Day 01
Samarkand to Penjikent and the Seven Lakes
- In the morning, transfer from your hotel in Samarkand to the Uzbekistan-Tajikistan border (50 km, 1 hour).
- Border crossing.
- Meet your guide and driver on the Tajik side of the border.
- Drive to Penjikent, a small town with an ancient history (30 km, 40 min). Ancient Penjikent was a small but prosperous Sogdian city in pre-Islamic Central Asia.
- See the sights of Penjikent, including the local bazaar and mosque.
- Then, visit the ancient settlement of Sarazm. The ruins of the old city, which date back to the 4th millennium BC, are located on the outskirts of the modern city.
- Continue through the majestic Fann Mountains to the famous Seven Lakes. The lakes were formed after an earthquake, and each one looks different as the sun changes its position. Each lake has its own name: Nezhigon, Soya, Gushor, Nofin, Khurdak, Marguzor, and Hazorchashma. The total height difference between them is 760 m.
- Lunch in a teahouse.
- Return to the Tajik-Uzbek border.
- Border crossing.
- Transfer back to your hotel in Samarkand.
