Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.uz) — Uzbekistan’s Cabinet of Ministers has approved a roadmap for developing speleotourism and a list of 10 sites with high potential, including nine caves and one salt mine. The National Database of Legislation reported this.
The sites are located in the Jizzakh, Samarkand, Surkhandarya and Kashkadarya regions. Work to develop tourism infrastructure and increase tourist flows will be carried out in stages in 2026–2028.
The document was adopted pursuant to Presidential Resolution No. PP-348 of 21 November 2025 on organizing the activities of the Tourism Committee and accelerating the development of the sector.
The government approved a proposal by the Tourism Committee, the National Committee for Ecology and Climate Change, the Agency for Cultural Heritage and the khokimiyats of the four regions to organize speleotourism on an experimental basis in areas with the greatest potential.
Which sites are included
In the Jizzakh region, the list includes Peshagor Cave in Zaamin district, located in the Morguzar Mountains on the northwestern spur of the Turkestan Range.
The largest number of sites is in the Samarkand region. In Urgut district, the list includes Yakhdon Cave in Chorcinor mahalla, 7 km from the district centre; Amankutan Cave in the southeastern part of the district in the Zarafshan Range; and Kiev Cave near the village of Kamangaran in the Kirkdag massif. In Nurobad district, the list includes Hazrati Davud Cave near the village of Aksai, 30 km southeast of the district centre.
In the Surkhandarya region, three caves in Baysun district near the village of Darband in the Gissar Range were selected — Korongu Yulduz, Boybulok and Teshiktash — as well as the Khojaikan salt mine in Sherabad district. In the Kashkadarya region, the list includes Amir Temur Cave in Yakkabag district, located in the foothills of the Gissar Range within the Gissar State Reserve. The Tourism Committee has the right to amend the list.
Registry, digital passports and routes
Under the roadmap, the sites will undergo an inventory by the end of 2026, while a unified electronic registry integrated with the National Tourism Platform will be created by March 2027. An electronic passport will be prepared for each site, containing its geographical coordinates, tourism potential, technical condition and legal status.
The sites are scheduled to be photographed and filmed in 2027. Their 3D models and virtual tours are to be developed by June, while an information system using QR codes is to be introduced by August. Management plans for priority sites will be developed and implemented by the end of 2027.
Speleotourism routes are to be approved in April 2027, with navigation and directional signs installed by July and electronic maps integrated with the National Tourism Platform by September. Online booking, an electronic guide and QR-code information services are planned to be introduced by July 2027.
Infrastructure and guest houses
The khokimiyats of the four regions have been tasked with creating engineering, utility and tourism infrastructure at the sites in 2027–2028, including parking areas, recreation areas and sanitation facilities, while strictly observing environmental and sanitary requirements. The facilities are scheduled to be commissioned in January 2029. Together with the Tourism Committee, the khokimiyats will help local residents open family guest houses and develop local guide services.
Land plots for tourism infrastructure will be provided for lease or permanent use in accordance with the law. At sites classified as cultural heritage, construction, reconstruction and landscaping will be permitted only with the approval of the Agency for Cultural Heritage. At sites located in protected natural areas, such work must be coordinated with the National Committee for Ecology and Climate Change and carried out only after obtaining the required permits.
Tourist safety and environmental protection
The Ministry of Emergency Situations, together with the Tourism Committee and the Inspectorate for Supervision in Mining and Geology, must prepare draft rules for ensuring tourist safety when visiting the sites within three months.
Starting in 2027, the Ministry of Emergency Situations will conduct practical training exercises at the sites twice a year. Warning signs, evacuation plans and information boards are to be installed by March 2027.
The National Committee for Ecology and Climate Change has been recommended to carry out state environmental control in areas where speleotourism is being developed. In 2027, criteria will be developed to assess the environmental condition and anthropogenic pressure on the sites, and environmental monitoring will be organized.
Specialists and guides will be trained for the sector. Training programmes are to be introduced in February 2027, courses for guides and instructors in April, and a qualification assessment and certification system in June.
Science and promotion
The Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Innovation will hold an international scientific and practical conference on speleotourism development in May–June 2027. It will bring together experts from the International Union of Speleology, regional unions and associations, leading scientists and researchers, as well as representatives of organizations managing tourist caves in the European Union, Georgia, Russia, China and Vietnam. Starting in 2027, the ministry will annually attract international grants for research in speleology, geology, hydrology and biospeleology.
The Tourism Committee must prepare media products about the sites by the end of 2026 and publish them on the National Tourism Platform. Starting in 2027, it will organize international scientific expeditions annually. Together with the National Television and Radio Company and the Cinematography Agency, the committee will produce documentaries about speleotourism in Uzbekistan for foreign television channels, financed through the Tourism Support Fund, sponsorships and funds from entrepreneurs.
Investment and financing
The Ministry of Investment, Industry and Trade will work in 2026–2027 to attract the private sector and investment for developing the sites. Starting in 2027, it will annually hold investment forums, presentations and business meetings involving foreign and local investors.
The Ministry of Economy and Finance will include projects at the selected sites in social and production infrastructure development programmes starting in 2027. They may be financed through international grants, private investment, state budget funds and other sources not prohibited by law.
