Hotels near Nukus Airport - NCU, Nukus

First, make sure you have completed the Samarkand, Bukhara and Khiva holy trinity of Uzbek venues - all three are brilliant places. Nukus has come in for some flak, a little undeserved. Though not as interesting as the Big Three towns, and not as cosmopolitan and buzzing as Tashkent, it has some charm. Art lovers will enjoy the excellent Savitsky Museum, and if you splash out for a taxi, or wrestle with public transport/short taxi journeys, a trip to Mizdakhan and the neighbouring hill fort (4th/3rd century BC) is a good option. Walking round Nukus is pleasant enough and there are cafes near the Savitsky, though the clean, specious streets and ordinary riverine amble might quickly lose your interest. If buses are running, it's a point of departure for Muynak, a high-and-dry fishing port now hundreds of kms from the disappearing Aral Sea with its ghostly wrecked ships repositioned at the end of town. The town is grim, apparently (no buses out of Nukus when I was there), but that might be part of the exerience.

The Savitsky museum and the Karakalpakstan museum were excellent. Well worth to visit Mausoleum half an hour away, but my main reason for visit was en route to Moynaq / Aral. Would like to come back in a warmer season one day and discover more of this region.

Nukus, and the Jipek Joli - For the Savitsky Museum and a base to visit Moynak and the Aral Sea, they are perfect. Otherwise it is a very quiet large town with just enough cafe/restaurants for tourists (We like Soffram restaurant). Lots of huge new Soviet modern buildings and large highways. The environment beyond the town is largely desert and degraded as we expected, Moynak is desolate and the roads outside town in poor condition. We did not do the extra trip to get to the Aral Sea which we regret. Overnight train from Tashkent was old and slow but comfortable. We travelled to Khiva by car+driver and visited some of the fortresses which was good.

The Savitsky Museum of Art was very interesting plus we were amazed at a group of high school graduated students who were doing a school project to promote and develop tourism in Karakalpakstan. Brilliant and very talented youth. Best memory in Nukus: people.

Ann oasis of comfortable city-life after several days in the desert. a good place to stay before and/or after excursions to the Aral Sea and Ustyurt Plateau. The Savitsky Museum is a must! A visit to the central bazaar is worthwhile.

Nukus is the gateway to nearby archeological sites, and of course, the Aral Sea. It is home to a nice art museum, Savitsky. There is also a regional anthropological museum and a similar museum managed by the main public university with an emphasis on local poets, writers and musicians worth visiting, too. Nukus is a small, pedestrian friendly city, and has many quaint cafes and restaurants. People in Nukus are friendly and helpful, and most speak the local language, Karakalpakstani!