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 & Tajikistan Silk Road in 12 Days: Tashkent, Khiva, Bukhara, Samarkand, the Seven Lakes, Iskanderkul and Dushanbe
The great Silk Road cities of Uzbekistan by high-speed train, then across the border into Tajikistan: Sarazm and ancient Panjakent, a night by the Seven Lakes, a night at Iskanderkul and Dushanbe. Private guides, 3–4★ hotels and mountain guesthouses, trains and a 4WD included.
About this trip
Two countries, one road. You start in Tashkent and follow the Silk Road west to Khiva on the new high-speed train, then east through Bukhara and Samarkand. From Samarkand you cross into Tajikistan, where the cities give way to the Fann Mountains: the 5,500-year-old settlement of Sarazm, a night beside the turquoise Seven Lakes, a night at Iskanderkul and the drive through the mountains to Dushanbe.
The whole trip is private: your own guide in every city, your own car and driver, and a 4WD with an English-speaking guide for the four days in Tajikistan.
The route at a glance
| Days | Where | Highlights |
|---|---|---|
| 1–2 | Tashkent | Old town, Chorsu Bazaar, metro, modernist city |
| 3–4 | Khiva | High-speed train across the desert, Ichan Kala |
| 5–6 | Bukhara | Lyab-i Hauz, Kalyan minaret, the Ark |
| 7–8 | Samarkand | Registan, Gur-e-Amir, Shah-i-Zinda |
| 9–10 | Panjakent and the Seven Lakes | Sarazm, ancient Panjakent, a night by the lakes |
| 11 | Iskanderkul | Mountain lake, waterfall, Anzob road |
| 12 | Dushanbe | Rudaki Avenue, departure |
What is included
Eleven nights with breakfast: eight in 3–4★ hotels or boutique guesthouses in Tashkent, Khiva, Bukhara and Samarkand, one in a guesthouse by the Seven Lakes, one at Iskanderkul and one in a 3–4★ hotel in Dushanbe. Dinner is included at the Seven Lakes and at Iskanderkul, where there are no restaurants. Private guides, the three train journeys, every transfer, the 4WD in Tajikistan, help at the border and entrance tickets to the monuments on the itinerary are all included.
Good to know
- When: from 1 May to 15 October, when the mountain roads and guesthouses are open. For a winter trip, ask us for the cities-only version.
- Start day: any day except Friday, because the high-speed train to Khiva does not run on Sundays. Please book at least 30 days ahead: train tickets sell out, and we ask for each traveller's passport details after booking.
- Visas: most nationalities need no visa for either country; some need a Tajik e-visa. Read our guides to Uzbekistan visa rules and Tajikistan visa rules.
- The mountains: the road to the Seven Lakes is rough and partly unpaved, and the guesthouses are simple but clean, with shared bathrooms in some. Walks are easy to moderate and always optional.
- The end: your trip ends in Dushanbe. Most flights leave in the early morning or evening; tell us your flight and we plan the last day around it.
Travelling alone, want 4★ hotels throughout, or a different start? Message us on WhatsApp.
Day by day
- Arrival in Tashkent
Your driver meets you at Tashkent airport with a name sign and takes you to your hotel. The rest of the day is free; if you arrive early, take an evening walk along Amir Timur Square and Broadway.
- Tashkent
A full day with your guide: the Hazrati Imam complex, home of one of the oldest Qurans in the world, Kukeldash Madrasah and Chorsu Bazaar under its blue dome. After lunch, ride the metro to its most beautiful stations and see the modernist buildings of the 1960s–80s, now a UNESCO World Heritage site.
- High-speed train to Khiva
The 07:00 high-speed train across the Kyzylkum desert, arriving in Khiva in the afternoon (about 7 h 40 min). Your driver takes you to your hotel inside or beside the walls, and you watch the sunset over Ichan Kala from the city walls.
- Khiva
Ichan Kala with your guide: the unfinished Kalta Minor minaret, the Kunya-Ark citadel, the Juma Mosque with its forest of carved wooden columns, Tash Hauli palace and the Pakhlavan Mahmud mausoleum. The late afternoon is free to wander the lanes or climb the Islam Khoja minaret.
- Train to Bukhara
The morning train from Khiva to Bukhara (about 4–5 hours). After lunch, a first walk with your guide around Lyab-i Hauz, the old trading domes and the Magoki Attori mosque. Evening tea by the pool under the mulberry trees.
- Bukhara
A full day in the old city: the Kalyan minaret and mosque, the Mir-i Arab madrasah, the Ark fortress, the Bolo Hauz mosque, the 10th-century Samanid mausoleum and the four towers of Chor Minor.
- Afrosiyob train to Samarkand
The Afrosiyob high-speed train to Samarkand (about 1 h 30 min). In the afternoon, Gur-e-Amir, the tomb of Amir Timur, and the Registan, which is at its best in the late afternoon light.
- Samarkand
The tiled avenue of Shah-i-Zinda, the vast Bibi-Khanym mosque, Siab Bazaar for bread and dried fruit, and Ulugh Beg's 15th-century observatory. The evening is free.
- Into Tajikistan: Sarazm, Panjakent and the Seven Lakes
A one-hour drive to the Jartepa–Sarazm border, where your Tajik guide and 4WD meet you on the other side. Visit Sarazm, a UNESCO site settled 5,500 years ago, and the ruins of Sogdian Panjakent, then drive up the Shing valley to the Seven Lakes. Dinner and the night at a guesthouse by Marguzor, the sixth lake.
- The Seven Lakes and the road to Iskanderkul
Morning by the lakes, with an easy walk or a drive to Hazorchashma, the seventh lake. Then back down the valley and east through the Zarafshan valley to Iskanderkul, about 5–6 hours with stops. Dinner and the night at a guesthouse or holiday camp by the lake.
- Iskanderkul to Dushanbe
Morning at Iskanderkul, the lake named after Alexander the Great, with a short walk to the Fann Niagara waterfall and Snake Lake. Then over the mountains and through the Anzob tunnel to Dushanbe (about 4 hours). Evening on Rudaki Avenue.
- Dushanbe and departure
If your flight is in the afternoon or evening, a morning in Dushanbe with your guide: Rudaki Avenue, the Ismoil Somoni monument and the National Museum of Tajikistan. Transfer to Dushanbe airport.
What's included
- 11 nights with breakfast: 8 in 3–4★ hotels or boutique guesthouses (Tashkent, Khiva, Bukhara, Samarkand), 1 at a guesthouse by the Seven Lakes, 1 at Iskanderkul and 1 in a 3–4★ hotel in Dushanbe; twin or double room
- Dinner at the Seven Lakes and at Iskanderkul
- Private English-speaking guides in Tashkent, Khiva, Bukhara and Samarkand (other languages: see the options)
- An English-speaking guide with you in Tajikistan from the border to Dushanbe (days 9–12)
- Train tickets, Economy class: Tashkent–Khiva (high-speed), Khiva–Bukhara and Bukhara–Samarkand (Afrosiyob)
- All airport, station and hotel transfers by private car
- A 4WD with driver in Tajikistan from the border to Dushanbe
- Help at the Jartepa–Sarazm border
- Entrance tickets to the monuments on the itinerary
- Bottled water
Not included
- International flights (arrive in Tashkent, leave from Dushanbe)
- Lunches and dinners, except the two dinners in the mountains
- Visas or e-visas, if your passport needs them
- Single room, unless you add it as an option
- Tips for guides and drivers
- Travel insurance — required for every traveller
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