Country Info
- Dushanbe
- Capital
- Somoni (TJS)
- Currency
- 6,578,681
- Population
- TJ
- Country Code
Tajikistan Slideshow
Tajikistan
Travel Blogs from Tajikistan
Frustration
Today was frustrating, we headed an hour out of Khujand by bus to wait 2 hours for the local youth minister in our second jamooat. After 2 hours we found that he wasn't there. We would have to come back tomorrow. After this we met with Timor and his ...
Stranded!
Leaving Sary Tash on a Saturday morning, we had no particular idea about how we would get through the Kyrgyz-Tajik border and then get to Murghab, about 200km from the border. Add to this the fact that we had observed over the past couple of days in Sary ...
Thoughts after Week 1
What has surprised me and been different to my prior perceptions? a) It is a lot hotter here than I thought- 30C most days. b) People use Tajik in everyday conversation more than Russian. c) The police are not protectors but an annoyance and a threat. d) ...
Horsemen of the Apocalypse
... the border into Kyrgyzstan to a guest house that will have (the luxury!) a washing machine and hot water. Given that Afghanistan - Tajikistan - Kyrgyzstan is a big drug running route and there is a big police presence at the border, the land crossing into ...
Policemen and Wild Birds
... for the Afghan border), the rain cleared and blue skies prevailed. I had read it, but now i know it first hand - Tajikistan is a spectacularly beautiful and varied country. On the first day we climbed through fields of green grass and wild flowers with ...
New Years Eve at the Afghan Boarder
I scored a nice seat in a good old Toyota Landcruiser and we drove for 18 hours over 3-4000 meter high passes between stunning high mountains and on rough roads for the whole day. It slowly got darker and just at dusk, we arrived the checkpoint to the ...
It's not Cork
. Yesterday we were very lucky to receive an offer of a lift to Lake Karakul with Harshal & Deepti who were also headed in that direction. About eight o'clock we were loaded up and on our way along the final stages of this difficult Pamir Highway. ...
Due Diligence
When travelling it pays to do some research on forms of transport available, costs and agreements that need to be made. In Murghab we were interested in getting to Khorog via the Wakhan Valley which runs parallel for most of the journey with the ...
Gorges and Soviet Armor
... ; As the money ran out following the collapse of the USSR, the Soviet troops that were stationed guarding the Afghan/Tajikistan border staged a somewhat disorganized retreat, and the area is littered with old soviet armor. We have had quite a lot of ...
Didor Film Festival
Up early to wash myself and clothes, both in the bath. Headed into town to meet Daragh for lunch, went to an Indian restaurant with hilarious menu which included some food 'burnt at stake.' Avoiding this, we both ate large meals for £5. At 2pm I had my ...
Fertility Springs and Buddhist Caves
... with 'just spending 4-5 weeks in a place' (sigh), decided to quit their jobs and spend 6 months cycling through Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, China and Pakistan - essentially the southern route of the silk road (remember it splits into two!) in the ...
Finding out where the clothes you donate end up...
Got totally lost on bus system trying to get to the airport (attempting to locate luggage). I got there after 1 1/2 hours to be told не был открыт. ...
Baggage and Sewers
A mixed day.... I learnt my baggage had arrived in Dushanbe via Istanbul. We picked it up (we have a driver named Jamal- he is teaching me Tajik), my stuff is crumpled but all there. My evening was spent ironing clothes, I have become domesticated. Went ...
The Road to Khujand
... are Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan). It is semi-dessert in places, very flat and covered in oases. By 5pm we were in Khujand (Tajikistan's second city), and economic hub of the country. We checked into our hotel which at £30 for a double, is expensive for ...
Isfara- Calming the Ferghana Valley
Today, we headed to Isfara (1 ½ hours £2) in the northernmost part of the country and the most religious (which was not really clearly on display, no burkhas, few hijabs and people drinking beer). We met Vadim, the head of a local youth NGO 'Shoto.' He ...
Crossing The Fan Mountain Range
The route to Dushanbe was amazing! At 6 am I got up and left the hotel with an taxi to the place where the jeeps are leaving. I'm amazed how good I am at getting up that early without an alarm clock. After two hours of waiting, till the jeep was full ...
The highest boarder post, so far.
... the back. After hours in the mountains and the so far highest point of the journey (4650 m), we reached the boarder checkpoint from Tajikistan and it began to snow. After about one hour, we where allowed to leave, but had to drive another 20 km to reach ...
Settling in...
... be extended more than 45 days. Due to the, rather stupid, visa laws he would have to leave before coming back to Tajikistan and getting a business visa. The joys of post-Soviet bureaucracy! We worked out his best option was to go to northern Afghanistan, ...
Dushanbe (2 weeks early!)
... -lined Rudaki street which culminates in the central Ismoili Somoni Square- with its monumental arch dedicated to the 'father of Tajikistan.' Some policemen approached us, taking our passports and checkign them. We knew everything was in order, but they ...
Up Up and Away
. A fresh morning and another trip to the airport, fingers & toes crossed. To the left of the main airport is a little terminal for internal flights. The doors were closed, but not to worry, we were fierce early. So we nip into the International ...
Nice, Nice Valley
There was a shared taxi heading to Murgab. Unfortunately it was waiting since 3 days for the 4 places to fill up, and I was the first passenger who showed up. It was a really ragid old minivan, so I just bought all the four seats for around 8 EUR and we ...
O.P.P. Strikes Again ;(
... of our hosts for the night, Kata. She lives in a shared house with four other Germans, all working a twelve month contact here in Tajikistan's capital Dushanbe. It was so good to have a shave, shower and put the head down for a siesta. Later the three of ...