Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
tracks and through a market) from marshrutka
route 16, or slightly further, but more obviously,
just west of the road running south from the
Russian Embassy (marshrutka 25).
Asian Express plans a new bus service to
Khojand (75TJS, twice daily). Otherwise shared
taxis are the only option for Khojand (six hours)
and Istaravshan (ive hours) or Penjikent (seven
hours) all via Ayni (four hours). Shared taxis
depart from the Tsementzavod (Cement Fac-
tory; Rudaki;
g
3) stand in the north of town.
Prices range from 100TJS to 120TJS according
to vehicle and demand. Bus/trolleybus 3 gets
you here along Rudaki.
For Khorog, shared 4WDs/minivans
(300/270TJS) take anything from 14 to 20
hours, departing mostly between 6am and
8am from the Badakhshan Auto-stand (Badak-
shanskaya avtostansiya; M Nazarshoev 149).
It's hidden away through a blue gated footpath
behind Donish 15 (marshrutka 8 from green
Bazaar) or through the bazaar at Nazarshoev
149 (marshrutka 33 from the train station, route
1 from Maydani Ayni). If you can muster a small
group, it's well worth chartering and stopping
overnight part way. Kalai-Khum drivers at the
same auto-stand charge around 150TJS per
person (nine to 12 hours).
Shared vehicles leave for garm (60TJS to
70TJS, four hours), Tojikabod (ive hours) and
Jirgatol from garm Dok (Ayni 82; shared taxi
4, 18), accessible by marshrutka 4 or 18 from
green Bazaar.
Minibuses and shared taxis leave from
Zarnisar Bazaar for Hisor.
Varzob (3TJS) and Takob (5TJS) minibuses
and cars leave from outside Vadonasos Bazaar.
TRAIN
The train to Moscow (
platskart
1350TJS) leaves
at 3.32am on Mondays, Thursdays and Satur-
days routed via Termez, Karshi and Uchkuduk
(Uzbekistan), Makat (Kazakhstan) and Vol-
gagrad (1025TJS).
Ticket oice
(Rudaki 2;
h
8am-noon & 1-5pm) is diagonally across the
station square.
8
Getting¨Around
Trolleybuses/buses cost 0.70/0.80TJS per hop
if you have the change, 1TJS if you don't. Under-
sized marshrutkas want 1/2TJS for a short/
long ride.
Useful routes include:
Bus/trolleybus routes 1 and 3
(but not
minibus 1) Up and down Rudaki. Officially other
public transport isn't allowed on Rudaki but
that doesn't stop numerous police-dodging
shared taxis (3TJS per seat) furtively popping
signs in their windows and taking passengers
this way whenever the cops stop watching -
especially by night.
Uptairs beside the Megafon oice,
Tarabkhonai¨Paymona
(mains 9-16TJS) is a clean
if unspectacular retaurant that opens even during Ramadan.
Shared taxis for Tojikabad (20TJS, 50 minutes) and Jafr (10TJS) tart jut across the
small bridge from the bazaar area, beside Somoni 50. Vehicles for Dushanbe (60TJS to
70TJS, four hours) depart from the wetern end of town opposite the local bus tand at
Somoni 2. There's no regular public transport to Tavildara or Khorog. Charter taxis ask
around 250/400 to Tavildara/Khalai-Khum, or you could take a Dushanbe car to Labi-Jar
(45TJS, one hour) then attempt to hitch from the police pot: reportedly a 10TJS tip to
oicers there can expedite proceedings. Still, reaching Kalai-Khum from Tavildara might
prove diicult.
Jafr¨¨
Ҷафр
The area between Jafr and the Vakhdat Bridge (Km182 to Km194) is one of the Rasht
Valley road's mot awe-inspiring sections. Jafr itself is a pretty village where botanit,
poet and collector Mirzosho Akobirov has spent decades planting seeds and saplings
of numerous local and exotic fruit trees in his extensive botanical garden. This is being
developed as the
Jafr¨Agro-Eco¨Centre
(
%
98-804 80 59).
Many trees here have curiously been grafted with several fruit types such that a
pitachio tree might simultaneously be producing plums and apricots. A museum and
handicraft centre is under contruction to better display Mirzosho's private collection
of ethnographic and hitorical knick-knacks and a guethouse (almot complete) will
have one of the bet balcony views of any in Tajikitan. No English is spoken, but Mir-
zosho can organise guides and horses for hiking up the valley over a pass into the
bucolic Yasman area.
