Hotels in Tajikistan

The last few years have seen a dramatic improvement in Tajikistan's and Dushanbe's in the first place accommodation options. Whereas in the past visitors were limited to a small selection of peeling Soviet facades with unpredictable utility supplies and scowling staff, a range of comfortable choices have now popped up, from hostels and homestays, to lively guesthouses and international-brand hotels. Accommodation prices in the capital are significantly higher than elsewhere in Tajikistan, largely due to the influx of business travellers and NGO workers travelling on expense accounts.

At the top-end of the market, Dushanbe has luxury hotels with marble bathrooms, quality restaurants and hot and cold running flunkies. Their private generators keep the power running whatevers happening in the city and your fellow guests will be well-heeled businessmen and expatriates. You will, however, pay well in excess of $200 a night for the privilege, and once through the door could be in more or less any city on earth.

Mid-range hotels are a mixed bag, with some charging excessive sums for fairly basic facilities. The Soviet-era hotels often fall into this bracket, but there are also pleasant surprises such as Hotel Mercury in Dushanbe and the Serena in Khorog.

Tajikistan has plenty of budget rooms. Whether you'd want to stay in them is a different matter. Family-run guesthouses are frequently the best option (and ideal for meeting other travellers), but you'd probably best get used to shared bathrooms and a squat toilet in the garden.