I'm arriving in Dushanbe airport on April 13 at 2am and have a return flight on April 26 at 00:10am. The idea is to spend these 13 days doing a loop across Tajikistan and Uzbekistan (Dushanbe - Iskanderkul - Penjikent - Samarkand Bukhara - Tashkent - Khujand - Dushanbe).
Here are my questions:
1. Arriving at 2am at the airport is it easy to get a taxi to a hotel in Dushanbe? Is it possible to get a local SIM card at the airport or will everything be closed?
2. How to arrange a car with driver for the part from Dushanbe to the Uzbek border (this will include stops at the Iskanderkul lake and Fann mountains)? How much will it cost, if I leave Dushanbe on April 14 and cross the border to Uzbekistan on April 16?
3. I'm undecided whether to visit Khujand (would include Khujand + Istaravshan) or instead extending the Uzbek part by visiting Khiva, then flying to Tashkent and then flying to Dushanbe. Any suggestion what is more interesting (Khujand / Istaravshan or Khiva).
There are plenty of private and licensed taxis outside the airport. As soon as you step out of the airport you will be crowded with drivers offering to give you a ride. The ride should be around 40-50 somoni, depending on where you go.
Unfortunately, Dushanbe Airport doesn't have any kiosks or shops for buying SIM cards at the moment. But you can buy a SIM card in city centre with ease. Choose either Beeline or Tcell as their have a better coverage especially outside Dushanbe.
If you’re starting from Dushanbe and heading to Samarkand, go to the Marom station. This is where shared taxis depart for the border. Renting a full vehicle will cost 800-1,000 somoni. You can also negotiate with the driver to make photo stops along the way. A detour to Iskanderkul will take around 1,5-2 hours and would cost extra, probably 300-400 extra as the road is gravel and not everyone agrees to do it. It might make sense to ask a hotel staff where you plan to stay in Dushanbe to find you a driver, most likely they can easily do it. The challenge is in negotiating a reasonable price.
As to choosing between Khujand or Khiva, in my opinion, Khiva is an obvious choice. Khujand although is very charming still can't rival Khiva. Istaravshan might not worth the time and efforts.
Thanks for the reply. I had a look at hotels in Iskander-Kul but couldn't find any on booking, agoda or trip.com. Is it so that this place has no accomodation bookable in advance?
Another question, from Iskander-Kul to 7 lakes, is it the road via Sudzhina /Penjikent? I couldn't find a more direct road on Google Maps.
Do you know if the taxi / car from Tajikistan can cross the border into Uzbekistan and drop me off in Samarkand?
Homestay Hayom (+992 92 764 2052) right on the lake managed by Asliddin Sirujiddinov. Try to what's up, they should reply.
Two of the most well-known accommodations right on the lake are the Turbaza, which is Located right on the shore of the Lake, and Shezok which is right next to the bridge as you approach the lake from the highway. @turbaza_iskanderkul (instagram) + whatsapp: +992 904252520 / 992901775555 Rooms at the Turbaza were going for 150 TJS per night with breakfast and dinner,
A number of homes in Sarytag (a village 9 km past the lake) second as guesthouses, two of the most well- known are Dilovar Homestay and Shahboz Guesthouse. Dilovar speaks decent English and can help arrange trekking and further transport, rooms at his guesthouse are 200 TJS per night including breakfast and dinner. Contact Dilovar at +992 927882235 / +992 905 032 202
Taxis don't usually cross the border, it consumes to much time. Better take a taxi to Uzbek-Tajuk border, then cross the border on foot, it takes just 5-7 minutes unless there are too many people. On the Uzbek side, there would be plenty of taxi drivers waiting to take passengers to Samarkand. The cost would be 70-100,000 UZS (around $5-7) per person in a shared taxi. The ride will be around 45-60 minutes. If you don't have local money there is a currency exchange booth right at the checkpoint. Alternatively you can try to book a taxi therough the Yandex Go app.
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