Example Itinerary
Price is based on double or twin hotel room occupancy and includes accommodation, transfers, car/driver, English-speaking guide, activities and entrance fees, breakfasts and some casual lunches while touring. Flights and optional special activities will be quoted separately. Most personal expenses, including dinners, alcoholic beverages, spa treatments and gratuities can be paid on the spot while traveling. Prices may vary depending on season, choice of accommodation and other factors.
From the Tajik capital of Dushanbe, embark on a truly memorable journey through the rugged and beautiful Pamir Mountains. Discover the true landscape of Tajikistan as you cruise alongside the Panj river, with views across the border to Afghanistan. Visit towns with museums packed with history and surrounded by natural beauty and wonder. Dip in hot springs and marvel at ancient rock carvings. Stay in hotels and guesthouses and enjoy real Tajik hospitality and food. Enjoy uninterrupted views of the night sky, from the peaks of one of central Asia’s most romantic mountain ranges.
This itinerary takes you along the Pamir Highway within Tajikistan, starting from Dushanbe and reaching Murghab before looping back to Dushanbe.
This itinerary is an example. It’s designed to inspire you and provide you with thoughtfully curated ideas. You can choose to do this exact itinerary or completely personalize it. All trips are 100% bespoke.
Arrive in Tajikistan’s capital city and check into your hotel. After freshening up, explore the capital’s sites including Somoni Central Square and Rudaki Park, Navruzgokh and Gissar Fortress, and Mehrgon Bazaar. Enjoy dinner in a local restaurant and the comforts of your hotel.
Preferred Hotel
Today you’ll explore some of the best sites Dushanbe has to offer, including the Gurminj Museum of traditional musical instruments, the Museum of Antiquities - full of ancient Buddhist art from the lost cities of the Kushan Empire, and the Greco-Bactrian school of art. Rest up at your hotel ahead of tomorrow’s departure to the Pamir Highway.
Hit the road and embark on a journey down the M41 highway. The seven-hour journey winds first through the Kulyab region where guests are welcomed with warm hospitality. Later, the highway leads to Qal'ai Khumb, home to the Badakhshanis, on the Panj river. Bed down in a local hotel.
Bid goodbye to Qal'ai Khumb and its friendly inhabitants and strike out on the road for the 160-mile drive to Khorog. The journey runs alongside the Panj river and across it lies Afghanistan. The beautiful and important city of Khorog lies nestled in the mountains at the meeting point of the Panj and Ghunt rivers. In these beautiful surroundings, spend the night in a private guesthouse.
Less than 30 miles from Khorog are the famous mineral hot springs, the site historically mined for Badakhshani rubies. After another four-hour drive, at the mouth of the Wakhan Corridor, lies the pretty town of Ishkashi, home to the cross-border Saturday market between Tajik and Afghan traders. With stunning views of the Pamir peaks all around, Ishkashim is a pleasant spot to spend the night and we recommend the Dekhli Darbor hotel.
Along the way on your six-hour drive today, visit an ancient silk road fortress, the Kah Kaha in Namadgut, where you will also find a fascinating museum about a famous Sufi scholar who created a solar calendar. Stop off to explore a Buddhist stupa and experience the healing powers of the natural hot springs of Bibi Fatima Zahra. Guarding the Silk Road, the ruins of the Yamchun fortress are the last stop along the way. Tonight, after five or six hours of driving, you will experience firsthand the hospitality and values of Tajiks by spending the night at a guesthouse.
After an early breakfast, take advantage of the cool of the morning to climb the rocks above Langar to see the ancient carvings of goats, horse riders and caravans. Back on the road, the highway climbs up to Murgab, where the views of the night skies often include the twinkle of the Milky Way. Here, the guesthouse for the night is eco-friendly and locals sell their handicrafts.
Today is reserved to see a rarely-seen part of Tajikistan, strictly off the beaten path. This excursion to Karakul will take you back to the past, to how the Kyrgyz of this border area lived for centuries. Local shepherds keep sheep, yaks and goats in this province. Spend the afternoon strolling along the lake and enjoying the alpine pastural scenery before returning to Murghab.
Begin on your travels back along the road to Khorog, a 198-mile journey which takes around 6-7 hours.
After breakfast, take a visit to the botanical gardens of Khorog where you can see the indigenous plants of this area of the world. Travel another 6-7 hours today to reach Qal’ai Khumb by nightfall.
Today’s journey back to Dushanbe takes you through the picturesque landscapes of the Nurek reservoir. Reach the capital in the late afternoon and return to the comforts of your city hotel.
Preferred Hotel
Take one last drive today to explore Lake Iskanderkul, located on the slopes of the Fann Mountains. Upon arrival, take a walk to a magnificent waterfall hidden in a rocky gorge. You will also visit the reed-covered Snake Lake where you can take a dip in the crystal clear waters of Lake Iskanderkul. Return to Dushanbe in the evening for your final night.
Enjoy a leisurely morning before your transfer to the airport for your flight onward.
With Remote Lands you'll travel with people who have made Asia the solitary focus of their own lifelong adventure. As our guest, you'll discover Asia on a journey that is completely, authentically your own, adapted from our own remarkable experiences and adventures over the years.
With Remote Lands you'll travel with people who have made Asia the solitary focus of their own lifelong adventure. As our guest, in the continent that our north American founders Catherine and Jay have adored and explored for decades, you'll discover Asia on a journey that is completely, authentically your own, adapted from our own remarkable experiences and adventures over the years.
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