Chimgan Mountains & Charvak Lake: Tashkent's Wild Backyard (2026 Guide)
· 10 min read · Adventure
Ninety minutes from Tashkent, a turquoise lake sits under 3,300-metre peaks. In summer locals swim; in winter they ski. Almost no foreign itinerary includes it. This is the 2026 guide.
Ask anyone in Tashkent where they spend weekends and you will hear one word: Chimgan. The Chatkal range and Charvak reservoir sit only 80 km from the capital, but 99% of foreign visitors never leave Samarkand-Bukhara-Khiva long enough to see them. That is the mistake this guide fixes.
The area at a glance
Chimgan is the collective name for the resort villages (Chimgan, Beldersay, Amirsoy) tucked into the western Tian Shan mountains. Charvak is the huge turquoise reservoir at their foot — 40 km² of drinking water surrounded by beach clubs and yurt camps. Together they are Uzbekistan's outdoor playground: skiing December–March, hiking and paragliding April–October, swimming June–September.
Amirsoy Mountain Resort
Opened 2019 with Doppelmayr lifts, Amirsoy is now the most modern ski resort in Central Asia. In summer the gondola runs to 2,290 m for hiking, MTB, zip lines and a via ferrata. Day pass 350,000 UZS in summer (~$28), 550,000 UZS on winter weekends. Ski rentals from 400,000 UZS/day. Snow reliable mid-December to end-March.
Beldersay chairlift and Chimgan cable car
The old Soviet Beldersay chair still creaks its way up Kumbel peak (2,860 m) — half the price of Amirsoy (80,000 UZS return) and a much better view of Big Chimgan (3,309 m). At the top a small chaikhana serves plov to hikers. From here the ridge walk to Chimgan village is 4 hours, moderate, no permit needed.
Charvak reservoir — the lake
Built 1970 by damming the Chirchik river, Charvak looks Alpine in summer and Nordic in winter. The most popular beaches are Charvak Oromgohi (public, free), Piramidy Beach (100,000 UZS entry, cabanas, pizza), and Bochka (party crowd, DJ). Wakeboarding 400,000 UZS for 20 min, jet ski 600,000 UZS/hour, kayak rental 80,000 UZS/hour.
How to get there in 2026
- Yandex Go from Tashkent city centre: 250,000–320,000 UZS one way, 90 minutes.
- Marshrutka #379 from Buyuk Ipak Yoli metro: 30,000 UZS, 2 hours, ends in Chimgan.
- Day tour from Tashkent: $45–60 per person including lunch.
- Rent a car: 500,000 UZS/day, road is fully paved and easy to drive.
Best time to go
- June–September: swimming season, water 22–26°C, weekend beaches crowded — go midweek.
- October: golden autumn on the ridges, empty trails.
- December–March: skiing, snow from 1,500 m up.
- April–May: wildflowers, rivers full, best hiking weather.
Where to sleep
- Amirsoy Mountain Resort Hotel — 4-star ski-in, from $110/night.
- Charvak Oromgohi — Soviet-era sanatorium reborn, $50/night, huge pool.
- Yurta Camp Chimgan — glamping with mountain views, $65/night inc. dinner.
- Airbnb dacha on the lake — from $40/night, best value for groups.
Honest verdict
Nobody flies to Uzbekistan for the mountains — but if you have 8+ days, a Chimgan-Charvak overnight is the reset button between Silk Road cities. Rent a dacha on the lake, spend a day on a chairlift, eat trout at a mountain chaikhana. It is the Uzbekistan that Uzbeks actually holiday in.