Bishkek to Dushanbe 12-day Tour

BISHKEK — ISSYK-KOL LAKE 

Begin your adventure with a scenic drive from Bishkek to the enchanting Issyk-Kul Lake. En route, visit the historic Burana Tower, a 9th-century Silk Road monument, and learn about its fascinating history. Continue your journey to the southern shore of the lake, stopping at the breathtaking Fairy Tale Canyon, where vibrant rock formations ignite the imagination.

Accommodation: Guesthouses / Homestays

• Driving distance/hour: 400 km / 250 mi – 6 hours
• Altitude: 1800 m / 5905 ft
• Internet: O (4G), Megacom (4G), Wi-Fi
• Electricity: Available (bring a power bank just in case of outages)
• Facilities: Shared indoor shower and western toilets at the homestays. Shared rooms for up to 4 people.

JETI-OGUZ VALLEY — SON-KUL lAKE

Travel to the stunning Jeti-Oguz Valley, famous for its red sandstone cliffs like the “Broken Heart” and “Seven Bulls.” On the way, stop at the picturesque Barskon Waterfalls and continue our to Sonkul Lake. Son-Kul Lake (Sonkel, Sonkul) is located in the north-west of the Naryn region of Kyrgyzstan. The lake is amazing in its beauty. The azure color of the water attracts not only tourists, but also locals. Son-Kul is surrounded by green meadows, where flocks of sheep and horses graze in summer. Shepherds bring cattle here for the entire summer period, and they live in specially installed yurts. Such pastures where people can live for months are called jailoos. In the cold season, yurts are rolled up.  We will stay in one of the Yurt Camps of the pastures

Accommodation: Yurt stay 

• Driving distance/hour: 360 km / 225 mi – 5 hours
• Hiking distance/time:
• Altitude: 3016 m / 9895 ft
• Internet: O (3G), Megacom (3G).
• Electricity: Available (bring a power bank just in case of outages)
• Facilities: Shared indoor shower and western toilets at the homestays. Shared rooms for up to 4 people.

SON-KUL lAKE — KAZARMAN

Kazarman is the village and capital of Toguz-Toro District, Jalal-Abad Region, Kyrgyzstan on the river Naryn.If you visit Kazarman you can go to Saimaluu-Tash. Saimaluu Tash (meaning embroidered or patterned stones in Kyrgyz) is a petroglyph site in south of Kazarman. Over 10,000 carved pictures—and perhaps as many as 11,000—which are black-and-white rock paintings, have so far been identified, making the site a globally important collection of rock art. They are a sacred display of offerings of the ancient people of the lower valleyAccommodation: Yurt stay 

• Driving distance/hour: 230 km / 143 mi – 5-6 hours
• Hiking distance/time: 1 km / 1 hours
• Altitude: 1300 m / 4265 ft
• Internet: O (3G), Megacom (3G).
• Electricity: Available (bring a power bank just in case of outages)
• Facilities: Shared indoor shower and western toilets at the homestays. Shared rooms for up to 4 people.

KAZARMAN — OSH

Osh is a city in the Ferghana Valley of Kyrgyzstan. Osh is a lively place, with the largest and most crowded outdoor market in all of Central Asia, now called the Great Silk Road Bazar. The city is at least 3,000 years old. Osh  is the second largest city in Kyrgyzstan. It’s in the south of the country and often referred to as the «capital of the south». It has served as the administrative center of Osh Province since 1939. Osh is famous for its beatiful Sulamain-Too Sacred Mountain. A mountain looming over the city full of ancient sites of worship, some still in use, dating back several millennia. It is considered the most complete example of a Central Asian sacred mountain, and accordingly has been inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It’s also just a good place to have a hike and take in the views.A cave in the mountain is the site of a museum containing a collection of archaeological, geological and historical finds and information about local flora and fauna.

Accommodation: Guesthouses / Homestays

• Driving distance/hour:  240km / 150 mi – 5 hours
• Hiking distance/time:
• Altitude: 963 m / 3159 ft
• Internet: O (3G), Megacom (3G).
• Electricity: Available (bring a power bank just in case of outages)
• Facilities: Shared indoor shower and western toilets at the homestays. Shared rooms for up to 4 people.

OSH — TULPAR KUL LAKE

Lake Tulpar-Kul is a high-altitude lake located in the Osh Region of Kyrgyzstan, near the base camp of Lenin Peak. Tulpar-Kul is a small and transparent lake, located at an altitude of 3,500 meters in the mountains of the Zaalaiskiy Range. Tulpar-Kul is a favorite place for tourists and mountaineers visiting the Alai Valley. On clear days, a panorama of one of the highest peaks of the Pamir-Alai – Lenin Peak – reflects on the water surface of the lake. Due to this fact the lake is very much loved by photographers.
The lake is very much in contrast with the surrounding landscapes. The soil and hills around the lake are made up of red soil. Together with the green grass growing around and the white caps of the Peak of the Zaalaysky Range, an amazing combination of colors is formed.
Tulpar-Kul is within walking distance from Achyk-Tash – the base camp of Lenin Peak. Also, it is possible to reach the lake on horses from the nearest villages of Sary-Mogol and Kashka-Su

Accommodation: Yurt stay 

• Driving distance/hour: 260 km / 162 mi – 5 hours
• Hiking distance/time: 3 km / 2 hours
• Altitude: 3500 m / 11083 ft
• Internet: O (3G), Megacom (3G).
• Electricity: Available (bring a power bank just in case of outages)
• Facilities: Shared indoor shower and western toilets at the homestays. Shared rooms for up to 4 people.

Hiking to the Base Camp of Lenin Peak

Accommodation: Yurt stay 

• Driving distance/hour: 
• Hiking distance/time: 5 km / 4 hours
• Altitude: 3500 m / 11083 ft
• Internet: O (3G), Megacom (3G).
• Electricity: Available (bring a power bank just in case of outages)
• Facilities: Shared indoor shower and western toilets at the homestays. Shared rooms for up to 4 people.

TULPAR KUL LAKE — MURGHAB (TJ)

Murghab is a town in the Pamirs of Tajikistan. It is on the Pamir Highway. Murghab is a very remote and fairly hard-to-access town in eastern Tajikistan, deep inside a mountainous area. Murghab is a small mountain town (pop. 4000) on the Murghab Plateau in eastern Tajikistan (Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Oblast). It lies at the junction of the Pamir Highway, which runs through the center of town and links the province with Kyrgyzstan and Afghanistan, and the main road linking Tajikistan with China over the Qulma Pass. For this reason, it was built during Soviet times as an arrest stop, and is an important transportation hub as well as the biggest town in the eastern half of GBAO. The majority of its inhabitants are ethnic Kyrgyz, though they live in dwellings more typical of Tajiks. Lately, it has become an important tourist base and is one of the few places in Tajikistan that has tourist facilities. The weather in the area is extreme; winter lasts from mid-September to late May, and temperatures in winter may reach -50 C (- -60 F). In summer, temperatures can reach +40 °C (105 °F)in July and August. The area is considered to be a high desert, with little rainfall, though downpours do occur. Strong winds blow all year, and severe storms may appear suddenly; it may snow any day of the year.

Accommodation: Guesthouses / Homestays

• Driving distance/hour: 293 km / 182 mi – 8-9 hours
• Hiking distance/time:
• Altitude: 3600 m / 11811 ft
• Internet: O (3G), Megacom (3G).
• Electricity: Available (bring a power bank just in case of outages)
• Facilities: Shared indoor shower and western toilets at the homestays. Shared rooms for up to 4 people.

MURGHAB — LANGAR (WAKHAN VALLEY)

Langar is one of the last villages in the Panj Valley in the south of the Tajik Pamirs, on the banks of the Pamir River. The village is located at an altitude between 2800 and 2850 meters, opposite the Wakhan corridor and on part of the delta of the Pamir river which here forms the Panj river. Thousands of petroglyphs have been found in this region, representing ibex, deer, yaks, hunters with their bows or even horsemen. In Langar you can see a mazar with many horns of Siberian goats and argali, where ancient religious rituals still take place (a mixture of pagan and Ismaili beliefs). 5km east of the village are the ruins of the Ratm fortress.

Accommodation: Guesthouses / Homestays

• Driving distance/hour: 290 km /  180 mi – 7 hours
• Hiking distance/time:  km / 1 hours
• Altitude: 3000 m / 9843 ft
• Internet: O (3G), Megacom (3G).
• Electricity: Available (bring a power bank just in case of outages)
• Facilities: Shared indoor shower and western toilets at the homestays. Shared rooms for up to 4 people.

LANGAR — KHOROG

In Wakhan, you will visit the most popular destinations like the Buddhist Stupa, Solar Calendar, Yamchun Fortress, Hot Spring Bibi-Fatima va Zahra, Qaha-Qala Fortress and Ishkashim centre of Wakhan Valley.

Khorog town is located in the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Oblast (GBAO), and has a population of approximately 32,000. It is situated at 2,200 metres above sea level in the Pamir mountains, and has been the administrative centre of the Gorno-Badakhshan region since 1925. Khorog lies at the junction of the Ghund and Shakhdara rivers, which divide the town into two sections. The rivers merge with the Wakhan River, forming the Panj River. Besides Khorog, the Oblast (Province) consists of seven districts. The Pamir Highway links GBAO with the rest of the country and runs through the middle of Khorog town. There is also a trade route from China through Central Asia, which is an important spot for all tourists. Khorog is lined with green poplar trees and features picturesque traditional Pamiri houses. It is approximately 600 km East of Tajikistan’s capital, Dushanbe, and 700 km South of Osh in Kyrgyzstan

In Khorog, we will visit the Botanical Garden, which is the highest in the world and Panorama Khorog.

(Inf: On Saturdays, Afghan Bazaar will open from 9 am to 3 pm)

Accommodation: Guesthouses / Homestays

• Driving distance/hour: 230km / 143 mi – 6 hours
• Hiking distance/time: 1 km / 2 hours
• Altitude: 2200 m / 7200 ft
• Internet: O (3G), Megacom (3G).
• Electricity: Available (bring a power bank just in case of outages)
• Facilities: Shared indoor shower and western toilets at the homestays. Shared rooms for up to 4 people.

KHOROG — JIZEV (BARTANG VELLAY)

In the morning, after breakfast, we will drive to Bartang Valley to hike Jizev. Please take your trekking equipment.

The Jizeu Valley trek is one of the easiest multi-day hikes in the Pamirs, not even breaking 3,000 meters at its highest point. Those who have just arrived in Tajikistan and haven’t done any trekking yet will still likely feel the altitude a bit, even at this range of 2,065 meters to 2,490 meters, making it a good practice run for treks ahead. Even with its short 15.2 km out and back distance, it’s recommended to spend a night here in Jizeu village to relax and enjoy the rural life and beautiful panoramas, but if you’re in a time crunch a day trip out and back is entirely plausible. Jizeu village is divided into two sections, Upper Jizeu and Lower Jizeu, each section scattered around gorgeous turquoise lakes fed by the Jizeudarya river. Nearly half of the homes in Jizeu operate as homestays.

Accommodation: Guesthouses / Homestays

• Driving distance/hour: 90km / 86 mi – 4 hours
• Hiking distance/time: 7 km / 4 hours
• Altitude: 2500 m / 6562 ft
• Internet: O (3G), Megacom (3G).
• Electricity: Available (bring a power bank just in case of outages)
• Facilities: Shared indoor shower and western toilets at the homestays. Shared rooms for up to 4 people.

JIZEV — KALAIKUM

Qal’ai Khumb — meaning fortress on the banks of the river of Khumb) or Qal’a-i-Khum, also Kalai-Khumb, is a border town located in the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region of Tajikistan, next to the border with Afghanistan. In the past, it was the center of the independent Principality of Darvaz. It is now the capital of the Darvoz District of Tajikistan. The Pamir Highway meets here the Panj River. The town is an important overnight rest stop between Kulob and Khorugh, located at a distance of 168 km (104 mi) from Kulob (or 368 km (229 mi) from Dushanbe) and 235 km (146 mi) from Khorugh. It has several hotels to accommodate travelers on their way between cities. The town is almost entirely surrounded by the Pamir Mountains. The town is connected by road to Afghanistan via the Tajik–Afghan Friendship Bridge. The Saturday cross-border trade market, which was closed for several years, has been reopened recently

Accommodation: Guesthouses / Homestays

• Driving distance/hour: 200km / 125 mi – 7 hours
• Hiking distance/time:
• Altitude: 1200 m / 3900 ft
• Internet: O (3G), Megacom (3G).
• Electricity: Available (bring a power bank just in case of outages)
• Facilities: Shared indoor shower and western toilets at the homestays. Shared rooms for up to 4 people.

KALAIKUM — DUSHANBE

Dushanbe, the capital of Tajikistan. The city makes up 20% of Tajikistan’s GDP and has large industrial, financial, retail, and tourism sectors. Parks and main sights of the city include Victory Park, Rudaki Park, the Tajikistan National Museum, the Dushanbe Flagpole, and the Tajikistan National Museum of Antiquities. Dushanbe today is a cosmopolitan city that hasn’t lost touch with its cultural roots. Dushanbe tours offer a captivating look into the capital of Tajikistan, providing a rich blend of history, culture, and natural beauty for travelers to explore. Whether you’re interested in ancient artifacts at the National Museum, picturesque parks ideal for strolls, or sampling local cuisine, Dushanbe tours are a fantastic way to experience the city’s multifaceted attractions. Choose from walking tours that navigate the vibrant bazaars or opt for excursions that lead you to the breathtaking landscapes surrounding the city. With the insight of local guides, these tours bring the spirit and history of Dushanbe to life, making them an unforgettable component of any visit to this Central Asian treasure.

Accommodation: Guesthouses / Homestays

• Driving distance/hour: 370 km / 230 mi – 7-8 hours
• Hiking distance/time:
• Altitude: 2000 m / 6562 ft
• Internet: O (3G), Megacom (3G).
• Electricity: Available (bring a power bank just in case of outages)
• Facilities: Shared indoor shower and western toilets at the homestays. Shared rooms for up to 4 people.