Expert opinion
Pluses
- Real hiking days: three hiking or trekking days: the Seven Lakes on day 6, the Kulikalon basin on day 8 and Iskanderkul on day 10.
- Cities plus mountains: Bukhara and Samarkand by train, then Sarazm, Panjakent and Rudaki’s mausoleum around the Fann Mountains, and the Hisor Fortress near Dushanbe.
- Tickets and guides included: entrance tickets, economy train tickets, local guides in your language in each country and 2 × 0.5 L of water a day are covered.
Minuses
- Pre-dawn train: on day 3 the train to Samarkand leaves at 03:34, followed by a full day of sightseeing.
- Meals extra: lunches and dinners are not included; half or full board is an optional add-on.
- Visas and deadlines: visas ($20 each where applicable) are not included, groups close 65 days before departure and passport copies are needed 62 days ahead for train tickets.
AroundCA numbers
How we counted
By the AroundCA programme: we count only what is written in the day-by-day programme of this tour. If the programme gives no figure, we show nothing.
- Hotel changes
- 6
- Starts before 7:00
- day 3
- Walking
- Heavy
Walking: High: three hiking or trekking days. Day 6 is a full day on foot among the Seven Lakes, day 8 is the Kulikalon hike under Chimtarga and Mirali, day 10 is a relaxed day of waterfall and shoreline trails. Distances and elevation gain are not given in the programme.
Best time
Jun–Aug
The best time for the Fann Mountains is summer (June–August).
A typical day
Day 8, the Kulikalon Lakes: a classic Fann Mountains hike to the lake basin beneath the granite walls of Chimtarga and Mirali, past turquoise tarns, meadows and shepherd camps.
What the price includes
What is included
- Hotel accommodation DBL/TWN with breakfast
- Tourist taxes at the hotels
- Air-conditioned transport
- Entrance tickets to museums, monuments and sites
- Train tickets Tashkent — Bukhara — Samarkand (economy)
- Local escort guides in each country, in your language
- 2 × 0.5 L water per person per day
- VAT 12%
Not included
- Lunches and dinners (half / full board optional)
- International flights
- Uzbekistan and Tajikistan visas ($20 each where applicable)
- Early check-in / late check-out unless listed
- Photo and video fees at historic sites
- Personal expenses and tips
Extra cost on site
- Photo and video fees at historic sites
- Personal expenses and tips
- Early check-in / late check-out unless listed
Good for
- Hikers who want real days on foot, not just viewpoints
- Travellers who want Silk Road cities and mountain lakes in one trip
- Those happy to cross a border and finish in Dushanbe
Maybe not for you if
- Travellers who don't want to hike — the programme has three hiking days
- Those who want a shorter taste of Tajikistan — see the 5-day Mystic Asia tour
Questions about this tour
What is included?
Everything that is and isn’t included, and what you pay on site, is in one list: What the price includes
Are lunches and dinners included?
No, but you can add half board (11 lunches) or full board (11 lunches and 11 dinners).
Do I need visas?
Uzbekistan and Tajikistan e-visas cost $20 each where applicable and are free for many nationalities; they are not included in the price.
How far ahead do I need to book?
Groups close 65 days before departure; passport copies are needed 62 days ahead for train tickets and 46 days ahead for flights.
Where does the tour start and end?
It starts with arrival in Tashkent and ends with a transfer to your flight from Dushanbe; international flights are not included.
Didn’t find your answer? Ask about this tour →
Make it your trip
Tick what you’d like to add — it goes into your request, and the manager confirms the final price.
Arrival, departure, transfers
Programme and details
Day-by-day route, prices and terms
Private · 12 days · trekking
Tajikistan & Silk Road — Fann Mountains, 12 Days
Bukhara and Samarkand, then over the border into the Fann Mountains: the Seven Lakes, the Kulikalon basin and emerald Iskanderkul, with real hiking days.
from $1,275 per person
Private, small group
3 hiking / trekking days
Highlights
What’s inside
- Bukhara and Samarkand at an unhurried pace, connected by high-speed train
- Sarazm (UNESCO) and ancient Panjakent on the way into Tajikistan
- The Seven Lakes (Haft Kul) — a full hiking day among them
- The Kulikalon lake basin beneath Chimtarga and Mirali
- Iskanderkul — the Fann Niagara waterfall and Snake Lake
- Rudaki’s mausoleum at Panjrud and the Hisor Fortress near Dushanbe
Programme
Day by day
Day 1 · Arrival in Tashkent → Bukhara
Arrival, a day-use room to rest, then the evening high-speed train to Bukhara.
Day 2 · Bukhara
An unhurried full-day walking tour of one of Central Asia’s best-preserved old towns — the fortress, mosques, madrasahs and trading domes.
Day 3 · Bukhara → Samarkand
Pre-dawn overnight train to Samarkand (dep. 03:34), then a full day: the Samarkand's main square, framed by three madrasahs: Ulugh Beg (15th century), Sher-Dor and Tilya-Kori (both 17th century). Read more →, The mausoleum of Amir Timur and his descendants, early 15th century, with a ribbed turquoise dome and a gilded interior. Read more → and A street of mausoleums on the edge of old Samarkand, built from the 11th to the 19th century, most of them under Timur and his descendants. Known for its glazed tilework. Read more →.
Day 4 · Samarkand → Sarazm → Panjakent
Cross into Tajikistan’s Zarafshan Valley — the gateway to the Fann Mountains. The UNESCO site of Sarazm and ancient Panjakent.
Day 5 · Panjakent → Seven Lakes
Drive up to the Seven Lakes (Haft Kul), a string of lakes shading from turquoise to deep green.
Day 6 · Seven Lakes — hiking day
A full day on foot among the lakes, meadows and villages.
Day 7 · Seven Lakes → Panjrud → Artuch / Ghazza
Descend and drive east, stopping at Panjrud for the mausoleum of Rudaki, the founding poet of classical Persian literature.
Day 8 · Kulikalon Lakes — trekking day
A classic Fann Mountains hike to the Kulikalon lake basin beneath the granite walls of Chimtarga and Mirali — turquoise tarns, meadows and shepherd camps.
Day 9 · Artuch / Ghazza → Iskanderkul
Drive around to Iskanderkul, the legendary emerald lake said to be named after Alexander the Great. Afternoon at leisure.
Day 10 · Iskanderkul — hiking day
A relaxed day: the 38-metre Fann Niagara waterfall, the shoreline trails and small Snake Lake (Zmeinoe).
Day 11 · Iskanderkul → Dushanbe → Hisor
Over the Anzob route through the tunnel to Dushanbe, a short city orientation, then the historic Hisor Fortress.
Day 12 · Departure from Dushanbe
Assisted transfer and check-in for the onward flight.
Price
Price per person
| Double / Twin (group of 12) | $1,275 |
| Single supplement (own room) | +$446 |
| Half board (11 lunches) | +$285 |
| Full board (11 lunches + 11 dinners) | +$470 |
Vehicles by group size (Chevrolet Cobalt for 2, up to Mercedes Sprinter for 9–14). Prices may change with tariffs, taxes or currency; check hotel availability for last-minute bookings.
Booking
How to book
- Send a request via the form on this page, by email hello@aroundca.com or on WhatsApp. Reply within 24 hours.
- Groups close 65 days before departure. Passport copies are needed 62 days ahead for train tickets, 46 days for flights. Uzbekistan and Tajikistan e-visas are $20 each (free for many nationalities).
A network of caravan routes between China and the Mediterranean. Samarkand, Bukhara and Khiva grew rich as stops along it. cities plus real days on foot in the Fann Mountains — the classic Tajikistan trek.
