If there is one country that we visited during our sabbatical that we could truly call a hidden gem, it would be Tajikistan. Why, we hear you ask! Apart from that we often felt like the only tourists, we don't know anyone who has ever been there nor have we ever seen anything posted on social media about Tajikistan. Which is a real shame because this country has so much to offer for those who have an adventurous spirit and long to travel to a destination that has not been overrun with influencers.
Tajikistan may be the smallest nation in Central Asia but it is the second most mountainous country in the world with 93% of its territory covered in them. With only 4 days here, it was tough to only be able to pick one mountain range to see. We decided to go to the Fann mountains with a local guide and will share our top tips with you as it wasn't easy to find much information online about the area. In case you're wondering why we decided on the Fann mountains, skip ahead and look at the pictures. Breathtaking right? What makes it even better is, that you get to have these places all to yourself!
Good to know:
Official language: Tajik, although Russian is widely spoken. Tajik is more similar to Farsi (Persian) than Russian. English is not widely spoken, only those working in tourism or international relations.
Currency: Tajikistani Somoni (TJS).
Cash is king! We couldn't pay by card anywhere we went.
Uzbekistan has a population of 9.75 million people and Dushanbe is the capital.
A completely landlocked country that borders Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Afghanistan and China.
Around 53 countries has visa-waiver with Tajikistan for a stay up to 30 days. Our Dutch passports allowed us visa free entry for up to 30 days.
If it is your first time in Tajikistan, we highly recommend going with a local guide. The mountain roads can be treacherous, there aren't a lot of road signs off the main roads and we do not advise relying on Google Maps alone. It's hard to find a lot of options online to compare tour companies. We went with Mamad from Taj Adventures but we also saw other companies called Paramount Journey and Orient Adventure. The reason we share this is because even though we recommend our guide, we would have liked to see what the different itinerary options and pricing options were.
Land border crossings are possible between Uzbekistan and Tajikistan so if you're planning to go to Tajikistan you can consider going from Samarkand to Panjakent. We would not recommend the land border crossing between Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan as we've been told by our local guide that there have been border conflicts between the two countries.
Taxi, we had the hotel reception arrange a taxi from our hotel back to the airport on the last day and it was cheap (around 5 EUR for a 30 minutes ride).
Dress code: our advice is to dress modestly since 90% of the population is muslim. The locals are also dressed more on the conservative side. Cover knees and shoulders at the very least.
The restrooms can vary a lot outside of your accommodation. Especially going towards the mountains, there are paid restroom facilities that are still long drop toilets. They give you toilet paper and you have running water to wash your hands but that's about it. Don't have high expectations and be prepared to carry some hand gel (and extra toilet paper) on you. The restrooms in the mountains are usually in local villages which again are long drop toilets.
Good to know about hiring a local guide in Tajikistan:
Be clear on your expectations for the trip, we found that our guide was accommodating to all types of activities. You will need to take some charge of your itinerary to ensure that it includes the activities you had in mind e.g. hiking, specific local food, shopping, trying local wine.
If you're planning to go to the Seven Lakes, check with your guide whether it's a good season to visit. Some lakes may have more or less water in it and the roads may be less accessible depending on when you go.
Make sure you agree on method of payment prior to arrival. We noticed the "Stan" countries prefer cash and Tajikistan is no exception. Our guide even preferred USD, which means that if you're going to Tajikistan from your home country and it's easy to get USD we recommend carrying some on you. As we did not have enough USD to pay for the tour we paid in local currency. Be prepared to try at multiple ATMs as most have a limit.
Check what's included in your tour, ours was an all inclusive package which meant accommodation, all meals, and the 4WD car (Toyota Land Cruiser) were covered in the price.
Accommodation can vary based on where you stay, overall where we stayed it was clean and comfortable. We would recommend checking with your guide where you will be staying and what kind of facilities you will have (shared bathroom or not, WiFi, charging). At Artuch, we were given the option of shared bathrooms or a cottage and we decided to go for the cottage.
Meals were a bit hit or miss, we would recommend communicating clearly what kind of food you like to make sure your guide can prepare the route properly to accommodate your dietary wishes.
Top sites to visit:
Fann Mountains
Haft Kul (Seven Lakes)
Artuch
Iskanderkul
Recommendation from our guide:
Pamir Mountains (you need time for this!)
How to get around:
Car (we recommend hiring at minimum a driver or a guide that is also a driver)
Taxi (only in Dushanbe)
Walk
Day 1: Dushanbe - Panjakent
One of the few flight hiccups we had happened when we flew from Tashkent to Dushanbe. The flight is only about an hour and we noticed that we weren't landing yet. They announced there was a dust storm which seriously impaired the visibility around the airport. We circled around for 20 minutes until they made the decision to go back and refuel. By the time we landed back in Tashkent we could already head back to Dushanbe. Good news for us as we only had a 3 hour delay in the end and still made it to Tajikistan!
Tip: We only found out when we met our guide that we could've quite easily travelled from Samarkand (Uzbekistan) to Panjakent which is in the area of the Fann mountains.
We had lunch at a canteen style cafe really enjoyed the local experience where you paid for your meal by weight. Unfortunately, this place is not marked on Google maps so we would recommend if you're travelling with a guide to mention that you would like to eat at a local canteen. After that, we started making our way to Panjakent. The drive was approx. 4 hours and we were grateful we could catch some sleep in between because we had a driver. The scenery quickly changed to mountains and we knew we were far from the city when we got stuck in a traffic jam caused by a never ending herd of goats being moved by their shepherds.
Day 2: Panjakent - Seven Lakes - Artuch
We only stayed in Panjakent overnight. If you have the time, you should explore the city as it has historical sites and a bazaar. The day started early to see a nearby archeological site called Sarazm. It is an open air area with a museum on site which is run by locals. It dates back to the 4th millenium BC and is a UNESCO world heritage site. As usual in Tajikistan, there isn't much information available about this place when it comes to opening times but it is free to visit and if you are travelling with a guide this is an interesting stop to make. We would not necessarily recommend coming out here on your own.
The next stop was one of the highlights of the trip: Haft Kul which translates to Seven Lakes. For those who have followed us for a while you will know we have a soft spot for mountain lakes. The lakes are located in the Shing valley which is a gorge where these lakes are connected by a river. The lakes were formed after an earthquake created landslides and formed natural dams. From lowest to highest lake they are named: Nezighon (eyelashes), Soya (shadow), Gushor (watchful), Nofin (umbilical cord), Khurdak (baby), Marguzor and Hazorchashma (thousand springs) and start at an elevation of 1640m going up to 2400m. It is possible to hike between the lakes but you will need to a couple of days for that and you can stay at local B&Bs or guesthouses. We drove past all the lakes until the 6th lake. In that area there is a village where you can park your car and hike to the 7th lake. If you have nerves of steel and a decent 4x4 it is possible to drive up to the 7th lake but we would advise to hike it instead because it is the best way to take in all of its beauty and surroundings. Along the way we met locals who were riding donkeys and they seemed friendly and up for a chat as he started asking the guide where we were from. Past the 7th lake there are no villages anymore, just a shepherd living out there. After around 45 mins, we reached the lake where we had a picnic and a serene moment to take in the views. We were surprised (and happy) to find it completely deserted!
Due to our rather tight schedule and the distances we had to cover per day, our guide took us straight to Artuch. Artuch is in the Ayni district in Tajikistan, named after one of their poets. We stayed at the base camp and seeing as we've summited quite a few mountains base camp vibes also have a special place in our hearts. Base camps are always decorated with flags from different countries and typically attract an adventurous group of people. Usually you will eat the food that's served there too as there are no shops nearby and it's always hearty, warm and filling. After leaving our luggage in our accommodation, we decided to go for a late afternoon hike (approx. 45 mins one way) to see the Chukurak lake and nearby mountains of Sary-Shakh, Pamiro-Alaya and Pik Ganza. Had we researched more about this place beforehand we may have booked extra days to stay in Tajikistan as it looked like they had loads of scenic hiking routes. A good reason to come back!
Where to stay
Camp Artuch - you can either find them on their own website or on booking.com under the name Mountain Base ARTUCH. They have options for shared bathrooms or private cottages and even though we mentioned that Tajikistan is a hidden gem we would recommend booking this in advance as it is a popular place for locals to have parties in the mountains. The cottage was spacious and had a private bathroom. Note that there is no WiFi however they offer a hotspot in the common room (just ask the staff there and they can share it with you). Charging your devices are also best done in the common room. Our dinner and breakfast were included and was a lot of food!
Day 3: Iskanderkul - Dushanbe
Iskanderkul has been named after Alexander the Great (Iskander is Tajik for Alexander, Kul is lake) and refers to his passage to Tajikistan. It is the biggest glacial lake in the Fann mountains. There are some small hikes you can do around the lake to see a waterfall and a small lake named affectionately the Snake Lake - you guessed it, it's known to attract snakes! As you can see from the last picture, Qiao-An decided to observe from a safe distance.
We had lunch at a cafe right by the lake but would recommend to get your guide to call ahead of time so they can prepare something nice. We didn't give them much notice and it wasn't the best food we had the whole trip. After that we had to make a 135 km trip back to Dushanbe.
Where to stay
Flamingo Hostel - There weren't a lot of options available on booking.com but one of the gems we found fairly last minute was Flamingo. We had booked a guesthouse initially but they had a leak and had to cancel our booking. Flamingo is a classic case of not judging a book by its cover. They do a terrible job at advertising their property so don't let the photos put you off. It's located in an apartment building and we had some trouble during our arrival because they had decided to turn off their doorbell because local kids like to ring the doorbell for fun (ding-dong ditch). Tip: write them when you plan to arrive. We managed to get into the building and ask the right person how we can get to the hostel, lucky for us she was a guest at the hostel and carried a key fob that she had to use in the elevator to get us to our floor.
Once we arrived at the reception we were greeted by a friendly man who showed us our suite which was basically an entire apartment. He also gave us complimentary tea and we were allowed to run a load of laundry for free. In the same apartment block there is a supermarket on the ground floor so you can shop all your essentials there.
For the foodies:
Dinner
Arirang Kaya Korean restaurant (after a couple of days of not being able to select our own food we decided to go for a Korean restaurant. There were quite a few diplomats parked outside which for us was a sign that the food was probably going to be good. We enjoyed it, just make sure you bring cash)
We had only one evening in Dushanbe and our flight was departing the next day so we were not able to explore this city properly. We hope to come back in the future visit and then we would certainly explore the capital to find out why it is called "Central Asia's best-looking capital" by Lonely Planet. The other region of the country we would want to see is Pamir Highway, known to be one of the world's greatest road trips surrounded by high altitude mountains and lakes.
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