Nukus is a city in Karakalpakstan, Uzbekistan. It is the capital of the region However, even by Uzbek standards the town is fairly decrepit and most travellers only stay one night in order to see the Savitsky gallery. Despite this, the locals are a friendly lot. Learn a few words of Karakalpak and you'll be rewarded with delighted smiles.
Photos: Wikimedia Commons contributors.
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 2 Avtovokzal Sarancha (Zhydeli Baysin) (on Khozheyli Avenue in Sarancha neighbourhood). The dusty bus station in the west of the city can best be reached with the minibuses 11 and 77 or a taxi, since the city is so big. From here, marshrutkas to Muynak leave several times a day, possibly 9:00, 12:00 and 15:00. 20,000 som one way. Taxis will be around 300,000 some for the ride. (updated Oct 2022)
1 Karakalpak Museum of Arts, K. Rzaev St, ☏ +998 61 222 2556, museum_savitsky@mail.ru. M-F 09:00-13:00 14:00-17:00, Sa Su 10:00-16:00. Do not miss the Karakalpakstan State Museum of Art's Igor Savitsky Collection with its unique collection of many thousands of works by dissenting artists from the Soviet Union during the period in which Stalinist socialist realism was the only permitted form of Soviet art. The documentary film The Desert of Forbidden Art is all about the collection and its history. Many believe this is the only compelling reason to visit Nukus. The Savitsky Collection is often said by locals to be the best museum in Uzbekistan. 25,000 som (students: 15,000 som).
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.
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.
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.
Guide content from Wikivoyage contributors (CC BY-SA) — abridged; the full article has much more.
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In Jul, Nukus typically sees ~38°C daytime highs and 0 rainy days.
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