What I Wore in Uzbekistan: Packing a Capsule Wardrobe & Outfit Ideas

For my nearly month-long trip around Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan (and a side quest into Tajikistan for a day), I did that will seem something pretty absurd to most people: I packed only one carry-on backpack.

Over the decade I’ve spent travel blogging, I’ve been working to simplify my packing. That’s because I am a person who gets overstimulated easily, especially on travel days. Having minimal luggage is something I do for my mental health and therefore my travel longevity.

I know that my carry-on packing approach isn’t for everyone! However, I think my list serves as a really good skeleton to work from, and if you skew more maximalist than minimalist, you can always add more. My main rule: everything had to work with (almost) everything.

While I would be visiting four countries, Uzbekistan was the place I thought about most while packing, since I’d be A) spending the most time there and B) Uzbekistan is on the higher end of the modesty spectrum than, say, Almaty in Kazakhstan.

Allison sitting at a tea table in Uzbekistan

In terms of what to wear in Uzbekistan for women, that means covering shoulders, cleavage, knees, as well as not wearing very tight-fitting clothing, dresses that are backless, etc.

Even though I visited Uzbekistan in May, temperatures were extremely hot, sometimes pushing 40°C (104°F). In fact, it was so hot that one day I managed to get a second-degree sunburn on my feet, which has never happened to me before.

I live in Bangkok and I’ve grown accustomed to learning how to stay covered so you won’t get sunburned… but also won’t steam yourself alive like a tamale. I find that a second lightweight layer is significantly more useful than dedicated UV protective or long-sleeved modest clothing. I sweat a lot when wearing tight-fitting T-shirts and I find them really uncomfortable, so I went for the button-up covering a sleeveless shirt route.

My collection of oversized button-ups did most of the heavy lifting, same as they do back in Bangkok, where I use these as extremely lightweight ‘jackets’. They protected my shoulders, helped prevent sunburn, added warmth on air-conditioned trains, and instantly made all my tank tops culturally appropriate.

Cultural Notes About What to Wear in Uzbekistan

Allison wearing conservative clothing at an important burial site in Samarkand

In Uzbekistan, expectations around clothing are pretty straightforward. Both men and women dress conservatively.

For women, that means covering shoulders and knees and avoiding low-cut tops and dresses as well as backless clothing. Covering your hair is not required or expected, unless you are at a mosque.

Dresses are absolutely fine for women to wear, but your shoulders and knees should be covered. I personally don’t really enjoy wearing dresses anymore, so I didn’t pack any.

If you do want to wear dresses, please make sure they have sleeves and backs or that you are wearing a layer over them! Unfortunately, I saw a lot of women taking Instagram photos in culturally inappropriate clothing. Remember that while Uzbekistan is beautiful, it is not a set piece for your Instagram; it is a country with a culture and customs that we should respect.

For men, dressing is relatively easy; just avoiding shorts and tank tops is fine. Any sort of pants and shirt combination that covers your shoulders will have you blending in with the crowd, in a good way.

How I Packed for 4 Weeks in 4 Countries

Allison Green standing on a rock near Big Almaty Lake — My clothing would also have to work in the mountains of Kazakhstan. With creative layering, it did! I wore leggings underneath my jeans and my white cardigan as a warmth layer underneath my green overshirt

Rather than packing pre-planned complete outfits, I packed pieces that I knew would work together in multiple combinations and variations. I chose separates for more variability, and then I started by narrowing down the bottoms I wanted to bring.

I knew I wanted to stay comfortable yet covered in extreme heat. I also knew a very small portion of my trip involved being at higher altitudes and I might want a few warmer options that I could layer.

But most importantly, I knew that I didn’t want to have decision fatigue about my outfits and that I wanted everything to fit in a carry-on size bag.

The key was choosing a small number of versatile pieces in neutral and earth tones that could be mixed and matched rather easily. I took all the bottoms, laid them out with all the tops, and ensured that I liked the under-top with at least 4 out of 5 bottom options and at least 2-3 out of the 4 outer layer options.

Also note that I am a big proponent of thrifting, creatively making use of what you already have, utilizing clothing swaps, and shopping your closet before anything else.

While I use affiliate links elsewhere on this site as a means of keeping it going, I encourage you to shop your closet or thrift pieces inspired by this article rather than buy any new items for your wardrobe unless you need to!

My Clothing Packing List for Uzbekistan

Allison sitting with her back to the camera wearing gray pants and gray jeans and converses — *Technically I wore this in Tajikistan, but it was on a day trip from Samarkand!*

Tops for Layering

One oversized white button-up shirt
One shiny oversized green button-up shirt
One lightweight blue cotton button-up shirt with a denim look
One white open cardigan that I could tie

Tops to Wear Underneath

Underneath those, I rotated the following:

Maroon tank top
Brown tank top
Rust-orange tank top
Turquoise tank top
White tank top with a crochet overlay
Short sleeve graphic T (gray)

Bottoms

Beige linen pants
Blue loose silk pants
Brown loose silk pants
White skirt that hit just below the knee
Loose-fitting gray jeans

Shoes

Brown Birkenstocks
White Converse low tops

That was essentially my entire wardrobe for four weeks and honestly, I never really got sick of it.

I’ll note that I also brought a few other things to complement it: a pair of leggings, some sleep clothes, and of course underwear and socks. I also brought a hat (and promptly lost it by day three).

How I Wore It

Since everything worked together, I ended up creating quite a few different outfits from a relatively small number of pieces. Here are a few ideas that show you how much I mixed and matched these items.

A fully modest outfit in Samarkand, wearing green shirt, white top, and silk pants.

This was one of my favorite combinations of the clothing I brought to Uzbekistan. I wear this forest green button up as a light jacket all the time back home and it worked just as well in Uzbekistan.

Underneath it I paired my white crochet shirt with my brown silk pants (a pair from Tibi that I scored secondhand many years ago and still love and wear all the time). I also wore my beloved-by-me, hated-by-the-sun brown Birkenstock Gizehs. You can see the burn here!

Allison wearing a full modesty outfit in Uzbekistan in Khiva with a headscarf and skirt

Here is another outfit that I really liked the color combination of. I’m wearing my chambray blue shirt again, but with a rust-colored shirt underneath. As a bottom layer, I’m wearing my white midi tiered skirt, and of course, my Birkenstocks.

I am wearing a silk headscarf here because I am visiting a mosque; the rest of the day, I didn’t wear the scarf (though maybe I should have, because I burned my scalp… yes, sunburns are a recurring theme of this trip…)

Allison wearing respectful clothing in Khiva: white jacket, white shirt, blue pants, sandals, hat

This was another one of my favorite outfits! Here I am wearing two items of clothing that I later lost on my trip: my little rust newsboy cap (a loss for sure) as well as my white oversize shirt (a far more tragic loss).

With it, I paired my white crochet top and my oversize silk blue pants. This is one of my favorite all-time pieces of clothing! It often looks like a skirt in pictures, but it’s actually pants, and they are extremely airy and lightweight.

Another example of respectful clothing in Uzbekistan: blue-gray chambray shirt, blue tank top, baggy jeans, and converses, wearing red sunglasses

Here, I wore a combination of my turquoise tank top with my chambray-ish style blue button up as a top layer.

I wore my favorite gray loose jeans that never feel too hot (I wear these in Bangkok all the time!) and a pair of Converse because this was after the point in the trip where I severely sunburned my feet and needed to keep them covered.

I also got tired of carrying around my bag at this point so I reverted back to wearing my monstera-print fanny pack (which I was also using as a wallet) rather than carrying a day bag.

Allison wearing a button up over a brown shirt and linen pants in the desert in Karakalpakstan autonomous republic

This is what I wore for my expedition into the Aralkum Desert and the Aral Sea. It was extremely windy here so my shirt did flutter up a bit, but we were in the middle of nowhere so I don’t think it particularly mattered.

This was the combo of my brown shirt, chambray (you can see how much mileage out of it I got!) and my beloved linen-blend pants.

Allison at the Sudochye lake in Karakalpakstan wearing culturally appropriate clothing that was also comfortable for active travel

I was spending the majority of the day in the car this day, so I wanted a really comfortable outfit. This is what I wore on the way back from the Aral Sea.

I wore a blue tank top with a white lightweight cardigan over it on top, and then my trusty baggy gray jeans and white Converses with it. I was comfortable both in the car and scaling weird ladders to get good views!

What Else to Pack for Uzbekistan

Allison holding her woodworking masterpiece in Khiva with a minaret and madrasa behind her — *The smile on my face in this picture belies the fact that I would later lose both the hat and the shirt on this trip. RIP, you served me well*

Besides clothing, I’d strongly recommend bringing:

A lightweight scarf for mosque visits
Sunglasses
High-SPF sunscreen
Lip balm with SPF
A hat for summer travel
Electrolyte packets if traveling during the hottest months

Summer temperatures in Uzbekistan can be genuinely intense, particularly in places like Bukhara and Khiva, which are out in the desert. Sun protection often ends up being more important than bringing extra outfits.

On the converse, being in the desert can be rather cold! I got extremely cold at the end of the night in my yurt camp at the Aral Sea and ended up wearing several layers when I was watching sunrise there.

At the end of the trip, I was happy with every piece I packed. The capsule wardrobe approach gave me plenty of outfit variety while keeping my backpack light, and it allowed me to dress comfortably and respectfully throughout Uzbekistan and the rest of Central Asia.

Allison Green

Allison Green is a former teacher who has been travel blogging since 2016, visiting 75+ countries in total. She has a Masters in Teaching and a B.A. in English and Creative Writing. As a former educator, she merges her writing and educational experience to encourage ethical, sustainable travel. She has been a speaker at the World Travel Writers Conference and TBEX. Her writing, photography, and podcasting work has appeared in National Geographic, CNN Arabic, CBC Canada, and Forbes, amongst others. When she’s not on the road, she lives in Bangkok, Thailand.