Trip Report: Tajikistan
Visited in May 2024
The trip to Tajikistan, my 171st country, took me via Istanbul again. This time it was not just a transit at IST airport, but a stopover of about 18 hours including an overnight stay in the city. When I checked the flights to Tajikistan with Turkish Airlines, the only European airline – apart from a few Russian ones – that flies there, I noticed that flights from Switzerland to Tajikistan cost €1200. However, with a multi-stop flight Istanbul-Dushanbe and back Dushanbe-Istanbul-Basel it was only €600.
Needless to say, I chose the second option and booked a separate ticket to Istanbul with Pegasus Airlines. That meant I arrived at Sabiha Gökcen and flew on from IST one day later. I could have flown to IST on the day of the flight to Tajikistan. But since I had to take the day off anyway, why not fly the night before? That way I wouldn’t have to worry about the first flight being delayed.
The journey to Tajikistan via Istanbul
The immigration line at Sabiha Gökcen took over an hour. There is a fast track where you can go straight to a counter for a small fee (I think about €10). At first I thought I had time and it will be faster than I think. Needless to say, after about 45 minutes my mood was down and I bitterly regretted my decision.
As soon as I left the terminal, a cloud of cigarette smoke blew in my direction, leaving no doubt that I was in Turkey. On the plane, after landing, a guest complained to his wife that he hadn’t smoked a cigarette for four hours. That is definitely the most Turkish sentence I have heard in a long time. I am glad that after 22 years of smoking, I have not indulged in this addiction for more than 1.5 years.
After more than an hour in the immigration line, I spent another 20 minutes outside the terminal looking for my Uber driver. Uber may have the advantage of not getting ripped off. But I’ve also lost an enormous amount of time looking for the car at airports. After all, it’s much harder at an airport than in a city.
The Uber ride didn’t last too long, about three minutes to be exact. Then the police ordered our taxi to stop. Apparently there was a problem with the car, if I understand correctly it was something with the lights. After the driver exchanged a few sentences with the police, the police asked me to get out and take another cab. Fortunately, there was a taxi nearby and 40 minutes later, I finally arrived at my hotel. What a way to start your journey!
I don’t think I need to write too much about Istanbul. It was my third visit in the last seven years and this time I chose a neighborhood that I hadn’t been to before: Balat. This is a working-class district on the European side north of Eminönü. The district is best known for its colorful houses, which attract more and more tourists every year. Apart from that, it’s a lively neighborhood with many cafes and restaurant – definitely worth a visit!
Since this trip report is about Tajikistan, I don’t want to go into too much detail. Nevertheless, it was definitely nice to be in Istanbul again, and it won’t be the last time I use this booking trick. Especially regarding my countries 173 and 174, it is very likely that I will make another stop in Istanbul very soon.
Arrival in Dushanbe and my plan for the next days
My Turkish Airlines flight departed in the early evening for Dushanbe, the capital of Tajikistan. The flight was about half full and landed at its destination at half past 1 in the morning. Here, too, immigration took almost an hour. Furthermore, the driver that my hotel had organized for me was not in the arrivals area. Seriously, I sometimes get the feeling that the success rate with these airport pickups is only about 50%, especially in non-touristy countries. Since some locals were nice enough to call my hotel, someone was finally here 20 minutes later. By the time I got to the hotel, it was after 3am.
Tajikistan was my last country in Central Asia after visiting Turkmenistan in 2019, Kyrgyzstan in 2020, Uzbekistan in 2021 and Kazakhstan in 2022. Instead of visiting all these countries in one big trip, I made single trips to each region. This had the advantage that I was able to experience Central Asia anew every year without the countries becoming too similar after a while. On the other hand, it would of course have been much cheaper to visit all the countries in one trip.
However, on my travels to all countries, it was always important to me to have a few short trips left. For example, for public holidays that I could use or for an extended weekend. This meant that almost all the countries in Central Asia and the Caucasus fell on a national holiday. Tajikistan was no different.
What changed with Tajikistan over time, however, were the destinations within the country that I wanted to visit. Originally, Tajikistan was supposed to be my grand finale in Central Asia. With the Pamir Highway, the second highest highway in the world, leading from Tajikistan to Kyrgyzstan, or vice versa, it would have been a trip that would have taken more than just four to six days, the time I had spent in the other Central Asian countries.
However, the further I progressed with my 197 project, the more doubts I had about a Pamir Highway trip. I would have had to plan around 9-10 days for such a journey. But on the one hand, I felt a stronger desire than ever to finally complete my project.
On the other hand, and this was the more important argument, I no longer feel like going on trips where I sit in the car for six to seven hours a day. I’ve done that too often in the past twelve months and I simply don’t enjoy such trips. I suppose, traveling the Pamir Highway in a week would have been exactly like that.
For this reason, I had two options: either I give myself more time and visit the Pamir Highway on a two-week trip. Or I could focus on other places in Tajikistan and do the Pamir Highway at a later date. Without time pressure and at a pace that suits me. I chose the second option.
With four full days in Tajikistan, I decided to visit the capital Dushanbe and Iskanderkul, the country’s most famous lake. Most importantly, I decided to travel slowly on this trip, contrary to my usual habits. What always bothered me about traveling to Central Asia was the four-hour time difference. For a short trip, it was always a hard adjustment to have to get up every day at 7 a.m., which would have been 3 a.m. at home. That’s why I decided to continue to live according to the time zone at home on this trip. In other words, I went to bed at 1-2 in the evening and got up at 9 in the morning.
So my start in Tajikistan consisted of two relaxing days in the capital, Dushanbe. I often spent less time in Central Asian capitals than they deserved. I would have liked to spend more time in Ashgabat, the capital of Turkmenistan, and Nur-Sultan, the capital of Kazakhstan. Besides, I only saw Bishkek in Kyrgyzstan at night, and even then very little. I can only say that I spent enough time in Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan.
In Dushanbe I also wanted to spend time with locals and learn a bit about the country from him. I usually use Showaround or Couchsurfing for such meetups. Unfortunately, this turned out to be difficult because I couldn’t find anyone on either app. Therefore, I looked for a tour guide and found one.
There is a funny, albeit strange, anecdote about the tour guide search. I found a free walking tour online that said you could cancel it at any time for free. I booked it, mainly to get in touch with the guide. After he contacted me hours later, I had to tell him that I had found another guide in the mean time.
This gentleman then insulted me, accused me of bad behavior and said that he had never experienced anything like this in ten years. He said he even had to cancel a tour because of me (yeah, sure…). So if you want to know where NOT to book a tour, it’s with Ardasher from Guru Walking Tour 😀
The Tajik capital
My guide was a young man named Shahboz, who also works at the National Museum in Dushanbe and gives tours there in English. With him, I went to see the main sights of Dushanbe: the opera house, the monument to Ismail Samani, the Independence Monument, Rudaki Park, and so on. Although Dushanbe has a million inhabitants and is therefore a large city, a few hours are enough to see everything, as long as you skip the museums, as I did.
So what were my impressions of Dushanbe? First of all, Dushanbe is a typical Central Asian capital. Soviet brutalist architecture dominates here, along with Islamic influences, the odd modern building, wide squares, a multitude of monuments and statues, and a bit of kitsch.
By far my favorite sight was the Independence Square, not to be confused with the Independence Monument. The square is a bit outside the city center and the tower in the middle of it was only built in 2022.
For 70 somoni, around 6 euros, you can enter the tower and go up to a viewing platform at a height of 91 meters – 91 is Tajikistan’s year of independence. There is also a museum inside the tower. Not a very interesting one, but just for your information. In any case, the viewing platform offers an amazing 360° view over Dushanbe. Going there is a must just for the view.
The Monument of Ismail Samani and the Independence Monument, both absolutely typical of Central Asia, were also not bad. Together with Independence Square, these were the most interesting attractions for me.
Dushanbe also has what used to be the world’s tallest flagpole. However, after three years of holding this title, it was overtaken by a flagpole in Saudi Arabia. It is now the 4th tallest in the world. Such superlatives are not uncommon in Central Asia. Here, great importance is attached to having the biggest, tallest, fastest, whatever.
We took a trip from Dushanbe to the Hissar fortress. The trip took about 40 minutes and cost 70 somoni. This fortress is an (approximate) replica of the original fortress, although it is not known exactly when it was built.
The reason for this is that it was always destroyed when a new power invaded the country. It was then rebuilt, and has been rebuilt several times since, so it is not very authentic. Is it worth a trip? It depends on how much time you have. It is a pretty place, that’s for sure. But if you haven’t seen it, you’re not missing a lot to be honest.
Compared to the other Central Asian capitals, with the possible exception of Ashgabat, I found Dushanbe to be quite conservative. This was especially evident in the appearance of the people. On the one hand, I saw a lot of women covering their hair and hardly any makeup. On the other hand, it was 30°C on the first day and I was the only one wearing shorts. And I felt like that attracted attention, sometimes even laughter.
While I always described the other four Central Asian countries as a mixture of Turkey, Russia, and China, I found that Tajikistan somehow didn’t have much in common with any of them. Tajikistan is much more like Afghanistan or Iran. You can tell by the language, which is much closer to those two countries. In addition, the flag of Tajikistan is quite similar to that of Iran and the Kurdish flag.
What else is there to say about Dushanbe? The city is relatively inexpensive. Taxi rides usually cost less than 20 somoni (= €1.70). I have never paid more than 12 euros for lunch or dinner in good international restaurants. In local restaurants you can get away with less than 50 somoni (= €4.20).
Is Dushanbe worth it? Well, if you visit Tajikistan, you can’t avoid the city. Especially after the Pamir Highway, the city is ideal for a little more comfort and better food than on the road. At least that’s what you can read in the blogs of people who have made this trip.
By the way, it rained almost the whole second day in Dushanbe. I used that time to visit the national museum but apart from that, it was a very uneventful day. May is considered a good time to visit Tajikistan. It is not too hot yet but you can already go to the mountains. Peak season is June to September, though.
Two-day trip to Iskanderkul
After two days, I left Dushanbe for Iskanderkul, the lake named after Alexander the Great. The drive there took just over three hours and took me through breathtaking mountain scenery. About 93% of the country is mountainous. Much of Tajikistan is over 3,000 meters.
I booked a two-day trip to this region. A mistake, as it turned out. The price was 475 USD including food and lodging, although with a little negotiation I assume a cheaper price would have been possible. I was provided with an English-speaking guide named Halimjon for the trip, although English-speaking is relative… His English was incredibly poor and there was basically no discussion possible beyond phrases like “what time is dinner?
As I said, the drive there was a highlight. There are a lot of good photo stops, especially in the last hour. What’s more, the landscape changes every few minutes. In addition to arid mountain landscapes, there are also snow-capped peaks and colorful rocks that reminded me of Salta and Jujuy in Argentina, among other places.
My accommodation was in a village called Sarytag, where about 100 people live. There’s not much to do. There is a mine within walking distance where you can see another colorful mountain. Otherwise, we walked through the village, had to fend off an aggressive dog, and at 15:30 the day was over, although it had only started at 10:00. Theoretically, we could have gone back the same day and done all the things we did the second day.
Instead, I spent the rest of the day in my freezing cold and somewhat dingy room, with a brief interruption for dinner. And who am I going to talk to when neither my guide nor the owners of the guesthouse speak English?
The next day we had breakfast first and then drove back to Dushanbe. With the stops of the tour, of course. Iskanderkul was our first stop. The day before it had been very cloudy, but this time the sun was shining on the green water. The lake is beautiful, I have to admit.
As we drove along the lakeshore, we made a few stops where I took some photos. Halimjon said that we will also walk along the lake. This walk turned out to be a two minute stroll to a part of the shore with a statue, or rather a golden head, of Alexander the Great. It is unclear by the way if Alexander the Great was actually ever at this lake.
There are two more stops on the tour, but neither was superb. One is Snake Lake, a smaller lake about a ten minute walk from Iskanderkul. The other is a waterfall, which is 39 meters high, but didn’t impress me very much.
And so we drove back to Dushanbe, where we arrived at half past one. To be honest, I could have easily done this tour in one day and I didn’t think it was worth the price. I’m not saying that Iskanderkul isn’t worth it. But please go there as a day trip or rent a car and drive yourself, the roads are in good condition.
The awful last hours in Tajikistan
Since my flight home wasn’t until 3 a.m., I still had to spend almost twelve hours in Dushanbe. With my luggage in tow, mind you. First I went to a café where I had a coke zero, a cappuccino and a croissant filled with Nutella. It felt good to be back in civilization.
At some point I realized something was wrong. I felt sick. At first I had the feeling that all the winding mountain roads on the way back weren’t good for me. Then, when I started to feel slightly feverish, I knew it wasn’t just nausea from the ride. It was a feeling I never had before.
I had almost nine hours before I had to go to the airport. And I knew I wasn’t going to spend them in a cafe. I decided to book another hotel for those few hours and rest there. The Vatan Hotel, not far from the opera, was the one I booked. In retrospect, it turned out to be a better alternative than the Hotel 777 where I spent my first three nights in Dushanbe.
When I arrived at the hotel room I felt even more miserable. And slowly, after consulting Dr. Google, I knew what it was. It was food poisoning. It had to be. After all, Central Asia is a region where food poisonings are common. I’d never had one in all my travels, which I’m sure is because I have a stomach of steel. I even survived India without diarrhea. This time, however, my stomach didn’t seem to have saved me.
What was the cause? In retrospect, I can only speculate. Maybe it was the salad I had twice as a starter at the guesthouse. Maybe it was the tough, completely overcooked meat. Or the boiled egg. Maybe the Nutella croissant, even though that seemed unrealistic.
I stayed in my room for the next nine hours, lying on my bed and drinking one bottle of water after another. Since the Nutella croissant, I haven’t eaten anything anymore. I wondered if I should force myself to eat something for dinner somewhere, but the thought of food alone made me sick. Furthermore, I was worried about the return journey, especially as I only had an hour to change planes in Istanbul. Flying for 4h30 and then rushing from one gate to the next in this state seemed like a nightmare to me.
Thank God, the return journey went better than expected. The Turkish Airlines plane was maybe 25-30% full, so I had a row of four to myself. This meant that I was able to lie down and sleep for a couple of hours or so. The flight also arrived in Istanbul 20 minutes early, so I made the tight connection without any problems. And most importantly, I felt much better after that night than I had the day before.
So, what is the bottom line for this trip? All in all, the trip was okay. A bit inefficient, since I could have done everything in two days instead of four. My aim to travel a little slower this time didn’t really help. But the tour with Shahboz was cool. If you are in Dushanbe and need a knowledgeable guide, get in touch with him (Whatsapp: +992928000516). He can show you around Dushanbe for a reasonable price.
Apart from that, I found Tajikistan the least interesting of all the stans as a short trip destination (3-5 days). The other countries simply offer more variety in such a short time. However, I must admit that the mountain scenery in Tajikistan was an even 10/10. The strength of Tajikistan is probably a trip on the Pamir Highway, where you can enjoy this nature for several days or even weeks. I hope to come back one day and do this trip.
Click here to find the trip reports of the 170+ other countries I have visited so far!
It was the salad 100%