Think of Uzbekistan as a travel destination and with certainty, what springs to mind are the images of Uzbekistan's trade-mark splendid monumental Islamic architecture. Though visited yearly by thousands of culture seekers from all over the world, Uzbekistan has been able to preserve its feel of a little known destination. Visitors, be it that they are individuals or groups, spread out nicely and one never feels the country is overrun by tourism. The number of visitors is on the raise and so as to preserve the spirit of having Bukhara, Samarkand or Khiva all to yourself, alternative travel options are in the making. Uzbekistan offers more diversity with every year, new areas to explore with a promise of new activity related holidays. On the territory of Uzbekistan are some of the greatest desert of Asia i.e., Kizilkum (The Red Sand ,the mysterious plateau Ustyurt, the mountains of the Pamirs-Alay and Tien Shan reaching heights of more than 4500 meters. In the Republic there are 12 reserves and national natural parks. Eco-tourism is the new buzz-word. Go to where few have ever travelled to, off the beaten track but still within a safe and sound framework. That is the
trend nowadays.
Uzbekistan can offer fabulous contrasts, it is one of the country's attractive advantages. Trekking, cycling and horseback riding can all be arranged by professionals with great experience. Or how about skiing and snow boarding, heliskiing? In the heart of the snowy wonderland lies Chimgan. a mere 80km from Uzbekista's capital Tashkent, in the Southwestern Tien Shan, dominated by the Big Chimgan (3309 m. Up until the end of June, you can be dropped by a heli and carve your own tracks into virgin snow. Certainly, Chimgan and the nearby Beldersoy are not about to compete with European resorts but take it from freeriders and heliskiiers who scout the globe in search of the ultimate kick: Uzbekistan offers some of the finest snow and greastest experience anywhere in the world. And how many friends do you have who hold a claim to having heliskiied Now some like it hot, so how abouf'rafting, camel - safari and off road tours? We from Asia travel get rave reviews and wonderful feedback that confirm what we have known all along namely that Uzbekistan gives you a chance to put together your personal tailor made fun and culture filled holiday. For you to chose from a wide range of travel options, d descend along virgin soft snow. There are not so many places in the world where you can make descending with an amplitude up to 2 km and length up to 10 km, and for a day to ski "16 vertical kilometers" (this is almost 2 heights of Everest). In summer in Chimgan there is an expanse for the Alpinists and tracking fans. Picturesque canyons, waterfalls, mysterious plateau Polatkhan, ravine of the river Karaarcha, boundless mountain ranges, rock paintings, all these remain in the tourists' memory for long. There are also horse routes all over the same mountains. Here along the rivers Chatkal, Pskem, and Ugam conquerors of the "white water" are rafting. If Chatkal and Pskem are the rivers for the professionals, than Ugam is subdued even to the fans giving a lot of enjoyment and adrenaline. The other interesting place for the active rest is Nuratinsk mountain range. There is not so high here, 1500 -2500 meters over the sea level, but in spring it is a wonderful place for the tracking, riding, and cycling. Besides, this place is interesting also from the point of view of ethnography and for the country tourism. There is also a boundary of the greatest deserts of Asia, i.e. Kizilkum. Only from the first sight it seems lifeless, but actually it is an interesting place for the camel-safari, jeep and off-road tours. It is striking, but there are many lakes in the desert, and the biggest among them is the lake Aydarkul (more than 200 km in length, and up to 15 km in width). There are thousands of birds and an excellent fishing here. And yurt camp «Aydar» in the Western part of the lake with every passing year enjoys more and more popularity. From here camel riding and visiting of one of the biggest stone picture "galleries" of the ancient man (more than 3 thousand petroglyphs) start. Region of the disappearing Aral Sea is also interesting, western steep shores of which resemble fantastical castles. Aral and its colorful shores are j especially beautiful at the sunset. N Unfortunately, this wonderful and wild | land due to the Aral Sea drying can f change into a lifeless desert. ( Only a few men know possibilities of Uzbekistan for the sport fishing. Fast i mountain rivers, man-made canals, the greatest Asian rivers Syrdaria and Amudarya, and lakes in the deserts these are the things that can be offered for the fishing fans. Along with . the traditionally spread all over the world fish species, such as sazan, barbel, carp, zherekh, pike perch, catfish, bream, and chukhon, there is a chance for fishing only those species that are typical only for the Middle Asia. They are as follows: dragon head, marinka, tupak or Samarkand khromulya. In some ponds there is a chance to catch unique samples of the rather big sized cat-fish. Kind of fishing in all reservoirs is the sport one: by fishing rod, and spinning both from the shore and the boat. The only one thing we can't imagine is the under-ice fishing, since water reservoirs in Uzbekistan in winter do not actually freeze. But you can also fishing in winter. Active rest in the mountains, hiking, alive and direct contacts with local inhabitants this is the very thing that enliven and add to the traditional excursion tours all over Uzbekistan, and many tour operators include these unforgettable adventures in their tours.