Tajikistan's Fann Mts Trek

Distance: 5.4km, duration: 2hrs.
Elevation gain/drop: 380m, camp altitude: 2,160m.

In the morning we stash anything unnecessary on the trek with our hotel. After breakfast, we load a private minivan which takes us to the border crossing point with Tajikistan in about 1 hour. The crossing is usually trouble-free and you will be required to show your passports and Uzbek/Tajik visas, in case they are required for your nationality. We cross on foot which means we will need to carry all our luggage, including the heavy duffel bags with food rations, for about 800m – that is where the teamwork starts!

On the other side, we are met by comfortable air-conditioned Toyota 4x4s. Drive time to the nearest town on the Tajik side – Panjakent – is about 30-40 minutes. The town boasts an archaeological site and a colourful, energetic bazaar. We will stop for lunch at a local restaurant serving traditional Tajik food such as hearty lamb soup and pilaf (flavorful rice dish with meat).

We then drive into the mountains for about 3 hours stopping en route to enjoy the tranquility of the mausoleum of Rudaki – a cherished Persian poet of the Middle Ages who was born in a nearby village.

The main gateway to the Fanns is Artuch – a trekking and mountaineering lodge and a campsite located at 2,160m at the foothills of the mountains amidst juniper woods. The place was founded in 1971 as a base camp for Soviet mountaineering expeditions in this region of Tajikistan and it is here that we begin our trekking adventure.

Once we pitch our tents on a grassy meadow, we set out for a warm-up trek up to the nearest lake Chukurak which usually takes about two hours roundtrip and gives us an extra opportunity to check our gear and bag the first lake in our collection of 14! We share a hearty dinner at Artuch lodge.

Distance: 11km, duration: 4-4.5hrs.
Elevation gain: 700m, camp altitude: 2,840m.

After breakfast, we meet our team of donkeys and their handlers – they will follow our trail for the next five days. You can leave up to 13kg for donkeys to carry and that allowance includes your tent. Note that during the day you will not have access to the items that you left with donkeys so you will need to carry the essential items like water, snacks and extra layers in your daypack.

After some candy-harassment by local children, we gain altitude on a well-trodden trail up the Urech river through juniper groves coming over two giant scree dams that filter the water coming from Kulikalon lakes. Once the track levels out, we find ourselves standing in awe of the glittering emerald Kulikalon lake. We pitch our tents on a cozy narrow peninsula protruding well into the lake – right in front of the snow-capped peaks of Mirali (5,120m), Maria, Rudaki, and Adamtash, known together as the Kulikalon Wall, rising steeply on the far side of the lake for almost 2,000 vertical meters!

After lunch, we set off for an easy hike around the lake through the beautifully twisted junipers known locally as ‘archa’. In the evening the guide will cook delicious dinner for you, starting our culinary journey around the globe!

Distance: 5km, duration: 3hrs.
Elevation gain: 270m, camp altitude: 2,990m.

After breakfast, we continue trekking easily along the chain of emerald-green lakes — Bibijonat, Oshkul, Lesnoe, and Kulisieh — until we reach Dushakha lake.

This is arguably one of the most breathtaking camping spots in the Fann Mountains. We set up camp on a flat, grassy patch beside a clear blue lake and a stream, all under the towering 2,000-meter north face of Mt. Mirali 5,120m. The crystal-clear water is inviting to take a dip though most can only manage a few strokes!

Distance: 8km, duration: 5-5.5hrs.
Elevation gain: 850m, drop: 1,100m, camp altitude: 2,800m (via 3,860m)
After breakfast, we take down our tents, load the donkeys and start climbing the 3,720m-tall Alaudin pass. As we reach the crest of the col, one of the highest peaks of the Fanns range raise in front of us — the 5,000-ers Chapdara, Bodhona, Zamok, and Ganza. Right at the foot of Mt. Chapdara we spot two irregular splashes of bright azure — Alaudin lakes, that is one vertical kilometer for us to drop.

Most likely we camp on the second smaller lake with its alien-looking twirls of intense blue and green mineral and algae deposits at the lake’s bottom beneath the crystal-clear waters. In the evening we may enjoy a campfire made of dry juniper branches.

Distance: 6.5km, duration: 4-4.5hrs.
Elevation gain: 800m, camp altitude: 3,520m

It is time to venture to high mountain terrain! We leave our cosy campsite at Alaudin lakes and trek up the valley for 5-6 hours until we reach Mutnie (‘Murky’) lakes surrounded by jagged peaks.

From this point we already can see the two giants of Mt Chimtarga 5,489m and Mt Energiya 5,120m.

Distance: 3km, duration: 3hrs.
Elevation gain: 600m, camp altitude: 4,100m

In the morning, while our camp is still in the shade, we observe the flaming sunrise at the two peaks of Mt Chimtarga 5,489m and Mt Energiya 5,120m.

Trekking involves crossing the lake over an artificial ’bridge’ of rocks and later on we traverse the glacier. As we reach the 4,100m camp — a barren spot with a few flat spots on a moraine ridge — we finally say goodbye to our donkeys and enjoy the sunset.

Distance: 11.5km, duration: 8-9hrs.
Elevation gain: 700m, drop: 1,600m, camp altitude: 3,150m (via 4,750m)

Today we cross Chimtarga col at 4,750m a.s.l. squeezed between the tallest summit of the Fann mountains — peak Chimtarga 5,487m — and peak Energiya 5,120m. The latter is often ascended from the col by mountaineering expeditions and requires climbing 5 pitches of ice up to 45-50 degrees steep.

We start early at 6AM to minimise the risk of rockfall. Reaching the col at almost Mont Blanc’s height without pack donkeys is a tough exercise, besides the trail traverses scree slope so with every step up you slide down a little bit.

Descending from the col on the other side requires a certain degree of sure-footedness but no special gear is required. By the lunchtime, we finally descend to the valley floor of river Zindon which in the local language means ‘dungeon’ — an apt comparison due to the steep and shady walls of the gorge. The trail continues on through two impressive boulder fields. At the sunset, we finally reach the shores of Big Allo lake at 3,100m with near-vertical granite faces abruptly dropping into its azure waters — perhaps my favourite sight in the Fann mountains!

3 hrs of optional day hiking.
Camp altitude: 3,150m

We finally deserved a full day’s rest at Big Allo aka ‘Echo’ lake, hands down one of my favourite places on Earth, with steep granite cliffs dropping abruptly to radiant azure waters, surreal twisted juniper figures on its shores, and jagged snowcapped peaks on the horizon.

The lake was formed as recently as 1916 as a consequence of a catastrophic landslide. The ensuing debris field still fills the lake’s northwestern side.

After the previous hard day, we have the luxury to wake up at 10AM, stretch our limbs, PLUNGE into the azure semi-opaque ice-cold waters and tan naked (optionally!) on our private little beach! Some of us may opt for an easy afternoon hike up another valley that involves some easy scrambling above the lake.

Distance: 7km, duration: 3-4hrs.
Elevation drop: 850m, camp altitude: 2,350m

Today we say goodbye to Big Allo — a tranquil mountain lake of extraordinary beauty. We traverse the natural dam of boulders that keeps the lake in place and for the next couple of hours, we descend further into the valley following a rough trail that crosses further landslides and moraine fields.

At some point river literally bursts from the ground and we follow its course, hopping across a few times, until we reach elongated Small Allo lake. We have lunch on the narrow coastline before plunging into the emerald waters — our final swim in the Fann Mts!

Our last campsite is the shade of a huge olive (or laurus?) tree, neatly tucked between the river and a massive bolder, right above a cascade that falls further down into the widening valley. We take in the panorama of layered mountains bathing in dramatic sunset light.

5.4km, gaining 140m and dropping 700m.

Trek from Small Allo lake to the pick up point. On the way we may be lucky to visit a local farmer’s house and get an insight of the harsh life of locals in the mountains. Jeep transfer back to the Uzbekistan border, then to Samarqand where we enjoy a proper dinner at a local kebab house!

We stash all our trekking gear at the Samarkand hotel as we will be coming back here later. Taxis take us to the train station where we board a comfortable bullet train that whisks us to Bukhara – another ancient city on the Silk Road, which has a completely different vibe from Samarkand since there was much less Soviet influence here. The streets are narrower, most of the buildings are just 1-2 floors and the city center is very much walkable, with streets full of artisan shops.

We check into a boutique family-run hotel within a renovated 19th-century Jewish house, providing a unique and authentic lodging experience.

An English-speaking local city guide will take us to the most important historical sites, sharing insights into local history, culture and present life.

Today is the second day of guided sightseeing in Bukhara and we stay at the same hotel.

In the first half of the day, we have time to finalise our souvenir deals before hopping on a high-speed train back to Samarkand. There we share a farewell dinner at a rooftop restaurant with a view of the beautifully illuminated Registan complex.

Flight back home