In this travel guide, you will get acquainted with the 10 best national parks in Uzbekistan that are worth visiting for every kind of traveler.
Uzbekistan is an amazing country for tourists. There are so many things to do as well as to experience in the country. If we talk about nature reserves, Uzbekistan has one of the best national parks in Asia. It also has many beautiful places to see. In the last 23 years, the country has been able to keep and grow its nature reserves by 36% to protect its biodiversity.
This article tells you about Uzbekistan’s most beautiful national parks. Since the country is an excellent place to go on vacation, especially if you like to be active, you should feel good about knowing this. Most of them are called nature reserves here, and nature lovers still think they are the best-kept secret.
Before diving deeper, let’s have a quick look at the best national parks and reserves in Uzbekistan with their location.
| Best National Reserves in Uzbekistan | Location |
| Zaamin National Park | 25 km south of the village of Zaamin |
| Badai-Tugay Nature Reserve | Banks of the Amu Darya river in Uzbekistan |
| Zarafshan Reserve | Samarkand Region |
| Aral Paygambar | South of Uzbekistan, In between Afghanistan and Uzbekistan |
| Alisher Navoi National Park | Tashkent, Uzbekistan |
| Ugam Chatkal National Park | 150km to the northeast of Tashkent |
| Nurata National Park/Nature Reserve | Nurota, Uzbekistan |
| Kitab Nature Reserve National Park | Kitab district, Kashkadarya Province, Uzbekistan |
| Chatkalskiy State Natural park | Czatkalski Rezerwat Biosfery, Nevich, Uzbekistan |
| Surkhan Nature Reserve | Surkhandarya Province, Uzbekistan |
Suggested – Best Tours in Uzbekistan For Cultural and Historical Exploration
Best National Parks in Uzbekistan
Here, we are going to discuss the best 10 national parks in Uzbekistan that need to be explored.
1. Zaamin National Park
The Zaamin National Park is one of the best national parks in Uzbekistan. North of the Turkestan Range, in the Zaamin district of the Jizzakh region, there is a 24.1-hectare national park.
A lot of people go for a picnic and enjoy the whole day in Zaamin National Park.
Zaamin National Park is open every day of the year. The park is close to the Zaamin sanatorium. There are a lot of boarding houses, sanatoriums, rest homes, and camps for kids in the recreation area.
Over the past few decades, this area has become a favorite vacation spot for all Uzbeks.
Location: 25 km south of the village of Zaamin.
Related: Best things to do in Tashkent.
2. Badai-Tugay Nature Reserve
There are special Tugai nature reserves in the southeast of the country, near the Amu Darya. The Badai-Tugay nature reserve is one of the best places.
In the 1970s, the zone was made to protect the Tugai forests along the Amu Darya and give the Bukhara deer a place to live again.
In the Badai-Tugay protected area, you can find poplar, goat, willow, and reed. There are many different kinds of birds, mammals, and fish.
There are 15 different kinds of fish. Wild boar, Tolai hare, fox, jackal, reed cat (the biggest cat in Central Asia), badger, weasel, steppe ferret, big-eared hedgehog, and many rodents are mostly found here.
Location: Banks of the Amu Darya river in Uzbekistan.
3. Zarafshan Reserve
The Zarafshan Reserve is a large area with more than 2,000 hectares of land. It is on the right bank of the Zarafshan River in the southeast of the Samarkand area.
The government of the country is very careful to protect the country’s Tugai forests and the rare Zarafshan pheasant that lives there.
Even though the whole reserve is made up of Tugai forests, you can also find fruit trees, willow, poplar, comb, sea buckthorn, reed, licorice, broom, goof, and a lot more.
More than 24 kinds of mammals like the fox, badger, jackal, toll hare, porcupine, and various rodents live in the area.
Location: Samarkand Region.
4. Aral Paygambar
The reserve was made in 1960, and its history is interesting. At first, it was thought to belong to the local Institute of zoology. In 1967, it became part of the Termez forestry enterprise, which was run by the state. By 1971, the reserve was set apart and had clear borders.
The park is near the city of Termez in the south of Uzbekistan. There are riparian and reed forests, meadows, and even deserts in the reserve. It is undoubtedly one of the best national reserves in Uzbekistan.
Location: South of Uzbekistan, In between Afghanistan and Uzbekistan
5. Alisher Navoi National Park
The Alisher Navoi National Park is one of Uzbekistan’s largest urban parks in Tashkent. It was founded in 1932 and was named Komsomolsky in Soviet times.
Nowadays it bears the name of a great medieval enlightener Alisher Navoi. The park covers 65 hectares area with a lake and a network of canals.
Alisher Navoi National Park is one of the best national parks in Uzbekistan. If you go to Uzbekistan, don’t forget to go to Alisher Navoi National Park.
As many as 27 species of mammals, such as foxes and badgers as well as small mammals and other small rodents, can be found in the region.
Location: Tashkent, Uzbekistan
6. Ugam Chatkal National Park
Ugam Chatkal National Park is the largest in the country. It is about 575,000 hectares in size. Based on how many people visit, this park is probably also the most popular in Uzbekistan.
Different climate zones can be found here because the altitude changes so much.
Visitors can find everything here, from mountain steppes to mountain forests to alpine meadows and highlands. The northeast of the country is the location where Ugam Chatkal National Park is situated.
Both the plants and animals here are very different. Here, you can find about 20 kinds of fish, 200 kinds of birds, and almost 50 kinds of mammals.
Location: 150km to the northeast of Tashkent.
7. Nurata National Park
Nurata National Park/Nature Reserve is one of the best national parks in Uzbekistan. In addition to its own plants and animals, the park gives great ideas about how people used to live.
So, you can go see ancient paintings on rocks and the unique mountain villages of Ashraf, Khayat, Ukhum, and Sentyabsai.
There’s also the Khonbandi Dam to talk about. The Nurata is a great place to visit because it has both beautiful natural scenery and interesting cultural and historical sites.
The Nurata Nature Reserve has been around since 1975, and one of its goals is to protect the plants that grow there, such as walnuts and other types of fruit.
Location: Nurota, Uzbekistan
8. Kitab Nature Reserve National Park
The Kitab Nature Reserve national park is near the Zarafshan range, in the Kitab region. This is one of the most interesting places in nature.
In the Kitab Reserve, the wild nature is rich and varied, and a number of endemic genera and species make up the unique mountain semi-steppe.
This reserve was set up in 1979, and it is used as a natural research site for stratigraphy, paleontology, sedimentology, and other basic branches of geology.
For regular tourists, this is a great place to learn about the mysteries of the ancient world and how life grew on Earth over time.
Location: Kitab district, Kashkadarya Province, Uzbekistan
9. Chatkalskiy State Natural Park
The Chatkalskiy State Nature Reserve is located in the Tashkent Province of Uzbekistan.
It is a reserve that is approximately 570 square kilometers in size and contains mountain steppes, mountain forests, alpine meadows, river valleys, and floodplain forests
This location became a UNESCO biosphere reserve in 1978 after being designated as a state nature preserve in 1947.
The Tereklisay, which cuts through the middle of the nature reserve on its way from south to north, is the most significant river in this region.
Location: Czatkalski Rezerwat Biosfery, Nevich, Uzbekistan.
10. Surkhan Nature Reserve
The Surkhan Nature Reserve is a natural area that is preserved and protected. It covers an area of more than 24,000 hectares, and it is home to numerous species of flora and animals that are threatened with extinction.
The horned goat and the Bukhara sheep are two examples of animal species that are on the verge of becoming extinct entirely and are included among the representatives of the fauna.
The reserve is home to a number of different species of animals, some of which are listed in the Red Book.
These include venerable cats like the leopard and the Turkestan lynx, as well as striped hyenas, gazelles, white and black storks, black vultures, and bearded, and snake-eaters.
Location: Surkhandarya Province, Uzbekistan
Conclusion – Best Uzbekistan’s National Parks
Uzbekistan is undoubtedly an amazing country. You can experience a very new environment, a new vibe, and a new culture, traditions, etc. We highly recommend you explore the beauty of Uzbekistan and learn about the new culture.
Uzbekistan boasts of outstanding beauty, applied arts, a national park, friendly hospitality, and excellent pilaf. We hope that this article has provided you with a comprehensive overview of the most magnificent national parks and natural reserves that Uzbekistan has to offer. Having said that, the sensation of actually seeing them with one’s own eyes is even more stunning.
That’s all about our discussion on the best national park in Uzbekistan. If you go to Uzbekistan then don’t forget to explore these Uzbekistan’s national parks. If you are still confused and don’t know why you should visit Uzbekistan then this article can answer your question.
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