I’ve got three days to travel from Khujand to Dushanbe while sightseeing along the way. I’m really keen on visiting the Marguzor Lakes (еру so called '7 Lakes'). How should I plan this trip? Should I arrange transportation in Ura-Tyube, Ayni, or head straight to Penjikent to find a ride? How long does the journey take? I’d appreciate any tips—thanks in advance!
It’s absolutely doable! We managed to cover everything within three and a half days. We visited Khujand and Istaravshan, took a trip to the lakes from Penjikent, and then drove to Dushanbe the next day, stopping at Iskanderkul for three hours along the way.
You can easily find a vehicle in Penjikent. For the lakes, you’ll need a car with four-wheel drive and decent ground clearance. The entire trip took us about 6.5 hours.
Did you arrange the car at the market in Penjikent?
And did you get the same car for the trip to Dushanbe with a stop at Iskanderkul? How much did it cost?
If you had to choose between Marguzor Lakes and Iskanderkul, which would you recommend?
A guy from the hotel where we stayed hooked us up with a driver. Locals often know someone who does these trips, so you shouldn’t have trouble finding someone.
We used the same car that brought us from Khujand to Penjikent. The standard fare to Dushanbe is $10 somoni per person. For a six-seater Zafira, it’s $50 for the whole car. With a stop at Iskanderkul for three hours, we negotiated a price of $70 (it’s about 25 km of rough road off the main highway to reach Iskanderkul). Later, the driver who took us to the lakes offered the same trip for $60 in a RAV4. However, we stuck with the first driver out of fairness.
If I had to choose, I’d go for Iskanderkul. It’s a more relaxed option overall—cheaper, easier to get to, and less tiring. Plus, it offers more variety: aside from the lake, there’s a decent waterfall, the Five Springs, and Snake Lake. The only downside is that it’s more crowded and developed compared to the Marguzor Lakes.