Tour da Samarcanda al Tagikistan: Sette Laghi

What a great tour! Super organized.. guide and driver amazing and caring.. felt completely safe and happy entire time! Thank you so much

Enjoyed the entire experience

The Seven Lakes near Panjakent are without doubt one of the most breathtaking natural experiences in Tajikistan. The journey itself,winding through narrow mountain roads, cliffs, and remote villages, builds up to a landscape that feels untouched and raw. Each lake has its own character, but the higher you go, the more spectacular it becomes. The final lake, Hazorchashma, is truly special. We did a short 20-minute walk to reach the best viewpoints, and that small trek made all the difference, it allowed us to really take in the silence, scale, and beauty of the place. Honestly, we wished we had more time here. The off-road drive is part of the adventure, and our drivers Suhrob and Khudoygul and guide Shaharom of Tajikistan Mountain Travel handled it with great skill, making us feel safe even on challenging terrain. This entire region is a highlight for anyone visiting Tajikistan. However, one important point: authorities should seriously consider restricting vehicles from going too close to the edge of the final lake. Allowing cars right up to the shoreline takes away from the pristine beauty and tranquility of the landscape. Preserving the natural environment here is crucial, and encouraging visitors to walk the last stretch would greatly enhance the experience. Overall, the Seven Lakes are a must-visit , - raw, scenic, and unforgettable. With a bit more care toward conservation, this could remain one of the most beautiful mountain experiences in Central Asia.

Picked up right on time at our hotel, the guide started a whole story in reasonable English which took about the whole car trip to the border. Interesting but also a lot. Upon arrival at the border, it was only clear why. The guide and driver did not continue and it was indicated how we had to cross the border ourselves. (Which went just fine in itself). After a short walk in the middle of nowhere, a driver was waiting for us on the other side who immediately recognized us from the photo our "guide" had sent him. So far so good. But then it got tricky. The new driver (so no guide) really did not speak a word of English and with a lot of effort a question could be asked via google translate which he did try very hard for but we had imagined our tour with an English-speaking guide something different. Unfortunately the weather was not cooperating so it became a ride to the lake, quickly take a picture and on to the next one where we could not even reach the last lake because apparently the road was too bad. In good weather it's probably a lot nicer but even then this trip is not worth its money. It was nice / special to have been in Tajikistan but this could really have been better

The trip was well organized, and we would like to thank the tour company and the guides. The staff were polite and professional. We hope, we would gladly book another trip with this tour company in the future.

We’ve had a great trip. The border crossing was smooth and drivers were punctual.

It is worth doing and is suitable for people of all ages. Nature and adventure accessible to everyone

Overall a great escape to Tajikistan with a beautiful mountains environment. The guide did not speak English, but it was not an issue. The tour will drop you at a local market to buy fruits / pastries. Please be aware that they might not take UZS at the market. You can ask the driver to pay for you then reimburse him in UZS. There is not much walking during the tour. The last 200m to walk are not hard to complete. It's bumpy at times and the duration of the tour will depends on the weather conditions. One clean toilets half-way through.

Fantastic experience to see the people and culture of Tajikistan, which is really different then Uzbekistan. It was raining, but the lakes were still very bright and blue.

If you still not 100% sure about this trip, here is the missing piece to book it: It is absolutely worth it. We, my girlfriend and I, were lucky and nobody else booked in this time slot and therefore got a private tour. We were picked up around 6 at our hotel and brought to the border. The border police guys are friendly and it doesn’t take long (UK peeps need an online visa which takes several days, EU does not and passport is enough) . On the other side you get picked up by a very good and experienced driver, who speaks very little English, but Russian and Tadschik. You spent the day with him. We went to a bazaar and changed money from Uzbek Som to the Tadschik currency. I changed 300k to 210 Tadschik Somoni. We had breakfast in Pandschakent (20 Somoni) and after the lakes we had lunch for 70 Somoni. 200 Somoni should be enough in our view for 2 people. Maybe check the exchange rates the day before, to get an idea. The lakes are beautiful especially number 7. Overall, you get an insight into one of the most traditional and isolated places in Central Asia. We’d highly recommend it.