Top Samarkand Day Trips

Expect the unexpected.. always. I’d read reviews of bad experiences at border crossing, and thought it might take a long time.. it didn’t.. it took maybe half an hour from saying goodbye to our Uzbek driver to meeting our tour guide and driver in Tajikistan. It’s actually very simple.. driver takes your photo and forwards to next driver who is there to greet you. We got our Uzbek driver’s WhatsApp in case there was any problem on our return (but everything went exactly to plan). I’d never walked across a border and for me it was a fun adventure.. lots of people watching and thanking of border security (we showed our passports at least three times each way). Eraj was our guide, he grew up in a village in the mountains and has a deep love of his country - and he’s plenty to compare it to as he’s lived in several countries and speaks 6 languages! He was funny and wanted us to have the best day. He took us to his favorite waterfall for our picnic lunch. Although the itinerary wasn’t exactly as described (we didn’t go to Sarazm) but it didn’t matter at all as we drove through (and stopped frequently) to visit villages set in spectacular mountain terrain. Abduvosid is an excellent driver, a beloved local, based on all the waves and greeting he received! He was so gracious. He helped us purchase our picnic lunch in Panjakent (no need to bring lunch - you can get cash from ATM and buy a picnic lunch en route). Abduvosid drove carefully and courteously. Both Abduvosid and Eraj made every effort to ensure we enjoyed our day out in Tajikistan. The lakes and mountains and rugged road provided the best backdrop. I highly recommend this excursion.

Super tour - everything worked smoothly. I was picked up on time at my hostel, then we were driven in a modern car to the border. You have to cross the border on your own, and on the other side, Dodo was already waiting for us. We continued in a clean and modern van to the bazaar and finally to the seven lakes. Of course, you spend most of the day in the car - but that didn't take anything away from the experience for me. Great first impression of a country I otherwise wouldn't have traveled to for the time being.

The tour is one of the best tours we experienced. The driver was super patient and stopped at the most picturesque spot for us to take in the mountainous landscape. He also found us one of most popular restaurant among locals for lunch with again a fabulous Mountain View. Our guide is even more amazing. She and her students (who volunteered to join her to learn and English and culture) are very nice and inspiring young women, who explained with in-depth historical background and knowledge in every site we visited. We truly appreciate their warmth and kindness. Shahrisabz is smaller than Samarkand, but it offers very quaint and authentic flavors of the history as well. Highly recommended!