Is Uzbekistan Safe for Solo Female Travellers in 2025?
If you’re considering a trip as a solo female in 2025, we highly recommend Uzbekistan.
Despite it not being an obvious destination for Western travellers in the past, Uzbekistan has opened up hugely to tourists over the last few years and is now a budget-friendly and safe country to visit.
We ran a female only tour to Uzbekistan in October 2023 and we felt far safer in the country (as a group of females) than in other countries, such as North Africa or Middle East. Indeed, there are no specific safety concerns for solo female travellers visiting Uzbekistan. Deemed a ‘safe’ country to visit, females should approach a trip to Uzbekistan in the same way they would any other country, taking appropriate precautions to enhance their general safety.
Below are some top tips and general advice on visiting Uzbekistan as a female tourist, based on our experience and learnings during our incredible time in the country.
Practical tips for exploring Uzbekistan as a solo female traveller
As mentioned above, although Uzbekistan is a safe country to visit as a solo female tourist, there are still ways to reduce your risk of being a victim of crime, or encounter any other issues whilst there.
1. Secure luggage to avoid pick pockets
As with any city, there’s always a risk of pick-pockets and Uzbekistan is no different (although petty crime is incredibly low). During our time in Uzbekistan, we were encouraged to ensure both our hand luggage and hold luggage was secure, particularly as we were travelling by train a lot while in the country. If you’re travelling by Metro in Tashkent, this is probably where you want to be on highest alert and we recommend using a money belt or keeping your backpack on your front for any metro journeys.
2. Dress conservatively
As Uzbekistan is a predominantly Muslim country, we recommend dressing conservatively as a solo female traveller in the country. Having said that, however, Uzbekistan is incredibly relaxed and – as our guide told us – it’s a country that puts people first over religion. This means that we saw female tourists (and locals) dressed in really varied ways, particularly in Tashkent. Here, we saw many Russian locals dressing in shorts and crop tops, although we wouldn’t recommend this, particularly if you’re travelling alone.
If you’re unsure what to wear, we recommend our guide to what to pack as a female traveller to Uzbekistan for more guidance.
3. Buy an e-sim that works in Uzbekistan
One of the best things I did before travelling to Uzbekistan was buying an e-sim ahead of the trip. It was really easy to use, and ensured I was able to keep in touch with my husband and daughter while I was so far from home. If you’re a solo female traveller, ensuring you can use your phone while in Uzbekistan is an incredibly important way to ensure better safety and connectivity.
4. Plan your currency carefully
The currency in Uzbekistan is the Uzbekistani sum and is a closed currency. This means that you’re not able to withdraw the currency until you’re in the country and will need to bring dollars with you, in order to exchange. The current exchange rate is 1 dollar to every 25 SUM, and with high inflation, be prepared to carry a lot of notes on you. We quickly realised when we got to the country that there were so many notes, for such small amounts of money, that we couldn’t get it all out at once. If we did this, our wallets and bags would literally be crammed full of money.
When travelling in Uzbekistan, you’ll want to consider where you’ll have opportunities to withdraw money and to withdraw a modest amount, to avoid carrying too much on you in one go.
5. Be aware of current laws in Uzbekistan
Homosexuality is still classed as a crime in Uzbekistan, and can be punishable for up to 3 years in prison. Please bare this in mind, if travelling as a couple – public displays of affection could attract unwanted harassment from locals. We recommend using Equaldex for further information on LGBTQ+ rights in Uzbekistan.
6. Carry your passport with you at all times
According to UK Gov travel advice, tourists visiting Uzbekistan must carry their passports with them at all times. I must admit, as we had a tour guide, I didn’t realise this but know he did have our passports at all times during the tour.
What are the safest cities in Uzbekistan for solo female travellers to visit?
During our week visit to Uzbekistan, we completed the ‘golden triangle’ loop of visiting Tashkent, Bukhara and Samarkand. These are all cities on the ancient Silk Road Route, and are easy to get to by high speed train
Tashkent
Tashkent feels the most modern and cosmopolitan of the three cities we visited, and to be honest, felt no different to many European cities. The city has a low crime rate and is extensively policed, although this hasn’t always been the case.
The country did once have a reputation for an extremely corrupt police force but things have long since changed since the arrival of the new President in 2016. Since then, tourism has been a huge focus for the country, and as a result, the police force – who once saw tourists as an easy way to make a little money from, now have 78 new laws to govern them by. This has vastly improved the safety of tourists in the city.
We didn’t feel uncomfortable at all exploring the city, even at night, where the bustling streets felt well lit and safe. In fact, we felt like any other group of locals or ex pats enjoying the city. As you’ll discover, Tashkent is a huge melting pot of different cultures, with many Russians now living in the city, having left their country during the war.
Bukhara
Bukhara is a very different vibe to Tashkent, feeling far more like a dusty, desert oasis. Despite the contrasting setting, however, Bukhara felt incredibly safe and its compact nature meant it felt easy to navigate as a solo traveller. As it was a smaller city, we found locals particularly friendly and more than happy to support with directions or enquiries.
A police/tourist information centre is located in the heart of the city, which is very useful. The ‘tourist police’ can now be found in the larger cities, as a result of the new President and his focus on tourism.
Samarkand
Samarkand is the destination capital of Uzbekistan and the city welcomes and accommodates tourists with little issue. If you’re travelling as a solo female, you’ll blend in with the other groups of tourists and restaurants/cafes are geared towards the tourist trade.
Like Bukhara, Samarkand also has tourist police that are easily accessible, should you require any support.
Is public transport safe to use in Uzbekistan for female travellers?
I would say that the public transport in Uzbekistan, including the metro in Tashkent, felt far safer than cities such as London or other European cities. First off, the metro system of Tashkent is incredibly beautiful, with every metro stop offering Soviet designed stations that will take your breath away.
Furthermore, the metro is incredibly orderly and calm and we felt not issue in travelling on it alone as females.
On the mainland trains themselves, we also encountered efficient, orderly travel. There were plenty of tourists on all of the trains and we didn’t feel out of place or at risk in any way as female travellers.
Our 3-4 hour train journeys between cities were actually incredibly relaxing, with high speed rail providing comfy seats, free meals and even a bar. During our trip to the onboard bar, the staff even danced with us and played music: an all-round life affirming experience.
What’s the dress code for female travellers in Uzbekistan?
As mention above, we recommend dressing conservatively as a solo female traveller in Uzbekistan. This is less to do with the fact the country is predominately Muslim – as this is a country based on its people not religion – but just to avoid any general unwanted attention. In all cities, but particularly Samarkand, women were wearing a huge variety of clothing and there didn’t appear to be an expectation to cover up, unless visiting a religious site.
Personally, however, I think dressing conservatively just generally helps stop any unwanted stares. This means covering your shoulders and knees, and having a pashmina ready to cover your head at any religious sites.
Read our full guide to what to pack as a female travelling to Uzbekistan for more information.
What are public toilets like in Uzbekistan?
We found the toilets in Uzbekistan to be a real mix of Western and Asian design.
In our hotel rooms, we found your more “traditional” western toilets but public toilets were generally squat toilets. As a female traveller, you may want to bear this in mind in terms of changing period wear while travelling. Despite them being squat toilets, they all felt safe and were separated clearly from the male toilets.
We highly recommend, however, that you bring your own toilet roll for public toilets as this was lacking in a lot of places.
Our experience of travelling to Uzbekistan as a group of female travellers
Our female only tour to Uzbekistan was a huge success.
Firstly, we didn’t expect to receive such a friendly welcome to the country and immediately felt comfortable in the city. Having run tours for female travellers all over the world, we can say with certainty that this is one of the safest countries that we’ve travelled through; not only as tourists but as female travellers too.
We found Uzbeks to be respectful, helpful and accommodating, and there wasn’t a moment during our tour where we felt unsafe.
If you’re thinking about travelling to Uzbekistan as a solo female traveller, therefore, we would highly recommend it. We can’t wait to return to the country again to explore more of its countryside and enjoy the warm welcome of its people once more.
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