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14 days tour – Tajikistan Tour

During this tour you will discover the whole of Tajikistan. From the capital Dushanbe to Murgab and back to Dushanbe. This will give you a complete picture of intriguing Tajikistan. Few tourists come to this region of Central Asia, therefore you’ll notice that the Tajiks are warm and especially curious about you. In addition, you get to know beautiful landscapes; from mountain peaks to deep valleys and beautiful clear blue lakes. Tajikistan is truly a country for nature lovers. With your private trip you can adjust everything according to your own preferences. Moreover, we also provide a reliable, good driver.

InStock
CultureRoad Travel
Trip
1 Person: EUR 4295 4295
Trip
2 People: EUR 2795 2795
14 days tour - Tajikistan Tour

General info

Days14 days / 13 nights
Best travel timeJuly to October
DestinationsDushanbe, Khorog, Wakhan, Murgab, Iskandarkul
IncludingAccommodation
Transportation on the ground
Driver with basic English
Breakfast, lunch & dinner
Entry fees
ExcludingInternational flights
Insurance
Visa
Photo ticket (if needed)
Tips for the guide
Personal expenses
This offer is covered by the STO Garant guarantee. You can find the conditions for this guarantee scheme on STO Garant’s website.

Itinerary

Day 1 – Dushanbe

  • Arrival in Dushanbe.
  • Airport pick-up.
  • If time permits, we’ll do a city tour of Dushanbe.
  • Victory Square with the Victory Tank Monument, in memory of the Second World War.
  • The famous botanical garden of Dushanbe.
  • Highlight: Victory Park, set up on a hill the park has an impressive World War 2 memorial & provides a beautiful view over the city.
  • Rudaki Street, Central Park and the Somoni monument, the most important place in Dushanbe. It was Ismail Somoni that united the Samanid states in 892. His empire ruled over what is nowadays Iran, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.
  • Nowruz palace, the largest teahouse in the world.
  • Dushanbe’s flagpole, which was built for the 20th anniversary of Tajik independence in 2011. For 3 years it was the tallest freestanding flagpole in the world with 165m.
  • We visit the Ismaili Centre, a cultural centre and praying house for the local Shia Ismaili minority. 
  • Overnight stay in Dushanbe.

Day 2 – Dushanbe – Kalaikhumb

  • We start our road trip east towards the Pamirs and Kalaikhumb.
  • Stop at the monument in memory of the attack on cyclists in 2018.
  • We take the scenic route via Kulyab (also called Kulob), which traverses the lower Shurabad Pass (2,200m) and then follow the Afghan border along the Panj river gorge, driving through beautiful scenery and interesting village’s en route.
  • We stop for photos along the seven-hour winding journey through the Kulyab region.
  • Highlight: Short visit to the partly restored Hulbuk fortress. This medieval citadel once guarded the western entrance of the Pamir Highway.
  • Arrival in Kalaikumb. “Fortress on the banks of the river of Khumb” in Arabic, Qal’ai Khumb sits at the meeting point between the Pamir Pass and the Panj River right in the very south of Tajikistan. Across the river, which acts as a border, you can see into Afghanistan from the town.
  • Overnight stay in Kalaikhumb.

Day 3 – Kalaikhumb – Emts Village

  • We continue our adventure following the Pamir Highway until we reach the turn for Geisev, through the Bartang Valley.
  • The journey runs alongside the Panj river and across it lies Afghanistan.
  • Highlight: Reaching the turn off to the Bartang Valley, 30 km of spectacular terrain lies ahead of us before we reach our overnight stay in a local homestay in Emts village (also called Yemts or Emtz).
  • We can explore this isolated area, how they are keeping farming and their Pamir culture.
  • Overnight stay in a homestay in Emts Village.

Day 4 – Emts Village – Geisev Valley – Khorog

  • After a local Pamiri breakfast, the car drop us off further up at the Bartang river, where we can start the hike by crossing the river via a wire suspension bridge.
  • Highlight: Today we’ll go for one of the best hikes in the country, Jizeu Trek (pronounced gee-sao, seen spelled GeisevJisev…). A mountain village only accessible by foot. 
  • The hike is a slowly ascending 8km trek in the Giver Valley. We gain 500m elevation during the hike which takes 2-3h in each direction.
  • Highlight: Along the way we see incredible landscapes with 3 crystal clear, beautiful lakes reflecting a mirror of the Pamiri sky.
  • Lunch in Jizeu village with time to explore the village. 
  • We hike back down to Bartang river to meet the cars before driving to Khorog.
  • Arrival in Khorog, the capital of Gorno-Badakshan Autonomous Oblast (GBAO).
  • Overnight stay in Khorog.

Day 5 – Khorog – Ishkashim

  • We start today’s trip with a visit to the Garmchasma hot springs. The spring reaches temperatures as high as 50–75 °C with the pools filled with hot turquoise water that contains iron, aluminium, magnesium, strontium, fluorine and other elements. 
  • We leave the M41 motorway (Pamir Highway) and enter the Wakhan Valley, one of the wildest landscapes on our planet. It is 210 kilometers long and between 20 kilometers and 60 kilometers wide valley splitting the Pamir Mountains from the Hindu Kush and named after Wakhi people who inhabit the area. Most people who take the Pamir Highway take this route, as it’s the most scenic part of the area.
  • Overnight stay in Ishkashim.

Day 6 – Ishkashim – Vrang – Langar

  • Highlight: Khahkha Fort which gives a great view over the border with Afghanistan. It’s one of the ancient sights of Pamir and the Wakhan corridor. It was built on a huge natural cliff over the Panj River. This fortress had been serving as a defense construction from the 2nd century B.C up to the 7th century A.D and is one of the oldest fortresses in Wakhan valley.
  • Drop by Sufi Muborak-Kadam Museum, about a famous Sufi scholar who created a solar calendar.
  • Yamchun Fort, an old fort that served to protect the Pamir route, built on the top of the cliff overlooking the valley. It is thought to have been a greatest defense fortification in the ancient Wakhan.
  • Highlight: Bibi Fatima natural hot springs, named for the Prophet Mohammed’s sister and where local women believe they can increase their fertility.
  • Highlight: On the right you see one of the most remote areas of Afghanistan, the Wakhan Valley (Corridor).
  • Arrival in Langar, located at the end of the Wakhan Valley and is the point where the Wakhan and Pamir rivers combine to make the Pyanj. The village is set deep within the gorge, where steep, rocky slopes surround the verdant green valley.
  • Pass by Vrang, here you’ll see old caves where Buddhists used to live.
  • Overnight stay at a guest house in Langar.

Day 7 – Langar – Keng Shiber

  • Drive to Keng Shiber.
  • Khargush Pass (4344m).
  • Highlight: You leave the Wakhan Valley and enter the deserted plateaus.
  • Akalk Lake, a beautiful deep blue lake.
  • Alimbek Datka Mausoleum, here lies a former leader from the region.
  • Highlight: Via a beautiful route you will arrive at your shepherd camp.
  • Experience what life is like in a shepherd’s camp and help with the daily activities.
  • Overnight stay in a yurt.

Day 8 – Keng Shiber

  • Drive to Lake Zorkul.
  • Highlight: Hike of 4/5 hours to the Bel Airyk Pass (4834m). A route Marco Polo once took as well.
  • At the pass you have a view of the northern side of the Hindu Kush and the beautiful Lake Zorkul.
  • Spot (hopefully) special animals like the Marco-Polo sheep, snow leopards, foxes and the brown bear.
  • Overnight stay in a yurt.

Day 9 – Keng Shiber – Murgab

  • Drive to Murgab, one of the most remote and isolated cities in the world, high up at the Pamir Plateau.
  • Highlight: Tour of the village, with a.o.
  • Lenin statue.
  • Local market, see how you organize a market in this remote, cold corner of the world.
  • Overnight stay in Murghab.

Day 10 – Murgab – Kakarul Lake

  • We leave Murgab and drive towards Karakul Lake, the highest lake in Central Asia at 3915m. The lake is too high to support any aquatic life.
  • Along the way we pass the Ak-Baital Pass (4655m).
  • Highlight: Upon arrival at Karakul we’ll meet the nomadics of the Eastern Pamir. We’ll learn how they live here, keep yaks and we will try their nomadic food.
  • Afternoon return to Murgab.
  • Overnight stay in Murgab.

Day 11 – Murgab – Kohorog

  • We take the central route back to Khorog. The route between Khorog and Osh was completed in 1931 across a Tibetan-plateau style high altitude terrain.
  • Photo opportunity of the point where the Pamir Highway and Wakhan Route meet.
  • Highlight: We reach the Kotezek Pass at (4,272m) on a potholed route of lunar-like, high-altitude desert scenery.
  • Arrival in Khorog, a small town on the Afghan-Tajik border, where you can unwind and enjoy a relaxing night.
  • Overnight stay in Khorog.
  • Overnight stay in Murgab.

Day 12 – Khorog – Kalaikumb 

  • Today we take the same way back towards Kalaikumb on a six-hour road trip.
  • Highlight: You’ll see the strong contrast with life across the river. While Tajikistan is not a well developed country, life in Afghanistan is a lot harder. 
  • The highway wasn’t a road as we now see it, but just a trail suitable only for packed animals or people. The highway was built much later by Soviet engineers exploding granite walls, breaking thru the rocks and by building the bridges over the Pyanj side feeders. It was complicated as the road could only go by the right side of Pyanj river as the left one belong to Afghanistan.
  • Overnight stay in Kalaikumb guest house. 

Day 13 – Kalaikumb – Dushanbe

  • After breakfast we take the final seven-hour stretch of our tour back towards Dushanbe. 
  • We’ll say goodbye to Afghanistan and take the main road towards Dushanbe.
  • Lunch and tea stops along the way for a last chance to sample some authentic dishes.
  • Overnight stay in Dushanbe.

Day 14 – Dushanbe

  • Airport drop off.
  • End of the tour.