Caravanistan

Well, they did it. They renamed the pass to a name no one is going to use. Here is the new signpost:

Don't be fooled by the temperature they give. At high altitude the UV rays from the sun burns you in a way that you feel 15 degrees like 30. Also the dry air contributes to dehydration and you feel real hot if you don't drink enough water.

E-visa will always be better as it is for longer period and it saves you the time to go to OVIR and apply for GBAO permit (if you need it). But if you can't get it is of course possible to enter visa free.

My observations are, the more docs they ask for the more likely is to reject the application. And it largely depends which country are you citizen of. Eastern European and former Soviet countries seem to have the least problems getting e-visa.

From Wikipedia:

Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America.

But yeah, I also did not know that is the official name of the country

By Government’s Decree dated March 28, 2024, #190 “On Amendments to the Government Decree of the Republic of Tajikistan dated October 26, 2021, #464”, 25 new countries have been added on the list of countries, whose nationals can enter the Republic of Tajikistan under the unilateral visa-free regime...

ZTDA might be still renting trekking equipment. Ask them.

https://ztda-tourism.tj/

I doubt Tajik border authorities will bothers to check when does your passport expire. On the other hand if you reapply for e-visa you risk refusal because you can't have two e-visas for same period. But may be best is to get a new passport and have photocopy of the old one with you.

Haft Kul is not really hiking paradise. Better go to Artush Alplager and explore from there.

Take a shared taxi from Panjakent Bazaar to Shing. The bus stop is marked on OsmAnd which is the app you should be using when venturing in this area as it is most accurate and up to date.