Practical Information

Visa

Kazakhstan

A number of countries including the UK, USA, Australia, Canada, New Zealand Germany, Belgium and France can enter Kazakhstan for up to 30 days without a visa.

Kyrgyzstan

British, most European and most other nationalities, including Australians, New Zealanders, Americans and Canadians do not require visas for visits of under 60 days. All other nationalities should contact the nearest Kyrgyzstan Embassy if in doubt.

Important: You can be arrested if you are not carrying ID in Kyrgyzstan.  You should carry your passport or a copy of it with you at all times.

Uzbekistan

All nationalities require a full passport that must be valid for at least three months beyond your entry date into Uzbekistan. It is your responsibility to have the correct personal documents and to obtain your own visa, if one is necessary, in accordance with the regulations of the country you are to visit. The information below is primarily for UK passport holders, and other nationalities should check with their travel agent or the relevant embassies. We are not responsible for the actions of local immigration and customs officials, whether at points of entry or otherwise, and any subsequent effects.

Anyone travelling on a British, Australian, New Zealand or Canadian passport can enter Uzbekistan as a visitor (for tourism or business purposes) for stays of up to 30 days without a visa. For a full list of nationalities that are eligible for a visa-free visit of up to 30-days, please visit www.uzembassy.uk/page/319?language=en

Many other nationalities are eligible for a simplified visa in advance (without the need for an authorisation letter of invitation), including USA. If you are eligible for a visa in advance then you should apply for one as for visas upon arrival, a letter of invitation is still required. Should you need an authorisation letter, please contact Exodus at least 8 weeks before departure as we can arrange this for you through our local operator.

It is no longer necessary for you to complete a currency declaration form upon arrival (unless you are carrying over US$2,000 with you). You will still need to keep your receipts given by each hotel that you stay in – please hold on to these as they may be checked when you leave.

There have also been greater restrictions on bringing medicine into Uzbekistan. If you have any special medicine we recommend you check with the Uzbekistan embassy about allowed quantities. You should also bring copies of your prescriptions and declare them upon arrival. Visa regulations can change without notice. Please check the current regulations in good time to obtain a visa if one is required.

For assistance with obtaining visas please call Travcour on 020 8543 1846 or visit their website: http://www.travcour.com/page/tour-packs/exodus.php

Vaccinations and Health

Uzbekistan

There are no required vaccinations. However, you may want to consider vaccinations for tetanus, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, rabies, tuberculosis and typhoid. Please confirm with your doctor or travel clinic.

Kazakhstan

There are no required vaccinations. However, you may want to consider vaccinations for tetanus, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, rabies, tick-borne encephalitis, tuberculosis and typhoid. Please confirm with your doctor or travel clinic.

You will also require a yellow fever vaccination certificate if arriving from (or transiting through) a country with risk of yellow fever transmission.

Kyrgyzstan

There are no required vaccinations. However, you may want to consider vaccinations for tetanus, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, rabies, tuberculosis and typhoid. Please confirm with your doctor or travel clinic.

The risk of malaria on this trip is slight, but you may wish to consult your GP or travel health clinic for further advice.

Local Time

Uzbekistan's time zone: Asia/Tashkent (UTC +05:00)

Kazakhstan's time zone: Asia/Almaty (UTC +06:00)

Kyrgyzstan's time zone: Asia/Bishkek (UTC +06:00)

Electricity

Uzbekistan's electricity: Plug types C (two round pins) and F (two round pins) – 220V, 50Hz

Kazakhstan's electricity: Plug types C (two round pins) and F (two round pins) – 230V, 50Hz

Kyrgyzstan's electricity: Plug types C (two round pins) and F (two round pins) – 220V, 50Hz

Money

Uzbekistan's currency: Uzbekistani soum (UZS). Please note, the soum can fluctuate significantly, so it is better to relate everything to the US dollar. We recommend you bring your money in dollars or pounds as other currencies are hard to exchange. Make sure you bring plenty of small denomination notes. Notes issued before 1990, and any ripped or dirty notes, or notes with writing or stamps, may not be accepted. It is also difficult to change travellers cheques.

Kazakhstan's currency: Kazakhstani tenge (KZT)

Kyrgyzstan's currency: Kyrgyzstani som (KGS). There are money exchange facilities in the main cities, including Bishkek and Osh. Bring US dollars or euros in cash as these are easy to change; pounds can be exchanged in a few places but most will not accept them. Please bring new notes as most money exchangers will not accept old notes. Larger denominations (US$50 or US$100 notes or €50 or €100 notes) attract a marginally better exchange rate, but bring a mixture of denominations so you can change a small amount at a time. In Kyrgyzstan, smaller denominations of som are useful.

ATM Availability

There are ATMs in large hotels and at banks in the main cities in Uzbekistan, though some do not accept international bank cards. Credit cards are rarely accepted so take most of your money in cash – Visa cards are sometimes accepted but Mastercards usually are not. You may be able to use your credit card in the gift shops and money exchange desks at large hotels, and at some larger stores. There are ATMs in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, though they may not always work with foreign cards.

Extra Expenses & Spending Money

The amount of spending money required can vary depending on how much you spend on drinks and souvenirs. As an indication, we recommend you bring at least US$300 for meals not included, souvenirs, drinks and other incidentals. Photo fees are payable at nearly all the sites in Uzbekistan – they vary from 5,000 to 10,000 soum. Meal prices in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan are usually a little more than in Uzbekistan.

Kazakh hotel tax

A hotel tax is payable on check-in to the hotel in Almaty in cash, USD or Tenge. This comes to approximately US$10 per person in total.

Optional Excursions

There are several optional activities, which your leader can help arrange. They are subject to schedules, weather and availability; your leader will let you know what is available and the local costs. Payment should be made locally in US dollars. Below is an indication of the optional activities and their approximate costs but these may vary throughout the season or depending on the number of participants and are given in good faith as a guideline only.

Djety Oguz

• Golden eagle hunting demonstration: US$120-US$150 per group

Uzbek hotel tax

A hotel tax is payable on check-in at each hotel in Uzbekistan. This comes to approximately US$3 per person per night.

Tipping

This is entirely at your own discretion; however, with the increase in tourism, tipping has become customary here. The local staff will probably expect some gratuity and we suggest you allow for this. If you feel your leaders have performed well over the course of your trip, you may want to show your appreciation for their services. The sum you choose to give is entirely personal, but as a guide, US$4 per person per day for all tipping would be a reasonable starting point (of which about US$2 a day for the leader and the rest for drivers and other staff). The main tipping will be for the leaders and drivers, though you may want to leave tips in hotels for the staff there.

People, Places & Planet

We work hard to create trips that have a positive impact on the people and places we visit and look after the planet we explore. Learn more about our sustainable travel ethos and practice here and find out about the work of the Exodus Travels Foundation here.

We are very proud to work with a local partner who has the Travelife Partner award. Travelife is a certification system dedicated to achieving sustainable practices in the global tourism industry. To receive the award, our partner had to comply with more than 100 criteria related to corporate social responsibility. The Travelife standard is formally recognised for full compliance with the UN Sustainable Tourism Criteria.

Some sustainable travel highlights of this trip include:

People

How this trip helps improve life for local communities.

• Local guides keep you well informed about local traditions and cultural-social sensitivities.
• This trip brings income and opportunity to the destination community through the inclusion of locally owned hotels, restaurants, and other enterprises, and by championing locally produced food wherever possible. At Chon-Kemin Gorge, we stay in a family-owned establishment and at Djety Oguz Gorge we stay at a family-owned yurt camp. This provides great opportunities to learn about local cultures.
• In Karakol, we have dinner with a local family.
• Read more about our other initiatives here.

Places

How this trip helps protect and conserve local landscapes and nature.

• By travelling in a small group, we ‘tread lightly’ to minimise our impact on local resources and the environment.
• We work with our partners on the ground to proactively reduce waste; this includes eliminating all single-use plastic water bottles by providing refills for reusable bottles.
• The payment of entrance fees to natural reserves and archaeological sites generates income used for upkeep and development of these important sites. We visit several national and Unesco heritage sites on this trip. We also visit Ala-Archa National Park and Charyn Canyon.
• We rewild 1,075sqft (100sqm) per passenger to compensate for all trip and flight emissions.
• Read about our commitment to nature protection and restoration here, including our rewilding commitment for every customer who travels with us.

Planet

How we seek to keep the carbon footprint of this trip low.

• Accommodation and restaurants in the itinerary use locally sourced food which has not been transported long distances.
• Read about our climate action here, including our carbon reduction and compensation commitments.

Tips for sustainable travel on this trip

• Leave no trace: We do all we can to ensure we leave no rubbish in the wild and beautiful places we visit; we ask that you do the same. If there are no recycling facilities in-country, consider bringing recyclable materials home with you.
• Plastic waste reduction: Please bring a reusable water bottle on this trip, also consider avoiding single-use hotel toiletries, which generate a large amount of plastic waste.

Important Information

Water safety

This trip includes time by a lake, river or sea, where there may be opportunities to swim. You should always seek local advice before deciding whether to swim. Open-water or wild swim spots should be treated with extreme caution. Information on how to keep yourself safe while swimming is shown here.

This trip goes near an area deemed unsafe to visit by the UK government’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whose advice we follow when operating our trips. While our itinerary doesn’t go to these areas, you should familiarise yourself with your local government’s advice if you are planning any pre- or post-trip travel. Any independent travel to areas currently against your local government advice is entirely at your own risk and unlikely to be covered by your travel insurance.