TAJIKISTAN. with KORYO TOURS

Transcription

1 welcome to visit & experience TAJIKISTAN with KORYO TOURS

2 TOUR NAME TOUR DATES TOUR INTRO TOUR ROUTE HIGHLIGHTS TOUR FEE Short Tour Option: Nowruz & Buzkashi Thursday March 24th - Tuesday March 29th nights A 5-night semi-guided tour over Nowruz of Dushanbe and environs designed for those with little time or extend the trip with your own itinerary and guide. It is possible to add an independent tour extension for hiking in the stunning Fan Mountains. Dushanbe - Hissar Fortress - Varzob Valley - Buzkashi Event - Khoja Ob Garm Spa - Dushanbe Experience festivities associated with the Persian New Year The incredible Buzkashi event, a wild day-long sporting event played on horseback. Relax at the therapeutic hot springs of the massive Soviet-built Khoja Obi Garm Resort. $1100 USD Tour Terms and Conditions Please note that this tour runs according to our terms and conditions on our website: This includes having sufficient medical insurance for medical treatment and emergency medical evacuation. We can provide you with insurance but please contact us well in advance of the trip. In addition you will be asked to sign and date a waiver for the Buzkashi event: I confirm that I take responsibility for my own safety at the Buzkahsi. I understand that if I get close to the horses my safety is my own responsibility. See last page for more details on the Buzkashi event. TOUR NAME TOUR DATES TOUR INTRO TOUR ROUTE HIGHLIGHTS TOUR FEE Long Tour Option: Nowruz and Buzkashi + Sogdia and the Fergana Valley Thursday March 24th - Saturday April 2nd nights A 9-night fully guided tour for those wishing to see more of this beautiful country and experience its unique history. Dushanbe - Hissar Fortress - Varzob Valley - Buzkashi Event - Khoja Ob Garm Spa - Khujand - Zarafshan Valley and Panjikent - Dushanbe Travel north across the stunning landscape of the Fann Mountains. Drive through the infamous 5-km Anzob Tunnel. Experience the ancient Sogdian culture and the history of the Fergana Valley, crossroads of the world and once the farthest outpost in Alexander The Great s empire. A taste of Czarist Russia at the Arbob Palace, a recreation of St. Petersburg s Winter Palace in the heart of Central Asia. $1650 USD Tour fee includes the following: Airport pick up and drop off to and from Hotel Lotus, Dushanbe. Breakfast is included and lunch and dinner as listed in the itinerary above. Hotel accommodation Tajiki tour guides and a driver per group and a member or Koryo Tours All transportation in the country All entry fees for attractions and sights Not included in the tour fee: Flights to Tajikistan Single room supplement unless otherwise specified (US $45 per night) Spending money for drinks and souvenirs Tajikistan visa fees at other embassies vary Tip for the guides (approx. US $10 per day) Not all meals are covered but we will make recommendations if needed. We occasionally have the opportunity to visit a performance which is an optional visit and will be charged accordingly. For those who do not wish to visit we will arrange an alternative itinerary.

3 Visa Application and Arrival to Tajikistan Important Note to Tourists Useful Tips Koryo Tours will send you a Visa Application Form so that we can issue you a Letter of Invitation (LOI). Please bring with you to Tajikistan: 1.) Visa Application Form 2.) Letter of Invitation 3.) two passport photographs 4.) USD $35 cash (2015 price so might increase!) As you arrive in Dushanbe Airport immigration hall you will find a paper form entitled 'CARD OF IMMIGRATION CONTROL which you have to complete in duplicate. Pick one up and fill it in as you join the queue at the VISA APPLICATION windows. At the VISA APPLICATION WINDOW present your passport, your original Visa Application and Letter of Invitation. Your visa will be placed in your passport and you will need to pay the US$35 fee. You then proceed to the IMMIGRATION BOOTHS where you present your CARD OF IMMIGRATION CONTROL one half is kept and the other half stamped and returned to you. KEEP THIS SAFE as you will need it at the hotel and exiting the country. There will be a driver with the sign KORYO GROUP waiting for you in the arrival lobby and you will be taken to HOTEL LOTUS. This tour is a group trip but designed to have a good amount of free-time. We will give you ideas if you want to go out exploring or just take it easy at a café. Please be on time and return to that the hotel in the evening. Please note we will be driving relatively long distances and seats can be hard so we suggest bringing a travel pillow/neck support the view and experience more than make up for a little discomfort though. Khoja Obi Gharm- spa. Please note this is a Radon spa which has radioactive properties. There are various thoughts on whether this is good for you or not! - please read up beforehand and make your own decision. The various types of treatment with steam sauna and water jets, massage etc. It is in a beautiful mountain area and worthwhile even for those not taking the spa treatments. The spa was built by the Russians over a religious shrine for those of you not taking a sauna go pop out and try and find it in this beautiful mountainscape. Massage is 60 somoni head body arms, just need to wear pants or towel provided (radon shower included if you want! ) Carry a colour photocopy of your passport with you at all times. Taxis In 2015 most journeys cost around somoni but make sure you agree a price beforehand. Segafroid Café in Dushanbe is a good place for internet and Western food- open for billiards and ten pin bowling cost 120 somoni per hour. The Segafroid Café is about a 20 somoni taxi ride from the Hotel Lotus. Dushanbe has the the world s largest tea house is open for billiards and ten-pin bowling cost 120 per hour Bring sun protection cream Bring hand sanitiser and toilet paper Weather Early Spring weather so bring a light jumper and jacket, however, we will be heading into the mountains so have some warm clothing also as there will be snow.

4 BUZKASHI Please note we cannot confirm the day the Buskahsi will take place and our Tajik guides will give us the update when we are in the country. We will leave the hotel early in the morning. You need a minimum of 3 hours for watching the game. If we have two buses we can have one group leave after 3 hours and the other at the end (around 4 pm). Bring passport or photocopies of passport as police might ask for identification. The buz is around 50 lbs, head cut off a day or so in advance and sewn up and soaked in water- the riders have to pick it up and drop it between two mounds of earth. As you try and score the other riders will do all they can to rip the carcass out of your hands. There are a number of matches throughout the day. Things to look out for: Ask the riders to show you how they hold the carcass- they use a small hand-held noose. Saddle uses real bone to hold onto. Go and check out the prizes, ranging from camels, cars and carpets. Local Tajik women do not attend the Buzkashi or wrestling events (foreign can attend!). Some riders work as teams. The riders wear Russian tank helmets probably left over from the Afghanistan War with Russia. Some tourists/locals stand on goal mounds but this is dangerous and will not make you popular with the locals. Basically there are no rules (although they do say no hitting of horses or people etc). Riders legs are wrapped several times with bandages to protect them in the crush. A local man with a megaphone tells stories for amusement of the crowd and riders. Do not stand on Buzkashi goals (two earth mounds) as it will not make us popular. Local food is available.

5 Day 1 (Thursday, March 24th) Dushanbe and Hissar Fortress Dushanbe is the capital and largest city of Tajikistan was once a small weekly market town-the name means Monday in Tajik- Dushanbe grew into a major regional administrative centre during the Soviet era, when it was known as Stalinabad from 1931 to Located in a windy river valley at the base of towering peaks to the north and northeast, it is the ideal jumping off point for further exploration of Tajikistan. The first morning of the tour is free to gain your bearings in this fascinating city. Our group will assemble at 13:30 in the lobby of the Hotel Lotus. We ll then head directly out of the city to the nearby ruins of the Hissar Fortress. Located at a strategic point along the Silk Road, this historic stronghold is said to have been destroyed twenty-one times in its long history. Accordingly the site is a great introduction to Tajikistan s rich history and we ll take time to explore the fortress as well as take in the surrounding scenery. We ll also stop by a local school to photograph a statue of Lenin. Tonight we ll have a welcome group dinner in Dushanbe. Breakfast and dinner included. Day 2 (Friday, March 25th). Dushanbe We ll set out in the morning for a walking tour of Dushanbe starting at Victory Park overlooking the city and the memorial to the Soviet victory in World War II. The tour will continue along Rudaki and Ismoil Somoni Avenues. Named for 9th century Persian poet and king, respectively, these avenues form the central axis of Dushanbe and lined by grand monuments and palaces, government ministries, parks, and cultural centres. We ll take a walk through Central and Rudaki Parks- the main relaxation and leisure areas of the city- stopping by the Monument of Ismaili Somoni and the National Museum of Antiquities for a deeper look at the complicated history of Tajikistan. After lunch we ll continue with a pleasant stroll in the Botanical Gardens, which is popular among locals for wedding photos and houses thousands of varieties of Central Asian plants. We ll also have a chance to visit the neo-classical National Opera Theater and the Dushanbe Puppet Theatre. At the end of the day we ll take a break at the National Teahouse, the largest teahouse in the world. Breakfast and lunch included. Day 3 (Saturday, March 26th) Varzob Valley Although the first day of Nowruz is on March 21st, public celebrations don t get started until the first weekend. Today we ll head north up the Varzob Valley into the mountains to a series of scenic mountain lakes for a light hike. We ll try to catch a holiday wrestling match before having lunch with a local family and enjoying the Takob Waterfall. In the afternoon, we ll head back to Dushanbe. The afternoon is free to explore Dushanbe or just relax. Breakfast and lunch included Day 4 (Sunday, March 27th) Buzkashi Event Today we go to see the amazing Buzkashi, or goat pulling, event. This traditional Central Asian sport involves horse-mounted players dragging a goat carcass towards a goal. The event lasts for hours so pack for the whole day with sturdy shoes. You ll be wandering around, chatting with locals. We can promise you have never seen anything like this before, it is one of the most spectacular of sports in the world. If you sit up on the hill you will be safe, however,you are responsible for your own safety if you get too close to the action. The afternoon too is spent in the sport fields but you will be able to buy drinks and food from the local stalls. We head back to Dushanbe late in the afternoon. Breakfast included. Day 5 (Monday, March 28th) Khoja Obi Garm Spa In the morning, we ll check out of the Hotel Lotus and drive further up the Varzob Valley to the Khoja Obi Garm Spa. Built upon hot springs and into the side of scenic a mountain 2,000 meters above sea level, this massive brutalist Soviet-era health complex could be described as a cross between the Grand Budapest Hotel and a James Bond movie villain s mountain lair. The spa boasts a full range of therapeutic treatments and entertainment options available to guests. Visit the cinema, hit the gym, relax with a massage, or bathe in naturally occurring radon-infused waters purported to have healing properties. Those not wishing to brave the radioactive waters can have a try with (non-radioactive) medicinal leeches! In the evening we ll have a farewell dinner for those departing the next morning. Overnight: Khoja Obi Garm Spa Day 6 (Tuesday, March 29th) Iskandur Lake to the Ferghana Valley This morning our groups will part ways. Those departing Tajikistan will return to Dushanbe for the flight home or onward travel while the remainder of the group will head through the Hissar Mountains on the road to Khujand. The route itself is the adventure today as we drive through picturesque villages, stunning scenic spots, abandoned factories, and socialist and nationalist monuments. One of the highlights will be travelling under 5,000-meter peaks through the 5 km Iranian-built Anzob Tunnel. We ll stop for lunch at Iskandur Kul, or Alexander Lake. Local ledged tells that Alexander the Great made a stop here as his armies marched into Central Asia. Set among mountain peaks, the lake is lined by dachas, including the president s own, and was a popular summer retreat during the Soviet era. High concentrations of minerals give the lake a bright blue-green colour and also prevent most species of aquatic life. Continuing north we will cross into the Ferghana Valley, which for millennia has been the crossroads of culture and home to some of the great trading cities along the Silk Road. Today the valley is divided between Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Kyrgystan. As we approach Khujand (Leninabad from 1936 to 1991), we ll stop by a dam complete with massive Lenin statue incorporated in it s structure. Overnight: Hotel Firuz, Khujand or Hotel Lotus, Dushanbe Day 7 (Wednesday, March 30th). Khujand City Once the furthest outpost in Alexander the Great s empire in Asia, the city has been an important administrative and commercial centre ever since. The morning is your time but we recommend you explore the large indoor food market (look out for the Lenin and Stalin plaque on the roadside façade dating the market as 1954). We will meet up at the local restaurant. Just opposite the restaurant is the old post office with remarkable 1960 s USSR plaster frescoes. Set in the remains of a 13th century citadel we will visit the local museum dedicated to the region s long history. We will also visit the mosque with beautiful wooden pillared interior. We head off to see an enormous Statue of Lenin which was moved into a park on the city limits, it s original location now replaced with the Ismoil Somoni statue. Later afternoon we drive to the bizarre Arbob Cultural Palace. A recreation of the Winter Palace in St. Petersburg, yet built during the 1950 s Soviet period. Overnight: Hotel Firuz, Khujand Breakfast and lunch included Day 8 (Thursday, March 31st) The Zarafshan Valley and Panjikent From Khujand we ll drive through the Zarafshan Valley arriving in Panjikent for lunch. Located near the Uzbekistan border, Panjikent is the centre of Sogdian culture in Tajikistan. After lunch we ll take a tour of historic Panjikent. We ll visit the ruins of Ancient Panjikent. Known as the Pompeii of Central Asia, the remains are of a Sogdian town founded in the 5th century and abandoned in the 7th century during the Arab invasions. We ll see the foundations of homes, the royal palace and citadel, a Zoroastrian fire temple, and the city bazaar. We ll visit the Rudaki Museum, an homage to the hometown poet considered to be the father of Persian Poetry. The museum contains well-preserved frescos depicting scenes of ancient Sogdian daily life. Overnight: Local hotel in Panjakent Breakfast and lunch provided Day 9 (Friday, April 1st). Return to Dushanbe We ll spend the day driving back to Dushanbe stopping at historic sights and towns along the way. Tonight we ll have a farewell dinner for the group. Breakfast, lunch and farewell dinner provided. Day 10 (Saturday April 2nd). Departure Day Breakfast included