By train around Uzbekistan: Zomin National Park

Writer: Helena Bergström

Now the story of our train journey around Uzbekistan continues... After the capital Tashkent, we set off by train in the direction of Samarkand, getting off in Dashtobod. It was time for us to experience Zomin National Park.

Dashtobod - and the dish "Tandir Gosht"

Dashtabod is a small town in the Jizzakh region of Uzbekistan, and is part of the Zomin district. The train station is so small that the conductor wondered if we really would get off here? But yes, we were! We were heading towards Zomin National Park, and on the way we stopped at Toxir Ota, who prepares the traditional Uzbek dish Tandir Gosht.

Tandir Gosht (or Tandoor Gosht) is a traditional meat dish popular in Uzbekistan. The name comes from 'tandir' (mud oven) and 'gosht' (meat), and the cooking process involves firing a mud oven in the ground, lowering the meat once the fire has died down and then covering it.

The result is a very tender meat, which at the same time has a distinct flavour of smoke. We were served it all in a local bread, really nice! And yes, it was very good!

Check-in at Wyndham Garden Zomin

With some meat and bread in our stomachs, we set off for Zomin National Park and our hotel Wyndham Garden Zomin. The car journey took us up through the mountains, as the temperatures dropped, and we found ourselves in a natural area filled with newly built hotels. Even our hotel was new and fresh, with an interior design style that could almost have fit perfectly in a European ski resort.

We had a total of two lunches and two dinners at this hotel. It is a buffet here and none of us are particularly fond of buffets really, but we had nothing to complain about either. At each meal, several hot dishes were served along with salads, soup, bread and desserts. Possibly the choice for vegetarians was a bit limited.

Another interesting thing in Uzbekistan is the relationship to alcohol. On the one hand, this is a Muslim country, and many people do not drink alcohol at all. On the other hand, there are local wine producers and a wine culture. In most restaurants we have visited, it is possible to order wine or beer with dinner, but it is solved in different ways.

Here, at Wyndham Garden Zomin, we had to run to the nearest market and buy wine (which was stored behind a curtain). Back at the hotel, the staff helped with wine glasses and wine openers. All's well that ends well ...

Zomin National Park

Zomin National Park, or Zaamin National Park as it is called in English, is a natural area in the mountains between Tashkent and Samarkand. The location is at an altitude of 2400 metres, which is such a considerable height that you should be prepared for the air to feel thinner than usual and for sleep to be affected for the first few nights.

The natural area is popular for several reasons: the nature here is incredibly beautiful and in the summers, when the heat becomes almost unbearable in the cities, this place offers a sanctuary. Don't forget that Uzbekistan is a 'double landlocked country' - it has no coastline, and neither do its neighbouring countries.

As a Scandinavian, you think: Can I hike here? Or maybe bird watching? The local guide I asked was a bit stumped. Yes, they are planning to organise hiking trails here, but it's not ready yet. Most people come here just to "relax".

Our group went for a short walk in the countryside, and we were joined by a so-called "tourist police". Tourist police are common in Uzbekistan, and they help to make the visit to the country even safer and smoother. The tourist police officer we met here was 25 years old and patiently answered all our curious questions.

There is a cable car in Zomin National Park and I, being afraid of heights, happily rode it for two reasons: the distance from the cable car to the ground is not too high and it is super modern. Zomin Ropeway, as the cable car is called, was delivered by a Swiss company and opened in 2023. The cable car ride also offered great views!

We then walked around the area for a while. Among other things, we looked at the Zomin Sanatorium, which is a classic "health centre" that has been here much longer than all the new hotels.

The nature in the area is beautiful and we were told that the area is called the "Switzerland of Uzbekistan". Large parts are relatively dry, but yes, there is also a lot of greenery here!

We chose to buy some "kurt" and offer it to our friends. If you didn't grow up with it, it might be a little hard to like, but it's still interesting to try! "Kurt" is a hard, salty cheese from Central Asia, made from dried, fermented cow's milk.

Suspension bridge and zip line

The Uzbek government is investing heavily in tourism in the country - and in Zomin National Park too. In just a few years, a number of modern hotels have sprung up here, with more to come. Along with this, they are investing in trails, snowboard slopes and all kinds of adventurous activities.

One of the biggest tourist draws is the suspension bridge over a ravine, inaugurated in 2023, which is now one of the area's most recognisable landmarks.

Built using Swiss technology, the bridge is 305 metres long and has a height of 150 metres above ground.

Right next to the bridge, those who wish can go ziplining across the gorge.

Everything feels extremely safe and well-organised here, but of course, being hysterically afraid of heights, I preferred to watch from a distance. The two over-65s in the group, Peter and Magnus, however, signed up directly for the adventure.

Afterwards, they came back happy and full of adrenaline. "Great!" was the verdict.

Local bread in Zomin

Another experience we had in the Uzbek mountains was traditional bread baking. The woman who baked for us is a trained educator with a day job, but on weekends she and her mother-in-law contribute to the family bread business. The bread, which contains flour, milk and butter, is baked in a pan that fits perfectly on the barbecue.

The result is magical! Along with copious dollops of butter, we got to taste a bread that is perhaps the tastiest we have ever eaten.

What did we think of visiting Zomin National Park?

For us, the visit to Zomin National Park was worth its weight in gold - it gave us an expanded view of the Uzbek countryside and Uzbek nature. It was also interesting to see the rapid growth of tourism in a place like this, with lots of hotels and activities.

It is in a way easy to get here by train, as Dashtobod station is strategically located between Tashkent and Samarkand. However, the train station is not in the mountains, so you will need a taxi or other local transport to get from the train station.

The train chugged on towards ... Samarkand!

We spent two days in the Uzbek mountains, and then it was time for the train to chug on, from Dashtobod to Samarkand. To be continued!