Race Across the World made it to Uzbekistan – but did they really see it?

24 June 2026 • Uzbekistan

Uzbekistan is one of Central Asia's most captivating yet underexplored destinations, and it's finally getting the attention it deserves.

Series 6 of the BBC smash hit Race Across the World saw contestants arrive in unexplored Uzbekistan in the most recent season, after 51 days of continual travel.

But this whistle-stop tour was completed with rigid time constraints, a shoestring budget, and an aim to leave as soon as possible.

While this makes for cracking high-pressure travel-based drama, rushing through the country is a sure-fire way to miss out on the real Uzbekistan.

TEFL jobs aimed at teaching English in Uzbekistan allow you to do it properly while also earning a comfortable wage!

What they saw in Uzbekistan

During their limited time in the country, contestants had brief windows of time in which they explored some of Uzbek’s more well-known tourist spots. But with tiny exploration periods and just £23 per day, there’s bags more that they missed!

What you should see

What you don’t see in the series is the vast differences in the regions of Uzbekistan. With 12 to choose from, visitors who are staying longer have the chance to explore very different regions, both in terms of geography and landscape and what you can do there.

Cherry-picking from these inimitable and widely differing regions, we recommend seeing the following during your stay in unique Uzbekistan:

How to really see Uzbekistan

The only real way to see a country is to really immerse yourself, spend an extended period of time there, and travel widely. English teaching jobs in Uzbekistan give you the time, money, and locational ease to make this possible.

This freedom is something the BBC Race Across the World contestants could only dream of!

When you aren’t tied to reaching the next checkpoint (especially on an elimination leg!), you can work your 26 hours per week and use the rest of your generous monthly income to plot journeys across the length and breadth of the country to see it all.

As part of this exploration, you’ll also be able to make connections with locals and see beyond the typical tourist traps. With a long history connecting Islamic religion and a deep-rooted Soviet legacy, it’s hard for visitors to see more than the medieval mosques and madrassas sometimes.

Plan your Uzbek adventure

With so much to see, and a relatively underexplored feel, if Uzbekistan has caught your attention, an Uzbekistan TEFL job is how we’d recommend going back properly.

It might seem counterintuitive, but working and living in a country actually gives you more time to get out and see more – no booking planes or accommodation, just jump on a train or coach and be there before you know it!

Explore our English TEFL courses and sign up today!