Highlights of

Key information Countries visited: Tajikistan Duration: 11 days / 10 nights Best season: April - September Tour type: Small group / individual (starting from 2 persons)

What’s included: All airport transfers, Accommodation in guesthouses and hotels (twin/dbl shared), Meals: breakfast at the hotels, lunches and dinners at the local restaurants/hotels, Services for private A/C car with driver per program, Escort English – speaking guide for all days, Entrance fees to the sites listed, Mineral water 1.0 L per day/per person

What’s not included: International flight tickets, Tips and gratuities, Visa consular fees, Visa support (letter of invitation), Video and photo charges, Porterage, Personal expenses, Services not included in the itinerary

Itinerary in brief

Day 1 - Arrival - City Tour Day 2 - Hisor - Dushanbe Day 3 - Nurek - Panj River - Kalaikhum Day 4 - Khoburubot - Dushanbe Day 5 - Pass - Day 6 - City Tour Day 7 - - Seven Lakes - Panjakent Day 8 - Panjakent - Panjrud - - Day 9 - Khujand City Tour Day 10 - Dushanbe Day 11 - Departure

Detailed itinerary

Day 1 After your arrival in Dushanbe International airport, you will be met by our company representatives and transferred to the hotel. This day you will see the main highlights of Dushanbe and find out many interesting facts about Tajik people. The first part of the tour will include visits to Rudaki Park, National library, White House, National state seal, House of parliament and etc. Then, you will have a pleasant walk in the National Park and see the Ministry of Inner Affairs and the second biggest National Flag in the world – 165 m high pole, 30 m wide, 60 m long. In the Gurminj Museum, you will get acquainted with local national instruments. For plunging into a real Asian atmosphere, you are advised to visit local bazaar offering colourful goods, fruits and vegetables. Dinner will be in a traditional restaurant where you will have a chance to try national food. Overnight: Hotel in Dushanbe Meals: Lunch, Dinner

Day 2 Your day will start with a trip (35 km) to Hisor Fortress (VII- XVII centuries) which is a fortified construction with a citadel. The fortress used to be the residence of the delegate of the Emir of . It had good protective properties including the location on a high hill and 1 m thick walls with loopholes for guns and cannons. It is one of the most famous historical monuments of Tajikistan built to protect the local population and trade caravans from nomad raids. It is believed that the fortress was built about 2500 years ago when the routes of the Great passed near Hisor. After the tour, you will return to Dushanbe and visit Botanical Garden and Victory Park for enjoying a picturesque view of the city. Overnight: Hotel in Dushanbe Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 3 The day will start with a journey to Kalaikhum village. The way will pass by Nurek Dam that is the second- largest one in the world, due to its huge size the reservoir is sometimes referred to as the Tajik Sea. It is a really beautiful area that attracts travellers and locals. Besides its important role in the ecosystem, a lake is a nice place for summer holidays, there are sanatoriums on the shores. The highest point of your day trip will be Shuraba Pass (2 267 m). After some time driving, you will finally reach the Afghanistan border and will drive along with it. The area will impress you by the view of majestic snow-peaked mountains – Pamirs. They are majestic severe peaks with glaciers of transparent clear blue waters, wide valleys and desert areas. People have called these highest mountains of the world as “the Roof of the World” as their land is located at elevations from 3 500 to 4 200 meters above sea level. Finally, you will reach Kalaikhum village and stay there for a rest and overnight. (370 km, 8 hours) Overnight: Hotel in Kalaikhum Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 4 In the morning you will drive to Dushanbe by a mountain road. You will drive over high Khoburubot Pass (3 252) known as Western Pamir Tract. The road goes through the most picturesque river valley and amazing gorges in the terrain, where one can stop for rest and shoot photos of the mountains and rivers. On the way, you will see small villages and meet local people. are by nature hard-working, hospitable, and kind- hearted. This nation greatly respects its traditions and folklore. This trip is attractive for the lovers of exotics, those curious about the ethnic and cultural diversity and captivated by the beauty of wild nature. Dinner will be organized in a local restaurant. (290 km, 7 hours) Overnight: Hotel in Dushanbe Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 5 This day you will have a trip to one of the most beautiful lakes in Tajikistan - Iskandarkul Lake. This area is really worth visiting – there is a scenic lake located amidst Fann Mountains at the altitude of 2195 m above sea level. Your road will pass through Anzob pass (3 372 m) with amazing panorama views. After arrival at the lake, you will have a chance to walk along its shores, enjoy the beauty and tranquillity of nature and learn interesting facts about this site. The lake has unusual bright colour and is lying among the strict inaccessible jagged rocks of the Fan Mountains. Your guide will tell you that the lake was named after , who according to the legend, rested here before going to India. And also, according to the legend, his favourite horse Bucephalus drowned here. Travellers from around the world come here to admire the beauty of that area. During the tour, you will also have a hike to the waterfall that will take about 40 minutes. It is also important to note that Tajikistan occupies the second place in the CIS countries for its water resources as it has more than 1 000 rivers, 2 000 lakes and 8000 glaciers. (140 km, 3 hours) Overnight: Guesthouse in Iskanderkul Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 6 In the morning you will leave your guesthouse and head to Panjakent - one of the most ancient cities of - Panjakent. It is located in the picturesque valley of River and is about 5500 years old. In ancient times it was the town of ancient civilization; it also was one of the most important cultural and craft centres of the country. Panjakent was a splendidly fortified, well-maintained city with the ruler’s palace, two temples, markets, rich dwellings of citizens, decorated with numerous paintings. Then the city was destroyed by Arabs and only in the last century its ruins were found by archaeologists. You will have a chance to explore the ruins of the Old City of which once was an important stop at the Silk Road, see the remains of different constructions, admire the masterpieces of the early Middle Age eastern painting etc. Dinner will be served in a local restaurant. (220 km, 6 hours) Overnight: Hotel in Panjakent Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 7 On the 7th day of your tour, you will continue exploring the natural gems of Tajikistan. This time you will head to the popular hiking area of the Fannsky Gory (Fann Mountains). Those territories are famous for their fascinating Seven Lakes that have different colours and stun with their natural beauty, clean and transparent water. You will start your hiking to the lakes and pass by the stunning gorge and mountains. Enjoy the complete silence, tranquillity and breath-taking views to the surrounding nature on the way. It is a real paradise! The lakes are located on different altitudes and have different colours. During your hiking, you will meet local people and watch their exotic way of life. After hiking we will come back to your hotel in Panjakent. Dinner will be served in a local restaurant. (120 km, 3 hours) Overnight: Hotel in Panjakent Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 8 After breakfast, you will continue exploring Panjakent town. This time you’ll have a visit to the local bazaar and a museum and then will head to Rudaki Mausoleum located at a distance of 60 km from Panjakent. That is the resting place of the father of Persian poetry Rudaki. The tour will continue to Khujand - the second largest one in the country. On the way, you will make a stop to visit Istravshan town known as one of the oldest towns in Central Asia. It is already more than 2500 years old. Once the town was the centre of trade and crafts and now it has the status of a museum town. Here you will visit Mug Teppe the fifteenth century Kuk Gumbaz Mosque and local bazaar – a great place to feel the local atmosphere and watch the creative work process of local craftsmen. Dinner will be served in a local restaurant. (270 km, 5 hours) Overnight: Hotel in Khujand Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 9 The entire day is dedicated to the city tour. In the morning you will go to visit the Museum of Archaeology and Fortification. After that, you will go to visit the Mosque of Shaikh Muslihiddin. In front of the Mosque there located one of the biggest and oldest bazaars of Tajikistan – “Panjshanbe bazaar”. After lunch, you will drive to see the Qairoqum water reservoir which calls the “Tajik Sea”. The Hydro Power station of Qairoqum is the symbol of People`s Friendship built-in 1968. After that, you will drive to your hotel. Dinner will be served in a local restaurant. Overnight: Hotel in Khujand Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 10 This day you will have a morning transfer to Dushanbe city. The way will pass through and Anzob pass and the tunnel of Isticlol. It will be a picturesque itinerary with many stops for taking photos. At last, you will arrive in Dushanbe the capital and largest city of Tajikistan. It will be your last tour day in Tajikistan. Overnight: Hotel in Dushanbe Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 11 In the morning, you will be transferred to the international airport for departure. Meals: Breakfast

Booking terms

Booking process Once you have chosen the tour and travel date, push Book now button at your chosen date, fill necessary fields and send us an inquiry. Alternatively use contact from contact us page in About us menu tab. Once we have received your inquiry, confirmed all tour details with you, we send deposit invoice. After the deposit is received (500 euro per person), we start your hotel, train, air tickets reservations and send your Tour Voucher with all the trip details.

Payment process Tour payment is divided into 2 parts: 1. Deposit, 2. Final payment. 1. Deposit amount is 500 euro per person. Once you prepaid the deposit, it is fully refundable for a month. After month deposit becomes non-refundable. Deposit is paid via bank transfer; your tour manager provides deposit payment invoice with full bank details. We need deposit to start your hotel, guide, vehicle, domestic flights and train ticket booking. 2. Final payment is done via bank transfer (15 working days prior to tour start) or cash (upon arrival before tour start). Both cases your tour manager provides you electronic or paper invoice. We reserve the right to cancel your tour and apply the relevant cancellation charges (detailed below) if we do not receive all payments at the due time.

Tour Cancellation If you or your group member cancels the tour, please make sure to let us know in a month after deposit is paid. Note, the deposit is non-refundable, however, you can use it throughout the year and book another tour. In this case, train and domestic flight ticket fees only will be charged a cancellation fee.

Rights and obligations Tours provided by our company are planned for many months before its inception and are not the subject of change or cancellation. Under the obligation of forced circumstances (weather, holidays) we can make some changes to the itinerary, however, all that relates to services and attractions will remain unchanged. Please note that our tours require a minimum number of participants – 2 persons. We reserve the right to cancel the trip with full refund or deposit paid, if the tour booked by you do not have the minimum number of participants. We inform you about the cancellation of the tour no later than 30 days before the start. We also request immediately and promptly report all complaints and any claims during the tour. If possible, all problems will be solved. If the tourist does not report any complaint, the compensation will not be implemented. Note AraraTour Central Asia is not liable for services not included in the tour price. Our responsibility is limited only to the extent provided by our tour. Force majeure or any other event which is beyond our control and which is not preventable by reasonable diligence on our part frees both parties from liability or obligation. In case of Force majeure, we don’t issue any refund.

Insolvency or bankruptcy insurance AraraTour Central Asia guarantees the refund of clients’ money for unfulfilled services even in the case of company’s own insolvency or bankruptcy.