Day 01
Samarkand to Panjakent and the Seven Lakes
- 08:00 - You will be picked up from your hotel in Samarkand and depart for Panjakent, Tajikistan.
Note: Transportation for this tour will be in both countries.
- Upon arrival in Penjikent, visit Sarazm, an ancient city that is 5,500 years old. Sarazm is the first World Heritage Monument in Tajikistan. This oldest settlement, dating from the 4th-2nd millennium BC, is located 15 km west of the district centre of Penjikent, on the left bank of the Zeravshan River. The well-preserved palace and religious, public, and residential buildings are of great historical and cultural value. Metal and stone products were found at the excavation site, along with numerous pieces of jewellery made of precious stones and processed seashells. The settlement is located within the Bactrian-Margian Archaeological Complex.
Lunch boxes will be bought in Penjikent before visiting all seven lakes.
- Mizhgon: Usually the first lake that travellers see is the lowest lake, Mizhgon, which is located at an altitude of 1,640 metres above sea level. Its name comes from the Tajik word "eyelashes."
- Soy: Soy Lake is named after the Tajik word "shadow" - since this lake is located between high cliffs, it remains in shadow almost all day.
- Khushor: The third lake, Khushor, is 400 metres from Soy, and when you get close to it, you will see a stormy stream connecting them.
- Nofin: The distance between Lake Khushor and Lake Nofin is only 400 metres, but the route along the serpentine is a whole kilometre. Nofin, the fourth of the seven lakes, is very elongated: its length is more than 2.5 km, and its width is only about 200 metres.
- Hurdak: This is the smallest of the seven lakes. Even its name translates as "baby." Its area is only 0.025 sq. km, and it is located at an altitude of 1,870 metres.
- Marguzor: The largest and most beautiful lake in the Seven Lakes system. To reach it, you need to drive more than 2 km along the serpentine and climb to a height of 2,140 metres.
- Hazorchashma: The final and highest mountain lake in the Seven Lakes complex. It is located at 2,400 metres above sea level.
- Drive back to Samarkand. Tourists will be dropped off at their hotel in Samarkand.
- 20:00 - Arrive in Samarkand.
