A lot of people now have stumbled upon my blog because they’re planning a trip or a move to Tajikistan, so I decided that it’s probably a good idea to cobble together a lot of tips and my posts from that era to help make research ahead of time more helpful! I really want to continue adding to this, so if you have specific questions, please comment or send me an email so I can answer them directly or in a new post!
Getting There
Tajikistan’s both easy and hard to get to. Flying is pretty simple, as Turkish, Aeroflot, and China Southern fly into Dushanbe and Khujand, but they only operate 1-3 times per week, so play around with the dates if you don’t see any flights. Since Turkish is the main way in and out of Tajikistan for foreigners, the prices sometimes get a little high. You can alternatively plan to enter from Uzbekistan (check about the borders ahead of time – they close sometimes!) or from near Osh in Kyrgyzstan (with the awesome Pamir Highway!). There’s also a train from Moscow that requires like $600 in transit visas for non-CIS nationals. Be advised you need to get your visas in advance for land crossings, and a special (GBAO) permit to travel the Pamir Highway.
Where To Stay?
I stayed in homestays both in Dushanbe and when I traveled. There are plenty of hotel/guesthouse options in Dushanbe at backpacker, family, and VIP prices. If you do stay in a homestay, bring gifts (like a small bag of candies), and know that you may need to offer 3 or 4 times for your payment to be accepted (this is a Persian cultural norm called taarof). My homestay in the Marguzor Lakes/Haft Kul region charged I think $10 per night, plus a small fee for dinner, and also gave me a killer deal on suzanis that his wife had made.
Money
Tajikistan uses a money called the Somoni. When I was there, it was pegged at 4.76 Somoni to the dollar, although street changers were always 4.85-4.89 in range. Now I think it’s about 6.35 and floating. I wrote about it in this post.
UPDATED APRIL 2016: Apparently, ATM’s in Dushanbe no longer dispense USD, and apparently all the money changing booths are now closed, and you must change money at an actual bank. So, be sure to arrive with adequate supplies of USD or be OK with a less than stellar exchange rate at the ATM’s. I’m not sure when this happened, but it’s definitely changed.
ATM’s outside Dushanbe are extremely rare, so take out what you need there.
Transport
Transport around Dushanbe is in private taxis (best company is Asian Express, which are metered and reasonably priced and professional with brand new cars), shared taxis (these follow the bus route indicated by a number in the window, and cost 3 Somoni per ride), marshrutkas (good luck finding a map of the routes, though, 2 Somoni), diesel buses (the 3 runs the length of Rudaki, and is the most useful, 1 Somoni), and trolleybuses (the 1 also runs the length of Rudaki very usefully, 0.80 som but you won’t get change if you give them 1 Somoni). I talked a bit about trolleybuses in this post, shared taxis in this one, and “marshrutkas” (really shared taxis too) in this one.
Budgeting
You can get by on not too much money in Tajikistan. You can get a lunch at a cafeteria/local hole in the wall for about 5-10 Somoni, or at a nicer restaurant with Indian, Persian, American, Ecuadorian/Mexican, Italian, or French food for 20-50 Somoni. Hotels range from ~10 dollars per night for tent space to 350 or more at the Hyatt or Serena.
Tajikistan Highlights:
- Visit Dushanbe’s museums and monuments – the National Museum, the Antiquities, the Musical Instruments Museum
- Check out the expat scene at Cafe Segafredo, Public Pub, and Irish Pub
- Explore Bazaar-e Korvon, one of the largest open-air bazaars in the world south of Dushanbe (trolleybuses go there!).
- Run with the Dushanbe Hash House Harriers (Sundays at 4PM)
- Go on a day hike with Hike Tajikistan (Most Saturdays)
- Take a day’s rest in Varzob, just north of Dushanbe
- Visit Iskander-Kul for the weekend from Dushanbe
- Get a taste of the Pamirs by driving/flying to Khorog
- Roof Of The World is one of the largest traditional dance festivals in the world, and takes place every summer in Khorog.
- Drive the Pamir Highway (time-permitting)
- Visit Istravshan’s Saturday market, where you can visit Afghanistan without needing a multiple-entry Tajik visa or an Afghan visa
- Drive to Penjikent, and visit the tomb of the famous poet Rudaki and the ancient ruins of Silk Road era Penjikent
- Drive up from Penjikent and hike the Haft Kul (7 Lakes / Marguzor Lakes) and experience rural village life
- And hundreds of other unique experiences.
All my posts about Tajikistan:
About Tajikistan
Mark, Meet Dushanbe
Man Down
The First Week [In Tajikistan]
An Evening In Tajikistan [Harvard Crimson Article]
Making Sense of Somonis
A Lada Love
Managing Marshrutkas [Tajikistan Edition]
“Wow, This Internet Is Faster Than Dial-Up!”
Tajik National Unity Day
In Tajikistan, “It’s A Thing” Is A Thing
Tales From The Trolleybuses of Tajikistan
Attack of the Tajik Tummy
A Lada Melons
Cutlery on Porcelain [Harvard Crimson Article re: Ramadan]
The Clown Car
The Irish Couple
That Time I Got Typhoid
If you have ideas for how else I can improve this incredibly non-exhaustive list of information, please let me know via email or in the comments below!