Tajikistan holidays

Tajikistan is Central Asia's most-remote and mountain-dominant country — 93% of the country is mountainous, the Pamir Highway (the M41 from Khorog to Osh) is one of the world's great road trips traversing 4,300m passes through the Pamir mountains, and the Wakhan Valley's old Silk Road villages border Afghanistan with views of Hindu Kush peaks. The country split from the Soviet Union in 1991 and has remained the poorest Central Asian republic — but for adventure travellers, this is the destination that delivers the wildest landscapes and the warmest hospitality.

A serious 14-day Tajikistan trip starts with Dushanbe (1-2 nights — the Soviet-era Rudaki Avenue, the National Museum, the Hissar fortress day-trip) → fly to Khorog (1-2 nights — the high-altitude border-town gateway to the Pamirs) → Pamir Highway road trip in a 4x4 with driver: Khorog → Wakhan Valley's Bibi Fatima hot springs and Yamchun fortress (2 nights) → Murghab high-altitude Kyrgyz-speaking town (2 nights) → Karakul lake at 3,900m (2 nights) → cross into Kyrgyzstan at Kyzyl-Art Pass (4,280m). Alternative: the Fan Mountains trek (3-7 days, Iskanderkul lake, Seven Lakes circuit) from Penjikent — Central Asia's answer to the Italian Dolomites.