Nukus

Get around

Taxis are plentiful and cheap: a short hop in town should cost 500-1000 som. Everything you'll want to see is in walking distance. Aral Sea Khiva Urgench thumb|Karakalpakstan State Museum of Arts

See

Nearby is the Museum of Applied Arts showing local fabrics, traditional clothing and jewellery. The Karakalpak State Museum exhibits examples of natural history, including the very last Turan Tiger, caught in 1972.

Do

Due to being the closest major city to the Aral Sea, Nukus is a good place to start trips to the shore and to Moynoq. The former fishing town is some 200 km away and a witness of the dying Aral Sea. Its main "attraction" is the infamous ship graveyard.

A taxi from Nukus to Moynaq costs around US$70, higher if booked through a hotel. For a day trip, start early as it is 3-3½ hr one way. Marshrutkas also go to Moynaq via Kungrad.

Buy

There is a huge sprawling market near the bus station, selling the usual range of cheap consumer goods, clothing and food. Most of it is under cover and hence not a bad place to wander during the heat of the day. A camera and a polite 'Mogu li ya snyatʹ vashu fotografiyu?' (May I take your photograph?.) can lead to some very atmospheric pictures.

Eat

There are few options, both the Mona Lisa and the Sheraton restaurants, listed in a popular guidebook, have shut. Searching around you will find acceptable kebab places, such as the one just east of the Savitsky museum (42°27'54.03"N, 59°37'11.17"E, on the corner of Rashidova & Dosnazarov).

"Samsa" are popular, samosa-type pastries filled with ground beef and onions. 1,500-3,000 som, and they're rather filling. For a meat-free option some places sell slightly cheaper potato versions, ask for "kartoshka samsa".

As in the rest of the country Plov is the most widely known dish of the region and delicious, especially when homemade. Usually made with chicken.

Kimchi is popular with the locals, and is sold it at the main fruit and vegetable market. A large Korean community was resettled in Nukus after the second world war and now comprises ~20% of the population of the city.

Drink

Find some "Qarataw" brand vodka. Local to Qaraqalpaqstan and even difficult to find outside of the region, it's smooth and complex, and the Qaraqalpaks are rightly proud of it.

Sleep

The prices in US dollars are higher than prices in som, and the hotels will want you to pay in US dollars (except in Nukus Hotel).

Connect

As of Sep 2024, Nukus has 4G from all Uzbek carriers, but with a poor signal on its approach highways. 5G has not reached town.