Expert opinion
Pluses
- Tajikistan in 5 days: Penjikent, Sarazm (UNESCO), the Seven Lakes, Iskanderkul, Istaravshan and Khujand in one route.
- Private tour: it starts in Samarkand and ends in Tashkent, with a guide in your language.
- Core costs included: 4 nights with tourist taxes, 4 breakfasts, air-conditioned transport and entrance tickets are in the price.
Minuses
- Not included: 4 lunches, international flights and the Tajikistan Entry rules depend on your passport. Once you are here, each stay must be registered within three days, and hotels do it for you; customs and registration rules are in our guide. Read more → are paid separately.
- Mandatory tip: about €45 per person for the stay is required on top of the price.
- Long drive, borders: day 2 includes the road to Khujand of about 270 km, 4–5 hours, and you cross the border twice (Jartepa and Oybek).
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
- 2
- Longest transfer
- 5 h · by car
- Walking
- Medium
Walking: Medium: on day 1 ancient Penjikent, Sarazm, a museum and the drive up to the Seven Lakes for the views; on day 2 Iskanderkul and two sites in Istaravshan; on day 3 a city tour of Khujand. No trekking in the programme.
Best time
Mar–Nov
The Seven Lakes can be visited in spring, summer and autumn (March–November).
A typical day
On day 1 you cross the border at Jartepa and meet the Tajik team. Then come ancient Penjikent, Sarazm and the Penjikent museum, lunch by the Zeravshan River, and the road up to the Seven Lakes for the scenery. The night is in Penjikent.
What the price includes
What is included
- 4 nights with tourist taxes
- 4 breakfasts
- Tea and filtered water at meals
- Air-conditioned transport
- Entrance tickets to museums and monuments
- Guide in your language for the excursions
Not included
- 4 lunches
- International flights
- Tajikistan visa
- A mandatory tip (about €45 per person for the stay)
- Early check-in / late check-out
- Personal expenses
Extra cost on site
- Mandatory tip (about €45 per person for the stay)
- 4 lunches
- Early check-in / late check-out
Good for
- Travellers adding Tajikistan to an Uzbekistan trip
- Those who want mountain lakes and old cities without hiking
- Couples, or solo travellers willing to pay the one-person rate
Maybe not for you if
- Hikers — the lakes are seen on drives; for trekking days see the 12-day Fann Mountains tour
- Those who prefer not to cross borders — the route crosses twice
Questions about this tour
What is included?
4 nights in 3★ tourist-class hotels with tourist taxes, 4 breakfasts, tea and filtered water at meals, air-conditioned transport, entrance tickets and a guide in your language for excursions. What the price includes
What is not included?
Everything that is and isn’t included, and what you pay on site, is in one list: What the price includes
Can I go alone?
Yes, there is a separate price for one person.
What documents do I need?
A passport valid for at least 6 more months and any required documents, which are the traveller's responsibility.
Where does the tour start and end?
It starts in Samarkand with a crossing at Jartepa and ends in Tashkent via the Oybek border, with an airport transfer on day 5.
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 · 5 days · Tajikistan
Tajikistan — Mystic Asia, 5 Days
A private crossing into Tajikistan from Samarkand: ancient Penjikent, the Seven Lakes, Lake Iskanderkul and the old cities of Istaravshan and Khujand, ending in Tashkent.
from $615 per person
Private tour
Samarkand → Tashkent
Highlights
What’s inside
- Ancient Penjikent — a Sogdian city, and Sarazm (UNESCO), a 5,500-year-old settlement
- The Seven Lakes of the Fann Mountains — from ultramarine to deep green
- Lake Iskanderkul, linked to the legend of Alexander the Great
- Istaravshan — one of the oldest cities of Central Asia, and its craftsmen
- Khujand — «Alexandria Eschate», its fortress, museum and Panjshanbe bazaar
Programme
Day by day
Day 1 · Samarkand — Penjikent — Seven Lakes
Cross the border at Jartepa, meet the Tajik team. Ancient Penjikent, Sarazm and the Penjikent museum, lunch by the Zeravshan River, then up to the Seven Lakes for the scenery. Overnight in Penjikent.
Day 2 · Penjikent — Istaravshan — Khujand
Lake Iskanderkul, then Istaravshan — Mug-Teppa and Kok-Gumbaz — and on to Khujand. The road to Khujand is about 270 km, 4–5 hours.
Day 3 · Khujand
A city tour: the fortress and its museum, the 19th-century National House, the Panjshanbe bazaar and the mausoleum of Sheikh Muslihiddin.
Day 4 · Khujand — Tashkent
Transfer to the Oybek border, cross into Uzbekistan and drive to Tashkent (~2 hours). Overnight in Tashkent.
Day 5 · Tashkent — departure
Breakfast, transfer to the airport for the return flight.
Price
Price per person (by group size)
| 1 person (private) | $1,120 |
| 2 people | $615 per person |
| Single supplement | +$50 |
Hotels (tourist class, 3★): Panjakent Plaza, Sugdiyon, Green Park / Stay Inn / Krokus Plaza.
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.
- A trip into Tajikistan: a valid passport (6+ months) and any required documents are the traveller’s responsibility.
The heart of Tajikistan in five days — Sogdian ruins, mountain lakes and old A network of caravan routes between China and the Mediterranean. Samarkand, Bukhara and Khiva grew rich as stops along it. cities.
