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…
Uzbekistan Silk Road and Tajikistan's Seven Lakes in 6 Days
Khiva, Bukhara, Samarkand and Tashkent with private guides, plus a day across the border at the Seven Lakes of the Fann Mountains. 3–4★ hotels with breakfast, trains, all transfers and entrance tickets included. April to October.
About this trip
Four Silk Road cities and one mountain day in Tajikistan, in six days. You land in Urgench and walk through Khiva the same afternoon, then travel east by train through Bukhara and Samarkand. From Samarkand you cross into Tajikistan for a day at the turquoise Seven Lakes, come back over the border in the evening and take the train to Tashkent, where the trip ends.
The whole tour is private: your own guide in every city, your own car and driver for every transfer, and a 4WD with a local driver in the Tajik mountains.
The route at a glance
| Day | Where | Highlights |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Khiva | Ichan Kala, the walled inner city |
| 2 | Bukhara | Train across the desert, Lyab-i Hauz, Kalyan minaret, the Ark |
| 3 | Samarkand | Registan, Gur-e-Amir, Shah-i-Zinda |
| 4 | Seven Lakes, Tajikistan | Fann Mountains, Lake 6, evening train to Tashkent |
| 5 | Tashkent | Metro, Chorsu Bazaar, Khast Imam |
| 6 | Tashkent | Free time, departure |
What is included
Five nights in 3–4★ hotels or boutique guesthouses with breakfast, private English-speaking guides in Khiva, Bukhara, Samarkand and Tashkent, three train journeys, every transfer by private car, the Seven Lakes day with a 4WD and a picnic lunch, help at the border and entrance tickets to the monuments and museums on the itinerary.
Good to know
- When: from April to October, when the road to the lakes is open. If snow or a closed border stops the lakes day, we replace it with a day trip from Samarkand to Shakhrisabz at no extra cost.
- Arrival: please land in Urgench by about 14:00 for the Khiva walk on day 1. Morning flights from Tashkent arrive in time; if you land later, the walk is shorter, as the train to Bukhara leaves early on day 2.
- Day 4 is long: about 14 hours from pickup to Tashkent, with the border crossed twice; you arrive at about 21:00. That is why the Tashkent tour on day 5 starts late in the morning.
- Passports and visas: bring your passport on the lakes day. You leave Uzbekistan and come back, so if you need an Uzbek e-visa it must allow two entries. Read our guides to Uzbekistan visa rules and Tajikistan visa rules.
- Trains: please book at least 21 days ahead, as seats sell out; we ask for each traveller's passport details after booking. If no seats are left on your date, you travel by private car instead. Read our guide to trains in Uzbekistan.
Who it suits
First-time visitors with a week or less who want the classic Silk Road cities and one day in the mountains, with the trains, hotels and border crossing taken care of.
Travelling alone, or want a guide on the lakes day too? Message us on WhatsApp.
Day by day
- Arrival in Urgench and Khiva
Your driver meets you at Urgench airport or railway station and drives you to Khiva, about 40 minutes away. After check-in, your guide walks you through Ichan Kala from the Ota Darvoza gate: the Kunya-Ark citadel, the Kalta Minor minaret and the Muhammad Amin Khan Madrasah, the Juma Mosque with its forest of carved wooden columns, Tash Khauli palace, the Pakhlavan Makhmud mausoleum and the Islam Khoja minaret. Watch the sunset from the city walls. Overnight in Khiva.
- Train to Bukhara
The early train across the Kyzylkum desert, leaving Khiva at about 07:00 and reaching Bukhara before 11:00. After check-in and lunch, your guide takes you through the old city: Lyab-i Hauz, the trading domes, the Magoki Attori Mosque, the Ulugbek and Abdulaziz Khan madrasahs, the Poi Kalyan ensemble with the Kalyan minaret, the Ark fortress, the Bolo Hauz Mosque and the 10th-century Samanid mausoleum. Evening free around Lyab-i Hauz. Overnight in Bukhara.
- Afrosiyob train to Samarkand
A free morning in Bukhara for the four towers of Chor Minor or the bazaar, then the late-morning train to Samarkand, about 1 h 45 min. The afternoon with your guide: the Registan and its three madrasahs, Gur-e-Amir, the tomb of Amir Timur, the Bibi-Khanym Mosque, Siab Bazaar for dried fruit and Samarkand bread, the tiled avenue of Shah-i-Zinda and, if time allows, Ulugbek's observatory. Overnight in Samarkand.
- The Seven Lakes in Tajikistan, evening train to Tashkent
An early pickup and a one-hour drive to the Jartepa border. You cross on foot, and on the Tajik side your driver meets you with a 4WD. The road passes Panjakent and climbs the Shing valley into the Fann Mountains, past lakes that change colour from turquoise to deep blue, up to Lake 6, Marguzor. If time and the road allow, you can walk on towards Lake 7. Lunch is a picnic by the lakes. In the afternoon, drive back to the border, cross into Uzbekistan and transfer to Samarkand station for the evening Afrosiyob high-speed train, about 2 h 20 min. Your driver meets you in Tashkent at about 21:00. Overnight in Tashkent.
- Tashkent city tour
A late start after the long day before. With your guide, begin at Amir Timur Square, then ride the metro, famous for its decorated stations, to the old city. Walk past the Kukeldash Madrasah to Chorsu Bazaar under its blue dome and through the lanes of the old mahalla to the Khast Imam complex, home of one of the oldest Qurans in the world. Finish at the Museum of Applied Arts, with its embroidery, ceramics and carved wood. Overnight in Tashkent.
- Departure
Free time until your transfer to Tashkent airport or railway station. Hotel check-out is at 12:00; a later check-out can be arranged on request.
What's included
- 5 nights in 3–4★ hotels or boutique guesthouses with breakfast, twin or double room: 1 in Khiva, 1 in Bukhara, 1 in Samarkand and 2 in Tashkent
- Private English-speaking guides for the city tours in Khiva, Bukhara, Samarkand and Tashkent (other languages: see the options)
- Train tickets, Economy class: Khiva–Bukhara, Bukhara–Samarkand (Afrosiyob) and Samarkand–Tashkent; by private car if no seats are left on your date
- Pickup at Urgench airport or railway station and every transfer in the itinerary by private car, minivan or minibus, depending on group size
- Seven Lakes day: car to the Jartepa border and back, 4WD with a local driver who speaks basic English on the Tajik side, and a picnic lunch by the lakes
- Help at the Jartepa border, both ways
- Entrance tickets to the monuments and museums on the itinerary
- Bottled water
- TravelX support on WhatsApp throughout the tour
Not included
- International flights and flights to Urgench
- Visas or e-visas, if your passport needs them
- Travel insurance — required for every traveller
- Lunches and dinners, except the picnic on day 4
- A guide on the Seven Lakes day, unless you add it as an option
- Single room, unless you add it as an option
- Camera fees at some monuments
- Tips for guides and drivers
- Early check-in or late check-out
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.…