Section #7: Tavildara to Hazrati Shoh
I went over the Karanak Pass on the road direct from Tavildara. But don’t do that. Follow the GPS track instead. Sitting on the road on the east side of Karanak Pass is a large Chinese gold mine. The whole stretch of road is rough and dusty and not pleasant for walking. It’s an industrial area. My GPS track goes up to Kharsang Pass. This route is first on quiet village back roads and then a shepherd trail. I saw the pass from the west side and it looks easy. This is shepherd territory with plenty of trails.
From Kharsang Pass you will have a view of the massive gold mining operations. These are “placer“ mines, meaning they are filtering sand and gravel for the gold. Unlike other types of gold mining, this may be done without using chemicals. So it could be a chemical-free operation, or maybe they use chemicals for the final stage. Who knows? Whatever the case, it’s best to not take water from the river (if you do the alternate route below).
My planned route, which I have not yet done, is to go south on the ridge top and go across Karanak Pass. When I was here on the road pass in 2021 there were Norwegians doing a survey for possible landmines and unexploded ordinance from the civil war (some mountain passes had a bunch of mines dropped on them in the early 1990s). Sounds… dangerous? Maybe. But there are clearly livestock trails going everywhere, livestock grazing every part of this area, a shepherd camp right by the pass, jeep tracks off the main road, shepherds walking around, etc… I’m comfortable with this (walking through the area on active livestock trails). If you are not, then take the alternate route I’ve listed below.
Hazrati Shoh mountain (4096 meters) is the tallest mountain in the Khatlon region and its only glacier. There is a trail right to the top. If you’ve already been hiking and looking at glaciers earlier in the year elsewhere in Central Asia, then this may not impress you. I have not done this trip, but plenty of locals have. The name implies some religious significance.
The approach to Hazrati Shoh is a bit awkward from this direction. You will have to hop over a couple of easy low ridges. This area is covered in shepherd tracks, so you will have clear and easy terrain - but some up and down with elevation loss. But this allows you to avoid the industrial areas.
Shugnov-Siyofark Alternate
At the bottom of Kharsang Pass you will be walking through a large gold mine. Where you walk through is no longer being actively mined, they are just dumping gravel from operations upriver. So the route may change year to year. It’s a huge amount of earth moving. I’ve been here twice, and nobody working at the mines seemed to care at all. It appears to be a public route that locals use with no restrictions. I drove with friends to an area where they finally asked us to not drive any farther for safety and mine operation reasons, but that is far from the GPS track I’ve provided.
There will be two small river crossings before you get to Shugnov. They were OK to walk across when I was there, but a rainstorm could change that. If so, hang out at a crossing until a vehicle drives by and hitch a crossing.
Before Shugnov is a pond that is good for a quick swim. The local boys swimming there were friendly. Is it an old industrial site with unknown water quality? Probably. But the water didn’t burn my skin when I was there.
Shugnov is not much of a village. There are some mining operations buildings, and the district school has located itself there. When I was last there I found a small grocery store, a restaurant and possibly a small hotel. I asked and someone who I’m sure was not a local said that “maybe“ it was a hotel (it could just be a big house). But if you were just in Tavildara, you don’t need a hotel room or a grocery store.
Here you decide whether you want to take the route up to Hazrati Shoh mountain, or to continue down on the main road to the village of Siyofark. If you want to go up towards Hazrati Shoh, I can’t guarantee that the roads on the map are accurate. It appears that a mine is slowly eating away the lower part of the road. Where the road will be exactly when you get here will be unknown.
There is/was a police checkpoint on the east side of Siyofark village. It was unmanned three out of four times I passed through (2019-2022). The one time it was manned they made a phone call to ask somebody somewhere something (it was all very unclear, but I got through without them even looking at my passport). If they ask where you are going, just say “Dushanbe,“ which is true. Don’t point in the direction you will be hiking. That is just confusing. They will think you are lost.
Siyofark has food stores and shared taxis to the regional town of Khovaling when I was there. Not much else.
Section #8: Hazrati Shoh to Pitovdu
This section is exploration. There are multiple points on gorges and slot canyons where you may need to find a different route around an obstacle, or you may need to go back and take the road walk through Shugnov and Soyofark. There are no guarantees. You could lose a lot of time here. If you don’t like this idea, then take the alternate route noted above.
So why go this way? Because it has some of the most interesting geology in Tajikistan - at least to me it does. I’ve watched videos by local Youtubers from Siyofark who go exploring up here and the terrain is amazing. The gorge and river has a government name - Dandonshikan (this is what you will see on any map relying on OSM data). The old Soviet map gives the name as Dondushkan. Locals don’t use these names. Possibly, and I’m not totally sure, this may be the area they call Devdara and Devkuh. The Youtube videos don’t really come with any practical info.
The view from below already sold me on this area, and the Youtube videos that got a closer view definitely convinced me. Here are some link to the videos, with “timestamped“ links to start the video at the relevant point in time:
The view of this area from above the village of Siyofark: Youtube link.
The view once you get down next to the “Dandonshikan“ river: Youtube link.
And other view in the gorge: Youtube link.
The possible obstacles can be seen on the GPS tracks and waypoints for this section. I have not done this section yet. This route may be impossible.
If you can get up and out of the “Dandonshikan“ gorge and to the Choileptuk/Haymajoy Pass area, you are in shepherd grazing areas and now safe. You can, if you want, follow shepherd trails to the southwest all the way to “Childukhtaron“ - a tourist area with a hotel and a chance to get to Dushanbe in shared taxis. Check the waypoint for info on exiting here.
But my GPS track from here goes down the Pitovdu gorge/river. The terrain looks easier here (aside from one slot canyon section with a clear detour trail going around it). I visited the lower area next to the road below, and a friend hiked up about halfway, but I have no info on anybody following the route marked as a trail on old Soviet maps that goes all the way up and down this gorge.
My photos are unexciting from the lower gorge, but definitely check out the photos by a well-know local traveller. Some of his shots are drone shots of side gorge you don’t need to navigate, but the photos give a great preview for this area. Click this link to go to Google Maps where his photos are posted.
The only extra info I have on this gorge is that the locals pronounce it “Pitoudu“ and told me that hunters go up the gorge, and that it is doable. But the ones I talked do did not know if there is an easy route all the way to the shepherd pastures at the top. If not, you can exit to Childukhtaron on easy shepherd trails.
The flat area where the Pitovdu river gets close to the main river below was an empty field when I first drove by. The second time a village had sprung up seemingly overnight. Generally a village of this size will not have a village store if it is not on a main road. This village is set back away from the main road, so I doubt you will find a store.
Section #9: Pitovdu to Hazrati Sulton
From Pitovdu you need to do an easy hike over a low ridge to get to the springs and pilgrimage complex at Hazrati Sulton. This will be a boring section in terms of geography and natural beauty. I’ve been on both sides of the ridge, but not over the ridge itself. Based on all satellite imagery, there appears to be no obstacles, and a clear shepherd trail the entire way (and in general, shepherd trails going off in every direction once you start up the ridge).
As you will be on a ridge tops most of the way, there will be no water sources. Luckily, it’s a short section and you can carry water from the village of Zelolak. There was a small village store in Zelolak when I last stopped there in 2021. It had snacks and cold drinks. If it is closed or shut down when you pass through, then ask villagers where the local water source is. As I’ve said elsewhere, smile and show your empty water bottle to any local man or older boy. They will help you out.
Hazrati Sulton is popular with local tourists. There is a range of accommodation here at reasonable prices. I asked about the various accommodation choices and the manager of the pilgrimage site told me that foreign and non-Muslim tourists are most definitely welcome here - and he encouraged them to visit. All the pilgrims were also very welcoming and friendly.
The official sign reads “Sulton Uvaysi Qarani Mausoleum,“ but everybody in the area calls it Hazrati Sulton. “Uvaysi Qarani” is the Tajik pronunciation for the Arab name Owais al-Qarani a famous figure in the early history of Islam. It’s common in Central Asia for various local mausoleums to claim to have a famous saint buried there, even if historians agree they are buried elsewhere. Likely this site has been, due to the nice springs in the dry location, a pilgrimage site long before Islam.
There are springs at Hazrati Sulton where you can collect drinking water. You are encouraged to use the plastic ladles provided to collect water. Dipping your water bottle into the water is prohibited, as is washing your hands or feet in the water. There is the tomb of a saint next to the springs, and people will often be praying outside. Obviously, no shorts or bare shoulders here.
There is a mini-bazaar at the Hazrati Sulton parking lot, but it’s not a place to buy food. It’s mostly souvenirs, toys, herbs, honey and medicinal products. But there was at least one convenience store on site nearby when I was there in 2023. If this store is no longer there when you visit, or if it doesn’t have a good range of food, then you need to do an easy resupply taxi ride into the town of Khovaling. I’ve been to Hazrati Sulton numerous times. Sometimes there are taxi drivers waiting to take people back to Khovaling, and sometimes there are no drivers. It will have to do with the day of week and time of day. The one time no taxis were here, I started walking on the road and hitchhiking. I was soon picked up - by a Maybach (retail price: $180,000). The Maybach driver negotiated a reasonable price to go all the way to Dushanbe where he was returning. For you, you just need to be dropped off in Khovaling and to make your way to the bazaar area. There are plenty of food stores and vendors here. In Khovaling you can find a driver to take your to Dushanbe in a shared taxi, or return to Hazrati Sulton. For the taxi drivers in Khovaling, this is an inconvenient route, as they will probably have to return empty with no paying customers. So you may have to pay much more to get back to Hazrati Sulton as the sole passenger. How much? For a single seat in a shared car from Hazrati Sulton I think they would be happy with $2 (about 20 Somoni as of early 2025). For the return trip as the sole passenger, offer 100 Somoni and accept a reasonable price somewhere above that.
You can stay the night at Hazrati Sulton or in Khovaling. Google Maps is very inaccurate as of 2025, so don’t think that it will actually show you where a hotel is in Khovaling. There was a new hotel built a few years ago (“Chilchanor Hotel“), but for some reason it is an expensive luxury hotel. The price was well into triple figures the last time I saw prices. They may have lowered their asking price.
There is another hotel (“Layoqatmandon Hotel“) opened in or near Khovaling in 2024 with more reasonable prices advertised on their website: about $30 with wifi and breakfast included for a solo traveller, $50 for a two-person room with two beds. Location? I’m not sure. I’m not convinced by the exact location of the Google Maps pin they have provided on their website: in a village across the river from Khovaling (the village name is Tursunzoda, but that’s a new name and likely people in this region only know it by its old name, which I can’t find). But one of the photos does place it on the opposite side of the river from Khovaling.
Hotel names are not very helpful with local drivers, but show a local driver a screen shot of the front of the hotel from the hotel website, and they should know where it is. Click these links for pictures to screenshot or download to your phone: Photo #1 and Photo #2.
Right next to Hazrati Sulton are several places to stay. One named “Manzara Hostel“ had a sign outside advertised options for 50, 100 and 150 Somoni (roughly $5, $10 and $15 in 2025). If I recall correctly, I was told that the 150 Somoni option is a private room (but likely not with its own private toilet).
If electricity rationing is a problem when you visit, then probably the hotel in Khovaling has a better chance of uninterrupted power.
From Khovaling you can get a seat in a shared taxi straight to a bus station at the edge of Dushanbe.
Next section: Hazrati Sulton to Sebiston