfilling the prescribed requirements, to be “confident that upon arrival the local administration will not impose other or additional requirements for visiting them”.
Temporary stay in a special territory is limited to five days. At the same time, tour operators or tourists must submit an application for a permit (it may be a group application) at least 30 working days in advance.
List of facilities and territories prohibited for tourists to visit
- Combined-arms training ground “Imom ota” and the adjacent area, Khanabad city, Andijan region;
- Kampirravot reservoir and the adjacent area, Khanabad city, Andijan region;
- Combined-arms artillery training ground “Shorsu” and the adjacent area, Uzbekistan district, Fergana region;
- Recreation area “Kaynarsay” and the adjacent area, Bostanlyk district, Tashkent region;
- Radio astronomy complex (RT-70) on the “Suffa” plateau and the adjacent area, Zamin district, Jizzakh region;
- Territory of the Gissar Nature Reserve and the adjacent area, Shakhrisabz district, Kashkadarya region;
- Spurs of the Gissar Range above the Tupolang reservoir and the adjacent area, Sariasiy district, Surkhandarya region;
- Charvak HPP and the dam of the Charvak reservoir, Bostanlyk district, Tashkent region;
- New Angren TPP in the settlement of Nurabad, Tashkent region;
- Syrdarya TPP and the adjacent area in the city of Shirin, Syrdarya region;
- Hydrometallurgical Plant No. 2 and the adjacent area in the settlement of Bessapan, Navoi region;
- Hydrometallurgical Plant No. 3 and the adjacent area in the settlement of Kokpatas, Navoi region;
- Hydrometallurgical Plant No. 4 and the adjacent area in Koshrabat district, Samarkand region;
- Within Kashkadarya: Tamerlane’s Cave in the Kalasay gorge, Tashkurgan settlement, dinosaur tracks in the Kalasay gorge, waterfall in the Kalasay gorge, Sutushar waterfall, the settlements of Javuz, Gilan, Kul, the “Khadja‑Karshavar” plateau, Lake Janka, the Severtsov Glacier, the holy site “Hazrat Sultan”;
- Within Jizzakh region: Shuralashsay area, the road from Zamin sanatorium through the “Suffa” plateau and the Kyzylmazar tract to the settlement of Muzbulak;
- Other particularly important and classified sites, as well as military units of the Ministry of Defense, SNB and MIA deployed in Uzbekistan.