Tajikistan Trek & Uzbekistan Culture
5 Good Reasons To Do This Trip!
You’ll spend seven days conquering the Fann Mountains on one seriously epic trek through remote highland villages, along plateaus pockmarked with ultra-blue lakes, and wrapped between 5,500-metre summits.
Sleep at campsites above the clouds, where light pollution is as alien as a stable internet connection. You’ll be cut-off from the world in a land where the stars come out like you’ve never seen before.
See blue-domed madrassahs, intricate mosques and the mausoleum of Tamerlane himself as you cross the central spine of the Silk Road, going from Samarkand to Tashkent.
Redefine what you think of as blue by trekking up to the lakes of the Tajik highlands. From Alauddin Lake to the legendary Seven Lakes, each one is a glinting gemstone just asking to be ‘wowed’ at.
Did you ever imagine spending an evening with an Uzbek academic discussing Silk Road history, archaeology, or just life in general?. Rural cotton farms, homestays with highland villagers – there is nothing about this adventure that’s your usual tour-bus stuff!
Uncover more info by clicking the tabs below!
Trip Details
| Dates | Price AUD (per person twin share) |
|---|---|
|
|
|
$1,866 AUD
Private Supplement: +$308
|
|
|
|
$1,866 AUD
Private Supplement: +$308
|
Details
- A 2-week cooling-off period applies.
- Lifetime deposit. If you need to cancel, your deposit is transferrable to other trips.
- Twin Share: we’ll match you with a roomie if you’re travelling solo.
- Private supplement available: 2025 departures max 2 spots, 2026 departures max 4 spots
Please refer to our payment terms in the FAQs.
Trip length
18 days, 17 nights
Meeting point
Hotel Shumon, Dushanbe, Tajikistan
Departure point
Hotel Inspira S, Tashkent, Uzbekistan
Group size
Maximum 14
Participation requirements
- You’re open-minded and open-hearted.
- You try to embrace the little things.
- You love adventure and the surprises that come with it.
- You are gracious to others and a team player.
Fitness
Level 4 or Strenuous
You should be physically fit for this trip. You may need pre-trip training to be prepared for multiple hours of activity on many of the days. Activities include trekking over hilly terrain at a moderate pace for multiple days and sleeping in tents in remote locations with no facilities. You will only be required to carry a day pack.
Included
- Arrival and departure transfers
- Meals: 17 breakfasts, 16 lunches and 17 dinners
- Private vehicle transportation, train
- 8 nights hotel accommodation
- 2 nights guesthouse
- 7 nights wildlife camping
- 1 night simple homestay
- A top-rated and English-speaking Tour Leader
- All listed activities and more!
Not included
- International flights
- Travel insurance (compulsory)
- Personal trekking equipment
- Late check-out at hotels
- Meals and drinks not mentioned in the itinerary
- Drinks with included lunches and dinners
- Tip kitty
- Personal expenditure
- Visa Fee
Accommodation Preview
Wild Camping, Tajikistan
Amelia Boutique Hotel, Bukhara
Hotel Inspira-S, Tashkent
Overview
Trip Summary By Days
|
|
Dushanbe introduction city tour | |||||
|
|
Full day exploring Dushanbe | |||||
|
|
Dushanbe to Saratga village via Iskanderkul lake | |||||
|
|
From Sarytag to Alauddin Lake | |||||
|
|
Round-trip hike from Alauddin Lake to Mutnoe Lake | 16 | 6-8 | |||
|
|
Hiking day: Alauddin Lake to Kulikalon Lake | 10 | 6-8 | |||
|
|
Hiking day: Kulikalon Lake to Artuch | 10 | 4-5 | |||
|
|
Hiking day: Artuch to Zimtut via Chukurak Lake | 15 | 6-7 | |||
|
|
Hiking Day: Zimtut to Douba | 12 | 6 | |||
|
|
Hiking day: Crossing Tovassang Pass, from Duoba to Danisher Gorge | 14 | 6-7 | |||
|
|
Hiking day: From Danisher Gorge to Hazorchashma Lake | 12 | 6-7 | |||
|
|
Back to civilisation. Welcome to Uzbekistan! Travel to Samarkand | |||||
|
|
Samarkand city tour | |||||
|
|
Train from Samarkand to Bukhara, Bukhara orientation walk | |||||
|
|
Full day Bukhara city tour | |||||
|
|
Visit the village of Vobkent near Bukhara. Experience Uzbek village life. | |||||
|
|
Tashkent city Tour | |||||
|
|
Farewell Friends. Departure day. | |||||
| Totals: | 89 | 40-48 | 17 | 16 | 17 |
What our Camino Women say
Trip Map
Uncover Your Tajikistan Trek & Uzbekistan Culture Itinerary
What You'll See & Do
Day 1: Dushanbe
Salom! Touchdown in Tajikistan today. You’re going to scramble across thin-air mountain passes, zoom over parched deserts, and tread the old Silk Road on this monumental adventure, but it all begins in Dushanbe, the tiny village that became a sprawling megacity in just 100 years. A friendly face will be there to greet you at the airport and whisk you away to your hotel. Then, all the fun can start!
You’ll hit the ground running with a guided wander around what’s been called the world’s largest teahouse. You and your Camino crew will gasp at the opulence within. Every tea drinker needs a grand banquet hall covered in gold leaf and a whole manmade lake to truly enjoy their brew, right?
Ice suitably broken with OTT teahouse turned palace, you’ll settle in for a first night of ‘hellos’ and ‘where are you froms’ with your fellow Camino Women and your local guide. It’s a special night where those first bonds of true friendship start forming. If you were flying solo when you arrived earlier, you most certainly aren’t now!
Accommodation: Hotel Shumon (or similar), Dushanbe, Tajikistan
Included: Dinner
Day 2: Dushanbe
You’ve had a Dushanbe entrée. Now it’s time for the main course. Dive headlong into this diverse megalopolis, where USSR-era tenements sit beside fountain-spurting squares. We won’t give everything away just yet. For now, let’s just say this day will involve ancient sleeping Buddha statues and massive marketplaces filled with spices (extra points if you can tell your zira seeds from your zereshk berries).
Get the group together and head for dinner wherever you like tonight. It’s hard to believe you met for the first time less than 48 hours ago!
Accommodation: Hotel Shumon (or similar), Dushanbe, Tajikistan
Included: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Day 3: Lake lunch and Sarytag
Dushanbe done and dusted, attention turns to Tajikistan’s mighty mountains on Day 3. Yep, no more resisting the urge to gaze at the sawtooth peaks that surround Dushanbe when you’re supposed to be learning about palatial teahouses – we saw you!
The city will be in the dust by morning and you’ll be cruising one of the most ridiculously awesome highland roads on the trip. Tumbling waterfalls, the tongues of glaciers, peaks that would look right at home in Switzerland – it’s got the lot.
Then you hit your lunch spot. It’s the sort of place that people back at home won’t believe you had a picnic – think right on the edge of Iskanderkul lake, so blue it would make the Mediterranean blush. You push on deeper into the Fann Mountains to stay in the village of Sarytag tonight. Don’t worry, though, gorgeous Iskanderkul will feature again!
Accommodation: Simple guesthouse, Sarytag Village, Tajikistan
Included: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Day 4: Alauddin Lakes
Sure enough, there’s Iskanderkul, blue as ever, to greet you in the morning. Stretch your legs on a short hike to a waterfall near the lake. It’s not a bad little trickle (*cough* It’s nicknamed the Niagara Falls of the Fann Mountains! *cough*).
The vehicle’s sat nav will get confused at this point, because your route leads deeper into the mountains away from the main highway. Yes, that does mean around four hours of bum rattling. But it also means you can go where others can’t…
Cue the Alauddin Lakes. Hidden deep in the heart of the Fann Mountains, these turquoise streaks of water are watched over by 5,489-meter-high Mount Chimtarga, the highest of the lot in these parts.
Exciting, eh? It’s actually more exciting than you think, because this is our first camping location of the trip. You’ll meet and greet your crew of porters and settle in to watch the stars come out. Perfection.
Accommodation: Wild Camping (tent), Tajikistan
Included: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Day 5: Hike to Mutnoe Lake
Today’s hike might be for acclimatisation purposes but it’s a goosebump-riser for sure. Over 16 arduous kilometres, you’ll scale the sediment ridges left by ancient glaciers and leave behind the juniper bushes of the campsite for a world above the clouds. The whole way is characterised by mountains bigger than cathedrals. It’s you, your granola bar, and several million years of Central Asian geology.
Your crew rests up and lunches beside a small lake sandwiched between Chimtarga (the region’s highest peak) and Zamok (a slab of a mountain that literally means “castle” in Russian). Yep – the views are incredible!
Dig deep and draw on the support of your Camino compadres for the return leg back to camp, where you’ll be greeted with dinner and cosy tent bed. Zzz.
Accommodation: Wild Camping (tent)
Included: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Day 6: Alauddin Lake to Kulikalon Lakes
Bank plenty of calories this morning at the camp breakfast, because today is your first experience of point-to-point trekking across the Tajik mountains. It begins in true style: Switchback after switchback, ascending up loose rock slopes interspersed by wildflowers. This is the real deal and the stats reflect that – you’ll do a whopping 1,000 metres of altitude gain, and get to a pass at 3,860 metres above sea level.
Talking of the pass… prepare to stand still as a stone when you plant your feet on it. We’re talking giant mountains to the front, giant mountains to the back, meadows dashed with juniper forests, and your new Camino family right there with you to share in the glory.
Descending from the pass into the valley of the Kulikalon Lakes feels like entering somewhere completely unknown to the maps and other humans. It’s silent save for the hooves of the donkeys and the rustling of the juniper bushes. Take a swim in an ice-cold glacial lake while camp is set up and dinner is cooked. It’s been a good day.
Accommodation: Wild Camping (tent), Tajikistan
Included: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Day 7 – Kulikalon Lakes to Artuch
Okay, so that’s two full days with eight-hour-plus hikes in the bag. You deserve a rest this morning. Lay out the towel, dust down the Kindle, and kick it by the lakeside. The water is shimmering, the mountains lean in, and there’s no one but you and your trekking pals up here. Bliss.
Sadly, lazing has to end after breakfast, because you have 10 kilometres of trail to cover. The good news is that it’s all downhill; all losing altitude. Notice how the pastures get greener and the forests get taller and thicker. The pace should be more meditative than yesterday, so zoom out and just think about how far you’ve come: Just a week ago you still hadn’t seen the teahouses of Dushanbe!
Tonight’s camp is an ever-so-slight return to civilisation. Don’t worry, you’ll still get visions of the mountains in the fading light, but you’ll also get a proper bed and even a private bathroom!
Accommodation: Artuch Alp Camp, Tajikistan
Included: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Day 8 – Artuch to Zimtut
The trail on Day 8 is simply out of this world. You branch out to yet another green-blue lake and then begin a hamstring-pulsating ascent of a ridge below some of the highest mountains in the Fann range. Look over your shoulder to see the unmistakable shape of Kulikalon Lake – your home from two days ago. Step forward and there’ll soon be grass underfoot once more as you enter the fertile valley of Zimtut.
It’s a montage of walnut trees and farm fields until you reach the village of Zimtut itself, where the group is welcomed with open arms by the locals who’ve made up beds in their own homes and prepped traditional mountain dinners.
Accommodation: Simple homestay, Zimtut Village, Tajikistan
Included: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Day 9: Zimtut to Duoba
Get a rural wakeup courtesy of the crowing roosters in Zimtut village. After a restful evening in the home of a local family, you’ll embark on a similarly restful trek alongside the Archamaidon River. The water cools the valley beautifully, and you’ll hop between meadows that bloom with wildflowers thanks to constant irrigation from the snowmelt water.
Walking through the high-perched farming communities of the deep Fann, you’ll see the age-old way of life that happens up here. Farmers will smile and wave as you trek by. Others will tend to their walnut orchards.
The landscape gets a touch harsher higher up the path, so make one final push to the campground in Duoba. Tents are pitched right beside the confluence of two mountain rivers and there’s a buzz in the air, for tomorrow the group makes for the Tovassang Pass!
Accommodation: Wild Camping (tent), Tajikistan
Included: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Day 10: Tovassang Pass
You’ll march out of camp on a mission today. The Tovassang Pass awaits us. It’s 3,350 metres up and demands a bit of grit to get to. The thing is, grit isn’t all that hard to come by when the views are so sublime. As the forests give way and you approach the highest point of the day, get ready to whoop with joy. You’ll be peering into the Mars-like midriff of the Fann Mountains with spires of stone rising and falling through the clouds all around you. It’s one of the most awesome views of the trip so far, which really is saying something considering the last few days!
Just below is the Danisher Gorge. You’ll stay there tonight, resting your legs amid the mountain brush and ancient rocks as the stars twinkle overhead.
Accommodation: Wild Camping (tent)
Included: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Day 11: Hazorchashma Lake
There’s still plenty left on this trip, but today does have a pat-your-back moment because it’s the day you finish your trek through the Fann Mountains. Don’t rest on your laurels (or should we say junipers) just yet, though. There’s still 12 kilometres of walking to do as the group navigates the Danisher Gorge all the way to Hazorchashma Lake. It’s a fitting finish to the journey, what with gnarled mountains providing the backdrop by morning and then an approach to a lake that’s so darn blue you’ll be checking your sunglasses aren’t broken.
After this final push, the group will gather, hug it out, shed some tears of joy together, and kick back in a mountain camp one last time. Smell that? No, not the turmeric-infused rice the campground cook is rustling up! It’s the smell of achievement…
Accommodation: Wild Camping (tent), Tajikistan
Included: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Day 12: Hazorchashma to Samarkand
It’s time to bid farewell to the Fann Mountains. They offer one last flurry of sculpted peaks and pristine lakes as you hike from your mountain camp to the nearest road access point to link up with our ride. The gasps keep a-flowing as you drive out past not one, not two, but seven idyllic highland lakes.
Out of the valley and in the town of Penjikent, another farewell is in order. This time it’s to Tajikistan itself. You wrap up this incredible country the best way possible: With a lunch of spicy Tajik pilafs and kebabs. Then, bellies filled, you cross the border into…
Uzbekistan.
The crew welcomes another member here as you greet your Uzbek guide and driver. And the first card they have up their sleeve is an ace, for the mystical city of Samarkand awaits. Over a welcome dinner, secrets of the old Silk Road will be whispered and you’ll prep to explore monumental mosques and madrasahs when the sun rises.
Accommodation: Hotel Registon Saroy (or similar), Samarkand, Uzbekistan
Included: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Day 13: Samarkand
And just like that, you’re a character in your very own swashbuckling novella set on the old Silk Road. Step into Samarkand, a city of teal domes and filigreed tombs that oozes mystery from every single nook and cranny.
We’ll try to peel back just a little of that mystery with a guided walk that includes stops at the mausoleum of Gur-Emir (the resting place of the mighty Timur, the great conqueror who ruled Samarkand with an iron fist) and the grand Registan Square (perhaps the single greatest masterwork of Persian architecture in the country).
Later, get your haggling gauges in gear because you’ll work your way through the Siyob Bazaar. See the hawkers who proudly stand behind mountain-sized stacks of dried dates and pistachios. Smell the spices. Watch master bakers whipping up traditional Uzbek lepyoshka breads in seconds.
Accommodation: Hotel Registon Saroy (or similar), Samarkand, Uzbekistan
Included: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Day 14: Samarkand to Bukhara
Whiz across the heart of southern Uzbekistan this morning on a high-speed train to yet another jewel of the Silk Road. Bukhara’s Old Town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site where qubba domes and minarets jostle for space on the skyline. Your hotel is right in the thick of it, so check in and take some time to soak up the ancient energy of the city.
A week ago, you were doing a 10 kilometres trek through the jagged Tajik Fann. Today, you’re on a guided walkthrough of a 2,000-year-old city that once reigned as the cultural and intellectual heart of Islam. Yep – that’s just the sort of trip this is!
Accommodation: Hotel Amelia Boutique (or similar), Bukhara, Uzbekistan
Included: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Day 15: Bukhara
Bukhara’s so fantastic that it deserves two full days. And if you don’t believe us, what if we said that this morning’s first pitstop was a 45-metre-high minaret built over 800 years ago that once bewitched even the great Genghis Khan? You can climb to the top to get sweeping views across the city and then come back down to delve into the sprawling fortress of the Ark, the old citadel of Bukhara.
After some R&R back at the hotel, it’s time for one of those special things only Camino trips can do: A meeting with a local doctor, Makhsuma Niyazova, to discuss culture, history, and all-round life in Uzbekistan. She’s fascinating company.
Accommodation: Hotel Amelia Boutique (or similar), Bukhara, Uzbekistan
Included: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Day 16: Uzbek village life
You’ve only been in the city for three full days but if we know Camino Women, we know the pull of the wild, the authentic, the raw is always there. So, trade the plazas of Bukhara for a taste of rural Uzbek life today. We’ve lined up a visit to the house of Mr. Rustam. He’s from a farming community in the vicinity of Bukhara, where you’ll see the cotton fields, meet the people who work the land, and experience a different pace.
The high-speed train then awaits to take you onto your next, and final (sad face), destination: Tashkent.
Accommodation: Hotel Inspira-S (or similar), Tashkent, Uzbekistan
Included: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Day 17: Tashkent
A bigger-than-your-boots journey like this deserves an epic finale, don’t you think? Well, here’s Tashkent. The largest city in Central Asia, it’s famous for its Brutalist monuments and stark USSR-style architecture. There’s time to see it all, but first, just a quick warning: Tashkent might make you run out of “wows”.
Step onto Independence Square and you’re faced with babbling fountains, monumental arches, and eternal flames. And just wait until you go underground into the metro system. Whoever said art and transportation couldn’t mix? Holy moly!
Break Uzbek bread one final time with the group this evening. It’s that time you’ve all been dreading, a moment to reflect on mountains climbed and green teas drunk. Laugh, cry, reminisce well into the night and enjoy that feeling only the trip of a lifetime can give.
Accommodation: Hotel Inspira-S (or similar), Tashkent, Uzbekistan
Included: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Day 18: Farewell Friends
Perhaps Tashkent should add another monument to its skyline this morning. You know – the one to honour how ridiculously awesome your Camino journey has been! Mull over what it might look like as you head to the airport, but not before you give big hugs and hearty farewells to your new family of trekkers and silk roaders. Now only one question remains – where will the trails take you next?
Included: Breakfast
FAQs
Prior to the payment of your full balance, the final price may change if there is significant variation in the AUD:USD exchange rate. Our trip pricing is determined by what the exchange rates are at the time of publishing the trip.
The pricing on this trip is based on an exchange rate of 1 AUD:0.65 USD
A deposit of 25% of the total trip price is required to hold your spot. Payment can be made by credit card (fees apply) or bank deposit.
There is a cooling-off period of 2 weeks. (Applicable to all bookings made at least 120 days before trip departure.)
We have implemented a ‘lifetime deposit’ guarantee. Deposits are not refundable, but they are transferable at any time, right up until the first day of the trip.
The final balance of the trip is required 120 days in advance of the departure date. Our suppliers require upfront payment well in advance to guarantee availability.
Please refer to the full terms and conditions for further information.
Australian and New Zealand passport holders do not require a visa for this trip. Passports must be valid for at least six months on entry, with two blank pages. However, entry and exit conditions can change at short notice.
Level 4 or Strenuous
You should be physically fit for this trip. You may need pre-trip training to be prepared for multiple hours of activity on many of the days. Activities include trekking over hilly terrain at a moderate pace for multiple days and sleeping in tents in remote locations with no facilities. You will only be required to carry a day pack.
Most of our trips have a tip kitty because many cultures have interesting and diverse rules when it comes to tips. We’ve found it to be the easiest way to combat over-tipping, under-tipping or having the tip fall into the wrong hands. Our goal is for guests to relax and know that the complexities of tipping are taken care of, on their behalf.
On this trip, you’ll visit two different countries with independent currencies, so for the sake of ease, we ask that you provide the amount in USD. As your trip transitions on Day 12 to your second guide, we ask your contribution be:
– $140 USD to your Tajik guide on Day 1.
– $60 USD given to your guide in Tashkent on Day 12.
The kitty will be managed by your guide and distributed along the way at restaurants for included meals, hotel staff, drivers and all guides.
July and August are summer months in both Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.
Expect hot, dry summer weather, particularly in the lowlands. Temperatures can range from 25°C to 40°C in most areas. While nights tend to be cooler, they remain warm.
In the mountain regions of Tajikistan, where the hiking part of this trip is, temperatures are cooler and very pleasant for outdoor activities. However, be prepared for colder nights, particularly at higher altitudes, and bring appropriate clothing for varying temperatures.
During the trek, we primarily use guesthouses and wild camping. Most of the guesthouses are traditional stone and wood buildings and are typically cozy.
Wild camping – sleeping in tents in mountain valleys with no facilities.
Hotels range between 3 and 4 stars, depending on what’s available at the location.
You’ll kick off your adventure in the mountains of Tajikistan, so start by packing for the trek. For this portion, you’ll need a duffle bag or trekking backpack – these will be carried by donkeys, while your main luggage will be transported separately and safely stored until you’re reunited after the trek.
Keep in mind:
-
The weight for donkey-carried bags should not exceed 15 kg (most people manage with around 10 kg).
-
Anything not needed on the trek can stay in the support vehicle.
-
Don’t forget a rain cover for your daypack – it’s a small item that can make a big difference if the weather shifts.
Once the trekking portion is complete, you’ll continue on to Uzbekistan, where a wheeled suitcase becomes your best friend. It’ll make getting around much easier – especially at airports, train stations, and border crossings.
Just a heads-up: when crossing from Tajikistan into Uzbekistan, there’s a 1 km walk where you’ll need to carry your own luggage, sometimes in hot weather – so be mindful of how you pack.
For daily use throughout the trip, a backpack or daypack is essential to keep your personal items handy.
It’s all about staying light, mobile, and ready for adventure!
This trip begins in Dushanbe, Tajikistan and ends in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. We recommend that you fly into Dushanbe International Airport.
The most convenient departure airport is the Islam Karimov Tashkent International Airport. Both transfers – on arrival and on departure are included in your price.
For travelers from Australia and New Zealand, there are one-stop flights available via Dubai and Delhi, as well as several two-stop flight options.
The official currency in Tajikistan is Tajik Somoni (TJS) and in Uzbekistan, the official currency is the Uzbekistani Som (UZS). They are not typically available for exchange outside their respective countries.
US dollars are the most easily exchanged foreign currency in Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.
It’s advisable to exchange money only through official exchange booths. ATMs are widely available in major cities, allowing you to withdraw local currency as needed.
Both countries are largely cash-based economies and very few places accept credit cards, like a few high-end hotels and restaurants in the bigger cities. Therefore, it’s recommended to carry enough cash for places that do not accept card payments.
In the unlikely event of a health or security related incident during a trip, we’ve engaged a local partner to assist. From our experience, there is not one framework that fits all, and every incident is unique and requires a different approach. With all trips, your guides are your day-to-day support. While behind the scenes, there is an active line of communication – between your guide, the on-ground support team, and Australian Ops.
