Tour description
Karakul, Qarokul (replacing the older Tajik name Siyohob) - is a 25 km diameter lake within a rather large 52 km impact crater. It is located in the Tajik National Park in the Pamir Mountains in Tajikistan. Karakul lies within a circular depression interpreted as an impact crater with a rim diameter of 52 km.
The Karakul lake lies at an elevation of 3,960 m (12,990 ft) above mean sea level. A peninsula projecting from the south shore and an island off the north shore divide the lake into two basins: a smaller, relatively shallow eastern one, between 13 to 19 m (43 to 62 ft) deep, and a larger western one, 221 to 230 m (725 to 755 ft) deep.
The Wakhan Valley (Wakhan Corridor) is one of the most beautiful and remote places in Asia and the world. The Wakhan Valley is a mountainous region belonging to the Pamir and Hindu Kush ranges, most of which is part of southeastern Tajikistan and northeastern Afghanistan.
For centuries, the Wakhan valley was an important principality of the famous Kushans (Kushanids), a great empire that stretched from southeastern Tajikistan to the very valley of the Ganges in India.
For this reason, although it is a very mountainous area, in the valley you will find several fortresses located on the tops of very high hills, which offer the most epic and impressive views. Historically, this region served as a dividing line between Western and Eastern Asia, so the valley also became an important route of the Great Silk Road. In the 20th century, it also marked a clear boundary between the Soviet Union and the British Empire.
With all that historical context, incredible landscape, and amazing people, the Wakhan Valley is a real adventure and a place you cannot miss on your travels in Tajikistan
Visiting places / sightseeing: Dushanbe - Kulob - Qalai Khumb - Khorug - Ishkashim - Wakhan Valley - Murghob - Karakul Lake - Laksh - Garm - Nurabad - Obi Garm.
Availability: March - September
Direction: Dushanbe - Kulyab - Kal'ai Khumb - Khorog - Ishkashim - Murgob 
Duration: 10 days / 9 nights
Type of tour: group (5 or more persons)Program of the tour
- ARRIVAL DAY
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This tour is with an open time; we will receive and welcome tourists from: - 1) Dushanbe
- 2) border of Tajikistan/Uzbekistan, Panjakent/Samarqand
- 3) border of Tajikistan/Uzbekistan, Khujand/Tashkent
- 4) border of Tajikistan/Kyrgyzstan, Isfara/Osh
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12:00–14:00 – lunch time - 19:00–21:00 – accommodation in Dushanbe, at hotel and dinner.
- Dushanbe – Hulbuk – Kulyab – Qal’ai Khumb (Darvaz)
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07:00 – breakfast at hotel and departure to Qal’ai Khumb, from Dushanbe - 09:00 - on the way to the city of Kulyab (from Dushanbe - 196 km drive)
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On the way to Kulyab we will visit the Hulbuk Fortress (165 km from Dushanbe). From the 9th to the 11th centuries, the Hulbuk Fortress was located in the center of one of the four largest cities in Central Asia, it was the residence of Shah (King) Khatlon. The citadel was guarded by a giant salt hill, which at that time was of great importance as the source of one of the three precious resources (along with gold and horses) traded on the Silk Roads. - The next object is the Kulyab (31 km drive from Hulbuk). In the center of the city of Kulyab, in the park area, there is a memorial complex of Mir Said Ali Hamadoni - a poet, philosopher and thinker of the 14th century. His son Muhammad, relatives, as well as Sheikh Shokhi Tolikoni from the Afghan city of Tolukan, a former inspector of the mausoleum and mosque, are also buried there. The complex includes the local history museum of the 2700th anniversary of Kulyab, the museum of the literary heritage of the writer Mirsaid Ali Hamadoni and the house-museum of the national poet Saydali Valizod. Every year the museum is visited by more than two million visitors, both local and foreign guests.
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14:00 - after lunch, we will continue our journey to Qal’ai Khumb, Darvaz (from Kulyab - 169 km drive). - 20:00 - arrival in Qal’ai Khumb, Darvaz. Accommodation at hotel and dinner.
- Qal’ai Khumb - the ancient city of Karon - Khorog
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08:00 - breakfast at hotel - 09:00 - visit the ancient city Karon
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Tajik and Russian archaeologists in 2012 found the ancient city of Karon on the territory of the Darvaz region of the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region. Temples, fragments of a five-domed church, a temple of fire, water, two temples of the wind, a windmill, a fragment of the sacred book of the Zoroastrians "Avesta", the remains of a large polo ground, halls, administrative and residential premises were found. building. The ruins were found in the ancient city, which is supposedly one of the largest mountain "residences" of local kings. -
11:00 - continuation of the journey, heading to Khorog (from Qal’ai Khumb - 243 km), lunch at the same time. - 20:00 – arrival in Khorog, hotel accommodation and dinner
- Khorog - Ishkashim
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08:00 - breakfast at hotel - 09:00 - departure to Ishkashim district (from Khorog - 108 km), accommodation in hotel or sanatorium Garmchashma.
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Visiting the healing spring "Garmchashma". The mineral spring Garmchashma is located at an altitude of 2325 meters above sea level. The spring is filled with hot turquoise water, which contains iron, aluminum, magnesium, strontium, fluorine, etc. At the same time, lunch. -
18:00 - end of the day, return to hotel, dinner
- Ishkashim - Wakhan Valley - Namadgut - Yamchun - Vrang
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08:00 - breakfast at hotel - 09:00 – hike through the villages and mountain gorges of the Wakhan Valley
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Wakhan Valley - located between the south-west of Tajikistan in the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region and the north-east of Afghanistan. - Namadgut. Arriving from Ishkashim, just two kilometers from the tiny hilltop village of Namadgut, you will find the Qahqaha Fortress, a ruined fort with spectacular views of the Pyanj River, offering sweeping views of both Afghanistan and Tajikistan.
- Yamchun. In this pretty village built on top of a cliff, you will find the Yamchun Fort, which is 2000 years old and was used to protect the townspeople during the Kushan Empire. The Yamchun fortress is the most impressive place in the entire Wakhan valley, as it offers stunning views of the valley and the Afghan Hindu Kush, whose snow-capped peaks jut out against the backdrop of the fortress. Yamchun also has several famous hot springs called Bibi Fatima.
- Vrang - the world-famous Silk Road was not only a set of routes aimed at trade and the exchange of goods between civilizations and empires, but also the fact that many different people from different religions left their religious and cultural mark. It is for this reason that in Vrang you can find a Buddhist stupa from the 4th century, the origin and history of which, unfortunately, remain rather unknown. The stupa is built on the highest point of the village, offering breathtaking views of the valley.
- Lunch during the trip.
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18:00 - accommodation in the hostel and dinner - Distance - 9 km, climb - 450 m
- Wrang-Zong - Hisor-Langar – Murghob (transit)
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07:00 - breakfast at the hostel - 08:00 - continuation of the tour through the Wakhan valley to the ancient fortresses and mountain gorges. Visits to Zong and Hisor, Langar. Lunch at the same time.
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Zong is another small settlement where Abreshim-Kal'a was built, a fortress that served to protect against Chinese and Afghan invaders. - Langar will be your first or last destination, depending on whether you come from Khorog or the Pamir Highway. Langar is the most touristy place in Wakhan as it has hosted hundreds of bikers and drivers in general over the years. At the top of the village are the remains of some of the most important petroglyphs in Tajikistan.
- Murghob (Tajik: Мурғоб) is district in the Pamir Mountains of Gorno-Badakhshan, Tajikistan. With a population of just under 7,500. It is the highest town in Tajikistan at 3,650 meters above sea level. It is where the Pamir Highway crosses the Bartang river. The Pamir Highway goes north to Sary-Tash and on to Osh in Kyrgyzstan. Another road goes east over the Kulma Pass to the Karakoram Highway in China connecting to Tashkurgan to the south and Kashgar to the north.
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20:00 – arriving Murghob and accommodation to hotel, dinner - Distance - 500 km
- Murghob – Karakul Lake (transit)
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07:00 - breakfast at hotel - 08:00 - continuation of the tour, departure to Karakul Lake. Distance - 130 km.
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Karakul Lake - Karakul, Qarokul (replacing the older Tajik name Siyohob) - is a 25 km diameter lake within a rather large 52 km (32 mi) impact crater. It is located in the Tajik National Park in the Pamir Mountains in Tajikistan.
- Karakul lies within a circular depression interpreted as an impact crater with a rim diameter of 52 km (32 mi). Some estimates give its age as relatively recent. Preliminarily, it was thought to be c. 25 Ma or less than 23 Ma. However, it may even be from the recent Pliocene (5.3 to 2.6 Ma). The Earth Impact Database (EID) also lists it as younger than 5 Ma.
- The lake lies at an elevation of 3,960 m (12,990 ft) above mean sea level. A peninsula projecting from the south shore and an island off the north shore divide the lake into two basins: a smaller, relatively shallow eastern one, between 13 to 19 m (43 to 62 ft) deep, and a larger western one, 221 to 230 m (725 to 755 ft) deep.
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11:00 – arriving Karakul Lake and sightseeing - 13:00 – lunch
- 19:00 - accommodation to the hostel or camping, dinner
- Karakul – Khorug
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07:00 - breakfast at the hostel - 08:00 - return trip in the direction of Dushanbe; lunch on the way.
- 19:00 - overnight in Khorug, accommodation to hotel, dinner
- Distance - 442 km
- Khorug – Dushanbe
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07:00 – breakfast at hotel - 08:00 – departure to Dushanbe; lunch at the same time
- 21:00 – arrival in Dushanbe, accommodation to hotel, dinner
- Distance - 591 km
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DEPARTURE DAY -
07:00 – breakfast at hotel - Free time
- Lead tourists from Dushanbe International Airport
