Tajikistan Favorites

  DuMont - Central Asia Art Travel Guide
by Trekki
 
  • DuMont - Central Asia Art Travel Guide
      DuMont - Central Asia Art Travel Guide
    by Trekki
  • On the road to Panjakent
      On the road to Panjakent
    by TheWanderingCamel
  • Welcome to Tajikistan
      Welcome to Tajikistan
    by TheWanderingCamel
  • Pamirs.org Website - the best of all
      Pamirs.org Website - the best of all
    by Trekki
  • Pamirs.org Website - the best of all
      Pamirs.org Website - the best of all
    by Trekki
 
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Useful books, maps and websites

by Trekki

In preparation for a trip to Tajikistan and the Pamirs, you might not find as much books, maps and websites as for, let’s say, European countries or US or any other popular destinations.But there are a lot, and good ones.First, the best website for anything about the Pamirs is Pamirs WebsiteOn this one, you will find answers to all questions you have, exciting pictures (the ones in the photogallery, part “Pamirs from the air” have captured me from the moment I looked at them), extremely helpful information on visa, permits, regulations, tips for hiking, arranged tours, people and culture, health and safety, etc.It is constantly updated and among Pamirs aficionados THE only reference site, when you need info or help. This website is commonly referred to as the Pamirs.org (don’t forget the –s :-) It is not Pamir, but Pamirs).Update, June 2008:Excellent news - the long awaited book by...

Tip Photo
Borders and procedures

by Trekki

When it comes to border crossings into Tajikistan, my experience is from July 2006, and I can only judge the ones from Samarkand to Penjikent, and the one from Pamirs into Kyrgyzstan via Kyzyl-Art-Pass. I did not have any mentionable problem, but please also check, what Dean wrote about his experience in 2001, crossing from Uzbekistan into Tajikistan at Bekobad. That gave me a shiver, and I am happy that I did not experience similar things. But just be aware what might happen, if the border guys are in a bad mood….For better viewing, I have added a map with the border location, map is from Texas.du website Border crossings from Uzbekistan into Tajikistan:From Samarkand (UZ) to Penjikent: (1 in my map)Cars will drop you off, if you come from Samarkand, you have to walk your way (approx. 1 km or so) via Uzbek customs and emigration to Tajik customs and immigration.My personal experience:...

Tip Photo
Try and understand Islamic beliefs

by Trekki

and subtitle: no need to be horrified or afraid of.I feel the very urge to write about this here and in no way I mean it political, although the situation I want to write about certainly has political aspects.In our todays’ world, one common fear has spread – the fear of Islamic terrorism. I won’t discuss my own thoughts about this or the reasons I feel to be causing the fear. I simply want to take fears away that all Muslims are terrorists. Now I don’t belive that any VTer here follows this belief, but we are also found throgh google searches. It is only a handful of people of every religion who are dangerous. Not only Muslims but also others. There is no single need to be afraid of Islam, quite contrary: it is a very fascinating culture. My trip in mid 2006 through Uzbekistan and Tajikistan was my very first trip into an Islamic country. Even if I did read a lot of books and websites...

Change your perceptions (2)

by Trekki

Cars and travels are not as easy as in our own regions. Remember that the Pamiri are not rich, so cars are not that much popular among the people. And if they own cars, then they would not necessarily pass the typical inspections in our own regions. I have learned on my trip which elements and equipment are really necessary in a car – an air filter is not. Oil filter ? Well, sometimes. Water is the most important thing to run a car, as in this altitude, the cars need to stop once in a while to cool down the radiators. On the trip from Khorog to Bulunkul, we stopped every 15 to 20 minutes to cool down the radiators or to pick up water from the rivers. Sometimes we had to walk for some minutes to get to the rivers. At a point in time, the tyre broke. This was when I simply gave up my spoiled brat-like thinking and took everything as it came, and was ashamed for my former expectations and...

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Change perceptions – about almost everything

by Trekki

Yes, everything I write now is serious. I simply want to avoid that some people easily are taken in to the belief, “great, ah, another country to make “blue” on my map” and then come home furious because of the luggage has been damaged or they are seriously ill with effects of altitude sickness or miss a plane because of a ridiculously tight schedule. Tajikistan and the Pamirs are different to our ah so nice overly over-organised (no typo) and punctual over-industrialised own home countries. And so it is better to know some things in advance and rethink perceptions. I won’t write this as warning or tourist trap, as whoever thinks of all that will follow as warning or trap is… well, better off to Euro Disney or a cruise ship or a mass beach.First - the luggage: leave suitcase, jewellery and nice clothes at home, they are completely out of place here. Backpacks or soft bags (each with a...

Tip Photo
Buy and organize „local“

by Trekki

When you plan some hiking, sightseeing or any other activity, please organize it via the locals. By now, a lot of travel agents and tour operators have established, which are well worth to use them.In Pamir, META is the very best option; they organize everything from transfers (along the Pamir Highway), horseback, camel or yak rides, hiking trips, any other activity and sightseeing to homestays (locals that provide you with a bed and meals).I used their service for nearly everything, homestays, and transfer from Murghab to Osh, including 2 days of sightseeing in the mountains and a stay in a yurt.Check Website of META in Murghab . Unfortunately, the prices given there for transport (to/from Murghab), need to be updated. Today, it is 0,35 USD per km. Driver costs 3 USD per day. Prices for lodging and food is still up-to-date, as well as the charge for guides.Or, check the Contacts,...

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Hospitality, hospitality –but respect please

by Trekki

Wherever you will be travelling in Tajikistan, either in the western part or in the Pamirs (mainly in the Pamirs, which I can judge), you will be overwhelmed by the peoples’ hospitality !Just some facts to consider:GDP per capita – the people in Luxemburg have the highest in the world with nearly 70.000 USD, Japan, Germany and some other European countries have roughly 30.000 USD.Tajikistan as a whole has 1400 USD, but this is mostly for the western part. In the Pamirs, it is much much lower. Unemployment rate is very high, although the several Non Governmental Organizations (Aga Khan Foundation, ACTED, META, etc) do a lot to lower it a bit.If they stand somewhere at the bottom of the GDP list, they are at the very top of a list for hospitality, if there would exist one. In brief words – they don’t have much, but what they have, they share, and you, as the traveller, get the best they...

Tip Photo
Learn Russian – at least some words

by Trekki

The language, spoken in Tajikistan and the Pamirs is Tajik, Pamiri dialects and Russian. English is not yet quite popular in the country.However, when going to Pamirs, you will be impressed by the number of people, mostly young ones, who speak brilliant English, and are honestly happy to help you in anything you need. Accept this, as it is also for them a good opportunity to polish up their English.Nevertheless, it is good to know some basic Russian words, not only for very basic communication, but also for identifying “things”, such as exit, entry, toilet (incl. the signs for boys and girls there), pharmacy, etc.So, to learn the Cyrillic alphabet is a good idea. It is not that difficult, and a lot of words you can read then. It is fascinating :-) I had this several times, when looking at a Cyrillic word, and slowly read the letters to finally have the "oha" effect and knew the meaning...

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Money, how much and where to change

by Trekki

As already written, Tajikistan’s currency is Somoni, at the time of my travel, 1 USD was 3,35 Somoni. (I just looked it up, now, 1 month later, it is 1 USD = 2,78 somoni). 1 Somoni = 100 Dirham. Banknotes come in 1, 5, 10, 20, 50 and 100 Somoni, make sure, you have enough 1 Somoni, when changing at banks.Check the website of Nat.Bank Tajikistan for banknotes. Change at banks or exchange services, usually, there is a lot of them. Luckily, the exchange rates do not differ, when going to an exchange service, a given rate is valid throughout the whole country.They accept USD and Euros, no travellers' cheques. Take small and big denominations, no matter what your bank will advise you. My bank advised me – after checking somewhere on a “bank website” – to take only small denominations, so I took my amount of x USD, USD 500 of them in 1 USD notes. Guess how nice and thick this bundle was...

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What is Pamir – what is Tajikistan

by Trekki

As my main intention for going to Tajikistan was the Pamirs region, some explanations here about the difference, as I will write Pamirs when referring to this region (and also write most of the tips there .Tajikistan has roughly 143.000 sqkm of area, and more than half of it is above 3000 m.45% of Tajikistan is the so-called Pamirs, or GBAO, or, with it’s tongue twisting name Gorno Badakhshan Avtonomnaya Oblast, the breathtaking (in the sense of the word and in the literal one) mountain region, also called Bam-I-Dunya or Roof of the World (Tibet is the other Roof of the World).GBAO was created by the Soviets in 1925, and attached to the republic of Tajikistan in 1929. After break up of the Soviet Union, Tajikistan got its independence and GBAO was renamed GBAP (P for province). In 1992, civil war broke out in Tajikistan, and GBAO/P’s local government declared independence from...

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Questions and Answers

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Q:  I am planning to travel from Kyrgyzstan to Tajikistan around 26 April this year. Given the weather and road condition, where in... 

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A: Accessibility will vary greatly from year to year. you will likely struggle getting around most of the Pamirs. But most of the Fan mountains should be accessible. The... 

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