Seven Lakes Day Trip from Samarkand: Tajikistan's Fann Mountains by 4×4
Cross into Tajikistan for a day at the Seven Lakes: Panjakent bazaar, the lakes of the Fann Mountains by 4×4 and the UNESCO site of Sarazm on the way…
Dushanbe to Tashkent in 3 Days: Iskanderkul, Istaravshan and Khujand
Go overland between Dushanbe and Tashkent through the mountains of northern Tajikistan: Iskanderkul with Snake Lake and the waterfall, the Shahristan tunnel, old Istaravshan and Khujand on the Syr Darya. Private car and driver; rooms added as you choose. Start in either city, finish in either.
About this trip
Dushanbe and Tashkent are an hour apart by plane. This trip takes three days and goes overland instead, through the mountains of northern Tajikistan: Iskanderkul, the lake of Alexander the Great, with Snake Lake and the waterfall beside it; the Shahristan tunnel under the Turkestan range; Istaravshan, one of the oldest towns in Central Asia; and Khujand on the Syr Darya, with its great covered bazaar.
You travel by private car with a driver, a comfortable sedan or crossover for up to 4 guests or a Grand Starex minivan for 5–7, and you choose where to sleep: the Zumrad tour base at Iskanderkul and a central hotel in Khujand are added as options when you book, so you pay only for what you need.
The three days, either way
| Day | Starting in Dushanbe | Starting in Tashkent |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Varzob gorge, Anzob tunnel, Iskanderkul, Snake Lake, the waterfall; night at Iskanderkul | Oybek border, Khujand; night in Khujand |
| 2 | Shahristan tunnel, Istaravshan; night in Khujand | Istaravshan, Shahristan tunnel, Iskanderkul, Snake Lake; night at Iskanderkul |
| 3 | Khujand, Oybek border; Tashkent by late afternoon, or back to Dushanbe | The waterfall; Dushanbe by the afternoon, or back to Tashkent |
Choose where you start at the top of the page and the day-by-day plan below changes to match. When you book, choose where you finish: in the other city, or back where you started.
Where you sleep
- Iskanderkul: the Zumrad tour base by the lake, twin room. Meals at the Zumrad café, paid there in cash.
- Khujand: a good central hotel near the river and the bazaar, private room with breakfast. Dinner in Khujand is yours to choose; your driver can suggest a place.
Good to know
- When: May to mid-October, while the Zumrad tour base is open.
- Passports and visas: you cross the Uzbek–Tajik border at Oybek once, or twice if you start and finish in Tashkent, so an Uzbek e-visa, if your nationality needs one, must allow the entries you make. Most nationalities enter Tajikistan without a visa; some need an e-visa, issued online. Read our Tajikistan visa rules, Uzbekistan visa rules and guide to the land borders.
- Your driver and guide: the drivers speak Russian. Add an English-speaking driver, or a professional guide in English, Spanish, Italian, German, French, Korean, Turkish or Chinese, as options when you book.
- Car and luggage: the price is for the whole vehicle with driver and fuel, not per person. The car takes up to 4 guests with light luggage and the minivan up to 7; with a guide, 3 and 6.
- More of the region: Tashkent to Samarkand via Khujand, Samarkand to Tashkent via the Seven Lakes or the Fann Mountains in 5 days.
Big suitcases, a bigger group, or a night in Dushanbe or Tashkent before you set off? Message us on WhatsApp.
Day by day
- Day 1
Dushanbe to Iskanderkul, Snake Lake and the waterfall
Pickup at your hotel in Dushanbe at 08:00. The road climbs the Varzob gorge and passes under the Anzob pass through the five-kilometre tunnel, then down into the Yagnob and Fan Darya valleys and up a side valley to Iskanderkul, the lake named after Alexander the Great, at 2,200 m. In the afternoon walk to Snake Lake, small and green beside it, and to the Fann Niagara, the waterfall where the lake's river drops into a gorge. Night at the Zumrad tour base by the lake if you added it; dinner at the Zumrad café.
- Day 2
Over the mountains to Istaravshan and Khujand
Breakfast by the lake and back down to the main road, then north past Ayni, with a stop at the old Varz minaret, and over the Turkestan range through the five-kilometre Shahristan tunnel, with wide views on both sides. Lunch on the way. In Istaravshan, one of the oldest towns in the region, climb Mug Teppe, the hill fortress said to be Cyropolis, founded by Cyrus the Great, see the blue dome of the Kok Gumbaz mosque and walk through the old quarter where the knife-makers work. An hour more brings you to Khujand on the Syr Darya. Check in to your hotel; the evening is free.
- Day 3
Khujand, then Tashkent or back to Dushanbe
Breakfast at the hotel, then the morning in Khujand: Panjshanbe Bazaar under its arched hall, the mausoleum of Sheikh Muslihiddin across the square, and the fortress by the river with the Sughd historical museum. Lunch in town at your own choice. If you finish in Tashkent, about an hour's drive brings you to the Oybek border; you cross on foot and your Uzbek driver takes you on to Tashkent, about two hours, arriving at your hotel in the late afternoon. If you go back to Dushanbe, the road returns south through the Shahristan and Anzob tunnels, about six hours, to your hotel in the evening.
- Day 1
Tashkent to Khujand, via the Oybek border
Pickup at your hotel in Tashkent at 08:00 and about two hours' drive to the Oybek border. You cross on foot; your Tajik driver is waiting on the other side. An hour later you are in Khujand on the Syr Darya: Panjshanbe Bazaar under its arched hall, the mausoleum of Sheikh Muslihiddin across the square, and the fortress by the river with the Sughd historical museum. Lunch in town at your own choice. Check in to your hotel; the evening is free.
- Day 2
Istaravshan and over the mountains to Iskanderkul
Breakfast at the hotel and an hour's drive south to Istaravshan, one of the oldest towns in the region. Climb Mug Teppe, the hill fortress said to be Cyropolis, founded by Cyrus the Great, see the blue dome of the Kok Gumbaz mosque and walk through the old quarter where the knife-makers work. The road then crosses the Turkestan range through the five-kilometre Shahristan tunnel, with wide views on both sides. Lunch on the way. Down past Ayni and the old Varz minaret, and up a side valley to Iskanderkul, the lake named after Alexander the Great, at 2,200 m. In the late afternoon walk to Snake Lake, small and green beside it. Night at the Zumrad tour base by the lake if you added it; dinner at the Zumrad café.
- Day 3
The waterfall, then Dushanbe or back to Tashkent
In the morning walk to the Fann Niagara, the waterfall where the lake's river drops into a gorge. If you finish in Dushanbe, the road goes down to the Yagnob valley, through the Anzob tunnel and down the Varzob gorge, about three and a half hours, to your hotel in Dushanbe in the afternoon. If you go back to Tashkent, the road returns north through the Shahristan tunnel to Khujand and the Oybek border; you cross on foot and your Uzbek driver takes you to your hotel in Tashkent in the evening.
What's included
- Private car (comfortable sedan or crossover; Grand Starex minivan for 5–7 guests) with a Russian-speaking driver on the Tajik side for all three days, fuel included
- Private car between the Oybek border and your Tashkent hotel, if your trip starts or ends there
- Help at the border
- Bottled water
Not included
- Rooms at Iskanderkul and in Khujand, unless you add them as options
- Meals (breakfast comes with the Khujand hotel room)
- Entrance tickets: Mug Teppe and the Khujand fortress museum, paid on site
- English-speaking driver or guide, unless you add it as an option
- Visas or e-visas, if your passport needs them
- Tips for drivers
- Travel insurance — required for every traveller
Other trips you may like
Seven Lakes of Tajikistan: 2 Days from Samarkand, a Night by Lake 6
Cross from Samarkand into Tajikistan for Sarazm, Panjakent bazaar and the Seven Lakes, sleep in a private room above Marguzor, the sixth lake, and drive…
Khujand Day Trip from Tashkent: Tajikistan's Oldest City Across the Border
Cross into Tajikistan for a day: Khujand fortress and its museum, the Panjshanbe bazaar in its grand 1960s hall, and the Sheikh Muslihiddin complex.…