travelling Tajikistan is not always easy, but the days of corrupt border guards and random checkpoint charges are pretty much over. This guide will instruct you everything you need to know about travelling in this fascinating country.
Rough and rugged Tajikistan is a place where few travellers venture, but with recent improvements in tourism infrastructure, now is the time to enter this outstanding country. Whether you’re planning to take on one of the worlds many epic road trips (The Pamir Highway), or you just want to sip espresso from a cafe in Dushanbe, Tajikistan has it all. If you’re the type of traveller who seeks adventure where few other travellers go, then you’ve come to the best place. Tajikistan is one of the least went to countries in central Asia, and central Asia is one of the least went to regions on Earth… so get ready for an off the beaten path experience that you’ll never forget.
Jump To: Must-see places | must-have Experiences | Off The Beaten path | Pros | Cons | transport | Visas | health | weather | much more TAJIKISTAN BLOGS
How much will Tajikistan Cost?
Budget For Tajikistan
$89/day for 2 people (Average including Pamir highway Trip)
Most people backpacking Tajikistan will probably be taking the Pamir highway road trip, and for this portion, your budget will be higher, but not too much higher. If you can organize a car with 4 travellers in it, you can expect to pay about $110 / day for the vehicle, fuel and driver, with the cost of side-trips, rooms and food extra.
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Outside of the Pamir highway trip, around $35 / day / person ought to be plenty, but expect to pay much more in Dushanbe. If you’re doing a central Asia trip, the cost of visas for your next country(ies) can add up so keep that in mind when budgeting your trip in this region.
Budget Accommodation: (Avg $30 / night) (Pamir = $15 / person incl. 2 meals)
A cheap double room in Dushanbe will cost you around $30 / night. On the Pamir Highway, stays in yurts and home stays will typically cost around $15 / person / day including dinner & breakfast. There are a couple of places on the highway where you can get a hotel room and they are around $10 / person / night including breakfast.
Eating: ($2-$7 / meal)
On the Pamir Highway, your meals will mostly be included in your accommodation costs. In Dushanbe expect to pay around $5 – $10 for a western meal, or $3 – $5 for a local dish. Don’t miss the best Indian food in the world at Salaam Namaste in Dushanbe (around $10 / large meal). expect to find mainly local-style dishes outside of Dushanbe (around $3 – $5).
A delicious Tajikistan Plov
Entrance Fees: ($1-3/person)
Probably the only time you’ll be paying entrance fees will be at national Parks & some museums in Dushanbe. entrance fees are very reasonable, even in the capital. common costs are between $1 – $3. There are some parks that you may enter on the Pamir highway that will cost around $5 / person.
Alcohol: ($2 Beer, $4 Cocktails)
Tajikistan is said to have the most affordable beer in the world. A pint of Khujand will cost about 40 cents, but personally we continued to drink Baltika (a Russian lager) when we were backpacking Tajikistan. You can find lots of different cocktails in Dushanbe, but outside of the capital expect to be limited to beer and spirits.
Tipping:
Tipping
Tipping is not customary in Tajikistan but services that accommodate tourists will expect a gratuity. If you’ve hired a guide, a porter or a driver, expect to give a suggestion at the end. For the Pamir highway trip, your chauffeur will certainly expect a suggestion for his work. around 10% of all services would be a generous suggestion if your chauffeur speaks English and doubles as a guide.
Some restaurants, particularly in larger hotels, will add a 10% service charge to the bill. If you stay with a local family in Tajikistan, it’s a good idea to leave a small gift. Stickers, pens and notepads from your home country are great to give to kids when you leave.
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Penger:
The currency in Tajikistan is called the Tajik Somoni or Som for short. The exchange rate at the time of writing was $1USD = 4.9 TJS. Denominations come in 1, 3, 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200 and 500 notes. There are no ATMs on the Pamir highway except in Khorog, but even the ATM there can be unreliable. You can take out USD and TJS from ATMs in Dushanbe and some other cities. In small towns, you can withdrawal TJS only and in some cases you won’t be able to find an ATM at all. ATMs accept Visa, Mastercard and Maestro, which implies that they typically also accept plus and Maestro debit cards.Click here For current exchange Rates
Must-See Places:
There are far too numerous “must-see places” to list here. We spent a lot of time in this country and we still have much to see. Tajikistan is many well-known for the Pamir highway trip, but the country has far much more to offer.
Jump To: must-have Experiences | Off The Beaten path | Pros | Cons | transport | Visas | health | weather | much more TAJIKISTAN BLOGS
The Pamir Highway:
The Pamir highway (M41) is the second highest road on earth (next to the Karakorum in Pakistan) and it traverses the Pamir Mountains through Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. The majority of the highway is in Tajikistan and it is one of the main traveler draw cards for the country. Most commonly, travellers drive the length of the Tajik highway between Osh (Kyrgyzstan) in the north and Khorog in the south (most travel South to North but trips can go both ways).
The trip can take anywhere from 1 week to 2 months depending on how much you stop and what you decide to see. You will pass through some of the most outstanding mountain ranges on earth including the Hindu Kush (Hindu Killers) and the Pamirs themselves. The scenery on this drive is spectacular and it is a road trip like no other. What makes the drive so memorable are the numerous turnoffs and side trips that lead away from the M41 itself. expect to trek to mountain lakes, spot endangered Marco Polo sheep and sleep in yurts along the way. It’s best to organize this trip from Dushanbe (heading north), Osh or Murghab (heading south).
There is a lot to know about a Pamir highway trip and for this, we have The supreme guide To The Pamir highway road Trip… coming soon!
The Fann Mountains:
Other than the Pamir highway trip, this is probably the most popular excursion to take in Tajikistan. located in the Sughd province in northern Tajikistan, these stunning, snow-capped peaks are the ideal place for hikes, treks and exploration. The area is also known as “The Land Of Lakes”, thirty of which can be seen rather easily and each displays its own color. The Fann Mountains offer a great alternative for those who don’t want to embark on the epic Pamir highway trip, but still want to see the beautiful scenery that Tajikistan is well-known for.
Dushanbe:
Tajikistan’s proud, modern capital, this is a great place to chill out and delight in some delicious food and drink. If you’re planning a trip into the rest of the country, or returning from one, Dushanbe makes for a great place to plan your adventure, or your next country on a central Asia trip. This is one of the best places in the region to pick up visas for Iran, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and other places you may visit.
The Fergana Valley:
Central Asia’s many politically divided, culturally diverse and notoriously unstable region, the Fergana Valley actually makes for a great travel destination. If you can make it up to Kujand, the second largest city in Tajikistan and home to the worlds most affordable beer, you can travel from there and delight in some very off-the-beaten-path places in the far north of the country.
Goat Note: The political situation is always changing in the Fergana Valley. Make sure to check that it is stable before planning a trip there.
Zeravshan Valley:
Another one of Tajikistan’s main touristic destinations, Zeravshan is nestled amongst the Western Pamir-Altai mountain ranges. The word Zeravshan implies “Golden River” and it refers to the main river which crosses the valley and offers precious water to the inhabitants of the area. well-known for outstanding landscapes, and beautiful lakes (including Alouddin, Kulikalon and Iskanderkul Lakes), the area is ideal for hiking and horseback riding.
If you’re not wanting to do any alpinism while you’re here, check out Penjikent, the old capital of the Sogdian empire and home to the best preserved remains of the pre-Islamic, Zoroastrian civilization.
Goat Note: once a major tourism draw during the Soviet Era, the Zeravshan Valley is now reserved for those “in the know”. A great off the beaten path place in Tajikistan.
Must-have Experiences:
The Pamir Highway:
If you’ve read this far, you’ve probably heard enough about the Pamir Highway. Det er fantastisk! For much more on this epic journey, check out this Goats On The road 9-part series of our personal experience. numerous of these have videos:
Part 1 – travelling The Pamir Highway: Osh to Sary Moghul
Part 2 – travelling On The Pamir Highway: Sary Moghul to Karakul
Part 3 – Travelling On THan Pamir Highway: Karakul til Murghab
Del 4 – Reiser på Pamir Highway: Murgab til Keng Shiber
Del 5 – Reiser på Pamir Highway: Keng Shiber til Bulunkul
Del 6 – Reiser på Pamir Highway: Bulunkul til Langar
Del 7 – Reiser på Pamir Highway: Langar til Yamchun
Del 8 – Reiser på Pamir Highway: Yamchun til Khorog
Del 9 – En helikoptertur over Pamir Highway
For bare videoene:
Reiser på Pamir Highway: A 4 -delers videoserie
Hopp til: Må se steder | Utenfor allfarvei | Fordeler | Ulemper | transport | Visum | helse | vær | Mye mer Tadsjikistan -blogger
Gjør det opp i Dushanbe:
Hvis du har reist gjennom Sentral -Asia i lang tid, vil Dushanbe føle seg som himmelen. Gode barer, fremragende kafeer og stilige restauranter, Tajik -hovedstaden er som et friskt pust (bortsett fra forurensningen). En tur til Tadsjikistan ville ikke være komplett uten å gjøre det opp i Dushanbe!
En helikoptertur over Pamirs:
Selv om du ikke gjør Pamir Mountain -turen, burde alle spytte $ 90 (hver vei) for å fly fra Dushanbe til Khorog, over Pamir -fjellene! Dette er en av de mest fremragende opplevelsene du noensinne kan ha, og utsikten er spektakulær. Hakkeren flyr gjennom fjellene, ikke over dem, så vinduene er åpne og du kan føle den skarpe fjellluften flommen inn i hytta på 5000 meter! Hvis helikopteret ikke er tilgjengelig, er de små flyene fremdeles en spennende opplevelse.
Geit Merk: Turen tar 2 timer og koster rundt $ 90 USA. I Canada (for eksempel) ville du være heldig som får en 8 -minutters helikopterflyging for denne kostnaden … og du ville ikke fly over Pamirs!
Fottur over et fjellpass:
Med så mange vakre fjell, alpine innsjøer og skogstier, er det ikke noe bedre sted i verden å trekke over et fjellpass. Det er dusinvis av godt merkede stier som kan ta deg høyt opp i de alpine regionene i Tadsjikistan. Ansett en guide for mindre kjente stier og befinner deg virkelig midt i ingensteds!
Se noen petroglyfer:
Petroglyphs er eldgamle bergskjæringer som ofte skildrer jakten på Ibex og andre dyr, samt noen musikkinstrumenter og kulturelle skjermer. Petroglyphs, som for det meste ble funnet i Pamir -regionen rundt Ghunt Valley, er et interessant blikk på regionens tidlige historie. Mange av dem dateres tilbake til bronsealderen for over 2100 år siden.
FORHOLD BORDE KRIVERSKRIVELSE MARKED:
Rett på grensen mellom Afghanistan og Tadsjikistan er Ishkashim grenseoverskridende marked en flott måte å kikke inn i Afghanistan uten å faktisk komme inn i landet. Ligger på den afghanske siden av Wakhan -elven (over en liten bro) er markedet et enestående sted å se salg og byttehandel, så vel som de afghanske folks konvensjonelle klær.
Geit Merk: Det er normalt å overlate passet ditt til grensekontroll på dette markedet. De vil holde det for deg å forsikre deg om at du kommer tilbake til Tadsjikistan! (Er det virkelig at mange mennesker flykter til Afghanistan?)
Geit Merk: På grunn av nyere ustabilitet i Ishkashim, må du sørge for å sjekke dagens situasjon før du planlegger et besøk i det grenseoverskridende markedet.
Sug i varme kilder
De beste varme kildene i landet er Bibi Fatima nær Yamchun i Pamir -fjellene. Men hvis du ikke skal gjøre Pamir -turen, er det andre gode kilder rundt om i landet. For noen kan du forvente å komme inn helt nakne med separate badetider for menn og kvinner.
Må prøve retter:
Mat er en stor del av å reise til ethvert land, og Backpacking Tadsjikistan er ikke annerledes. Selv om mange retter på landsbygda mangler smak og krydder, kan du finne noen deilige lokale måltider i Dushanbe.