Renting a car or not?

[Clabbe]

I´ll end up in Tajikistan in the beginning of April 2023 coming from Samarkand, and are currently looking at different options for transport during the 6 days I will be there. Local taxis and buses in all honor but having your own car makes it more easier to stop where you want.

Current itinerary looks like this

Day 1 Panjakent - Istaravshan -Khujand
Day 2 Khujand
Day 3 Khujand - Dushanbe
Day 4 Dushanbe
Day 5 Dushanbe - Iskanderkul
Day 6 Iskanderkul - Samarkand

As noticed I am not going down the pamir region or the southern region so I guess a 2WD car will be enough?
Considering 4WD start from over 100USD/day a 2WD should be cheaper and more easily found to rent?
Any recommended places to rent a reliable car and also if possible in Panjakent?
Or should I stick to shared taxi/bus from Panjakent to Khujand, fly from Khujand to Dushanbe and then shared taxi/bus to Iskanderkul and back to Samarkand?

[willemspie]

Very few people rent a car in Tadjikistan. Yes your itinerary is possible by shared taxis, plus a private one for the minor road up to Iskanderkul.
Pendjikent and Khujand, are not very interesting towns. Tourists rather go in the Fann mountains, hiking in particular, there are homestays.

[Clabbe]

I´m not really a hiking person

[jokalt]

Well, there are no official car rental companies in Tajikistan that I know of and renting cars is rather uncommon. That said, your hotel front desk in Khujand/Penjikent/Dushanbe should be able to connect you to someone. Main roads are in good condition and a 2WD vehicle is perfectly fine for your planned trip. A shared taxi/bus would be my preferred option as well. Some people have taken shared taxis to Iskanderkul as well.
Penjikent does not have that much to offer in terms of sight-seeing. There is the Sarazm world heritage site nearby on the road to Samarkand. Sarazm has a nice (for Tajikistan) little museum.
Khujand is worth 1-2 days. The city still retains some of the old Soviet charm that is vanishing fast in Dushanbe. The Arbob palace is worth a visit and the nearby lake. Also, there is a nice museum in the center of Khujand on the regional history. The main market in Khujand is less bombastic than the one in Dushanbe and is nice to visit as well.

[Clabbe]

Thank you for a detailed answer.

[willemspie]

If you want to visit markets, stop in Istaravshan (not so far from Khujand).

[Clabbe]

Heading to Istaravshan as soon as we have passed the border basically.
And goal is to be in Khujand by evening.

[Khudik]

You can also rent a car in Tajikistan. More info about the cars, you can see here: https://caravanistan.com/car-rental/pamir-highway/
Cars are available for delivery throughout Tajikistan.