Uzbekistan's Silk Road route — Tashkent, Samarkand, Bukhara and Khiva — is well covered and easy to travel by high-speed train. Travel data is cheap. The main reason visitors use an eSIM is to avoid buying and registering a local SIM on arrival.
Short answer: a 5–10GB Uzbekistan plan installed before you fly covers a one- to two-week Silk Road trip. Check validity — some of the cheapest large bundles last only a few days.
What an Uzbekistan eSIM costs
At the time of writing (October 2026), Wanderly's Uzbekistan plans start at $2.99 for 1GB, with 10GB around $8. The median across data-only Uzbekistan plans is about $0.80 per GB, well under the $1.43 median across 187 countries in the Wanderly eSIM Price Index.
eSIM vs a local SIM
Local SIMs from Beeline, Ucell, Mobiuz and Uzmobile are cheap but must be bought with your passport, and foreign phones used with local SIMs have been subject to device registration rules. A foreign travel eSIM roams onto Uzbek networks, so there is no local registration.
Coverage where you will actually be
- Tashkent (including the metro): good 4G.
- Samarkand (Registan, Shah-i-Zinda): good.
- Bukhara and Khiva: good in the old towns.
- Afrosiyob high-speed train: coverage along much of the route, with gaps.
- Desert stretches (Bukhara–Khiva road) and the Aral Sea area: long gaps.
- Fergana Valley: good in towns.
How much data you need
| Trip | Suggested data |
|---|---|
| One week, three cities | 3–5 GB |
| Two weeks | 5–10 GB |
Yandex Go, maps and Telegram (widely used in Uzbekistan) are light. See how much data you need for travel.
Uzbekistan with Georgia or Kazakhstan
An Uzbekistan plan covers Uzbekistan only. Combining with the Caucasus? See the best eSIM for Georgia.
Setting it up
- 1Confirm your phone supports eSIM and is unlocked on our compatibility checker.
- 2Install the eSIM over WiFi before you fly — iPhone or Android steps.
- 3In Tashkent or Samarkand, select the eSIM for mobile data and turn on data roaming for that line.
FAQ
Do I need to register an eSIM in Uzbekistan? A foreign travel eSIM roams onto Uzbek networks, so it does not go through local SIM registration.
How much does an eSIM for Uzbekistan cost? Wanderly Uzbekistan plans start at $2.99 for 1GB, with a median of about $0.80 per GB.
Is there signal on the Afrosiyob train? Along much of the route, with gaps between cities.
Is there coverage in Khiva? Yes, in the old town.