Random tajik experiences and facts

[Stefvdp]

Short report about our 40 day stay in tajik with bike from dushanbe to osh via the pamir highway:

- both border crossings (denau uz-kyzyl art kgz)were extremely smooth, no check of luggage (front back and rackpack, 3 persons)
Very friendly border patrols and never they asked money or tried scams
->caravanistan info outdated? Not a single overlander I met had troubles. ( about 20 ppl)

- banking :
My card was taken by a street atm in dushanbe for no reason. Almost none of the street atm's work. There's 2 in dushanbe that almost always work; Sheraton hotel (go iside hotel) and one I forgot the name of. In khorog also no luck with atms, all refused to give money. In murghab i think there are none?

- afghan border kulob to khorog we camped all the time and only got sent away twice (guesthouse owner asked military friends to send us to his guesthouse which we didn't. Never felt unsafe. We swam in the border river with afghans/Tajiks watching. No issue I guess. I do want to add that ab American living here for several years warned us to stay out of sight and camp on hillside, not riverside. There is illigal traffic every night on different locsyions (he says) , so be aware. It is a sensitive region but safe imho. As said on this website; camping at borders is always a risk.
Should add that we woke up with a military patrol standing next to our hammocks. They asked in their best sign language if we saw anything unudual at night. This was at the beginning of the border road shortly after the pass cominf from kulob.

- we didn't pass by there but there were shootings in ishkashim with taliban beginning of May 2017. Conflict is on and off and different every week. No issues heard from over landers through wakhan, met several who visited this area during this period
Winter was fierce and pass from langar closed for a long time until mid april if I'm not mistaken. Fyi

- immigration card not needed anymore. Specifically asked for this at border.
- no one checks registration after stay longer than 30 days. Went through all pamir checkpoints and border with a longer than 30 days stay. I think they register you. I really think this is outdated with evisa now.

- roads on all passes are gravel and bad. Rest somewhat decently paved. Caravanistan info is correct.

- tajik government plans to rebuild the whole official m41 by 2028. The road from dushanbe to kulob is stage one and completed. Next is kulob to dervaza (=qalai khumb) and then comes the pamir stretch. Don't know if this is only advertisement or the real deal. I do expect that the pamir will lose much of its charm when it becomes much more accessible and will be come more o a tourist attraction.

- police scams: not really accurately presented imho : police in uniforms are definitely police but may be corrupt. 1 issue in dushanbe where 2 of my friends got asked to get in a regular taxi car with 2 cops to settle a fine for shady reasons (sexualité behavjour? ). Never do this, never carry and give passport to police if you don't see why. Stay in public and go to the station with them if you must. The military/police checkpoints are fine of course. Talking to all the expats in dushanbe there seems to be lots of improvement and such issues occur less and less.

- If you bring some copies of passport and visa they will let you through checkpoints much faster. Just give these

- careful with late notice evisa. They dont process on Saturdays and Sundays. On arrival visa exists no longer

- there are small white busses (share taxis ) running between the small pamir villages like alichur, jelondy, to cities and other stuff like lake bulunkul. Only on weekdays. Ask around . Pay full car if you want to go on a weekend day or cant wait for full car. negiotate price.

- random info: Border patrols are being trained by eu, Americans and Russians. Quite some eu, American and russian involvement in the region from what ive seen. Mostly educational or border related stuff.

- other random info: the prez is (according to some) selling land in the west to Chinese and uses quite some money to build nice looking stuff in dushanbe. City looks pretty cool and very beautiful along the main roads. Lots of green. All for appereances of course. (Didn't cross check this but seems legit. Info came from an American teacher Maried to a tajik living here several years)

- fun fact: spiritual leader of pamirs encouraged the people to learn languages to talk to foreigers.

- the pamir lodge in khorog at 7 dollar a night is super overpriced imho. No kitchen, horrible Internet, bad sanitation... good food though and the owners are super nice.

- green house hostel in dushanbe at 9 dollar for included breakfast is worth it imho. Very cool atmosphere and we'll maintained building. Extremely knowledgeable, flexible owners and very helpful. Gopd kitchen, showers but bad Internet. Also good extras (TV, table tennis, never a problem for late breakfast,...). 9/10 and I don't often give this number. 10 would be for good Internet.

- i found no wifi in murghab. Get a simcard. Megaphon or tcell are good.

- the road from qalai khumb (it is called Dervaza! Not qalai khumb) to khorog is considered as the worst part. Wakhan road is better - not including the pass to Alichur. Asked several cyclers, locals and overanders.

- there is a small lake at the other side of the river in nurak. Very nice for a visit and ask locals for a place to day or camp! Cool spot for mid April with all the purple tree blossoms on the green hillsides!

- iskanderkul is breathtakingly beautiful. There is no fish due to a goldmine close by though, so I heard. I tried to fidh for ages but no result. Drinking the water of it was fine. No troubles after

[seysearles]

Short report about our 40 day stay in tajik with bike from dushanbe to osh via the pamir highway:

- both border crossings (denau uz-kyzyl art kgz)were extremely smooth, no check of luggage (front back and rackpack, 3 persons)
Very friendly border patrols and never they asked money or tried scams
->caravanistan info outdated? Not a single overlander I met had troubles. ( about 20 ppl)

- afghan border kulob to khorog we camped all the time and only got sent away twice (guesthouse owner asked military friends to send us to his guesthouse which we didn't. Never felt unsafe. We swam in the border river with afghans/Tajiks watching. No issue I guess.

- we didn't pass by there but there were shootings in ishkashim with taliban beginning of May 2017. Conflict is on and off and different every week. No issues heard from over landers through wakhan, met several who visited this area during this period
Winter was fierce and pass from langar closed for a long time until mid april if I'm not mistaken. Fyi

- immigration card not needed anymore. Specifically asked for this at border.
- no one checks registration after stay longer than 30 days. Went through all pamir checkpoints and border with a longer than 30 days stay. I think they register you. I really think this is outdated with evisa now.

- roads on all passes are gravel and bad. Rest somewhat decently paved. Caravanistan info is correct.

- police scams: not really accurately presented imho : police in uniforms are definitely police but may be corrupt. 1 issue in dushanbe where 2 of my friends got asked to get in a regular taxi car with 2 cops to settle a fine for shady reasons (sexualité behavjour? ). Never do this, never carry and give passport to police if you don't see why. Stay in public and go to the station with them if you must. The military/police checkpoints are fine of course. Talking to all the expats in dushanbe there seems to be lots of improvement and such issues occur less and less.

- If you bring some copies of passport and visa they will let you through checkpoints much faster. Just give these

- careful with late notice evisa. They dont process on Saturdays and Sundays. On arrival visa exists no longer

- there are small white busses (share taxis ) running between the small pamir villages like alichur, jelondy, to cities and other stuff like lake bulunkul. Only on weekdays. Ask around . Pay full car if you want to go on a weekend day or cant wait for full car. negiotate price.

- random info: Border patrols are being trained by eu, Americans and Russians. Quite some eu, American and russian involvement in the region from what ive seen. Mostly educational or border related stuff.

- the pamir lodge in khorog at 7 dollar a night is super overpriced imho. No kitchen, horrible Internet, bad sanitation... good food though and the owners are super nice.

- green house hostel in dushanbe at 9 dollar for included breakfast is worth it imho. Very cool atmosphere and we'll maintained building. Extremely knowledgeable, flexible owners and very helpful. Gopd kitchen, showers but bad Internet. Also good extras (TV, table tennis, never a problem for late breakfast,...). 9/10 and I don't often give this number. 10 would be for good Internet.

- i found no wifi in murghab. Get a simcard. Megaphon or tcell are good.

- the road from qalai khumb (it is called Dervaza! Not qalai khumb) to khorog is considered as the worst part. Wakhan road is better - not including the pass to Alichur. Asked several cyclers, locals and overanders.

- there is a small lake at the other side of the river in nurak. Very nice for a visit and ask locals for a place to day or camp! Cool spot for mid April with all the purple tree blossoms on the green hillsides!

- iskanderkul is breathtakingly beautiful. There is no fish due to a goldmine close by though, so I heard. I tried to fidh for ages but no result. Drinking the water of it was fine. No troubles after

Thanks a lot for this Stefvdp. Really really helpful and much appreciated.

[Stefvdp]

Added a useful part about our experiences with local banks... bring dollars or get enough cash in dushanbe from one of the 2 atms that (almost) always work!

[seysearles]

Added a useful part about our experiences with local banks... bring dollars or get enough cash in dushanbe from one of the 2 atms that (almost) always work!

Can you buy stuff with Kyrgyz Som?

[Stefvdp]

I suppose that will be very hard, i didnt pay amy attention to rates banks offered since i got all cash in dushanbr from atm... Maybe in murghab they can change but even there I'd give it a tiny chance. There's some Kyrgyz jeeps coming in with tourists via kyzyl art pass, if you spot em maybe they want to exchange