Hi everyone! I'm planning a trip to Uzbekistan and am curious about visiting the Seven Lakes in Tajikistan from Samarkand. Is it feasible to do this in a single day? I’ve only come across longer tours. Can anyone suggest how to hire a driver for this journey? Thanks!
We made a similar trip a couple of months ago! and although it was quite a long day, it was absolutely doable. If you prefer to go independently, you could potentially hire a driver in Tajikistan to meet you at the border and take you to the Seven Lakes. Just a heads-up, though: a 4x4 is necessary since the roads can be quite rough.
From what I understand, hiring a driver in Uzbekistan might be tricky due to the complicated border crossing regulations. Much easier to arrange a driver from Tajikistan to pick you up from the border and start the tour from there.
Hello,
I'm considering a different approach and would appreciate any tips or insights. My plan is to take a shared taxi from Samarkand to the border, then cross over and catch a local taxi to Panjakent. I’d like to arrange for a guide to take me on a day hike to the Seven Lakes or the Fan Mountains. Ideally, I want to return to Samarkand the same day if that’s possible.
I’m trying to avoid spending a lot on organized tours since I’m traveling solo, and they can be quite pricey.
We traveled with a company called Marcopolo, and it cost us $140 per person for a group of two. The package included pick-up and drop-off at the Uzbekistan border, plus a brief stop at the Panjakent mosque and bazaar to grab some supplies before heading to the lakes. If you start from Panjakent, I think it could be cheaper. You can reach out to Said at +992 92 633 0203 for more details.
For our one-day tour, we went with Sogda Tours. The whole trip took around 10 hours, including pick-up and drop-off at our hotel in Samarkand. We ended up paying $360 for two people. Hope this helps!
I’m not sure if this will be useful, but I spent three nights in Panjakent last autumn. When I booked my hotel, I asked the owner if he could set up a trip to the Seven Lakes, and he arranged it with a local taxi driver. I paid just $80 for the trip.
To get to Panjakent, I took a marshrutka from Samarkand to the border for about 20,000 som (roughly $1.75), then a shared taxi from the border to Panjakent for 20 TJS (around $1.85). The return journey was the same, so I ended up spending significantly less than what I’ve seen quoted here. Being in Panjakent definitely made things easier.
Sure! The hotel is called Umariyon, though you might also see it spelled as Umarion due to transliteration issues.
To give you a clearer picture of my journey: I went to what’s known as the Kaftarxona “bus station” in Samarkand, which is more of a busy road with various buses and taxis. I took a marshrutka to the border for 20,000 som ($1.75). From the border to Panjakent, I would have paid the usual fare of 20 somoni ($1.85) for a shared taxi, but since I didn’t have any somoni yet, the taxi driver accepted 25,000 som ($2) instead.
Now, while the title of this thread is about a day trip to the Seven Lakes, I’d recommend considering an overnight stay in Panjakent. It only takes a couple of hours to get there from Samarkand, and staying overnight would allow you to have a more relaxed experience. Plus, you’d keep a good rapport with the hotel owner.
I booked my stay at the Umariyon hotel for June, but I made the reservation back in March and mentioned my interest in visiting the Seven Lakes. When I arrived, the owner recognized me and offered to arrange a local taxi driver to pick me up at 9 AM the next day. This way, I had ample time for photos and hiking from Lake 6 to Lake 7, which was fantastic! We returned to Panjakent by 4 PM, just as planned. The total cost for the taxi was 870 somoni (around $80).
The driver was great, even though he didn’t speak any English. We communicated through gestures and laughter, and he even showed me pictures of himself swimming in Lake 6 with other tourists. The hotel experience was excellent as well; the owner was incredibly accommodating.
So, to sum it up, my total expenses came to $80 for the taxi, about $7.35 for transport at the border, and $22.50 per night for the hotel, which totals around $109.85. You could argue that the hotel cost doesn’t really count since you need a place to stay before the trip anyway.
@yamary Thanks a ton! This is super helpful. I completely agree that staying overnight in Panjakent is a smart move. I’ve adjusted my plans and booked a room at Hotel Sugd, which is pretty close to Umariyon. Looking forward to the adventure!