Dushanbe to Panjakent High Route

*WARNING* This is a project in progress, and much practical information is still missing

This page describes a trekking high route in Tajikistan. First, you should read the introduction to the difficulties and dangers of Tajikistan’s High Routes.

Location: Western Hisor Mountain Range and the Fann Mountains

Walking from city to city (Dushanbe to Panjakent, in either direction) is possible, but when the high passes are free of snow, the low elevation areas near Dushanbe and Panjakent are too hot in summer and early fall. And walking out of central Dushanbe through outer suburbs, industrial areas and the bleak neighboring towns is not very pleasant.

The longest version of this trail is between the town of Varzob (Dushanbe side) and the village of Moghiyon (Panjakent side). Both are not difficult to get in and out of on public transportation (relative to transportation options for tourists in the rest of Tajikistan). The route is possible in both directions, with a variety of different start/end points depending on your preferences. Each direction has advantages and disadvantages (read further below).

When to go? August and September. Before that the highest passes will still have unmelted snow from the previous winter, and June and July can still be rainy at mid-elevations with high stream/river crossings due to snowmelt. But you will need to accept that it can snow at any time at 3500 meters and above.

How long will it take? On a long route like this, with so many passes and variable terrain, it depends heavily on your conditioning, how acclimatized you are, and how comfortable you are in some rough terrain and with river crossings. We did it in [XX days], but a very fast hiker could do it in…..[XX days] and a slow, leisurely hiker in moderate shape may take [XX days], or possible quit in the middle.

Difficulties:

  • Heavy food carry between Saratoq and Varzob may not be viable from the limited food selection in Saratoq (we will find out…) if going north to south.

  • No seriously dangerous river crossings (unless you are here in June or early July), but you will need to ford small (and very cold) rivers in numerous locations. Some of the small steep streams are very rough, and you may get completely wet if you slip and fall.

  • One very difficult passes: Chimtarga Pass. Skipping Chimtarga will result in a route that requires quite a bit of backtracking if you want to visit Kulikalon and Alauddin lakes. Chimtarga is the key to completing the Fann Lakes Loop.

  • Angry shepherd dogs, but no known attacks on trekkers or climbers.

South to North, or North to South? And where to start?

Short version: we suggest south-to-north, starting at the Siyoma Valley/Gorge and ending at Padrud (on the Seven Lakes), for reasons of temperature, elevation gain, transportation logistics and managing your food supply.

I prefer starting in Dushanbe for buying food (bigger and more international supermarkets) and storing my extra baggage (several hostels/guesthouses here definitely have this service). And once in Panjakent it’s very easy to find transportation back to Dushanbe.

Starting in Panjakent is OK, but less convenient for most travelers’ itineraries if you need to come back there to pick up your extra baggage (but convenient for those who already plan to go back to Panjakent on their way to Samarkand).

North to South:

Start in the village of Padrud at the 5th Lake (of the Seven Lakes, or ‘Haft Kul’), or Nofin on the 4th Lake. Drive to Padrud in the morning and start hiking, or spend part of the day visiting the lower of the Seven Lakes and stay the night in the guesthouse in Padrud (by the 5th Lake). This starting point puts you at a cooler starting elevation of 1900 meters. Nofin is also fine, at about 1800 meters.

Starting in the north would put you over the 3915 meter Chapdara Pass as early as late in the first day if you move quickly. This is a generally safe altitude, but if this is your first trip to altitude (i.e., you aren’t coming from extended days at altitude in Kyrgyzstan or the Pamirs) then 4000 meters can make you feel fatigued and dizzy, and give you a headache and upset stomach. So if you drove straight to Padrud and started hiking, slow down. Maybe stay the night in Padrud and then plan to camp below Chapdara Pass before going over the next day.

Also not that a heavy food carry between Saratoq and Varzob may not be viable from the limited food selection in Saratoq (we will find out…) if going north to south.

This route ends where the Siyoma Gorge meets the main highway - not a good hitchhiking option, even for a solo traveler. All the cars that drive by are full. I suggest going back up the Siyoma Gorge on the opposite side of the river, and over Little Igizak Pass, and then make your way downhill to the village of Zimchurud, and then onward to the town of Varzob where there is public transportation. This last section is at lower elevation and hot, but you will be going downhill and no longer carrying a heavy load of food.

South to North:

Short version: for reasons of temperature and scenery, it’s best to start your trek in the Siyoma gorge (about 60km north from central Dushanbe on the main highway).

Starting from near Dushanbe on the full route as described above (for the north-south direction) would put you on a 3600 meters pass on the 2nd or 3rd day (Little Igizak Pass), which is fine for elevation acclimatization. But from Zimchurud (the last village you pass through near Varzob) to the plateau is 1100 meters elevation to 2600 meters in about 6km. This would be a brutal uphill in the sun with a full bag of food and water.

Hiking out of the trailhead in the Varzob gorge near Dushanbe is steep and sunny, with an August average high of 32 Celsius (90 Fahrenheit), and you will be doing a heavy food and water carry here. The solution here, if you are not prepared for hiking uphill in 30+ Celsius weather in the sun and with a heavy bag, is to start in Khoja Obigarm or the Siyoma Valley/Gorge for a south-to-north trek.

Special permits: you pay them on the spot if and when you meet a forest ranger. For the Iskandarkul nature refuge, you only pay at a checkpoint when driving/walking up the road to Iskandarkul. This route bypasses that checkpoint. At Alauddin there is a ranger who collects fees (about 20 Somoni per day per person) for the Ayni forest district, and near Bibijanat Lake on the other side of Alauddin Pass there is a ranger who occasionally collects fees for the Panjakent forest district. Both of them wait at/near the “cafes” listed on the map. The suggested route doesn’t go near these camps, but you can do Alauddin Pass as an easier option to this route (instead of over Shogun Aga Pass). This means you pay, but it also means you can buy food and drinks in the high season (July and August). If a ranger stops you on the trail or comes up to your tent, you pay him on the spot and he gives you a receipt (he needs your passport to register you). His uniform may be an old military camouflaged jacket, or no uniform at all. But he will have some paperwork and receipts on hand. Despite what some ill-informed tourists have said, there is no “scam” here, nor are there any shepherds demanding money. It’s the forest rangers. Pay them. And if you don’t see them, then your visit is free (there is no system of fines or penalties, unlike being caught in GBAO/Pamirs without the GBAO permit that you can easily get when paying for you e-visa online).

Guesthouses: 3 or 4 homestays in Saratoq/Sarytag near Iskandarkul, and one each in Zimtut, Ghazza and Guytan. If you leave the suggested route you can also find accommodation and meals at Iskandarkul (Caravanistan link) and at the Artuch Alplager. Both will have rudimentary junk food selections in a tiny convenience store. It’s also possible to buy bread from the guesthouses. Just tell them the night before to have some extra bread ready in the morning.

Resupply of food: Do a heavy food carry from Dushanbe to Saratoq/Sarytag. In Saratoq…..[??? find out later]. It is possible to find meals at the “cafes” by Alauddin Lake and Bibijanat Lake, but only in the high season (July and August). They also have some food to buy. There is, however, at least one report of the little store by Bibijanat Lake charging $5 for a single piece of round bread (city and village price: 50 cents). Zimtut has a small village store. Ghazza? [???].

If you leave the suggested route to Iskandarkul or the Artuch Alpalger, you can also buy meals and find junk food for sale.

Dushanbe’s central city supermarkets have different varieties of muesli, high-end Korean ramen, dried fruit and nuts, dried milk powder, cooked & sealed sausages/salami, instant coffee, etc… But no dehydrated trekking/camping food of the type you buy in Europe or the US. Village stores usually have bread, cheap Russian ramen, chips, Snickers bars, candy, soft drinks, dried fruit and nuts, tea but no instant coffee, etc. Everything else will be food that is heavy or requires lengthy cooking (potatoes, flour, chickpeas, rice, beans, etc..)

Transportation instructions:

Siyoma trailhead (south to north): Arrange for a driver to take you north from Dushanbe on the main north-south highway up the Varzob Gorge to the smaller Siyoma Valley/Gorge (“Darai Siyoma”, at 1750 meters), 53km north of central Dushanbe. Some drivers may need some instructions for getting to Siyoma, as there is nothing there except for a bridge, a beekeeper and an unfinished construction project. With the start in Siyoma, you right away start next to a glacial river in a beautiful gorge. Speaking Russian or Tajik is necessary for getting to Siyoma smoothly (e.g., you’ll need to discuss the toll plazas on the highway and who pays for the tolls). It’s possible, but you may waste a lot of time and go through a lot of confusion. Otherwise, talk to your guesthouse manager and see if they can find a driver to get to Siyoma (probably expensive because of the inconvenience of the driver not getting a full day’s worth of work), and make sure that they know about the road tolls. From experience, it’s best just to say that you will pay the road tolls (I forget how much, but less than $10 across several toll plazas) and negotiate a price based on that.

On a budget? And have time to waste? You can get in a shared car from Dushanbe going to Ayni, Khujand or Panjakent. The cars to Ayni are as cheap as 50 Somoni, the cars to Panjakent 80-120 Somoni, and Khujand 100-120 Somoni (2019 prices, which have certainly risen). Just pay the full fare and get out of the car early (very early), 45km north from the main shared car station by the Dushanbe cement factory. But let the driver know ahead of time so that he can put you bag in a convenient spot (they sometimes put baggage on the roof under a tarp or tied down). Note that this fare in a shared car will be about the same price as the toll plaza fees with your own private driver. Will the driver accept less? He won’t want to, as he probably won’t be able to fill the empty seat after dropping you off. Check out Caravanistan’s instructions on how to find a seat in a car.

The stop by Siyoma gorge is awkward, being a surprise that suddenly appear around a corner. And the driver can pull over to the right, as there is no space, so he would have to cross the road to the other side (while trying not to hit on coming traffic). 300-400 meters south of the Siyoma Gorge stop is a safe turn-off on the right side (right next to the defunct Varzob Alplager climber’s basecamp). Get dropped off there and walk up the road if your driver doesn’t immediately recognize the name Siyoma. If your driver goes past Siyoma without stopping, there are places he can pull over and let you out to walk back down the highway.

Padrud or Nofin trailhead (north to south): Getting to Padrud can be done easily if you hire your own driver in Panjakent through your accommodation (the price will vary dramatically). The cheap option is to go to where the marshrutkas and shared cars leave Panjakent for Shing. Depending on the car, you may find a driver who can take you all the way to Padrud, or try to find a car in Shing. You can also take your chances with finding the daily shared jeep to Padrud. Check out Caravanistan's guide to the 7 Lakes for more info, as well as Adventures of Nicole’s advice on transportation.

Accommodation: the best reviewed guesthouses and hostels in Dushanbe that serve independent travelers all have baggage storage for what you don’t want to take on the trek. In Panjakent, Salom Hostel has an English-speaking manager (that will eventually appear, or talk to you on the phone if he is elsewhere on business) and he can find a spot in a shared car at a fixed price back to Dushanbe for you the next morning (finding a ride to the border with Uzbekistan is easy/cheap enough to do on your own in Panjakent).

Route options in mid-route: If you are unsure about committing to such a long route, then perhaps consider first doing the “Fann Lakes Loop” (also known under various names: Chimtarga Loop, etc.). You can see (part of) the loop on the overview map we have provided. You can go to Panjakent and arrange transportation from there to the Artuch Alplager (or from Vertikal Alauddin if you want to go straight from Dushanbe to the mountains). This is a good way to test your fitness and your gear/clothing for your first trek in Tajikistan. After doing this loop – or a partial loop - you can take a break in Panjakent, and then follow our High Route to Dushanbe, minus the Fann Lakes Loop. For this option, see the “Fann Lakes Loop” in the Trekking in Tajikistan guidebook (GPS tracks provided with the purchase; I bought the e-book and keep it on my phone).

For all other route options, if you are doing a high route you should be able to look at the map on your phone and be able to change the route as you go (the trails here are all mapped).

What about Alauddin Lake? It’s not on the High Route, but you can change the route to visit it very easily without any penalties in time or elevation. But this means you will need to pay the forest-fee to the ranger who is based there. However, in high season this is also the chance for a hot meal and a beer at the seasonal café next to the ranger station. Alauddin may make your dreams come true, or you may be turned off by the swimming prohibition, scattered toilet paper, surprise human feces, drones, Instagrammers and crowds (but nothing like crowded spots elsewhere in the world). Reviews by foreign tourists are about 70% positive, 20% mildly satisfied or unimpressed, and 10% negative.

What about Iskandarkul Lake? You will need to leave the route and walk for a day down a car road to reach it. Iskandarkul gets mixed reviews from foreign tourists. The summer season there resembles a party scene at night (local tourists especially on the weekend) with the addition of many, many mosquitoes. And the lake is usually a greyish-green in summer, not the turquoise-blue you’ve seen from tourists who visit in the spring or fall. Then, after visiting you will need to retrace your steps back up the road (and way up in elevation). The possible disappointment of Iskandarkul is best saved for an overnight car trip from Dushanbe. Reviews by foreign tourists are about 50% positive or satisfied, and 50% negative/unimpressed.

Gear and Equipment Requirements

To be safe, ice axe and crampons for Chimtarga Pass (depending on conditions, see in-depth information on Chimtarga Pass). Amshut Pass may also require the same in heavy snow years earlier in the season. You may also want these tools to do some exploring (on the safer glaciers). Artuch Foundation in Dushanbe rents out crampons and ice axes (as well as a range of camping gear).

Your sleeping bag should be rated to -10 Celsius for comfort, and -5 for survival in the worst conditions (with variations depending on if you are a cold or hot sleeper). All other gear and clothing should take into account worse case scenarios: high altitude rain, snow, as cold as -5 Celsius in high wind. However, at lower altitudes (2000-2500 meters) this will be overkill and you will be too hot in your sleeping bag and carrying clothing that you don’t need. If you go for lighter, less warm gear, you will need to time your passage through high elevation sections and passes carefully (for example, so as not to get caught overnight high up on Chimtarga Pass). This will of course involve a risk if you get stuck at high altitude. Whatever you do, don’t forget your rain jacket.

Long experience in Tajikistan makes us far more concerned about food in roadside cafes than drinking out of mountain streams in this area (once away from farms, villages and shepherd camps). However, play it safe and use a water purification or filtration system (filter, chemical purification, boiling, etc.).

Bring a power bank (external battery pack) for your phone. Taking fewer photos and videos will help your phone last much longer. And using paper maps for the easier parts will save on using battery-eating GPS. [DOWNLOAD LINK TO MAPS]. Electricity at guesthouses (GET INFO???) is unreliable, and there may only be one single power outlet/plug/point, meaning that only one person can charge one device at a time. You may not be the only person in the house. The large power banks slowly recharge overnight. They are not quick.

The passes, north to south (full route) plus the low points in between:

  • 1830 meters (village of Padrud)

  • Chapdara Pass (1A, 3915 meters)

  • 2840 meters (Kaznok River)

  • Aksu Pass (1B, 3910 meters)

  • 3040 meters (Aksay River)

  • West Pshtikul Pass (1B, 4060 meters)

  • 2620 meters (Archamaydon River)

  • Khokht Pass (1A 3650 meters)

  • 3550 meters

  • Amshut Pass (1B, 4340 meters)

  • 3150 meters (Bolshoi Allo Lake)

  • Chimtarga Pass (1B, 4740 meters)

  • 2800 meters (just above Alauddin Lake)

  • Shogun Aga Pass (1A, 3700 meters), or Alauddin Pass (3850 meters, easy trail)

  • 2830 meters (Kulikalon Lake)

  • Ziyorat Pass (1A, 3200 meters)

  • 2800 meters (Ziyorat Lake)

  • Zurmech Pass (1A, 3200 meters)

  • 3010 meters (mountainside trail)

  • Sarishoh/Sarishakh Pass (3100 meters, easy trail)

  • 1530 meters (Zimtut village)

  • Unnamed Pass above Sarikhodan (3300 meters, easy terrain)

  • 3010 meters (Obiborik River)

  • Dukdon Pass (1A, 3810 meters)

  • 2380 meters (Saratoq village)

  • Unnamed Pass to Parishon (??, 4110 meters)

  • 3040 (Parishon River)

  • Kanchoch Pass (1B, 3930 meters)

  • 2900 meters (Soming River)

  • North Soming Pass (3130 meters, easy trail)

  • 2740 meters (unnamed women’s summer camp)

  • West Buzgovat Pass (3150 meters, easy trail)

  • 3200 meters (Buzgovat River)

  • East Buzgovat Pass (3196 meters, easy trail)

  • 2965 meters (Obisafed River

  • Little Rohib Pass (3400 meters, easy trail)

  • 3370 meters (Rohib River)

  • Gaznok Pass (1A, 4270 meters)

  • 3100 meters (Maykhura Tungsten Mine)

  • Maykhura-Yakarcha Pass (??, 3500 meters)

  • 2980 meters (Yakarcha River)

  • Maykhura-Siyoma Pass (??, 3980 meters)

  • 1750 meters (highway)

  • Little Igizak Pass (1A, 3600 meters)

  • 2200 meters (Nayzaghba River)

  • 2620 meter pass (easy sheep trail)

  • 1080 meters (highway near Varzob)

For a description of the pass ratings/grades (1A, 1B, etc.), read here.

River crossings, north to south (full route):

This list of fords (no bridge, you cross in the water) does not include small streams, of which there are many (some can be stepped over, some involved taking off your shoes and rolling up your pants). All crossings are in cold to freezing water (glacier or snow melt).

  • Kaznok River below Chapdara Pass (easy, flat, wide, not deep)

  • Aksay River after Aksu Pass (twice, easy to moderate)

  • Pshtikul River (small river, low water flow, easy)

  • Left Zindon River (above Bolshoi Allo, ????stream???)

  • Small river coming out of Dushokha (easy, knee-high, unless you cross in the wrong spot)

  • Sarikhodan (twice, flat and wide)

  • Mura River (twice, unknown???)

  • Parishon tributaries (unknown???)

  • Soming (???)

  • Obisafed (??)

  • Rohib (??)

  • Obiborik (??)

  • Maykhura (??)

  • Siyoma River (option for short-cut, dangerous, fast, cold, advise against)

  • Three crossing on two right tributaries to Siyoma River (one easy, second more difficult in summer peak)

  • Right tributary of Igizak (??)

  • Nayzaghba (road ford)

  • Angorisoy (?? Maybe, the only non-cold crossing)

I want to quit. Where can I leave the trail?

The best places to quit, in terms of finding both food, accommodation, a telephone and onward transportation are, from north to south: Zimtut, Ghazza, Artuch Alplager, and Saratoq (Sarytag). Quitting at Alauddin Lake involves going down to the Vertikal Alauddin basecamp, which deals almost entirely with Russian-speaking climbers and trekkers who show up with reservations and pre-arranged transportation. But in the high season (July and August) there may be a driver hanging around who is looking to make some money by driving people down to the main highway by Sarvoda (from where you can get to Panjakent, Dushanbe or Ayni). Coming form the north you can also quit at the bottom of the Siyoma gorge where the Siyoma river flows into the Varzob River. Here there is a bridge to the main north-south highway. Almost all cars that pass by are full or not looking for passengers. For one person you will likely find a ride within an hour. For a group of two or more, it may be a very long time or not at all. In this worst case scenario, walk 11km down the highway to the village of Hushyori and trying hitchhiking there. It’s also possible to leave the trail south of the Little Igizak Pass near the Khoja Obigarm sanitorium, with limited transportation options, and possibly a walk down to Hushyori.