Author
Akbar Tajiyev
Founder of Darvaza Trip, Khiva, Uzbekistan.
Akbar Tajiyev founded Darvaza Trip in Khiva, the walled city at the western end of Uzbekistan’s Silk Road route, and leads the team that plans every journey. Travel guides on this site are written or checked by him, drawing on more than twenty years in tourism.
- More than 20 years in tourism
- Speaks five languages
- Founded Darvaza Trip in Khiva on 7 October 2025
Contact: WhatsApp +998 91 920 94 20 or tours.uzbekistan@gmail.com.
Written or checked by Akbar
Guides and articles
- Visas for Central Asia: country-by-country guideWhich Central Asian countries are visa-free, which need an e-visa, and what Turkmenistan’s letter of invitation involves.
- Uzbekistan visa 2026: who needs one, the e-visa and registrationVisa-free entry, the official e-visa, hotel registration, customs and what to carry at the border, kept up to date from Khiva.
- Best time to visit Uzbekistan: month by monthWeather, crowds, festivals and what each month is good for, from a team that lives through every season in Khiva.
- The best time to visit Central AsiaSpring and autumn for the Silk Road cities, summer for the mountains: a month-by-month guide.
- How many days do you need in Uzbekistan?What fits into 5, 7, 10 and 14 days, with the routes our planners actually use and the mistakes that cost time.
- Money, cards and currency in Central AsiaFive currencies, how far cards will get you, ATMs and exchanging money.
- Uzbekistan itinerary: 7 days from Tashkent to KhivaA realistic one-week route through Tashkent, Khiva, Bukhara and Samarkand, with transport times, where to sleep and what to skip.
- SIM cards, eSIMs and internetStaying connected: local SIMs, eSIMs, Wi-Fi and where you will be offline.
- Uzbekistan itinerary: 10 days with the desert castlesTen days that add the clay castles of Khorezm, a night in a yurt camp and Shakhrisabz to the classic Silk Road loop, at a pace that leaves room to breathe.
- Uzbekistan trains: Afrosiyob, routes, classes and ticketsThe high-speed Afrosiyob, the trains to Khiva and the Fergana Valley, classes, booking and the mistakes to avoid.
- Getting around Central AsiaFlights, trains, private drivers and 4×4s: how to cover the distances.
- Land border crossings in Central AsiaThe main crossings travellers use between the five countries, and what to expect.
- Urgench airport to Khiva: taxi, transfer and trainHow to get from Urgench airport (UGC) to Khiva, how long it takes, late-night arrivals and travelling on to Bukhara or Nukus.
- Is Central Asia safe? A practical guideCrime, road travel, altitude, heat, food and water, and photography rules.
- Is Uzbekistan safe for tourists? A local viewCrime, scams, roads, police, health, heat, solo and women travellers and LGBT+ travellers, from a team that lives and works in Uzbekistan.
- Travel insurance for Central AsiaWhat your policy should cover, especially for mountains, trekking and remote areas.
- What to eat in Central AsiaPlov, samsa, lagman, beshbarmak and the dishes worth travelling for.
- Local etiquette and cultureHospitality, dress, bread and tea, mosques and photographing people.
- Uzbek phrases for travellers: a pocket phrasebookFifty useful Uzbek words and phrases with an easy pronunciation guide and the Russian alternative, from greetings to the bazaar.
- What to pack for Central AsiaClothing for mosques and mountains, layers for yurts, and the small things that help.
- Photography tips for Central AsiaWhen to shoot the monuments, how to photograph people, and what not to photograph.
- Day trips from Khiva: desert castles, Nukus, Turkmenistan and moreEvery trip worth taking from Khiva, compared by drive time and effort, from the clay castles of Khorezm to the Aral Sea.
- Ichan-Kala, Khiva: monuments, tickets and the best routeEvery major monument inside Khiva’s walls, how the ticket works, the route our guides walk and when the light is best.
- Khiva food guide: shivit oshi and the dishes of KhorezmThe dishes that make Khorezm cooking different from the rest of Uzbekistan, and how to find them in Khiva.
- Khiva in 1 or 2 days: an itinerary from local guidesHour-by-hour plans for one day, two days and three days in Khiva, timed around the heat, the crowds and the light.
- Where to stay in Khiva: inside or outside the wallsInside Ichan-Kala, just outside the gates or in the newer town? What each area is like, the types of hotel, and how to choose.