Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
RECOMMENDED¨READING
Essential reading is
Land Beyond the River: The Untold Story of Central Asia
(2003)
by former BBC Central Asia correspondent Monica Whitlock, who brilliantly pieces to-
gether the 20th-century hitory of Tajikitan through the life tories of local individuals
who witnessed and shaped it. That's usefully supplemented by Paul Bergne's 2007
The
Birth of Tajikistan: National Identity and the Origins of the Republic
(2007), if you can
aford a copy.
The weighty
Odyssey Guide to Tajikistan
(2007), by Robert Middleton and Huw
Thomas, is a literate and detailed background guide, particularly trong on the hitory
of exploration in the Pamirs. Middleton's far more portable
The Pamirs - History,
Archaeology and Culture
is sold at PECTA (p346) in Khorog (60TJS).
commonly available Tajik dishes include
nahud sambusa
(chickpea samosas),
na-
hud shavla
(chickpea porridge) and
oshi
siyo halav,
a unique herb soup.
Tuhum
barak
is a tasty egg-filled ravioli coated
with sesame-seed oil.
In Badakhshan you might try
borj
- a
meat and grain mix that resembles savoury
porridge.
Shir chai,
somewhere between
milk tea and Tibetan butter tea, makes
a popular breakfast in the Pamirs, along
with rice pudding (
shir gurch
/
shir brench
in Kyrgyz/Tajik).
Both Hissar and Dushanbe brew their
own beer, though bottled Russian imports
like the Baltika range are the most com-
mon. Finding gas-free bottled water is
challenging outside bigger towns.
As with much of Central Asia, accommoda-
tion rates are often quoted in US dollars, but
payment can be made in either US dollars or
somani.
ACTIVITIES
Trekking options are fantastic in Tajikistan,
principally in the Fan Mountains and western
Pamirs, though these are demanding, remote
routes. Trekking guides are available in Khorog
for around US$20 to US$40 per day.
Mountaineers will be in heaven and even a few
hardcore kayakers are discovering Tajikistan's
remote white water. Horse trekking is an option
from Bachor and camel trekking is available at
Rang-Kul. Rock climbers should head for Margab
where Zamin-Karor is a near-vertical 1km rock
wall.
Key trekking trailheads are Artush and Alaudin
lakes in the Fan Mountains (p327) and Bachor in
the central Pamirs (p351).
DANGERS & ANNOYANCES
generally Tajikistan is a remarkably safe travel
destination.
Landmines and UXO (unexploded ordinance)
left over from the civil war, most have now
been mostly cleared, with only 7.5 sq km still
considered potentially contaminated (mostly in
remote border zones). Most of this land is due
to be released by late 2015.
Tap water
Not recommended for drinking
but many mountain areas have mineral water
springs.
Altitude sickness
A serious risk especially
for hikers attempting anything above 3500m
without suitable acclimatisation or for travel-
lers driving the Pamir Highway in a single day
from Osh to Karakul or Murgab. Take things
very easily when you're first above 3500m and
retreat to lower ground if symptoms persist.
Malaria
Present in southwestern Tajikistan
along the Afghan border and the lower Vakhsh
Valley as far north as Kurgonteppa, though
travellers rarely visit those areas.
SURVIVAL GUIDE
8
Directory¨A-Z
ACCOMMODATION
Dushanbe has some respectable midrange
business hotels but is particularly short on
good, cheap accommodation. In contrast the
Pamir, Fan and Zerafshan mountain regions
have a good network of homestays but nothing
upmarket. Indeed most places have outdoor
toilets and few have hot showers. Some, but
not all, have signs; community tourism outits
PECTA (p346), META (p354), ZTDA (p333) and
tourist information oices have lists of signed-
up homestay families.
In places where there's no formal system, it is
appropriate to ofer around US$10 to US$15 per
person if you are hosted. Possibly you'll need
to put the money in an envelope to avoid polite
refusals. Very few hosts speak English, but most
understand Russian.
