Yangiqishloq Hotels

Guesthouses in the Nurata Mountains: Heart Warming Mountain Retreat

You will live with a traditional family deep in the mountain villages of Uzbekistan. This is one of those travel experiences that will cause you to smile involuntarily once you are back in the 'real world.'

For the penny conscious, this trip is insanely cheap; in 2010, full board and lodging cost me around USD 20 night. I shopped around for a long time and this price was the best by about 40%.

A German aid company has met with several villagers in the Nurata Mountain district, where households earn less than USD 5 a day, and has set it up so you can stay with these families. We stayed for 9 nights, with 3 different families, and in that entire time we saw 4 cars and dozens of cool mountain rivers.

The families live in traditional Uzbek style houses, that is stones and mud walls about 2 ft thick, they are wonderfully warm and immaculately clean. The families are the most genuine and generous people you will ever meet, the whole family will run around to ensure that you are warm, well fed and washed.

The facilities are very basic, most of the houses do not have running water, in fact if you are looking for a six star presidential suite look elsewhere, if you are looking for a rural rustic retreat then look no further.

I would, and have, recommend this place to all my friends and family. In fact I've told my dad that this is his dream retirement village.

The mountain region is still populated exclusively by traditional village communities, living like it was 90 years ago. Everyone is farming, collecting wood, building winter dwellings or baking bread.

There are innumerable walks around the mountains, twisting around old abandoned stone villagers, and twisting mountain rivers for miles and miles.

The real reason you should go though is to meet the families. Their kindness and sincerity of these people will cause you to re-think your real world direction and values.

• Opinion of Price: least expensive
• Related to: Hiking and Walking, Eco-Tourism, Backpacking
• Written April 9, 2010

Typical scene around the village

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