Things to do in Chimgan
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Chimgan
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Peak ski season, most reliable at Amirsoy in January and February. Daylight mountain driving only.
Hinge month: late ski in good years, melt and Navruz crowds on 21 March.
Spring hiking and the strongest waterfalls. Greater Chimgan still snowy, Charvak still cold.
Lake swimming and the full hiking menu including Greater Chimgan. Weekends are congested.
Quiet good shoulder for hiking and late September swims. Services thin and the summit window closes.
The thin month: too late for lake and high trails, usually too early for reliable ski snow.
What's on
- Navruz 21 March
Spring new year and a national holiday, with full resorts and heavy road traffic in the Chimgan area.
Best things to do in Chimgan
Charvak Reservoir
A big turquoise reservoir for designated beach swimming, boats and long shore lunches in summer.
Chimgan Cable Car
A slow Soviet era open chairlift to about 2,000 m for Greater Chimgan and Charvak views. Old hardware: read the caveat.
Amirsoy Mountain Resort
The modern separate resort: gondola, snowmaking and groomed pistes in winter, gondola and summer activities year round.
Beldersay Cableway
The steep, quiet Kumbel lift system for advanced skiers in winter and gorge views in summer. Not for beginners.
Where to stay in Chimgan
Amirsoy and Beldersay slopeside
skiing, spa splurge, early lift starts
Two genuine top tier resorts, Le Chalet at Amirsoy and the Hyatt at Beldersay, plus the modern lifts.
Chimgan village
hiking base, budget and mid range, chairlift access
Guesthouses at the trailheads for Greater Chimgan, Aksai and Gulkam, with village cafes and cash prices.
Charvak shore: Yusufhona, Chorvoq and Burchmulla
summer swimming, families, quiet far shore
Shore resorts and village guesthouses by designated beaches, a 20 to 40 minute drive from lifts and trailheads.
Tashkent
one day trips, best hotels and restaurants, no mountain stay
The capital is 1.5 to 2 hours away and holds the full city tier range. See the Tashkent briefs for its hotels.
Think twice about
- Undesignated Charvak shoreline and roadside swim spots
Deep, cold reservoir water, boat traffic and no attendants. Swim only at designated, attended beaches.
- Gazalkent as a visitor base
A transit and service town on the way up, useful for cash and supplies, with no visitor payoff as a place to sleep.
- The new Chimgan resort construction area as a booked stay
A large resort is under construction there in 2026. Do not book on renderings without confirming the building is open.
Best restaurants in Chimgan
Alpina
The international flagship restaurant of the Amirsoy chalet complex, the celebration dinner of a ski weekend.
Nafis
The all day restaurant of the new Hyatt at Beldersay, with Fire & Ice for premium meats at dinner.
2290 | Restaurant Bar Terrace
Lunch and a drink at the 2,290 m top station terrace. Hours follow the gondola, not the kitchen.
Sazanchik Restaurant
A fish restaurant name recurring near Amirsoy stays, for reservoir fish after days of shashlik. Confirm the address.
Fayz Kafe
A small Uzbek cafe by the Amirsoy gates praised for value, at village prices minutes from the chalets.
Yurta Rybaka
Fish and Uzbek dishes in yurts at the foot of Little Chimgan, the most characterful lunch on the Chimgan side.
Outdoor things to do in Chimgan
Aksai Gorge
The standard Chimgan walk through a birch grove to the Black and Red waterfalls at about 2,100 m.
Little Chimgan
A half day summit walk above the village for views over Charvak and Greater Chimgan, used as a warm up peak.
Gulkam Canyon
A narrow chained gorge walk of about four hours. A local guide is essential, and never after heavy rain.
Beldersay Gorge
A quiet full day up the Beldersay and Marble river gorges toward the Kumbel passes, with petroglyphs high up.
Greater Chimgan Peak
The 3,309 m summit of the area, a guided seven to nine hour full day. Real altitude and weather, not a stroll.
Best hotels in Chimgan
Le Chalet by Amirsoy
Alpine chalets sleeping two to eight beside the Amirsoy lifts, with spa, pool and breakfast. The ski in splurge.
Beldersoy Resort & SPA
Hyatt's new premium mountain resort at Beldersay, opened July 2026, with villas and a large thalasso style spa.
Sky Guest House
An established Chimgan guesthouse at the foot of Little Chimgan, about 2 km from the cable car. Also listed as Nebesa.
Chorvoq Oromgohi
The three pyramid shore hotel by Charvak with about 200 rooms and an 800 m beach. A Soviet period piece.
Charos DeLuxe Resort
A fuller service Charvak shore resort with pools, its own beach, restaurant and teahouse. The family shore base.
Burchmulla Resort & Chalets
Self contained chalets at the quiet far end of Charvak, with pools and staff who arrange food and transport.
Green Canyon Uzbekistan
A small, well regarded village bed and breakfast near Burchmulla, the real budget pattern on the Charvak shore.
Is Chimgan expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | UZS 400,000 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | UZS 950,000 a person |
| Splurge | UZS 2,800,000 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Amirsoy Mountain Resort: a few days ahead
- Gulkam Canyon: a few days ahead
- Greater Chimgan Peak: a few days ahead
- Le Chalet by Amirsoy: weeks ahead
- Beldersoy Resort & SPA: weeks ahead
- Sky Guest House: a few days ahead
- Chorvoq Oromgohi: a few days ahead
- Charos DeLuxe Resort: a few days ahead
- Le Chalet and Beldersoy for winter weekends and Navruz, weeks ahead.
- Charos and the better shore resorts for July and August weekends, weeks ahead.
- Greater Chimgan and Gulkam guides and weekend drivers, days ahead.
Is Chimgan safe?
- Swim only at designated Charvak beaches, never after drinking, and watch children constantly.
- In winter use a winter equipped car in daylight. Old chairs at Chimgan and Beldersay: follow attendants exactly.
- Carry your passport for checkpoints. Emergencies 101, 102, 103 and tourist police 1173.
Chimgan travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- The three stop combined tour sold as a ski or hiking day.
- Unlicensed horse, quad and heli offers at the Chimgan base without helmets or visible insurance.
- Booking the unbuilt new Chimgan resort or the unapproved Sea Breeze Charvak project on marketing alone.
Getting around Chimgan: public transport and more
- No rail or useful bus reaches the lifts or beaches. Use a Yandex Go or hotel car, a private driver, or a group tour, and fix the return before leaving Tashkent.
- Allow roughly 1.5 to 2 hours each way from Tashkent, more on ski and summer weekends.
Who Chimgan suits
| Solo travellers | Good |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Great |
| Couples | Good |
| Bachelor parties | OK |
| Families | Great |
| Bachelorette parties | OK |
Make Chimgan your trip
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