Things to see and do Tajikistan

With two lakes, the Temurdar and the Païron, this valley is a pleasant place to escape the city for a day or two.

This park hosts a great statue of Kamoliddin Khojandi, a famous th century Tajik writer born in Khojand. The statue lies at the end of a thread of busts representing the local heroes of the Second World War. A fountain completes the table: His central stele has a text thanking the Soviets who built the modern town of Khojand.

Located 12 km from Dushanbe, these gorges are one of the most popular holiday resorts in the capital. But the gorges are so narrow that the housing is often very close to the road, which is quite busy. However, minibuses allow you to go to the ski resort of Takob (which is approximately 1 h 30 from Dushanbe).

The lake, located at 2 255 m above sea level, can be a pleasant place to rest a day, or even a starting point for trekking in the surrounding mountains. The landscape is so impressive, with its red gorges, its lake bordered by snow-capped peaks, that the President of Tajikistan and the Russian President have both made a dasha on the edge of the lake.

The accommodation can be done in summer in the Intourist holiday village. Full pension costs around $ 40. This holiday centre is a little the model of the Décrépies Soviet holiday Resorts. Small bungalows planned for six or eight people with a kitchen are spread under the trees. Showers and health care are common. The centre has a volleyball ground, two ping-pong tables, and the park opens onto the lake. The season is very short, only July and August. If you come to another time, you have to predict its provisions, because the kitchens do not work.

The hot water spring has two small natural basins dug into the rock. In the upper basin, the water flows through two sections of rocks resembling large handles. Legend has it that these are the sleeves of the clothing of Bibi Fatima, the Prophet's daughter and Ali's wife. The Bolsheviks destroyed a piece of it, but the belief persisted. In the side of the rock, a niche that symbolizes the maternal uterus is half full of water; one must slip in and take the sand that lies at the bottom by making a vow. Sterile women have been swimming there for centuries. A small restaurant will allow you to eat after swimming and before going back on the road.