5 Day Best of West Tajikistan Expedition

Welcome to Tajikistan! You will begin your first day by exploring the Tajik capital of Dushanbe. After breakfast, we’ll head out to explore what the city has to offer.

Highlights include Rudaki Park, the Ismoil Somoni statue, Kokhi Navruz, and the nearby Hisor Fortress.

In the evening we’ll have a traditional dinner in a popular Dushanbe restaurant.

Accommodation: Hotel

Getting an early start we load up into vehicles and head north toward Iskanderkul, Alexander’s famous lake. You’ll most likely be glued to the window all day as the scenery as we depart Dushanbe and begin to journey into the mountains is absolutely jaw-dropping.

At the village of Sarvoda, we veer off the main highway and onto a road that eventually turns to gravel and winds up a spectacular canyon where impossibly turquoise Iskanderkul comes into view. Spend the remainder of the day exploring around the lake, with a lovely walk along Iskanderkul, a nice stroll to Snake Lake, a brief hike to a waterfall, or just relaxing on the lakeside.

Tonight we stay in a homestay-style accommodation run by a local family who will also prepare a traditional Tajik dinner.

Drive time: ~4 hours
Accommodation: Homestay

Don’t miss the sunrise over Iskandarkul this morning with the opportunity for perfect reflections of the Fann Mountains in its calm waters. After we have breakfast, we will make our way toward the Tajik Fergana Valley city of Istaravshan.

A few kilometers before we reach Istaravshan we will make a stop at Kattasoy Reservoir to see what may be the largest Lenin bust in the world. The giant Lenin is at the top of 365 steps with an arm extended and his back to the reservoir. After your quick Soviet-era photo op, we’ll continue into Istarvshan to explore the small city.

We’ll start our exploration of Istavshan from the lively central bazaar. Other highlights include the Sary Mazor Complex, Houz i Sangin Mosque, Kok Gumbez, Hazrat i Shoh Mosque, and Mug Teppe. Tonight we’ll be staying in a basic hotel.

Drive time: ~4 hours
Accommodation: Hotel

After breakfast, make way for Tajikistan’s second-largest city, Khujand. Much like Istarvshan, we’ll start exploring the city from the Panjshanbe Bazaar which sits right next door to the Masjid i Jami and Sheikh Musil Complex. We will also take the time to explore the Khujand Citadel and the neighboring Kamoli Khujandi Park.

Drive time: ~2 hours
Accommodation: Hotel

For the final day of the best of west Tajikistan tour, we make a day trip from Khujand to visit the secret cities of Taboshar (now Istiklol), Sovietobad (now Ghafurov), and Chkalovsk (now Buston). These three cities were constructed for the mining of uranium and were shrouded in mystery, totally closed off for many years.

After we’ve explored these secret towns, we will head east to visit the giant Bulok Salt Flat (sometimes called Asht or Akhkon Salt Flat). You’ll have the opportunity to take a spa in the mineral-laden mud beneath the salty crust before sitting in saltwater-filled pools (many people believe the mud here has healing and health-boosting properties). We can even do a short walk up to a great viewpoint with sweeping aerial views of the salt flat.

In the early evening, we will make the drive back to Khujand where we’ll have our goodbye dinner tonight in a lovely restaurant serving excellent traditional Tajik dishes.

We will arrange transfers to the Khujand Airport the following day for those flying out from here. If leaving elsewhere, we can help you arrange transport back to Dushanbe or toward the Uzbek border, etc.

Drive time: ~6 hours
Accommodation: Hotel