Tajikistan is a newly-independent republic on the southern fringe of former Soviet Central Asia. Beautiful and remote, Tajikistan has much to offer to the mountaineer, the hiker and the independent traveller in search of remote locations and unusual cultural experiences. There are opportunities for alpine mountaineering, rock climbing, hiking, horse or camel riding, cycling, historical exploration, cultural experiences or simply relaxing among dramatic mountains and lakes.
The Pamir region has three peaks over 7000m in height: Peak Somoni, Peak Lenin and Peak Korzhenevskaya. For alpine climbing, high level walking tours and breathtaking lakes (especially when you take a dip) the Fann mountains, just across the border from Samarkand, are ideal.
The populated valleys have a rich history. The famous silk road split in this region to find various ways through the high mountain chains and the valleys of the Wakhan and the Zeraphshan are known to have been key routes. Zorastrianism, Buddhism, Hinduism, Christianity and Islam have all left their mark, as have the great empires from the Persians to the soviet era.
The unique Yagnob valley nestling beneath the Zeraphshan range of mountains is home to a people whose language harks back to the now vanished Sogdian empire crushed by Alexander the Great. De-populated in earlier decades to provide labour for the cotton fields, its inhabitants have returned and offer homely accommodation and a hospitable welcome. A gentle trek up this valley, accompanied by a guide who knows the people, is a personal encounter with history and also a practical contribution to sustaining the life of the community and its culture.
For a comprehensive travel companion to the country, we strongly recommend ‘Tajikistan and the High Pamir’ published in 2008 by Odessey. This is packed with historical and cultural background to Tajikistan as well as a wealth of travel ideas.
Tajikistan is a newly-independent republic on the southern fringe of former Soviet Central Asia. Beautiful and remote, Tajikistan has much to offer to the mountaineer, the hiker and the independent traveller in search of remote locations and unusual cultural experiences. There are opportunities for alpine mountaineering, rock climbing, hiking, horse or camel riding, cycling, historical exploration, cultural experiences or simply relaxing among dramatic mountains and lakes.
The Pamir region has three peaks over 7000m in height: Peak Somoni, Peak Lenin and Peak Korzhenevskaya. For alpine climbing, high level walking tours and breathtaking lakes (especially when you take a dip) the Fann mountains, just across the border from Samarkand, are ideal.
The populated valleys have a rich history. The famous silk road split in this region to find various ways through the high mountain chains and the valleys of the Wakhan and the Zeraphshan are known to have been key routes. Zorastrianism, Buddhism, Hinduism, Christianity and Islam have all left their mark, as have the great empires from the Persians to the soviet era.
The unique Yagnob valley nestling beneath the Zeraphshan range of mountains is home to a people whose language harks back to the now vanished Sogdian empire crushed by Alexander the Great. De-populated in earlier decades to provide labour for the cotton fields, its inhabitants have returned and offer homely accommodation and a hospitable welcome. A gentle trek up this valley, accompanied by a guide who knows the people, is a personal encounter with history and also a practical contribution to sustaining the life of the community and its culture.
For a comprehensive travel companion to the country, we strongly recommend ‘Tajikistan and the High Pamir’ published in 2008 by Odessey. This is packed with historical and cultural background to Tajikistan as well as a wealth of travel ideas.