Iskanderkul / Sarytag transport Q&A

[steven]

Please leave all your questions and updates about getting to Iskanderkul and Sarytag below.

We summarize everything in our Iskanderkul travel guide.

[aknight]

Hello- I just came from visiting Iskanderkul and before going couldn't find much recent info out there on transport and accommodation so thought I'd add my experience here.

I visited for 1 night on the way from Dushanbe to Penjikent. Shared taxi from Dushanbe to Sarvoda- 80 Somoni (heard other people got it for 50). In Sarvoda all taxi drivers insist on 200 Somoni to Iskanderkul, maybe OK for a group but not so a solo traveller, and apparently no one else going that way. I walked down to the turn off (this is far, about 30mins walking, ask your shared taxi to drop you off there instead of Sarvoda) and waited for a car there and got a ride pretty quick for 50 Somoni, although going rate for locals seems to be 20.

I stayed at Shezok guesthouse- above the shop by the bridge (marked on maps.me), right next to the lake. Lovely women running guesthouse, very simple but clean. No heating though so potentially could be cold, outside toilet. No English spoken but we managed. She made me lunch, dinner and breakfast and I paid 105 Somoni for everything (another guy paid 60 just for the room). Don't think there is any other food options around. Some nice areas next to the lake to sit and drink tea. Next day guesthouse women was going back to Sarvoda and got a car for me + 2 other tourists staying, we paid 20 Somoni each (+10 for luggage). Sarvoda-Ayny-Penjikent via shared taxis- all reasonably straightforward (70 Somoni in total)

Other tourists I met all managed to get from Sarvoda to Iskanderkul for 50 or less, so ignore the taxi drivers and be prepared to wait, or better yet, go to the turn off and wait there. Lake is nice but not much to do, for longer trips may be better to stay in Sarytag as looks like a few more walks etc you can do from there.

[cesargzurita]

Feedback on Iskander-Kul

Date: Early September 2021

Transport: Dushanbe to Iskander-Kul. We went to a "local transport hub" in the north of Dushanbe and negotiated a driver with his 4WD for 90 USD round trip + his accommodation (5 USD). Left at 1pm on a Tuesday, came back to Dushanbe at 4pm next day. Driver was willing to stay 1 extra night for 30 USD + accommodation. For 30 USD extra he was also willing to drive us around the region for 1 day (we preferred to just walk around. These prices were negotiated with the help of a local Tajik friend. We also asked for a local taxi and their price was 40 USD one way (although when we tried to call him, he never picked up the phone)

Accommodation: We stayed at the Zumrad. Which is literally sharing facilities with the Tumbaza. Rooms in Zumrad are 30-40-50 USD (3 options). They are all very clean, with hot water and a heater. The place is of course very simple. We also checked the rooms at the Tumbaza, the rooms are 6-12 USD per person. Rooms were too basic for us, with shared bathroom/shower. The rooms were quite cold (ie: 5 degrees colder than outside). No WiFi. Internet (3/4G) works only from time to time and extremely slow (eg: sending a WhatsApp picture might not work)

Weather: great weather from 8 am to 9 pm, started to get coldish before/after. A light jacket was enough for early September.

Food/services: the staff at Zumrad is just trying to rip you off and is not very service-oriented. The staff at Tumbaza is great and always trying to serve. So we ended up taking the room at Zumrad, but eating/consuming only at Tumbaza. At Tumbaza, you can pay 10 USD for 3 meals (breakfast, lunch, dinner, including tea/coffee). Bonfire can be prepared on-demand for 10 USD. They also sell beer and drinks.

Communication: no-one speaks English. I was there with a russian-speaker.

[Ryan]

Getting to Iskanderkul from Dushanbe - late October 2022

Managed to hitch hike from Dushanbe to Iskanderkul without paying anything (or feeling like I was wanted to). Truck + off-duty policeman + local/cargo vehicle going from Zerafshan-2 up to Iskanderkul.

I think everyone has read in the other posts about the fact that you should try get dropped off at the Zerafshan-2 turnoff to Iskanderkul rather than at Sarvod due to the predatory taxi drivers with their 300TJS.
What I wanted to add though is that instead of just trying to get a ride up from the highway turnoff at Zerafshan-2, rather walk about 500m into the village and across the second bridge to about here: <39.187488, 68.536080>. This ensures that you're not getting passed by traffic only going to Zerafshan, and almost all cars will be going up to the lake at least. This goes for both hitchhikers and those looking to get a paid ride up.

I'm sure anyone travelled-enough to be in Tajikistan will know, but a friendly exclamation of "Salam Aleikum" and a smile as the driver rolls down their window goes a long way towards increasing your chances of a free ride. Also, just being a cool human.

[willemspie]

When you hitch hike, most drivers will ask for money, you can negociate. And there are villages between Zerafshan 2 and the lake, so some drivers don't go all the way to the lake (the last kilometers are steep, but if you hike it is scenic and you can take shortcuts).

[Scotistan]

Hey guys, this may not be the best thread for this but I have a small question about Sarytag generally - does anyone know if the roads are named?

I am staying at Dilovar's Homestay and I need to provide an address for my Tajik evisa. The address provided online simply reads: "3828+CFP, Unnamed Road, Sarytag, Tajikistan." I wondered if this would be sufficient for the evisa? I also have the option of contacting Dilovar to double-check, however, I read online that they only speak Russian or Tajik and I do not speak either, so I was wondering if anyone on here had any experience with this.

Thanks.

[Christian77]

Small villages in Tajikistan generally use house numbers and the streets are unnamed (e.g., House # XX, Village Name, is the address).

If this is worrying you and you don't want to take the risk that you will be selected for a confirmation/receipt of your booking, make a booking online at some place in Dushanbe that has free cancellation. This way you will have a full address and be able to provide a booking confirmation if that is requested.