Essential areas of Tajikistan

 

Name of the tour:  Essential areas of Tajikistan
Itinerary duration: 8 days & 7 nights

Day 1: Kyrgyz border - Karakul Lake - Murgab
Today your driver will accompany you to the border and drive to Murgab. In course of the tour the road goes over mountains and high passes. You will drive over Taldik pass on the road, which is 3615 meters high and owns the incredible views. The light-blue lake of Karakul (3, 815 m) is located on the right on the highway of the Pamir Tract, the name of this Lake can be interpreted as "The Black Lake". En route you will discover that Karakul is the highest large mountain lake of the world, except those in Tibet and Titicaca. Don't miss a chance to make wonderful unforgettable pictures of the lake and after we will head on to Murgab. When you get there you can hear in the Pamir: "to arrive here and do not see Murgab is like not visiting the Pamirs at all". The Roof of the World, we mention usually Murgab. On the tour you are going to move over the highest Ak Baital pass (4 655 m). Cast your eyes out to the landscape of Murghab which is usually compared to the surface of the Moon by travelers, observing the scene with outsiders' eyes. Night is spent in a lovely guesthouse.

Day 2: Murgab - Yashil Kul Lake - Bulunkul Lake
Today we are going to visit the most enchanting lakes of the Pamirs. They are Yashil Kul and Bulunkul (Blue lakes), spanned on the altitude of 3 700 meters above sea level, and located in the Murghab district. In course of the tour we will overnight near them. Usually people feast their eyes with the color of water in Bulunkul is a pure combination of dark-blue and violet in the sunlight. A lot of kinds of fish are found in multitude in the lake. You will have a chance to observe yaks. Yaks an extraordinary species of domestic animals, looks like a wild cow and sheep, traditionally served as a beast of laden from giving milk and meat products.  En route on the road to the lake you will head on over Naizatash pass (4 137 m). Overnight is in a homestay.

Day 3: Bulunkul - Yamg
This morning we will head on straightly to Yamg. In course of the tour you will drive over Khargush pass (4 344 m). You will feast your eyes with the almost inaccessible landscape and the Rocky Mountains. This corner of the world has given safe haven to a rare diversity of wildlife. The wildlife is awarded with the most common species of mammals: Turkestan rat, tiger-cat, grizzly bear, badger, stoat, fox, grey and red wolves. Pamir people grow a large and flourishing population of Marco Polo sheep, the largest sheep in the world, with all year round and a strong population of the highly endangered snow leopard. Overnight is in a cozy homestay.

Day 4: Yamg - Khorog 
Rise and shine today we are going to travel along Tajik-Afgan border to Khorog. It is located in the heart of Asia. The Pamirs are a corner of sky-scraping, snow-cover of the tops, magnificent mountains, clear visible blue waters of lakes and rivers, wide valleys and bone-dry deserts.  Historically for hundreds of years, people gave the name to these highest mountains of the world as "the Roof of the World".today you have an opportunity to understand why. At elevations from 3 500 to 4 200 meters above sea level the territory of Pamirs is situated. Pamirs is maybe one the land in Central Asia where exist ancient cultural and ethnic peculiarities of the Pamir people. Through the ages, people were separate from each other by huge enormous mountain ranges, and progressed into separate enclaves with different dialects and sometimes individual or different languages. Overnight is in a local guesthouse.

Day 5: Khorog - Kalai Khum 
After breakfast in the morning you will head on to Kalai Khum village. The land of Kalai Khum village composed of high rocky mountains over 6 000 meters and it is possible that only 1 road can be constructed. Traveling around the Pamirs, the visitors have the unique chance to not only wonder the attraction of virgin nature, but also learn more about the ethnography, history and everyday life of mountain people and imagine how stared the history of humanity as in the story of creation. In course of the tour you will stopover on the way in small villages to have a talk with local people and to taste their life. On both sides of the river are situated human villages in narrow mountain valleys. You can observe on the other side of the river Afgan stony villages and gardens. Overnight is in a home stay.

Day 6: Kalai Khum - Norak - Dushanbe
Today you will plunge into exciting drive to Dushanbe in the morning. We are going to end drive along Afghanistan border. Today the highest point will be Shuraba pass (2 267 m).You will be amazed this part by its majestic mountains - it is Territory of Pamir Mountains. Through ages, the Pamirs have teased the world's greatest scientists and explorers - Marco Polo, Hsuan Tsang, Mirza Muhammad Haidar. And you also have a great opportunity to travel here and enjoy of nature. You will head on along natural border - Pyanj River. After discover the Pamirs, many visitors named this huge mountain system the ocean of white and blue mountains. And after in the tour you will see Norak water reservoir that is called Tajik Sea. Night will be in a hotel. 

Day 7: Dushanbe 
The entire day we will experience a guided city tour. We will explore from different angles Dushanbe visit Rudake Park, National library, White House, National state seal, and House of parliament. En route we will stroll in National park, don't miss a chance to make amazing photos of Ministry of Inner Affairs and the biggest National Flag in the world - 165 m high pole, 30 m wide, 60 m long. After excursion in Central Museum, then you will explore Gurminj Museum of traditional musical instruments. If you want to feel national real life you should go to Asian Bazaar. It includes colorful goods, fruits and vegetables. Today we can observe the main prominent places of Dushanbe and you will learn many interesting facts about Tajik people. Overnight is in a hotel.

Day 8: Flight
In the morning is transfer to the airport.